Chapter 258: Correlation does not mean causation
[Huh…I just realized something important,] Hurricroak stated, [I think this engagement meeting is about to go sideways…but not because of our lord.]
[Explain?,] Nepherage asked skeptically.
[Confused…]
[Alright, so the first time our lord met Lady Alicia, she was being chased by bandits and almost got bad ended, and the second time they met, she almost got bad ended and then I came along to save the day. ~Duh, duh, duh~!]
[Debatable on the saving the day, but go on.]
[And when our lord met Lady Bellona, they got into a double whammy situation involving a bunch of gangsters and then a crazy cannibalistic cockroach man…who was then processed into a gourd, that is really fucked up in retrospect… although, that gangster guy should be fine now…]
[Your point, Hurricroak?,] Nepherage asked as she brought the aforementioned frog kaijin’s mind back to the present.
[Oh, right, I’m just saying…our Lord is now meeting with both of these ladies… I’m pretty sure they’re gonna attract some bigger form of trouble.]
[Doubtful…]
[Huh…I guess that makes sen-]
[Correlation,] Razor Maiden interrupted, [what you described is correlation, not causation. Our lord ends up in danger while with the ladies, not the ladies bringing the trouble to him. If anything, he’s the trouble magnet.]
[That is a fair point.]
[Hold up, when did you start speaking in paragraphs?,] Hurricroak asked, mildly miffed at her observation getting shot down, but impressed that Razor Maiden started speaking more coherently.
[About five minutes ago…when I also started to comprehend reading.]
[Huh…kids these days, growing up so fast…could do without the sharp tongue though.]
[Sharp is my existence, baby.]
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“Greetings Patriarch Goldshire, Prince Ecaredies. Welcome to the Zhen Clan estate. We do apologize for the mess, but you have caught us in the middle of some light renovations. Patriarch Zhen Shi and the Seventh Elder will be arriving shortly.”
“Thank you.”
“Much obliged.”
As the servant left the two men of status alone in the newly refurbished parlor room, both of them shared the thought that “light renovations” was a bit of an understatement.
Alexander and Carlos had of course heard about the recent battle over Stone Claw City, namely how the Wolfe Family was deposed after attempting to force their will on everybody, via informants they left in the city. However, they didn’t know the full extent of the gains the Zhen Clan had earned in the process.
On the way here, they saw several businesses that had the Wolfe Family crest replaced by the Zhen Clan one, and most of the compound’s exterior being tore down in order to expand its area and build up new, hardier walls and buildings.
As the two of them went over in their respective heads all they had seen so far, they couldn’t help but think that cementing some form of connection to the Zhen Clan would absolutely be beneficial to their future prospects.
“I do believe this is the first time we’ve officially met.”
“Indeed it is.”
“Etiquette dictates that we should exchange names and titles, but…”
“The servant has already done that for us.”
“Correct.”
The atmosphere between the two wasn’t exactly tense, but it was…mildly awkward. Which made it the perfect time for Alexander to address one of several elephants in the room.
“Isn’t your son already engaged to Zhen Yue? Why are you going out of your way to secure a second one?,” Alexander asked point blank, the underlying question being “Bro, this family had about six other grandsons to hook up with your daughter, so why this one?”
Prince Carlos gave the man a polite smile.
“That is indeed case good sir, but I would a rather neglectful father if I didn’t take my daughter’s desires into account too,” Prince Carlos answered with an equally polite tone. The unsaid portion being: “This is one of the few times I have seen my daughter actually willing to associate herself with another human being that didn’t end with her tongue lashing them in humiliation, I am locking this down.”
“Hmmm,” Alexander hummed in acknowledgement,”I suppose then, we are of similar goals.”
Unspoken: “Your daughter ain’t the only on interested in this guy, so is mine.”
Before the two could converse further however, the door to the parlor opened, and the hosts for this matter entered.
“Apologies for the delay gentlemen, there was an issue involving some Starry Mane colts. It had to be handled promptly.”
“Oh that is no issue at all, Patriarch Zhen…Shi…”
“No problem at all sir, emergencies can’t be…planned…”
Prince Carlos and Patriarch Alexander both looked gobsmacked as they stared at Zhen Shi’s face. The last time both had seen of him, he was visibly elderly looking, maybe twenty to thirty years their senior. Now he looked only about five to ten years their senior.
Zhen Shi rolled his eyes, used to this reaction, but he decided to play along for a bit.
“Is there something wrong?”
“Uhhh…how are you…”
“When did you get younger?”
“It’s a long story and it involved a giant, a monster snake and turning Harold Wolfe into a popsicle,” Zhen Shi truncated on the matter, “now, I do believe you wanted to discuss with my son, Zhen Yan?”
With their focus back to the present, the two men remembered the matter at hand: securing their daughters’ future happiness.
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‘So while our respective fathers discuss… engagement matters, I’m supposed to sit here at possibly the most awkward tea party in the history of reality.’
=I’d argue the one in “Boston” was more awkward. All of that tea, wasted.=
‘Not the time!’
“Nice to meet you, Miss Alicia.”
“Nice to meet you as well, Miss Bellona.”
For reasons beyond his understanding, Zhen Liu at this very moment was seated between Alicia Goldshire and Bellona Ecaredies at a rather small tea table.
Both of them were very pretty in different ways, both had been involved in life or death situations involving him, and apparently both had fathers interested in making sure he tied the knot with one of them.
This sounded nice, but it was…weird to him.
‘Well for starters, I have a girl and this feels like cheating. Second of all, I’m not exactly the best choice for a husband, what with my closet of skeletons…I’m eighty percent sure there are others out there that could make these two happier than me.’
“Pfft!”
(Un)expectedly, Bellona let out a small laugh.
