At the dinner party, the attendants skillfully sliced the meat strips at the long table beside them, cutting the roast suckling pig, ham, and shank into slices, paired with asparagus and black truffle, drizzled with sea salt and lemon juice, and served.

"Lord Aske, where are you from?" Diophano inquired.

"Constantinople," Aske replied.

This was a question asked with prior knowledge, as Diophano also came from there. Using this as a conversation starter, this noblewoman feigned surprise, covered her mouth, and laughed:

"Ah, you must be the heir of the Achilles family? I remember now, my niece Theodora seemed to have mentioned it..."

She hadn't finished before Eleanor interrupted:

"Mother!" Eleanor smiled, "You must have forgotten. Earlier, I served in the same mercenary group with Theodora; at that time, Aske was our squad leader."

Little Otto snorted through his nose, as if to say, "Mercenary? So this is the so-called Achilles family?"

"Ahem." Otto II found it hard to maintain his composure.

To be honest, when he initially encountered The Azure Longsword Mercenary Corps, he had thoughts similar to his wife and children: mercenaries are merely useful knives, and no proper person would become a mercenary, would they?

And then he was utterly defeated by his own daughter, who was a mercenary, and fled in panic like a headless chicken; naturally, he wouldn't confess such an embarrassment.

"The Azure Longsword Mercenary Corps, of course, I remember," Otto II attempted to assert the majesty of the head of the family, saying sternly, "Lord Mind Dragon and Lord Acid Erosion Dragon also commended your performance at the time."

Diophano was immediately suspicious. Though her husband was prone to boasting, the endorsements from two Demigods indeed carried weight. If those two Demigods praised The Azure Longsword, then Aske, as the mercenary group's commander, certainly couldn't be an empty-headed showboat.

She cast a questioning glance at little Otto, who, somewhat flustered, hurriedly questioned Aske:

"The Azure Longsword Mercenary Corps? I've certainly never heard of it. Since you have our father's high esteem, I'd like to learn more from you. Where is your mercenary group's headquarters? How many members do you currently have? And what are your main business areas?"

"Your Majesty." Eleanor still maintained a smile, yet it sent a shiver down little Otto's spine, "You ask so many details; are you planning to tax us? As I've already said, 'formerly.'

The verb she just used, in Frankish grammar, is the past perfect tense, meaning 'this was once the case,' implicitly suggesting 'but it's no longer the case now.'

Little Otto, having taken grammar classes, quickly understood his sister's meaning: Both Aske and I were once part of The Azure Longsword Mercenary Corps (but are no longer, so why are you even asking?).

He wanted to tough through a few more questions but soon lost the battle under the fierce gaze hidden beneath his sister's smile. Matilda, however, calmly sipped a spoonful of broth and asked:

"Sister, I'm not questioning your choice of marriage, just purely curious: Since Mr. Aske hails from the Achilles family in Constantinople, why later become a wandering mercenary?"

"After all, dear sister, you've preserved your chastity all these years. We've been worried you might choose to remain unmarried for life, ultimately entering a monastery like Sister Adelaide and devoting yourself to God, not realizing you've long had feelings for Mr. Aske, waiting six long years in vain..."

"Has Aske been working abroad as a mercenary these past six years without returning once to see our sister?"

This question immediately stumped the two of them.

Because it was well known that Aske established the mercenary group to fight the Bronze Dragon back home, something that couldn't be easily explained, even if extensive explanations might lead to the realization:

Oh, so my sister waited for you these past six years because you heartlessly abandoned her six years ago and went home alone, a cad.

Of course, even substituting 'working abroad as a mercenary' would still carry the same issue:

You haven't returned once in six years, and now you suddenly show up to marry our princess. Why should we believe your love is genuine? Cad!

"Matilda..." Eleanor's face darkened, just as she was about to exert her elder sister's authority to change the topic, Aske voiced his confusion, "The Adelaide sister you mentioned earlier, do you mean Bishop Adelaide of the Church Court?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present didn't look pleased, even Otto II gave Matilda a glare.

The matter wasn't particularly complicated, as Adelaide, Otto II's eldest daughter, had always been interested in scientific research since childhood, yet found no interest in noble social and etiquette studies. Eventually, she had a fierce argument with Otto, Emperor at the time, packed her bags, and left for the Church Court.

This wasn't considered a disgrace. In the Divine Luo Empire, where the faith in Solomon Catholicism was prevalent, dedicating oneself to God was rather regarded as an honor.

However, a popular rumor among the empire's nobles suggested, "It was Emperor Otto who drove his eldest daughter Adelaide to become a nun, to prevent her future husband from sharing in the Saxon Family's wealth," which carried malicious intent.

Therefore, the imperial family mostly avoided mentioning Adelaide. When unavoidable, they'd say perfunctory lines like 'serving God is her glory,' and 'if she changes her mind about returning, Aachen Palace always has open doors.'

"Ahem." So Otto II coughed, deciding to be truthful with his son-in-law to prevent him from believing unfounded rumors from outside, "Becoming a nun to research sciences was Adelaide's own choice, one we respect and support; if someday she abandons her scientific pursuits, the Saxon Family will welcome her back anytime."

"I see." Aske smiled and nodded, "I can actually relate to Bishop Adelaide, given my noble origins but due to personal interests, I chose the mercenary vocation."

"Indeed." Eleanor quickly caught on, smiling as she spoke, "At that time, I also respected and supported his choice. Now that his mercenary dream is mostly realized, I've opened my arms to welcome his return. Matilda, you should understand your sister, right?"

Matilda: ..........

She silently puts down her spoon, her face looking as if she was hit by a rock. That man truly had a slippery tongue, using Adelaide's example to lightly brush over his six years of wandering! Worse yet, Sister Sofie actually sided with him!

"Ha ha ha, of course." Seeing his usually aloof daughter Matilda rendered speechless, Otto II was quite comforted, hastily interjecting to mediate, "It's very normal for young people to have dreams! Remember, as long as you come to your senses and return in time, the family will always be your warmest harbor."

This made even Diophano's face look displeased, knowing that her husband's youthful dream was 'to sleep with many women, have many children, ensuring at least one child grows up like him.'

Thus, she smiled and agreed with her husband's words, under the table giving Otto II a hard kick with a pointed boot.

Aske ignored the small actions under the table, nodding to indicate he understood, suddenly feeling a warm hand reaching from across the table, quietly holding his left hand.

Eleanor, smiling, listened to her mother, while her right hand, under the cover of the tabletop, slipped into Aske's palm, intertwining their fingers intimately.

Because his earlier subject shift and clever responses had greatly satisfied the princess, so she rewarded him with a little token of appreciation.

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