Evil dragon has a warm heart
Chapter 347 - 347 346 The Coming and Going Guests

Chapter 347: Chapter 346: The Coming and Going Guests Chapter 347: Chapter 346: The Coming and Going Guests Russell’s dragon-riding ceremony was set for September 27, more than two weeks after he rode a dragon on September 11.

With two weeks for the news to spread, news of his dragon riding was known throughout the country.

And the guests, who received the invitations, had one after another crossed the Snowfield to arrive at Glowing Valley, taking up residence in Fluorescent Castle.

Fortunately, Fluorescent Castle was large enough to accommodate so many nobles of all sizes.

Uncle Roson and elder brother Roland were the busiest two, with the duchy’s lords, who made up the majority of the guests, being received by them. Only the higher nobility would have Baron Romand and his wife greet them, with Russell accompanying on the side.

Today.

Russell could finally shed the role of the family’s social butterfly, which he did not enjoy, especially the pretense of warmth with people he had never met or only seen once or twice. It drained more of his energy than training would.

Of course.

He could not escape socializing with the great nobility.

“Haha, Russell, now your old uncle must address you as Lord Russell!” Viscount Mejie Yujiuhua, along with his wife Lady Kuna Shadowflame, had arrived early.

Tributary River Mouth was not far from Glowing Valley.

Russell responded with a smile, “Uncle, you jest. Please continue to call me Russell; otherwise, I’d be too intimidated to see you.”

“Uncle is ashamed, you are already a Flying Dragon Knight, while your uncle is still just an ordinary 1st rank Phantom Beast Knight.”

“I was just lucky.”

“This is not merely good luck, but a reflection of strength and talent, and also the Shadowflame Dragon’s regard for you.”

After Uncle Mejie finished speaking, Lady Kuna, his aunt, smiled and said, “This child Russell, from his childhood, I knew he would do something remarkable. Look, Romand, Meryl, it really came true.”

Lady Meryl glanced at Lady Kuna, and that subtle feeling of inferiority she once held towards Lady Kuna had vanished.

Her smile was radiant: “This child Russell truly gave us a huge surprise. We always worried about his future, but without much interference from us, he managed to ride a dragon successfully. Now we can finally let go of our concerns.”

“Indeed, the young have their own blessings,” Lady Kuna continued, pulling Lady Meryl along and talking nonstop.

As if there was never an end to their conversation.

Soon after Viscount Mejie and his wife arrived,

Baron Curis Thistlegrass and his wife Mrs. Quinty Sunflower, along with their son Cooper Thistlegrass and daughter-in-law Rolin Fluorescent Mushroom, came to Fluorescent Castle.

“Curis, my good brother!” Baron Roman went up to embrace Baron Curis, as they were old friends, and they would not have become family through their children otherwise, “This time, you must stay at Fluorescent Castle for a while!”

Curis laughed heartily: “Of course!”

He then greeted Russell with a laugh, admiring Russell’s dragon-riding glory and such.

Russell responded with a smile and carefully observed Mrs. Quinty’s expression. He remembered how, during his previous visit to Heiting Castle to see his sister, Mrs. Quinty had been somewhat indifferent towards him and had not treated his sister Rolin properly.

Of course, there were issues of allegiance.

Mrs. Quinty’s nephew and Russell’s cousin Mel were competitors for the selection of the heir.

But at this moment, Mrs. Quinty’s smile was so brilliant that it left little room for words, and she was as close as sisters with Lady Meryl. Her warmth towards Russell was just as intense, praising him in front of Lady Meryl as if he were the rarest of treasures.

Russell couldn’t help but reflect that he had much to learn about acting – the nobles of Shadowflame Grand Duchy were far too skilled.

“Russell!” a cheerful shout.

Russell saw his sister Rolin, who was behaving quite the lady because she was in the company of her in-laws, but the mischievous look in her eyes was barely concealed.

“Brother-in-law, sister.” Russell went up to embrace Cooper, followed by an embrace with Rolin, “Welcome to my dragon-riding ceremony.”

“Of course, I’d come!” Rolin raised an eyebrow and said, “My dear brother Russell, whom I used to beat up until he begged for mercy, quietly stumbled upon a dragon and became a Flying Dragon Knight!”

“When did my sister beat me so bad that I begged for mercy on the ground? I don’t remember that,” Russell said, feigning selective amnesia.

After all, those memories belonged to his predecessor, not to him.

“Heh heh… alright, you, learning to argue back… I can’t beat you now, but when my son grows up, if he can ride a dragon, I’ll let him come and beat you up!” Rolin said with a smile, then added with regret, “Unfortunately, he’s too small and cannot come to Uncle’s dragon-riding ceremony.”

Russell’s nephew, Kuso Tian Purplegrass, was only five months old and couldn’t handle the chill of the Snowfield, so he wasn’t brought along.

He was left at home in the care of servants—there were wet nurses, so Rolin didn’t need to breastfeed him herself.

Not saddened for more than three seconds, Rolin turned to Russell with a fiery gaze: “Where’s your dragon? Where is it? Let me ride it!”

Russell pointed to a tower of Fluorescent Castle, “Ross is over there; honestly, I don’t mind, if he’s willing.”

Following the direction of Russell’s finger, Rolin saw the unmoving Black Oil Dragon Ross perched atop a tower of Fluorescent Castle, pitch black with only a pair of dragon eyes faintly visible as slivers of white.

“Tch.” Rolin bared her teeth, “That’s really black.”

By now, Baron Romand and his wife, and the Thistlegrass couple, had finished their chat, and everyone proceeded into Fluorescent Castle together.

As they walked, Rolin said: “Afterwards, take me and Cooper for a tour of your domain. What’s it called again?”

“Blackflame Plains.”

“Blackflame Plains? Hmm, not bad.”

After lunch, unable to resist Rolin’s incessant urging — and with the encouragement of Viscount Mejie, along with quite a few Duchy’s Lords — Russell signaled Eric, Grove, and Katie to lead the way across the Snowfield to his territory.

Between Blackflame Plains and Glowing Valley, there was only a thirty-mile-wide expanse of snowfield, making travel quite convenient.

However, on the edge of Blackflame Plains, there was still the impact of melting snow, requiring a boat transfer.

“It’s truly… beautiful,” one Duchy’s Lord, with a wide forehead, square face, and a nose red from drinking, exclaimed after setting foot on Blackflame Plains and gazing at the desolate scene.

“Boris, why didn’t you bring your sister along?” another Duchy’s Lord teased with a smile, “I remember you wanted to offer your sister to Lord Russell, didn’t you?”

Boris gave an awkward smile: “Lord Russell has already been promoted to a Flying Dragon Knight… But I will ask Lord Russell later to see if he still honors us companions from the second fall, willing to marry my sister.”

“How can Lord Russell dare to marry her without having seen your sister?”

“As long as he respects me, Boris, and doesn’t mind the difference in our status, I will naturally arrange for them to meet.”

“Ha ha, better not,” said the Duchy’s Lord, “It would be awkward for Lord Russell.”

“He won’t be embarrassed once he sees my sister!” Boris declared confidently, “My sister is a beauty beyond compare!”

Looking at Boris’s own appearance, none of the others believed him.

Just then, Russell arrived, astride the Black Oil Dragon Ross, swooping down from the sky to greet this group of his former comrades — although calling them comrades was a stretch, as they had never really fought side by side, but had simply stayed together to guard the Shadowflame Dragon before.

“Gentlemen, Blackflame Plains is just getting started, sorry for any disappointment.”

“Heh heh, Lord Russell, not at all, we aren’t disappointed. Boris was just saying he wants to introduce his sister to you,” they said.

“Er,” Russell quickly changed the subject, “How about we go take a bath in the hot springs?”

Then, he whispered to a young Duchy’s Lord: “I remember Boris came with just his entourage and manservants, right? He didn’t bring his sister along, did he?”

“Don’t worry, Boris wouldn’t dare to take his sister out like that. He’s just looking to secure a marriage contract first,” the Duchy’s Lord explained, privy to the details, “After all, with a marriage contract in hand, it’s harder for someone to back out, no matter what his sister looks like.”

“Good, that’s good,” Russell relaxed a bit at the news.

So, during the hot spring bath that followed, no matter how much Boris wanted to talk about his sister, Russell did not engage.

This left Boris feeling sullen: “My sister truly is a beauty beyond compare!”

Although his sister had buck teeth, freckles, a square face, and a nose red from drinking just like him, in his heart, she was a beauty beyond compare!