Chapter 447: Caught Between Two Worlds
Originally, Old Vine had done everything for the sake of his two granddaughters. At the time, he had only wanted to keep this troublesome kid at a distance and prevent his granddaughters from getting too attached to him. It had seemed like the sensible decision. Now, however, he found himself regretting it more and more.
The situation unfolding in front of him was giving him a headache.
For all the complaints he had about Marcus, Old Vine had slowly come to an uncomfortable realization. The more people he compared him to, the harder it became to find anyone else worthy of standing beside Icefall and Firebrand. Worse still, the more time he spent with the boy, the more he liked him. It was a strange feeling. Very strange.
As he watched the awkward tension between Marcus and his granddaughters, concern began creeping into his heart. If things continued this way, Marcus would eventually move on without much trouble. The ones who would truly suffer would be Icefall and Firebrand. And all of it traced back to him. Every misunderstanding. Every obstacle. Every carefully planned interference.
Old Vine couldn’t help regretting his actions. ’Maybe I acted too quickly.’ At the very least, he should have taken the time to understand Marcus before making decisions on his granddaughters’ behalf.
His gaze drifted toward Firebrand. The usually lively girl looked distracted and conflicted, and Old Vine felt another pang of guilt. He wanted to explain everything. He wanted to clear up the misunderstanding and break this deadlock once and for all.
But how? A man like him had spent his entire life standing above others. Apologizing was difficult enough. Admitting that he had orchestrated the entire mess? That was even harder. Yet there seemed to be no other solution.
Old Vine clenched his jaw. At that moment, he wasn’t sure whether he was angry with Marcus or with himself. Finally, he made up his mind. Fine. Even if Marcus looked down on him afterward. Even if his granddaughters blamed him. At least the truth would be out.
Just as Old Vine was preparing to speak, FreshwindElara suddenly noticed the mercenary emblems on Marcus’s arm. Her eyes lit up with curiosity.
"Stone, you’re in two mercenary groups?"
Her fingers lightly traced the insignias before stopping on the Monarch Squad emblem. A moment later, she noticed the leadership mark attached to it. "Wait..." Her smile widened. "You founded Monarch Squad?" Then she looked up at him expectantly. "I want to join too."
The words instantly derailed Old Vine’s entire plan.
"Sure."
Marcus answered almost reflexively. The moment the words left his mouth, however, his heart nearly stopped. A cold sense of dread washed over him. FreshwindElara joining Monarch Squad meant she would inevitably meet Lily and the others. Soon. Very soon. Possibly today.
’Damn.’
Marcus had always known the two sides of his life would eventually collide. He just hadn’t expected it to happen this suddenly. He hadn’t told FreshwindElara much about Lily and the others. Likewise, he hadn’t really explained FreshwindElara to Lily’s group either. Everything had happened too quickly. Now there was nowhere left to hide.
His mind raced for a solution. Unfortunately, none appeared. FreshwindElara was already preparing to submit a join request. The moment she joined, everything would become impossible to avoid. This was bad. Very bad.
It wasn’t that Marcus was afraid of FreshwindElara meeting Lily and the others. What worried him was how she would feel afterward. From her perspective, she’d suddenly discover several beautiful women constantly surrounding him, women he had never really mentioned before. Anyone would have questions. Anyone would feel upset. Marcus didn’t want to hurt her.
Then another realization struck him. Lily and the others were already on their way here. At any moment, they would walk into the hall. At any moment, everyone would meet face-to-face.
Marcus nearly groaned. ’Why now? Why did FreshwindElara have to log in at exactly this moment?’ The timing couldn’t possibly have been worse.
"FreshwindElara."
Acting on instinct, Marcus gently took her hand. The unexpected gesture made her blink in surprise. Before she could speak, Marcus hurriedly asked, "What’s your number? Can I call you sometime?" At the very least, he needed a way to contact her outside the game. If everything went badly and she logged off angry, he wanted some way to explain himself.
Marcus knew his situation wasn’t exactly admirable. He liked beautiful women. Far more than he probably should. But he had never deliberately hidden FreshwindElara from the others, nor had he intentionally hidden the others from her. Things had simply spiraled beyond his control.
"Stone?"
FreshwindElara looked at him curiously. Her voice softened. "What’s wrong?" Despite her confusion, she didn’t pull her hand away. Instead, she leaned slightly closer, her expression warm and trusting. "Of course you can call me." A faint blush appeared on her face. "My number is..."
Before she could finish, a series of cheerful voices drifted into the hall from outside. The voices belonged to women. Several women.
FreshwindElara paused. Icefall and Firebrand also turned toward the entrance. A moment later, all three looked puzzled. ’Why were so many women coming to Old Vine’s auction house?’ And judging from their voices, they seemed quite familiar with both Old Vine and Marcus.
Then the owners of those voices appeared.
"Old Vine, we’re here!"
"Marcus, we found some really nice gear and armor. We even picked out a pair of bracers for you."
As the voices rang out, a group of women entered the hall. Lily walked at the front. Amber and Jade followed closely behind. The rest of the group came after them. The moment they entered, the atmosphere froze.
Marcus felt his scalp go numb. Too fast. This had happened far too fast. He was completely trapped. There was no escape route left.
Across the room, FreshwindElara, Icefall, and Firebrand looked at the newcomers. Then they looked back at Marcus. Questions immediately appeared in their eyes. Who were these women? Why were they all so beautiful? And more importantly... Why were they all looking directly at Marcus?
Meanwhile, Lily’s group had already taken in the scene before them. Marcus and FreshwindElara were standing close together. His hand was wrapped around hers. The familiarity between them was obvious. Amber and Jade exchanged curious looks. Several of the others did the same. The hall suddenly felt very quiet. Very awkward.
Marcus immediately looked toward Old Vine for help.
The old man calmly lifted his wine cup and took another drink. Not a hint of concern appeared on his face. It was obvious. He had absolutely no intention of helping.
In reality, Old Vine was enjoying himself immensely. Watching Marcus squirm was surprisingly satisfying. ’Serves you right, you little brat. You’ve been causing trouble everywhere and acting like nothing can touch you. Let’s see how you handle this.’
Marcus, of course, had no idea what was going through the old man’s head. Seeing that no rescue was coming, he could only face the situation himself. Fortunately, if there was one thing Marcus possessed, it was nerve. His heart was pounding. His palms were sweating. But he didn’t let go of FreshwindElara’s hand. On the contrary, he held it a little more firmly.
Then he stood up and faced both groups.
"Lily, this is FreshwindElara."
Taking a slow breath, Marcus forced himself to continue. "FreshwindElara, come here. Let me introduce everyone."
Whatever happened next, there was no turning back now.
