Chapter 501: Cornelia’s Troubles

While Donald was still inJinsha City City, the capital of the Silari Principality, far away in the northern regions of the main continent, inZijing City City, the capital of the Northwest Province…

“What is Cornelia doing now?”
Ferdinand Ansel, who had officially taken over as marquis, sat in the study of the manor house and asked the butler below in a calm voice.

The butler bowed in response, then pulled a rope on one side of the study. A clear ringing sound came through, and after a few breaths, a young servant knocked on the door and entered.
“My lord, the young lady is meditating in the manor outside the city. She hasn’t left there in half a day!”
Hearing this report, Ferdinand sighed softly.
He naturally knew why his sister was so troubled—she had fallen in love with someone.
It wasn’t unusual for many women to pursue men, as long as those men were good enough. But his sister, though seemingly sweet, was actually very proud and independent, and prone to getting stuck in her own thoughts. If the man she liked had been an ordinary noble or even a married man, it wouldn’t have stopped her from pursuing him.
But now, that man was a supreme god who would one day leave this world. Persisting in pursuing him would be like trying to climb too high. It was all because that guy had progressed too quickly. Poor his sister—she hadn’t even had the chance to confess yet. Given Cornelia’s personality, it was likely even harder for her to speak up now!
No! He had to find a way to bring these two together. If nothing else worked, he would risk losing his face—he certainly didn’t want to see his only sister spend her life alone!
Without delaying any further, Ferdinand put aside his duties and hurriedly prepared to use the teleportation array to visit Dalaran.
Back at the beautiful manor outsideZijing City City, Cornelia, the jewel of the Ansel family and nearly twenty-one years old, sat on a bench, holding a bright flower.
Her expression shifted between tenderness and irritation, adding to the melancholic atmosphere of the autumn season—a perfect picture of a young woman pining in love.
At that moment, a maid rushed into the garden, her face filled with urgency.
“Miss! Miss…”
Cornelia replied unfriendlyly, “Didn’t I say not to disturb me?”
The young maid was so anxious that tears welled up in her eyes. She said plaintively, “It’s not that, miss! My lord is going to Dalaran and sent someone to ask if you want to go with him!”

“What?” Hearing this, Cornelia immediately jumped up excitedly. “Go! Why not go?” Abandoning the poor flower, now ruined into a mess of colored clay, the Flower of Ansel transformed into a green shadow and left the manor at lightning speed. “Wait for me, miss!” The poor maid’s meager strength was no match for her master, who had reached the rank of Silver Swordmaster; she was left far behind after just a few steps! Fortunately, as a high-ranking noble, Ferdinand needed time to prepare for his journey in accordance with etiquette. By the time the maid arrived at the teleportation portal, panting heavily and drenched in sweat, her masters had not yet set off! Seeing his impatient sister, Ferdinand shook his head and smiled, saying that simple preparations were sufficient, before leading everyone on their way. The emergence of magical teleportation portals had greatly transformed human transportation, marking a revolutionary change. So far, only the major cities within the Kingdom of Celt and Sili had completed the construction of teleportation portals, and Dalaran had extended them to the west coast of the continent as well as the border between Gardrel and Polin. This meant that people from various countries and factions on the continent needed to use the capital of Celt, Dalaran’s Twilight Town, and Leyton Port to travel quickly between the main continent and the New Continent, as Donald had specifically set up teleportation markers to the New Continent only in these three places. The only other cross-continental teleportation point was Golden Sand City. All other areas could only be accessed through teleportation points on the main continent. This brought endless business opportunities and prosperity to these four cities capable of cross-continental travel. Compared to the high cost of cross-continental teleportation, traveling from Jingjing City in the Marquisate of Ansel to Dalaran required only three standard units of elementary elemental crystals per person, a cost that could be ignored by most nobles. In fact, all teleportation services within the Kingdom of Celt and Sili were very inexpensive; after deducting the energy required for teleportation, only a small portion of the maintenance costs of the magical portals were incurred, resulting in little profit. Yet everyone knew that as the creator of magical teleportation portals, the lord of Dalaran was wealthy enough to compare to the five great kingdoms, and he didn’t care about such small profits at all. On the contrary, the rise of teleportation portals had further boosted the commercial development of Dalaran and its territories. The indirect annual economic income generated was equivalent to ten years of profits from charging high fees for teleportation! A wise lord would never do something that would harm long-term interests!

Excluding the time needed for preparation, it only took a few seconds for Ferdinand and the others to travel thousands of miles from the western part of the kingdom to the far northern lands of Thelos.
Originally, Ferdinand wanted to meet his friend first, but upon learning from Willian, the current leader of Dalaran, that his master had gone to the New World and hadn’t returned yet, he had to take a roundabout approach and visit Dalaran’s old steward and the current mistress separately.
If there were anyone who could make decisions regarding Master Donald’s personal affairs in Dalaran, it was undoubtedly the old steward Cord, who had raised Donald since childhood, and the future mistress of Dalaran, Countess Catherine.
Especially since Ferdinand knew his proposal was sensitive, it was indeed difficult to keep it a secret from these two.
Half a day later, Ferdinand met with the countess and the old steward separately. He left the Darknight Manor with a relaxed expression and a smile on his lips.
As long as these two didn’t object, the matter would be settled. But he didn’t expect them not only to agree but to be highly supportive.
The old steward, in particular, became extremely enthusiastic after hearing that the countess had no objections and even wanted to facilitate the matter!
When Donald returned to Dalaran, he found this rather strange scene: Ferdinand was sitting leisurely in his villa at Darknight Manor, enjoying his afternoon tea and the delicacies prepared by the region’s top chef, Rombi.
“It’s been half a year since I last came. The food here is getting harder and harder to resist!”
“Then stay longer—Rombi’s skills are hard for other chefs to master!”
After sitting down, Donald also ordered some special snacks and chatted with his friend while eating. In front of friends and family, he always restrained his divine aura and communicated like an ordinary person.
Meanwhile, Catherine and the visiting Cornelia were whispering to each other, occasionally casting strange glances at him, leaving Donald puzzled. Even a true god couldn’t fathom the ever-changing and unpredictable thoughts of women!
After a while, the old steward came in with a tray, refilling drinks for everyone present.
“Cord, let the servants handle these!”

Looking radiant and at least a dozen years younger, the old butler smiled and said, “Young master, don’t worry about me. Ever since I’ve received your favor, my body has become as strong as iron—even younger people can’t compare. If I don’t stay active, I’ll rust from boredom!”
Seeing this, Donald stopped trying to persuade him and simply smiled, letting things be.
When everyone had arrived, Ferdinand cleared his throat and, instead of continuing the discussion about the situation in the New World with Donald, spoke something that surprised and astonished him.
“You say you want to ask me for Cornelia’s hand in marriage?”
He couldn’t help but glance at Cornelia in surprise.
Under his gaze, Cornelia’s face turned red with embarrassment as she shyly lowered her head. Katherine, standing nearby, teased her in her ear, causing her to turn even redder and wishing she could hide in some hole.
No matter how bold her personality, she was still just a young girl in her early twenties. Moreover, having had a crush since a few years ago, she had no experience in interacting with men, so naturally, she found it hard to let go!
Initially, she only felt a slight fondness for Donald, mostly out of curiosity. Born into a family like Ansel and raised under the elite aristocratic education of the Banedict Empire, she carried some of the rigidity typical of high nobility. But over time, influenced by various stories about Donald and his heroic deeds, her feelings deepened. Now, that young image had taken root in Cornelia’s heart and could no longer be driven away.
Although she maintained her composure in front of outsiders, pretending not to care, in front of those close to her, her youthful demeanor couldn’t be concealed.
Katherine’s actions were actually helping Donald, bringing their hearts closer together. He believed that with more time together, it wouldn’t be long before this girl shed her hesitations and boldly confessed her love to Donald!
Seeing the countess’s expression and the old butler’s enthusiastic smile, Donald knew they must have been informed in advance and were both in agreement.
He himself also wanted to form a familial bond with the Ansel family—both because of his feelings for Cornelia and his deep friendship with Ferdinand’s family.
Smiling lightly, Donald showed no sign of opposition nor rushed to make a decision.

In matters like this, mutual consent is important; you can’t rush things, and you also need to consider the wishes of your other woman, Catherine. So why not spend some time together and observe for now, treating it as a way to build feelings.