Witch Training Manual: My Water Magic Is Wrong

Upon hearing this...

Neither of the sisters looked well.

Emma was unusually sensible for once. She tugged at Ella's sleeve and whispered, "Sister, let's go back to the backyard first."

Ella knew that this was not a place for them to get involved in. She nodded, gave Wayne a slight bow, and followed Emma around the porch, returning to the backyard via a side path.

Wayne and Alice walked side by side toward the main hall.

Before even entering the door, across half the corridor, one could hear Lin Qi's hearty, almost exaggerated laughter coming from inside.

"Hahaha! Yeah, that kid's always been a handful, but he's finally made it through..."

Wayne stood outside the main hall door, exchanged a glance with Alice, and then pushed open the slightly ajar oak door.

The noise inside paused briefly when the door was pushed open, but quickly resumed its lively atmosphere.

Wayne and Alice stepped into the main hall.

When he saw Wayne walk in, Lynch's eyes lit up. He put down his glass and waved to Wayne.

"Wayne! You're back! Come in, come in! Let me introduce you to all the distinguished guests here!"

Wien did not embarrass him in public. He walked to the head seat and stood there, his gaze sweeping over the faces of all the guests.

"Gentlemen, this is my son, Wayne Angus! The new head of the Dark Order, a young talent personally handpicked by Her Majesty the Queen!" Lynch's tone was filled with undisguised pride. "Come, Wayne, this is your cousin Bourne Angus, this is your distant cousin Collison, and this is..."

Wayne nodded politely in greeting.

The guests raised their glasses in response, showering the guests with compliments.

"No wonder he's Lin Qi's son, such a handsome young man!"

"I heard that Manager Wayne is still unmarried? That's incredible! Many noble ladies in the capital must be getting restless."

"Haha, this young man has a bright future ahead of him!"

Just then, Alice took the opportunity of turning to greet a distant cousin to naturally move closer to Lynch.

While the surrounding guests were not paying attention to her, she reached out and pinched Lin Qi's side waist, then gently twisted it.

Lynch almost dropped his wine glass.

He gasped sharply.

"Ouch... little darling, be gentle..."

Alice didn't loosen her grip, her face still bearing the same sweet smile, and she asked in a low voice, her lips barely moving, "My dear father, what on earth are you up to?"

Lynch quickly begged for mercy: "Ouch, be gentle, be gentle... I'm only doing this for the good of the Angus family!"

Alice's gaze swept past the crowd and landed on a quiet corner on the other side of the hall.

A young girl was sitting there.

Her light red hair fell quietly over her shoulders, and her face was delicate and petite, making her look about eighteen or nineteen years old.

What's more striking than the girl's delicate features is that she's sitting in a wheelchair.

Alice whispered in Lynch's ear, "Is this the marriage prospect you found for my brother?"

Lin Qi winced as she pinched him.

"Zoe Winter, the daughter of the Duke of Winter. My little darling, please be gentle... I know she's not feeling well, but she is also the Duke of Winter's only child. The inheritance of the Winter family is indisputable, and the Duke of Winter himself promised that if this marriage goes through, he will provide three thousand Snow Wolf Guards as a dowry."

Alice remained silent for a moment.

Then she increased the force.

"...Three thousand Snow Wolf Guards? You sold my brother for 3000 Snow Wolf Guards."

"Those are 3000 Snow Wolf Guards! My little ancestor!" Lin Qi said, trembling. "Moreover, they provide their own equipment and supplies, and we won't have to bear any support costs for five years. I've done the math, and even just for these 3,000 Snow Wolf Guards, this marriage is worth the gamble for our Angus family."

Alice naturally didn't believe Lynch's words: "Three thousand Snow Wolf Guards, providing their own provisions for five years, is indeed a good deal. But let me ask you one question: why would they choose our Angus family? Grand Duke Winterfell is the uncrowned king of the North; what kind of marriage partner couldn't his daughter have? The eldest sons of those powerful dukes in the capital could line up from the north to the south of the city. Why would he choose our family, a mere figurehead marquisate?"

Lin Qi gasped and muttered in protest, "Ouch... little ancestor, be gentle, be gentle... do you really think your father has that much influence to get the daughter of the Duke of Winter to help? This didn't happen because of my ability."

Alice loosened her grip slightly, a hint of doubt in her eyes: "You didn't invite them?"

Taking the opportunity, Lin Qi rubbed his side, which had been pinched, and said in a low voice, "It was Grand Duke Frost who took the initiative to send someone to contact me."

Alice's gaze sharpened slightly.

"...What do you mean?"

Lin Qi looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to their conversation before leaning close to Alice and saying, "The Grand Duke of Winter sent a messenger saying that his father, the old Grand Duke of Winter, and your grandfather made a marriage agreement on the border battlefield years ago. The agreement stated that if either family had children of marriageable age in the future, they would become related by marriage to continue the friendship between the two families."

Alice's pupils contracted slightly.

She had never heard anyone mention this matter before, and there was no record of it in the old family archives.

"How come I've never heard of this marriage contract before? I've gone through a lot of old family files, and there isn't a single document that mentions the Winter Family."

"Because that marriage contract was never written into a formal document." Lynch's tone was unusually serious. "It was on the battlefield, two severely wounded veterans, who used the tip of a broken sword to carve a few words on the back of a tattered shield. There was no notary, no seal, no official procedure whatsoever."

At this point, Lin Qi puffed out his chest, his tone unusually serious and proud: "Although our Angus family may not be considered a top-tier wealthy family in the capital, our ancestors did indeed forge a bond through real battles."

Alice fell silent.

There was another story in between that she hadn't expected.

After Lin Qi finished speaking, he straightened Alice's shoulder, put on a warm yet dignified smile, and walked towards the other corner of the hall.

"Miss Zoe, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting!"

He turned slightly to the side, pointing to Wayne not far away: "This is my son, Wayne Angus. How do you feel about it?"

Zoe's gaze fell on Wayne, paused for a moment, and then she nodded slightly: "Not bad."

Her answer was bland, neither amazing nor disappointing.

Upon hearing this, Lin Qi's smile deepened, and he was about to add a few more kind words when Zoe spoke first.

"Uncle, may I speak with him alone?"

Lin Qi paused for a moment, then immediately understood and nodded repeatedly, "Of course, of course! Young people need to chat to get to know each other! Please wait a moment, I'll call him over right away..."