This had been a sweeping victory for Elion, despite the overwhelming numbers working against him.

And he did not look even slightly winded, as if it was nothing but a mild inconvenience to him. Elion slowly looked around the silent crowd.

"Are we done?" He asked, but no one answered.

He waited another moment to make sure before nodding. "I will take that as a yes." He turned away from the defeated nobles and walked back toward Celeste.

The crowd unconsciously moved aside, opening a clear path for him despite the fact that he was nowhere near them.

Celeste watched him approach with a satisfied expression.

...

After Elion returned to Celeste and received a daring kiss that left nearly everyone watching stunned, an even stranger scene unfolded not long afterward.

Valerian and the others knelt on one knee before Elion and Celeste, their fists pressed firmly against their chests in a gesture of respect.

"We hope Princess Celeste and her betrothed can forgive our foolish actions," they said in unison. "It was brash of us to make assumptions about someone the princess chose herself. We understand now that we were not worthy!"

They kept their heads lowered as though awaiting judgment.

Those who had not participated in the brief scuffle remained a short distance away, almost as though they wanted to make it absolutely clear that they were not part of the group of fools currently kneeling.

Of course, even if they had not fought Elion themselves, they had still been among those shouting for him to show himself and voicing their agreement after he appeared.

Now, after witnessing what had happened and seeing the battered state of their fellow clansmen, they could only gulp nervously.

They silently hoped Elion would let the matter go. More importantly, they hoped he would not turn his attention toward them next.

Unfortunately, from this point going forward, it was not Elion who they would have to worry about.

Celeste looked upon her peers from the great noble houses with open contempt.

Although she was displeased by their actions, it took her only a moment to suppress the worst of her anger.

She had been raised her entire life to become a capable leader, and because of that, she understood that she was acting somewhat out of character.

Now that Elion had already put every one of them in their place, just as she had expected, there was no need for her to remain so uptight.

Perhaps, in their own foolish way, they had simply wanted to test how capable her soon-to-be betrothed truly was.

Whether they had done it for her sake or their own ambitions was another matter entirely.

Regardless, even after allowing her displeasure to fade, Celeste knew that they were clearly in the wrong.

The proper course of action was to reprimand them a bit before accepting their ’heartfelt’ apology.

"You all acted without thinking, blinded by your own greed and ambitions," she said calmly. "Did none of you stop to consider that your actions questioned not only my honor as a woman, but also my judgment as the future ruler of this clan?"

The kneeling nobles stiffened.

"To question the man I chose is no different from questioning my ability to make decisions as your heir."

Her voice remained firm and composed; perhaps that was the most terrifying part.

She did not sound enraged; it sounded like she was simply disappointed, and, in truth, she was.

The young men lowered their heads even further. Off to the side, however, an entirely different scene was unfolding.

A group of young vampire women were practically swooning as they stared at the impossibly handsome figure standing beside their princess.

After witnessing Elion’s strength, composure, and overwhelming victory, they could not help thinking that Celeste was the fortunate one.

How could one man exude such a regal air of charisma and perfection!?

And Elion, being who he was, naturally noticed their stares. He glanced in their direction, smiled, and gave them a small wave.

That smile might as well have been a deadly charm spell aimed directly at them. Several of the young women visibly swooned.

Their knees weakened, and they pressed their hands against their chests as their faces flushed crimson, while a few of them let out delighted screams.

Celeste watched the spectacle from the corner of her eye. Her brow twitched.

’This womanizer!’ She shot Elion a threatening look.

He either failed to notice it or deliberately pretended not to. When that proved ineffective, Celeste turned her sharp gaze toward the swooning women.

A faint pulse of her presence spread outward, making their minds clear immediately. Every whisper, scream, and excited giggle died at once.

Celeste released a quiet sigh.

’How is it so easy for him to make women lose their minds without even trying?’ The guy was a full-time panty dropper!

It would not have surprised her if Elion told them to undress right there, and several of them actually obeyed.

Getting back to the matter at hand, Celeste chose to remain silent and let the kneeling young men stew a bit.

By now, most of them were sweating buckets.

Before the matter could continue any further, an elderly man who had been observing from a distance slowly approached.

He used a thin staff for support, though the steady pressure surrounding him made it clear that he was far from frail.

The old man belonged to House Firvor, and he was Valerian’s grandfather. He stopped a short distance away and bowed respectfully toward Celeste.

"Please forgive the young ones, esteemed Princess," he said. "They merely wished to ensure that the woman they have admired for so long had chosen a partner capable of standing as her equal."

Celeste shared a brief glance with the elderly man before nodding.

She had always held the utmost respect for the elderly, and Lord Youm Von Firvor was known to be an amicable old man who wished for nothing but peace.

"Seeing as they appear sincere, I will allow this matter to pass," Celeste said. "However, I want to make one thing perfectly clear. From this point forward, any disrespect shown toward my beloved will be taken as an attempt to disrespect me as well."

Youm nodded. "Of course, Your Highness, we wouldn’t have it any other way."

He then glanced toward Elion and bowed once again.

"On behalf of the young ones and their affiliated families, I apologize for any disrespect this matter may have caused Your Highnesses."

Celeste’s expression softened considerably.

It took a certain degree of humility and self-sacrifice to apologize and lower one’s head for the mistakes of others.

Whether his grandson had been in the wrong or not, Youm himself had no reason to bow before them like this.

Yet the fact that he had done so was entirely in line with the kind of man Youm von Firvor had always been.

Once the matter had been settled, the courtyard gradually emptied as everyone returned to their daily affairs, though not before paying their proper respects to Celeste.

However, hidden among the dispersing crowd, a pair of mismatched red-and-blue eyes continued to watch the scene with a detached gaze.

The young vampire appeared to be around the same level of strength as Valerian, having already reached the Advanced Stage as both a mage and warrior, perhaps even stronger, yet he had chosen not to participate in the confrontation.

For what reason, only he knew.

He remained silent as he walked away with the rest of the crowd, attracting no attention to himself.

However, his mind was already turning.

He needed to determine the safest and quickest way to deliver this news to his benefactor in the Human Kingdom.