At the Ballard estate, Dustin was warmly welcomed to stay after dinner. This was the first time Natasha had brought her boyfriend home, so the Ballards made a big deal of it.
Simon personally accompanied the young couple and invited them to the study to chat over tea. With his sharp eye, Simon could tell Dustin was no ordinary martial artist. His manners, speech, and broad knowledge set him apart from most people.
“Dustin, I fully support your relationship with Natasha. Your background or status doesn’t matter. What matters most is that you two are happy together.”
Simon paused and said earnestly, “I want you to understand that she’s been pampered all her life and hasn’t faced much hardship. Now that she’s with you, I hope you’ll take good care of her.”
“Don’t worry, Mr. Ballard. I would never let her down,” Dustin replied sincerely.
Though they had known each other for some time and hadn’t yet taken their relationship to the next level, they had already made their feelings clear. Natasha had shown him unwavering devotion, and he had no intention of letting her down.
“Grandfather, you don’t have to worry about that. I have a sharp eye for people and would never pick the wrong one.” She smiled proudly.
“You rascal, I’m not worried about you being mistreated. But what I’m concerned about is Dustin-what if he starts picking up your bad habits?” Simon teased.
“Grandfather, why are you so negative? Aren’t you worried I won’t find someone to marry?” Natasha pouted, clearly displeased.
He laughed heartily. “A Ballard daughter never has trouble finding a good match. Worst case, we can skip the wedding gifts and just give the groom a little extra from the family’s wealth.”
“Now, that’s too generous for him.” She shot Dustin a playful glance.
“Speaking of marriage, Dustin, what do you think? If it works for you, we should arrange a time for the families to meet and start making plans. It would be best to move forward with things,” Simon said, changing the subject.
Oakvale would soon become unstable, and he couldn’t predict what would happen to the Ballard family in the future. While things were still relatively calm, marrying off Natasha would be one less thing for him to worry about.
“Mr. Ballard, I have some things I need to take care of at the moment, so I can’t commit to anything right now. But I promise, within three months, I’ll give you a definite answer,” Dustin replied.
He hadn’t yet gathered all the Dracan essence, and with the nation’s fate on his shoulders, he couldn’t afford to be careless. Plus, he still had matters to discuss with West Lucozia. Since it was a meeting between both families, he would also need to inform Rufus.
“Your words are enough to put me at ease. “Simon nodded.
Three months wasn’t long. If all went well, Dustin and Natasha would be able to marry by the end of the year.
“By the way, Grandpa, has something happened at home? I haven’t seen Uncle Jonathan or the others,” Natasha suddenly asked.
Earlier, while they were dining, people from the Mosey family had unexpectedly shown up. After which, Jonathan, Jensen, and Jovian left and never returned. This had naturally piqued her curiosity.
“There’s been a bit of trouble, but it’s nothing serious. Don’t worry about it,” Simon said with a reassuring smile.
“Grandfather, you’ve looked troubled since we sat down for dinner. That doesn’t seem like a small issue. If something’s bothering you, why not tell us? Maybe we can come up with a solution,” she suggested.
“We can’t hide anything from you, huh?” Simon grinned and shook his head. He had hoped to keep the family out of this, but now it was clear he couldn’t hide them anymore. Natasha was sharp and full of ideas, so he figured she might just have a solution.
“The issue I’m dealing with is serious. It affects not only the future of our family but also the future of Dragonmarsh.” His expression grew serious as he spoke.
“What is it?” Natasha asked curiously.
“There’s a rumor that the King is terminally ill and doesn’t have much time left. However, the selection of the heir has yet to be decided. All capable contenders start making moves-forming alliances and gathering supporters. I believe Oakvale is about to be torn apart in a bloody struggle.” Simon sighed.
“So, Anders’ visit today was about using the marriage alliance to pull our family into their camp?” Natasha quickly grasped the heart of the matter.
Anders had hinted at the idea of an alliance before. He even tried to pursue her, but she had always brushed him off. Now, it seemed the Mosey family had been scheming this from the start.
“You’re right. The Moseys are looking to ally with us to strengthen their own power. “Simon nodded.
“So the problem you’re facing is whether to join their side?” Natasha asked. “If we turn them down, it’s like making enemies of them, and if they rise to power, things could get really tough for our family. But if we join and lose in the power struggle, the fallout could be disastrous.”
She frowned and finally understood Simon’s dilemma-this was a tough call. The real kicker was that, with the Ballard family’s influence, they were trapped and unable to sidestep the mess entirely.
“Yes. We’re in a tough spot right now, so we need to tread carefully with our decision. That’s why your uncles have all gone off,” Simon said.
“Where did they go?” Natasha asked.
“Jonathan went to the Spanner family to inquire about the situation, while Jensen went to the Fallon family to gather information. As for Jovian, I asked him to go to West Lucozia last night,” Simon replied without holding anything back.
“West Lucozia?” Dustin raised an eyebrow. Had Simon sent Jovian to consult with the Rhys family?
