"Only 100,000 Gold Coins?" Rhea sneered. "Do you think my granddaughter's dowry is only worth a measly 100,000 Gold Coins?"
Before Ethan left, he had left them a fortune enough to make a mere 100,000 Gold Coins look like pocket change in their eyes.
The gold coins the young man had given them were enough to fill up their entire living room.
He also gave them countless precious stones, as well as pearls the size of an adult's fist, which would fetch a high price if they were sold to collectors or auctioned in the capital city.
"Please, Lady Rhea, we didn't mean to offend you," the middle-aged man smiled. "If 100,000 Gold isn't enough, then I'm sure the Master will not mind doubling or even tripling it. This shows how serious he is to make this marriage proposal work."
"Heh~ it seems that we're not even speaking the same language," Rhea chuckled. "I'll make it simple so that even someone like you can understand. Even if you offered me 300,000 Gold Coins right now, the answer would still be the same. We're not marrying Luna off to that Old Fart's grandson."
Philip, who was busy smoking on his pipe, started coughing because of Rhea's choice of words.
Perhaps, she alone, within the entirety of Eastshire, had the guts to call that person an Old Fart.
Even if the person in question was the one sitting in front of her right now, he would not be able to do a thing because he perfectly knew Rhea's temper.
This was also why he asked his two subordinates to visit the Oswald Residence instead of coming in person.
"Lady Rhea, if there is something that you're not satisfied with, please feel free to tell us," the middle-aged man was doing his best to keep a smile on his face. Searᴄh the nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
He was very tempted to start cursing the old woman for being narrow-minded, especially when the one instigating the marriage proposal was THAT person.
"Do you really not understand the Human language?" Rhea was also fighting the strong urge to start beating the middle-aged man with her walking stick, pissed at how the other party was still persisting to continue the discussion.
"Look here, Lady Rhea," the skinny man, who had been holding himself back, decided to interject.
"My Master has given your family a great honor. We know that your daughter is in a relationship with someone, but since the two of them haven't married each other yet, we decided to come and offer your granddaughter a better man, who will love and care for her.
"According to our investigation, this Ethan Gremory already has other lovers. Do you really want your daughter to fight for this man's affection when there is someone who has promised to love her and only her? Also, the young master's lineage is impeccable.
"You will not find anyone in the Kingdom, with the exception of the Crown Prince, to be better than him. This is the chance of a lifetime, so it will be best if you think over this matter carefully. My Master also wants to strengthen the bond between your two families. Won't you reconsider?"
Before Rhea could even reply, Philip lightly tapped the table with his knuckle to catch everyone's attention.
"I am truly honored that a daughter of our family was chosen to become your Young Master's fiance," Philip stated. "But we Oswald's don't really care for fame or fortune. We love who we want to love, and we live the way we want to live.
"We may not be the richest Noble Family out there, and our lands are at the very corner of the Kingdom, causing it to fall behind in development, but it's also because of this that we learned to appreciate the simple joys of life."
Philip paused as he looked at their guests with the look of a person who had seen some of the tougher hardships of life.
"Go back, and tell His Excellency that my granddaughter is already happy with the partner she chose," Philip said. "Although she needs to share his love and affection with other ladies, I'm sure that this isn't necessarily a bad thing. We are nobles, so it is very normal to have more than one wife.
"So, I hope that you understand that we respect her decision and choose to stand by her side until the end."
The middle-aged man frowned but no longer said anything.
The skinny man, however, was clenching his fists tightly. He was finding it hard to believe that a noble family living out in the sticks had the audacity to turn down the very generous offer of wealth and prestige.
Seeing that his comrade might lash out at the family, he decided to take the initiative to take a step back and thank the Oswald Family for their hospitality.
He didn't want to burn bridges before they had a chance to inform their Master about the current situation.
Because of this, he firmly grabbed his comrade's shoulder before the latter did something that might put future negotiations in jeopardy.
A few minutes after their guests had left, Rhea sighed deeply and asked her daughters-in-law to massage her shoulders.
"I'm sure they will come back," Rhea stated. "And that person might personally come to handle the negotiations. I'm telling you now that we're on Luna's side. If you try to sell my granddaughter away, I'll clobber you."
Philip chuckled after hearing his wife's threats.
"I already said it earlier, right?" Philip replied. "We stand by Luna's choice. Also, both you and I know that the amount of wealth that we received from Ethan is more than 300,000 Gold Coins. How can I possibly kick away such a wealthy grandson-in-law?"
"It's good that you understand." Rhea nodded before glancing at her son, Bruce, and his grandsons, who all stayed quiet.
From start to finish, they didn't say anything and allowed Rhea to handle the negotiations.
"Spill it," Rhea ordered. "What are you boys thinking?"
Bruce looked at her mother with a bitter smile on his face.
"I'm just thinking that if they made this proposal before we had met Ethan, we definitely would have accepted it," Bruce replied. "Don't lie, mother. I'm sure that you were also tempted by their proposal. Not because of the money, but because of who that person is."
Rhea nodded. "You're right. But there are no ifs in this world. Since Ethan was man enough to come to this place, knowing that all of you intended to bully him and try to make him break his relationship with Luna, he is a good grandson-in-law in my book."
"Don't worry, Mother," Bruce stated. "I have already approved of Ethan, albeit reluctantly. Since Luna loves him, we will definitely support her choice. Also, I think his purpose for coming to us was to prevent something like this from happening.
"It seems that he already knew that someone was planning to propose to Luna, so he made sure that he got our approval before any competitor arrived."
Rhea nodded. "You're right. I'm sure he also gave us that much money as a bribe to make us think that he is wealthy enough to support Luna."
"Still, I would be lying if I said that I wasn't moved by that skinny man's words," Bruce admitted. "Ethan has many lovers, and Luna has to compete for Ethan's affection. I didn't have a problem with this because I have Irene and Brianna with me."
Rhea shrugged. "Things can change, especially in Noble households. Don't forget who his grandson is. Although he might say that he will love only Luna now, he might sing a different tune once he grows older. At least with Ethan, we know how many lovers he plans to have, so we know where Luna stands.
"Lastly, I don't believe that someone who is willing to challenge our entire family to get our approval only has superficial feelings for her. This is why I believe that Ethan will continue to love and care for Luna, even if he were to have more than one wife."
Irene and Brianna both nodded their heads at the same time.
They really liked Ethan, and since their daughter liked him as well, they were willing to support her love.
"Well, then. I guess we better prepare to meet that person soon," Philip commented. "Should I buy one of those comfortable couches in the next town? It will be bad if that person's back aches after sitting on our hard couch."
"Good idea," Irene clapped her hands. "How about you get other stuff like those new bed mattresses that will make us feel as if we are sleeping in a pile of cotton? I'd love that."
"That sounds like a great idea, Mother," Irene commented.
"Get new pillows as well!" Brianna added.
Soon, the Oswald family was deeply involved in a discussion about renovating their house by the time spring officially arrived to make their home more comfortable to live in.
Also, they would like to surprise Luna on her next visit, which would be happening once the school year officially ended.