My front door leads to a comic strip

Chapter 286, page 285: The Village Chief's Concession – One Can Be Chosen (Twelfth Update)

Wilmae's cheeks suddenly burned red, all the way to her ears.

She understood the knowing look in the village chief's eyes, which even carried a hint of "I see" relief.

She wanted to loudly deny it, to say that it wasn't what you thought, but the words caught in her throat by an indescribable emotion.

She suddenly realized that in this delicate situation, an overly vehement denial, especially after her recent outburst, would be almost tantamount to an admission.

She was immediately filled with the torment of having her secret exposed in public, making her restless and uneasy.

"Knock knock knock—"

Just then, there was another slow knock on the door.

The clear rhythm suddenly broke the almost suffocatingly awkward atmosphere in the room.

Wilma looked in the direction of the sound as if granted a pardon, almost gratefully gazing at the door that had rescued her.

The village chief's wife frowned slightly, a hint of displeasure at being interrupted flashing in her eyes.

"Who would it be at this moment?"

She spoke softly to herself, her voice cautious.

However, she still responded and went to open the door.

When she saw the person standing outside the door, she was stunned and subconsciously turned around to look at Wilmae inside the house.

Outside the door stood Gu Yuan, his expression showing a hint of helplessness.

His gaze passed over the village chief's wife who had opened the door and landed directly on Wilmès, who was inside the house, practically shrinking into a chair.

"How did this suddenly become a topic of marriage?"

He sighed inwardly, "Luckily I was cautious and came along, otherwise I would have gained a wife I didn't even know, which would have been truly—"

He composed himself and prepared to speak, revealing his identity and purpose.

However, the village chief's wife—an equally experienced elf—seemed to have already seen through his identity and intentions.

She stepped aside to make way for him, calmly interrupting his possible remarks: "No need for introductions, please come in, Your Excellency."

Her gaze quickly swept over Wilme, who looked tense and whose cheeks were still flushed, and she thought to herself, "The hero actually appeared right after him—did he follow Wilme back and have been nearby the whole time?"

"It seems that the old man's seemingly absurd guess might actually be correct?"

She shook her head with a complicated expression, sighed silently, and turned away to prepare new tea.

Gu Yuan readily accepted the suggestion and stepped into the house.

His arrival seemed to bring an invisible aura that almost froze the already somewhat oppressive atmosphere.

When Wilma saw him suddenly appear, her heart clenched so tightly it almost jumped out of her chest.

She thought it was Gu Yuan himself who had come. She realized that he might have overheard her conversation with the village chief about "marriage" and "preferences." Her heart churned with embarrassment, and she wished she could disappear into the ground. Her mind went completely blank.

Gu Yuan first quickly scanned the layout and furnishings of the room, his gaze lingering briefly on the elven decorations before landing on Wilme, who was practically burying his head in his chest.

His tone was calm, but his words were clear and forceful, carrying a hint of defensiveness and questioning: "You shouldn't have kept this from me and come back here alone to face all this."

He thought that no matter what, he shouldn't let others decide his fate.

Wilmae quickly snapped out of her panic and instinctively protested, "I—I didn't mean to, I just wanted to—"

Then it dawned on her, and she abruptly looked up at Gu Yuan, "You—you knew everything?"

Gu Yuan nodded, acknowledging her guess.

He turned to the village chief, who had been silently observing and whose gaze had shifted back and forth between him and Wilmès, and got straight to the point, stating his purpose: "Village chief, I've come to take her back."

The village chief's grip on the teacup tightened slightly, his emotions a complex mix of feelings.

The way Gu Yuan appeared and the tone of his voice confirmed a certain speculation.

He took a deep breath, as if making a decision, and met Gu Yuan's gaze, asking, "Since you have appeared at this critical juncture, you must have heard a lot about my conversation with Wilme just now."

"Regarding my humble request, and my suggestion to resolve our current predicament, I wonder what Your Excellency thinks?"

""

"I heard you." Gu Yuan's answer was crisp and decisive, without any beating around the bush. "Allow me to refuse."

Why?

The village chief pressed on, his gaze sharpening and his posture straightening. "Could it be that you find my village elves too plain-looking to be of any interest, or—do you have another reason?"

Wilmae listened with trepidation, her palms sweating, fearing that Gu Yuan might say something even more provocative and irreversible in his anger.

She quickly interjected, almost recklessly, desperately seeking the most direct excuse that the elf could understand and that would immediately end the conversation: "Because Lord Gu Yuan is already married! And he doesn't like the weak; he admires strong partners!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, she immediately realized how ambiguous and suggestive they were in the context. She hurriedly covered her mouth, feeling a mix of regret and shame, wishing she could turn back time.

Gu Yuan glanced at her indifferently, his eyes seemingly seeing through her hasty attempt to cover up her thoughts, but he didn't expose her. He simply followed her words and calmly confirmed, "That's right, that's roughly it."

The village chief frowned slightly, his gaze shifting back and forth between the calm-looking Gu Yuan and the downcast Wilme.

The indescribable, subtle atmosphere between the two, as if they shared some kind of secret, made his guess even more certain.

He suddenly changed the subject, no longer dwelling on abstract standards, but directly addressing specific individuals, asking with a probing sharpness, "So, in your eyes, would Wilmae be considered one of the 'weak' you speak of?"

Without giving Gu Yuan a chance to answer immediately, the village chief continued, "She single-handedly raised that child, Frillie, to adulthood safely and healthily for decades."

"You can probably imagine how difficult it was."

"As for her magical abilities, she is among the best in our entire village."

He leaned forward slightly, his tone becoming increasingly firm, "Your Excellency, please understand that this matter requires an explanation that can convince both sides, especially the villagers."

"I, on behalf of the village, would like to step back and not rigidly stipulate that it must be any of the village's unmarried elves."

"But, in order to allow you to rightfully inherit and use that controversial ancestral legacy, and also to completely appease the fervent emotions in the village."

"6

"Marriage alliance" is a necessary prerequisite.

"This is the only feasible solution I can think of, without causing conflict or damaging the dignity of either party."

""