Surprisingly, James didn't lead William and his guest to the living room. Instead, he guided them to the garden that was outside the residence.
Large tables laid out with delicious dishes had been placed all over the garden. William saw familiar faces, namely, Rebecca, Agatha, and Eleanor. There were also several children that were around his age loitering around Rebecca's table.
They were all wearing the same light blue clothes with an insignia of a snowflake embedded on its chest.
'I guess they are the kids from the Misty Sect and Rebecca's fellow disciples," William thought.
Among the kids who were seated near his "Ex-Fiance", there was a certain boy that stood out. He had blonde hair, gray eyes, and a face that would make all the girls scream "Kyaah! Kyaah!" the moment they saw him. He was practically oozing with the 'I'm a pretty boy vibe'.
Unfortunately, William was more handsome than him. Even Rebecca's fellow female disciples looked at William with keen interest.
William ignored the gazes of the little lolis and focused his attention on the blondie that was seated beside his Ex-Fiance.
'This person might be that "dependable senior brother" that is too common in cultivation stories,' William eyed the first male antagonist he had encountered in his lifetime. 'According to the script in the novels, he would challenge me in order to formally break our marriage agreement. That way, he would be able to score some brownie points with Rebecca's mother and master.'
William sneered in his heart. If he hadn't temporarily lost his magic powers, he would have easily wiped the floor with the handsome boy's face. Sadly, he was now at his weakest point and couldn't use his trump cards.
James led William and his guests to another table that was also laid out with delicious dishes. Messengers had arrived at the residence beforehand to announce William's arrival. Because of this, the maids hurriedly added another table into the garden and prepared the food for their Young Master's arrival.
"So, your name is Est?" James asked. "You have good eyes."
"T-Thank you?" Est answered in confusion.
He didn't know why James said that "he had good eyes", but he could tell that William's grandpa didn't say it in a casual manner. Of course, he didn't understand what the old man was hinting at.
"Let's talk more later." James smiled. "I'm very interested in the friends that William has made during his trip to the Holy Temple."
Est smiled and nodded his head. He was also curious to know more about William's grandfather.
As soon as William and his guests sat on the chairs provided to them, the drama finally started.
"Old James, since your grandson is here it's time to get right down to business," Lawrence said with a smile on his face. He then faced William and told him the reason for his visit.
"Young man, I would like to apologize for the actions of my Daughter in law. She shouldn't have made things difficult for you and forced you to break the marriage agreement that your grandfather and I had agreed on," Lawrence stated. "The reason why I'm here right now is to mediate and fix this misunderstanding."
"Father!" Agatha shouted. "That boy is not worthy of your granddaughter! He is just a dirty shepherd!"
Est frowned when he heard the Duchess' rude remarks. Even Ian who, was always at odds with William, had the same reaction as Est. For some reason, he didn't like it when other people insulted William.
"Sir Griffith, I also believe that my disciple deserves someone better," Eleanor said from the side. "Rebecca is a genius. She only deserves the best that also goes for her future husband."
Surprisingly, James didn't say anything and just sipped his tea in peace. If this was in the past, he would have already raised a ruckus to defend his grandson's honor. He believed that his grandson would have no problems getting many beautiful wives even without his help.
Since that was the case, why would he bother with this petty marriage agreement?
Lawrence listened to Agatha's and Eleanor's words with a calm expression. He didn't rebuke them and allowed them to say their thoughts out loud. He was observing James' and William's expressions to understand their thoughts about the matter.
Seeing that both of them were not reacting to the "subtle insult" raised by the two women, Lawrence felt that something was wrong. He then decided to test the waters and asked the red-head boy a question.
"They say that you are not worthy of my granddaughter. How do you feel about that?" Lawrence asked.
William grinned as he answered Lawrence's question. "Sir Lawrence, do you think that someone as handsome as me would find it hard to find a beautiful wife as my companion?"
"No," Lawrence answered.
William nodded his head like a scholar. "I don't want to brag, but aside from my Grandfather, no one in the Southern Continent is more handsome than me. Since that is the case, why would I limit myself to marrying your granddaughter? Don't you think that this is being unfair to my handsome looks?"
"Bravo!" James clapped his hands. "As expected of my grandson."
Eleanor's and Agatha's face contorted in disgust. They had already experienced how shameless William was, but it seemed that he had become more arrogant since the last time they had met.
"So are you saying that my granddaughter is not good enough?" Lawrence asked. His voice was laced with amusement.
"You should ask her that question," William replied. "Is she good enough for me? Personally, I think not."
Rebecca, who was quietly listening from the side, raised an eyebrow at William's words. "What makes you think that you are good enough for me? If not for grandfather's insistence I wouldn't even bother coming here."
At first, she was planning to stay out of this mess, but William's words annoyed her. She was the genius that was born once every two hundred years. Although she wasn't interested in William, this was the first time that someone told her that she wasn't good enough at something.
"Then why don't you go?" William casually waved his hand as if to shoo away a pest. "So what if you're a genius? Even geniuses need to poop, or are you going to tell me that you don't poop at all?"
Everyone that was currently eating at that moment glared at William. Even James who was drinking his tea spat it out on the ground.
"Such crude words!"
"Don't you have any sense of delicacy!"
"As expected of a country bumpkin, truly lacking in manners!"
The disciples of the Misty Sect berated William, but the red-headed boy paid them no mind. In his eyes, the sooner these pests left, the better.
Rebecca's face became beet red. There was no way that she could retort to William's question. Was there any human that didn't need to poop? If there was, could they still be considered human?
Lawrence frowned. From what he could see, William really had no interest in his granddaughter. A part of him wanted to spank the boy silly, while the other part of him looked at the boy in a new light.
'The bastard James is not reacting as well,' Lawrence thought. 'Are they hiding something from me?'
The one who initiated the matchmaking was James. Lawrence knew his personality so it was impossible for James to renege on something that he had started. Naturally, this mess happened because his daughter in law took the opportunity while he was away to cancel the marriage agreement.
Even so, he didn't believe that James would just sit idly by and let someone trample on the agreement that had been put in place because of his proposal.
Est who was watching from the side secretly felt happy. He didn't understand why he felt happy, but he was feeling giddy watching William's arrogant performance.
"You, peasant. How dare you tarnish the honor of my junior disciple?!" The handsome blondie stood up from his seat. "I will only ask you one question. Are you going to free Rebecca from the marriage agreement or not?"
"Hah? Did a donkey kick your head?" William asked in disdain. "Didn't I make it clear that I'm not interested in her? If you like, you can have her. I can tell from a glance that both of you are a perfect match for each other."
"Really?" The blondie asked. "Do you really think that we're a good match?"
The blondie gave Rebecca a side-long glance as he waited for William's answer.
"Definitely." William nodded his head. "A match made in heaven. May the two of you live a happy life together."
"Hmp! At least you know your place." The blondie accepted William's words as if it was the most natural thing to do. He then sat down in a good mood.
From the first time he saw Rebecca, he had already decided that she would be his lover. Not only was she beautiful, she was also a daughter of a Duke. With beauty, riches, and influence on her side, she was the ideal candidate to become his wife and raise his rank within his family.