Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Meeting the Handler Family (1)

"That was quite… fast." Anom muttered while stretching lazily.

A bunch of books were scattered all over the table. Although the books he had read till now only made up for a small portion of the whole collection, they contained all the crucial data and information.

All he had learnt till now was nothing from the perspective of the whole continent. Still, it was a start. Now he can go out without being worried about suffering a loss due to his lack of knowledge.

This visit to the library also made him aware of his improved cognitive skills. His strong soul allows his spirit to do mental tasks with greater efficiency. This helped him to read the books quickly as well as retain their content in his mind after just one read.

He stood up and put the books back in their place. After taking a final look at the silent room, he left.

Coming down the stairs, Anom felt as if he had entered a different space. The noises from the outside made a stark contrast with the tranquil atmosphere inside the library. The liveliness announcing the arrival of a new day.

The bright morning greeted Anom as he passed through the entrance.

He nodded at the guard and started walking towards Crystal's house.

Many servants were running around while carrying breakfast and stuff. Many members of the family were also greeting each other with faces full of smiles. But Anom saw some members who were not very enthusiastic about this morning.

These members might already know about the visit that the Handler family is going to make today.

He jogged at a moderate speed and arrived at his destination in a few minutes, only to be greeted by a locked door.

A maid tending to the garden informed him about Crystal being summoned to the main hall of the estate.

Anom was not surprised as he already knew about the visit that the Handler family was going to make today. The Safaira family members must be discussing the way to deal with their future '"in-laws".

Anom asked for directions from the maid and made his way towards the main hall.

On the way, he saw many other buildings and places inside the estate that he wasn’t able to explore before.

Many curious gazes were directed at him but he just smiled at these curious creatures.

After a few minutes of walking, a majestic and grand building entered his sight. It was single-storied but was as tall as a four-storied one.

A lot of people were gathered outside while whispering to each other, as if afraid of offending the main members that were currently inside.

A group of guards wearing the same uniform that Anom had seen before were blocking the entrance, not even letting anyone take a peek.

Anom was also stopped outside. Luckily, one of the guards here recognized Anom. But he still didn’t let him enter. He had just informed his supervisor, who entered the giant hall to inform someone about his arrival.

The guard returned soon and following him was no one else but Loreana.

Her style was dignified as she had changed into formal clothes. A light blue and white dress, and a light green outer robe. Her entire being gave off an aura of authority.

Anom continued to admire her awesome appearance, making the guard wipe his sweat.

"Come with me." Loreana said in a commanding voice, which Anom didn't mind at all.

They entered the building and Anom began to marvel at the imposing aura coming from inside. The various designs and decorations complimented the combined presence generated by the assembly of the top level members.

They had all seen Loreana going to receive someone, but they never expected it to be someone this young. Many of them directed their auras at him, as if checking his qualifications for being personally welcomed by the wife of the head.

But Anom acted as if he felt nothing and smiled while greeting familiar faces.

Crystal's third uncle was the first to jump out and he grabbed Anom's hand.

"Boy, come. You will sit beside me." Without waiting for Anom to reply, Kaslik dragged him towards where he was sitting. And although he talked about Anom sitting next to him, he made Anom sit on the chair next to Crystal. Kaslik himself was sitting in the row in front of Anom.

Anom was sitting on the last chair in his row, while Crystal was second. Next to her was a beautiful and mature lady. Her demeanour was different than that of Loreana. Instead of the aura of elegance and authority, she gave the feeling of wildness and confidence.

She smiled at Kaslik for making Anom sit near Crystal, which made Anom realize her identity.

He couldn't help but remember the erotic moans he heard from Kaslik's room. It was enough for him to imagine a savage and wild girl riding and controlling an untamed horse.

"Hello~~! I'm Akoi, Crystal's second aunt. You can call me Akoi, or would you like to call me second aunt too, heh~!" Akoi spoke in a teasing manner while winking at Anom playfully.

Anom really couldn't connect this cheerful lady with the dominatrix he had heard last night.

He smiled. "I can call you whatever you want."

"Oh! How bold~ ...We'll see if you can keep that attitude along with the seat you're sitting on." Her smile was full of amusement as she found the situation entertaining.

Anom just smiled. He knew what she meant. The purpose of the meeting today was to discuss the marriage of Crystal and the son of the head of the Handler family. Anom, sitting near Crystal at a time like this, clearly declared the dissatisfaction many members had with this wedding. Kaslik was the one leading them, and if not for the order of the old head, he would have protested using his boorish and direct ways. But they had no idea about Gamus having made some different plans, rendering their silent protest unnecessary.

Anom turned towards Crystal as he wanted to see her reaction to this meeting. But he found her nervously fidgeting with her fingers.

"Aah!" He poked her shoulder, scaring Crystal, who was lost in her own world. Her expression turned embarrassed as everyone began looking at her. She glared at Anom, which, along with her reddened face, made her look beautiful.

The atmosphere was lively as many of the people present here managed matters outside the city, being unable to return regularly. A huge gathering like this was a rare occasion, so it was inevitable for them to enjoy this liveliness.

This gathering could have been even more joyous, if not for the topic of today's meeting being making "peace" with their enemies.

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All of a sudden, a silence descended upon the first row, which, like a wave, spread towards the back.

Everyone turned silent as some footsteps sounded from the entrance of the hall.

The Old Head entered with a dignified bearing, his wise eyes demanding respect from everyone present. Everyone stood up to welcome the strongest and wisest member of their family.

Anom also stood up as he didn't want to 'steal' the old man's thunder. He chuckled at this thought, making Crystal elbow him, gesturing him to stay quiet with her dark blue eyes.

Gamus sat on the head seat before he waved everyone to sit back. But Gamus hasn’t come alone. Following behind him was a middle-aged man with features similar to those of Kaslik, just being much more refined. His long brown hair was tied behind his back, which, along with his shaved face and a casual smile, made him look like a gentleman. But his sturdy build and oppressive aura said otherwise.

Anom didn’t need an introduction as he identified this man as Rudard. Crystal's second uncle and most probably …a traitor of this family.

Rudard walked towards the first seat in the first row. It was the seat nearest to the one Gamus was sitting on. This seat was meant for the head of the family and, in case of his absence, should be seated upon by his wife.

Seeing Rudard taking the seat without any reservation made many people from the family displeased. But with Gamus and Loreana acting so calm, they could only keep their complaints to themselves.

Loreana was standing near Akoi in the second row. She hadn’t taken a seat yet, as if she was waiting for Rudard to show his intentions to everyone clearly. Only now did she move, dragging a chair from the first row and placing it near Anom.

Seeing her avoid the first row completely, many people were astonished, as they couldn't understand this weird atmosphere going on between the top-level members.

But Anom was feeling weird… weirdly happy.

He was sitting between this beautiful pair of mother and daughter while everyone else was too busy with their own thoughts to notice this joyful arrangement.

Just at this moment, a servant came running inside and went towards Gamus. He bowed in greeting and began to speak with him in whispers.

"Hmm… You may leave." He gestured for the servant to leave as he turned towards the seated members.

"The Handler family has arrived."

This simple sentence was enough to evoke many types of emotions in the heart of all those present. Well, the majority of these emotions tilted towards hatred and anger, with a rare few being excited.

Rudard stood up and spoke, "Let us go to receive our guests… Don't make them look down on our family for being unwelcoming." He spoke in an assertive tone as he tried to make them follow his advice.

But clearly, his prestige was far from enough, everyone only stood up when they saw Gamus nod. But Gamus wasn't going to go with them as it would be giving the Handlers too much face, and that would be excessive, even for an act.

The welcoming group consisted of almost all the top level members. Some mid and low-level members were also following them.

But Loreana and Crystal kept sitting in their places. It was normal for Crystal as she was one of the participants for the wedding. But Loreana, not coming along, indicated her opinion on this wedding. Kaslik smiled as he also wanted to do the same, but one stare from Gamus sent him on his way.

Seeing Anom also standing up, Crystal frowned. "You're going too?"

"Yeah. I wanted to see the groom who's going to marry you." Anom chuckled.

Crystal angrily huffed, "Hmph! Who is going to marry that smug bastard…" She turned silent and muttered in a barely audible voice, "Though I won’t mind marrying the one who breaks his nose."

"Girl, that's a weird way to set up a bounty."

Crystal became embarrassed again and began to pinch Anom. He could only raise his hands in surrender as he spoke of his real purpose.

"I just wanted to know for how long they can keep up this farce," said Anom as he had started following the group.

Crystal turned to her mother, who was looking at Anom's back thoughtfully.

The group arrived at the entrance and saw a procession coming from the distance. The group consisted of around fifty people with around twenty of them walking on the ground while the remaining people were riding in beast-pulled carriages.

The beasts were double the size of a horse with dark brown, tough-looking skin. Sharp teeth jutted out of their mouths while their ferocious eyes looked around as if searching for prey in this urban jungle.

Each carriage was pulled by two of these beasts with a total of five carriages. The one in the front of the procession was special as not only did it have a better design, but the beasts pulling in front also looked more powerful.

They stopped outside the entrance and stepped off from their rides.

"We welcome you to our humble home. I looking forward to some agreeable negotiations." Rudard walked forward and greeted them. The people behind him displayed forced smiles, which scared some of the servants of the Handler family.

A man came forward from the group, carrying a derisive smile on his face as he greeted Rudard.

"It is our honour to fulfil the wish of our ancestors. I'm just glad that my son will be the one to do it." The man in the lead smiled.

 His middle-aged face was covered in a beard and he had sharp brown eyes with a cunning glint in them. His thin frame was covered in black and brown clothes, matching perfectly with his medium-length brown hair.

Rudard smiled politely and invited them inside.

The two groups walked through the estate and arrived before the hall.

Anom was following them from a distance and had seen the interactions between the two groups. Although Rudard seemed to be acting politely with the Handler family, Anom knew that it was just a pretence. Both Rudard and the Handler family were having a silent bout, trying to gain an advantage over the other... Or, the winner might have already been decided.

Anom entered the same hall once again, but the scene he was greeted with this time was completely different.

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