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Looking in the direction of the voice, he saw Lina Jones sitting on the grass next to a small pool, facing Carol Lane. Lina was visibly furious, venting her frustration aloud. "How could someone be so disgusting?"

"Just seeing him makes me want to scream, or even hit him! He turned me down back then, and now he wants to marry me? Ugh, as if! I\'m not the kind of woman who\'ll just throw herself at someone!"

"…"

Listening to her rant, Dean Bruce didn\'t approach. Carol Lane remained silent as well, waiting until Lina had finished venting. After a moment, Carol finally spoke softly, "His behavior might be inappropriate, but, honestly, he\'s a good match for you."

"Both of your families are noble houses with legacies spanning centuries. He may not be the Holy Son of the War God Temple, but he holds positions within both the War God Temple and the Nine Provinces Alliance. His status is quite respectable."

"Finding someone else who\'s equally suitable would be very difficult."

Hearing this, Lina Jones pouted, though she didn\'t deny Carol\'s words. She gritted her teeth and said, "I don\'t care if he\'s suitable or not. I just don\'t want to be treated unfairly! Since he rejected me once, I\'d rather die than marry him!"

"I need to come up with a plan. If I don\'t find someone to help me stage a scene, my parents will definitely force me into it!"

Not far away, Dean Bruce\'s expression grew even more perplexed. Was there really such a thing as forced marriage in this magical world?

"Help you stage a scene?" Carol Lane tilted her head slightly and said, "Well, there\'s actually someone who could help you."

"Who?" Lina\'s eyes lit up, and she looked eagerly at Carol Lane.

Carol turned, her gaze landing on Dean Bruce, who was standing in the distance, quietly observing. "Isn\'t he right here? In terms of strength, Mr. Dean is certainly more powerful than that man. As for looks, there\'s no contest. The only questionable point might be his family background."

"Huh? Dean?!"

Lina followed Carol\'s gesture, her face immediately showing surprise. She called out in shock, "Dean, what are you doing here? Did you… did you hear everything I said just now…?"

Lina\'s cheeks turned bright red. Because Dean Bruce had once saved her life, he clearly held a special place in her heart, different from others. The thought of him hearing her like this made her incredibly embarrassed.

Dean Bruce chuckled, "I overheard your conversation when I arrived, so I didn\'t want to interrupt. I didn\'t expect you\'d be dealing with this kind of trouble."

Lina Jones bit her lip, calming herself down before tentatively asking, "Dean… could you help me out? Could you pretend to be my lover and reject Medro\'s proposal?"

"Of course!"

Dean Bruce agreed without a moment\'s hesitation.

He had already been planning to get information from Lina Jones on how to activate the Relics. He was just wondering what he could offer in return. Now, by agreeing to help her with this charade, he had the perfect opportunity to negotiate something in return.

"Really? Thank you so much!" Lina beamed, quickly getting to her feet and walking over to Dean Bruce. "Let me tell you what we need to do. The banquet is tonight, and we can\'t afford for anything to go wrong."

As Lina Jones spoke excitedly, her joy genuine, Carol Lane furrowed her brow slightly. Although the temple didn\'t strictly require the Holy Sons and Saintesses to remain celibate, they certainly didn\'t encourage them to fall in love either.

In cases of arranged marriages, if neither party was particularly invested, the temple could ensure that the Holy Sons and Saintesses kept their primary focus on the temple\'s interests.

However, if they developed genuine feelings for someone, the temple\'s interests could easily be sidelined.

At this moment, since nothing had actually happened between Dean Bruce and Lina, Carol Lane held her tongue.

Lina was not only young but also stubborn. She feared that if she said anything, it might push Lina into doing the exact opposite out of rebellion.

Watching Dean Bruce and Lina Jones walk and talk, Carol Lane sighed softly, then stood up and followed them.

If she sensed a spark between them, she would have to monitor Lina closely to prevent any real relationship from developing.

Meanwhile, Dean Bruce was learning more about the situation from Lina.

The Jones family, like the Michelle family, hadn\'t completely fallen from grace, but they were no longer considered one of the great noble houses.

Five years ago, the Jones family had proposed a marriage alliance with the Lord\'s Manor in Stanlow City, only to be harshly rejected.

Who would\'ve thought that after Lina Jones was chosen as the designated saintess of the Temple of Wisdom, the Lord\'s Manor would change its mind? They now sought the very alliance they had rejected and planned to publicly announce it at tonight\'s banquet, which was being hosted by the Nine Provinces Alliance to gather the city\'s influential factions.

The Jones family, in their effort to preserve their legacy and former glory, had already agreed to the marriage proposal.

That was why Lina Jones was so furious, resorting to such an extreme plan.

What Dean Bruce needed to do was straightforward: attend the banquet, assert his relationship with Lina, and prevent the Lord\'s Manor from announcing the engagement.

As long as the news wasn\'t made public, the verbal agreement between the two families would become void.

Though the task was simple, it came with significant risks. Not only would it create enmity with the Lord\'s Manor of Stanlow City, but it could also bring conflict with two major powers—the Nine Provinces Alliance and the War God Temple.

After all, the man Lina had been complaining about held a prominent position within both of these factions.

While Dean Bruce was considering whether he should leave Lina hanging for a while to negotiate a better deal, he suddenly felt warmth on his arm. A soft, gentle sensation followed.

Looking down, he saw that Lina Jones had linked her arm with his, standing very close. With every step, her chest lightly brushed against his elbow.

Feeling his gaze, Lina blushed deeply but said confidently, "Since we\'re going to be acting, we need to get used to being close. Otherwise, if we blush just from holding hands, they\'ll definitely get suspicious!"

Her reasoning was sound. Although Dean Bruce wasn\'t one to take advantage of the situation, he wasn\'t going to push her away either. Nodding, he said, "It sounds simple enough, but we\'ll be opposing three powerful factions... that\'s not a small risk."

Lina, being sharp, understood the underlying message. With a smile, she asked, "What do you want in return? Treasure? Rare herbs?"

"Do I look like I need those?" Dean Bruce countered, making Lina freeze for a second.

Her eyes darted as she quickly guessed what he was after. It had to be something related to the Temple of Wisdom. He wasn\'t rejecting her offer, just steering the negotiation. Laughing, she replied, "If those don\'t interest you, why not come to my family\'s estate? We have some hidden treasures there that might catch your eye."

"Alright."

A smirk tugged at Dean Bruce\'s lips as he agreed without hesitation, and the two of them left together, not giving Carol Lane a chance to follow.

Carol, being part of the temple, didn\'t have a particularly close relationship with Lina Jones outside of formal duties. Without an invitation, she had no reason to intrude on Lina\'s home, and all she could do was silently hope that Dean Bruce wouldn\'t fall for Lina.

Once they were outside the temple, Lina visibly relaxed. She smiled and asked, "So, Mr. Dean, what is it that you\'re really after? Why did you go out of your way to keep the temple\'s people from following us?"

Dean Bruce certainly desired the Divine Descent magic scroll, but he knew that helping with a simple charade wouldn\'t earn him such a valuable reward.

Calmly, Dean Bruce said, "I\'m not looking for some grand treasure. What I want is a piece of information from you."

"Information?"

Lina Jones furrowed her brow slightly and then shook her head. "If it\'s something important, I can\'t tell you."

"Don\'t worry, it won\'t be anything too crucial." Dean Bruce waved his hand dismissively and walked over to untie Firebolt.

After all, they were in the city, near the temple no less. No one would dare steal anything here, let alone a warhorse like Firebolt, known for its wild temperament. Unless a powerful figure was involved, no one could control Firebolt.

And such powerful individuals had reputations to uphold—they wouldn\'t stoop to stealing in public.

"Snort..."

Sensing Dean Bruce\'s presence, Firebolt, who had been tethered all night, immediately became excited, rubbing its head affectionately against his hand.

"Oh? This warhorse has quite the presence!"

Lina Jones, unlike the Michelle sisters, had a much simpler and more straightforward personality. She had no hidden motives when dealing with Dean Bruce, which made her more genuine. She approached Firebolt directly and even reached out to pet it.

Firebolt, being a highly intelligent warhorse, could sense the close bond between Lina and Dean. Though it neighed once in response, it allowed her to touch it without protest.

Suddenly, Lina spoke up, "Dean, I\'m starting to get really curious about who you are! A horse like this, even in Saint Laurent City, would be considered a rare breed. So… who are you, really?"

Dean Bruce remained composed, his gaze steady as he looked at Lina. In a quiet voice, he asked, "And what do you think I am?"