Chapter 105 Julians Pressure
News of Didier and Gisella's broken engagement spread quickly.
Like a whirlwind.
Elsewhere, in a noble district on the edge of town, someone was actually celebrating the news with the widest smile.
Julian Vance.
He sat on a chair in his room, kicking a small table in delight when he heard about the end of Didier and Gisella's engagement.
All this time, Julian's life revolved around sword training, hanging out with low-ranking soldiers, and keeping a straight face with everyone. No one ever expected that this stone-faced guy could break into a grin just because some nobles broke up.
But it wasn't because he cared about Didier or Lysandra. Not at all.
Julian had only one thing on his mind.
Gisella was free.
And that meant the path was finally open. The golden opportunity he'd been waiting for had arrived.
Evening approached.
The Vance family's carriage stopped in front of their grand home. Julian's father, Frederic Vance, and his stepmother, Lolita Vance, had just returned from a long business trip to a neighboring kingdom.
Exhaustion was clear on their faces. Dust from the road still clung to his father's thick velvet cloak.
But before his parents had a chance to sit and drink some warm tea, Julian barged straight into the room without even knocking.
Bang!
Frederic's study door swung open.
Julian's father, who was organizing some documents, glared in surprise. His stepmother, who was just taking off her gloves, nearly dropped her porcelain teacup.
"Julian? What's gotten into you? Have some manners," his father scolded in a deep voice, frowning at his son. "We just got home, we're exhausted, and you barge in like this."
Julian didn't care.
His breathing was a little heavy. Not from tiredness, but from the adrenaline pounding in his chest.
He stood in the middle of the room, facing the two adults without a hint of fear.
"I want to ask for your permission," Julian said, getting straight to the point. His voice was calm but firm.
His father snorted, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms across his chest.
"Permission? All of a sudden? Usually, after coming home from training, all you do is stay in your room or sharpen your sword. What is it, do you want more money for weapons?"
"Not weapons," Julian replied.
He took a short breath before saying the words that would shock the entire house.
"I want your blessing to propose to someone."
Silence.
The room immediately fell quiet.
His stepmother, who had been busy straightening her dress, stopped moving. She glanced at Julian, then at her husband.
Their expressions were as if they'd been struck by lightning on a clear day.
Julian's father gaped, his mouth half-open, barely believing what he was hearing.
In all these years living with his own son, not once had Julian brought a girlfriend home-heck, he'd never even seen Julian talk to a girl. The boy's life was twenty-four hours of physical training at the barracks, sweat, swords, and the smell of gunpowder.
There was no such thing as romance in Julian's world.
"What did you just say?" his father asked hoarsely, making sure he hadn't misheard. "Propose? Who are you planning to propose to?"
"A human," Julian answered.
Frederic glared. He hated it when Julian joked at times like this. He knew his son-Julian was very sarcastic, especially to his stepmother, Lolita.
"Don't tell me you're planning to propose to a man, Julian," his father said, horrified.
In fact, because Julian was never seen with any women, his father had once wondered about it. There had even been rumors among the nobility that Julian was interested in men, since he only ever spent time with big, burly soldiers at the military camp.
Julian almost tripped when he heard that. "Oh my God, Dad, please, I'm all man!"
"Then tell us, Julian, who is she?" Lolita snapped.
"Gisella," Julian answered simply, clearly, without the slightest hesitation.
His stepmother immediately covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide.
"Gisella? You mean the young lady from the Mercer family? The girl who was just broken engaged from the crown prince?"
"Yes, her," Julian replied calmly.
Julian's father abruptly stood up. His wooden chair screeched loudly against the floor.
His parents' faces turned to a mixture of horror and confusion.
His father's mind raced, trying to process the fact that his son, who spent all his time with rough soldiers in the barracks, was now asking to propose to a noble girl who had just escaped the shadows of the palace.
His father had been terrified that his son would never get married.
But now?
Suddenly, this boy wanted their blessing to propose to a girl?
And not just any girl-but the one who had just caused a stir in the capital.
"Are you out of your mind, Julian?!" his father hissed, low but full of pressure, stepping closer.
"You've never even been seen close to any girl! Now you want to propose to Lady Mercer? Don't shame the family! You know your position in the military. Don't go looking for trouble with the royal family!"
"I'm not looking for trouble," Julian replied. His voice didn't rise in the slightest, but his eyes made it clear he couldn't be dissuaded. "I'm serious. And I don't care about the palace."
His stepmother quickly grabbed her husband's arm, trying to calm him.
"Julian, listen. We're not forbidding you, but this is all so sudden. You just got back from the barracks. Do you really even know her?"
Julian looked down for a moment, holding back a faint smile that almost escaped his lips.
Know her?
Of course he did.
Long before anyone in the palace knew Gisella's name, Julian had noticed her-back when she was eating sweet potatoes that she didn't even recognize, thinking it was a stone. He held himself back while she suffered under Didier's shadow.
And now, with fate finally giving him a chance, there was no way he'd let anyone else get ahead of him.
"I know her better than you think," Julian said firmly, looking his father straight in the eye. "And I only want a yes or no from you. Because with or without your blessing, I'm still going to her house."