Sid then remembered that he had a date that evening.
With the Duke of Bethlehem, whom he had never met.
He originally thought that by deliberately standing the other party up, they would give up, since this marriage was just a union between two families for their own interests.
For him, it was just another place to continue being exploited and oppressed.
Thinking of this, the joy of seeing my friend vanished instantly, and the lingering restlessness of the past few days surged back into my heart.
Sid's face immediately darkened, and he shouted, "George!"
As the sound of footsteps approached, the gate of the house was opened a crack, and an elderly man who looked like a butler came out to greet them.
This is Mr. George, the old butler who served Sid's father his entire life and the only servant in the entire house.
George, whose eyesight was failing, was visibly taken aback when he saw so many guests standing in the courtyard.
But he quickly came to his senses, strode over to Sid's side, and bowed, saying, "Young Master Sid."
Sid coldly instructed, "Please lead these two guests to the guest rooms on the second floor. They are my friends, Claude and Isaac."
He turned around and smiled at Claude. "Sorry, Claude. I have some personal matters to attend to. If you need anything, just ask George, and he'll take care of it."
The latter glanced quickly at the tall, thin man shivering in the courtyard, but smiled and said, "Okay, see you tomorrow morning."
Sid replied, "Okay, see you tomorrow morning."
After the three of them had walked away, Sid slowly walked up to the tall, pitiful-looking man.
Surprisingly, the other person looked much younger than he had imagined.
That face was undoubtedly handsome, with faint freckles on his cheekbones, making him appear incredibly youthful and innocent under the dim light of the courtyard.
So, Sid asked the first question he'd asked upon their first meeting in a rather strange way: "Are you an adult?"
Only after he blurted it out did he realize how inappropriate it was.
Sid cleared his throat and extended his hand to the other person: "Hello, I am Sid, Sid Liujin."
"Hello, I am Silver, Silver Julius." The other person's voice was deep yet magnetic, possessing a wonderful resonance like a violin soundbox.
Amidst this pleasant sound, the other person gently clasped his outstretched hand.
The young man's hands seemed broad, yet they were icy cold.
Sid looked up and saw the other person grinning foolishly at him, with clear, unfathomable indigo eyes.
“I’m an adult now. I turned nineteen last month,” Silver politely withdrew his hand and added slowly.
Inexplicably, in the other person's perfectly timed gentleness, most of the restlessness that had been swirling in Sid's heart dissipated.
Or perhaps, he suddenly softened.
He could never resist anything pure.
Pure means free of impurities.
Once the raw materials become pure, the unstable factors in the alchemy process are reduced, allowing the reaction to successfully produce the desired crystals within the designed formula.
He lowered his eyes, his expression still cold, but his tone became much friendlier. "If you have time, please come to my humble abode for a chat. You and I... have much to talk about."
Perhaps, this marriage isn't as bad as he thought.
He can find rare opportunities in it.
An opportunity for him to break free from the Liujin family and conduct research experiments freely.
The tall, thin young man paused for a moment, but quickly replied happily, "It would be my honor."
Still under the warm light of the courtyard, the other person's light red short hair shone brightly.
Sid looked away and led the way.
When he entered the house, he noticed that the mineral soil he had ordered a few days ago had arrived and was piled up in the living room, box after box. A lot of the dark mineral soil had been spilled on the carpet, making the place look quite messy.
Sid paused for a moment, which was uncharacteristic of him, and then said to the man behind him, "Come with me."
But they were the first to change direction and head towards the stairs.
It wasn't until he led the other person to the bedroom on the third floor that Sid made a rare joke: "You're really brave, actually going into a magician's bedroom like that."
There is a widely circulated saying in mainland China: "You can never defeat a magician in your bedroom." For magicians without a mage tower, the bedroom usually has the most harmonious elemental concentration with their mental power.
However, the other party did not respond.
Sid looked up and saw a blush of shyness on the other person's face.
Sid: "..."
Well, he had to admit that the statement had always been ambiguous. Who said it first? Oh, it seemed to be that magician named Alch from the late First Dynasty.
The other party also seemed to have created quite a few strange and unusual poems.
It must be admitted that the Library of Lunagal has a rich collection of books, and the manuscripts of those magicians are particularly vivid and interesting.
But all of this meant little to him.
He cleared his throat, led Silver to a small table by the window, and poured him a cup of hot tea.
He had personally imbued the room with the magic of illumination, making it warmer and brighter than any other house on the continent.
Only then did Sid speak seriously: "You should know that Haines is after your wealth. You... you should only be a level two professional, right?"
He glanced at it casually and immediately discerned the other party's abysmal strength.
It was rumored that the Grand Duke of Bethlehem was in poor health, and seeing him now, it is indeed true.
Before the other party could answer, Sid continued, "If you marry me and then get killed, and you have no children or brothers, the entire Duchy of Bethlehem will be inherited by me."
"And I don't even have a weak claim to the Gilded Duchy beneath my feet. When something happens to me, everything your family owns will be taken away by the Gilded Family without any problem."
"Forgive my frankness, but I cannot see any benefit for you from this marriage alliance between our two families. Therefore, I can only assume that you covet my achievements in alchemy and are eager to profit from them."
And this is precisely what he hates most.
He loved alchemy simply because he loved it.
He hated being overwhelmed by mountains of orders, stuck at his workbench, doing the same uninspired alchemical experiments day after day.
Sid's gaze fell on the teacup beside him, as he watched the wisps of steam rise steadily.
Silver remained silent for a long time.
The patience and hope that had finally risen in his heart were gradually running out.
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