"What's wrong, Atu?" Uncle Da Chui gave me a strange look.

I took out a handkerchief to wipe my face, suppressing the swelling caused by the soup blocking my nasal passage, and said, "Um...Uncle Da Chui, isn't it usually customary to start with an engagement? Why..."

"Of course, tradition is tradition, there's nothing we can do about it." Uncle Da Chui shrugged, "Don't worry, I'll announce to the outside world first that you two got engaged last year, it's just that it's only now being made public."

"Uncle Da Chui...isn't this a bit hasty?"

To my surprise, the old bastard's opinion actually aligned with mine.

It slightly lessened the disgust I felt towards him, maybe from -9999999999.999999 to -9999999999.999998, that sort of feeling.

Uncle Da Chui raised the corners of his mouth and shook his head. He elegantly cut a small piece of steak from his plate using a knife and fork, and said, "Lao Lin, even though the relations between our two families are good... it doesn't mean that I can completely disregard the reputation of the royal family because of it."

Uncle Da Chui put the meat into his mouth, chewed it carefully, swallowed, and then looked at me meaningfully, "I don't want to hear rumors of Britain's first princess having a big belly before she gets married."

"Uncle Da Chui, you've misunderstood, Margaret and I haven't..."

I explained weakly.

"Not today... but what about the future? Trust me, you won't be able to restrain yourselves forever."

Uncle Da Chui's rhetorical question left me speechless.

So I could only silence myself and lower my head.

"Don't worry, Uncle isn't opposing you two or anything... I just think that as respectable individuals, we should maintain a certain decorum in everything."

After saying that, Uncle Da Chui put down his knife and fork and wiped his mouth, then said to the old bastard, "Lao Lin, you should think about what I said... I'm not in a rush, but once it's settled, we need to prepare quickly."

After that, he called out to Margaret sitting across from him at the dining table, "Margaret, come with me to the study, Dad wants to talk to you."

The girl sitting across from me had her head buried in the rich soup in her bowl.

Although the large porcelain bowl had already revealed its contents, Margaret mechanically continued her actions. It was clear that her mind was elsewhere.

"Margaret!" Uncle Da Chui's voice became stern.

"Ah... father..."

Upon hearing her father's slightly severe call, Margaret snapped out of her daze and raised her head with a confused expression.

"I said, come with me to the study." Uncle Da Chui said each word deliberately, "I have something to discuss with you."

"Okay..."

The girl quickly stood up.

At that moment, her gaze inadvertently met mine.

Her face instantly blushed and became shy, but she quickly looked away and obediently followed behind Uncle Da Chui.

"Well, Lao Lin, Atu, Lilyce, please make yourself at home."

After the servants opened the doors of the dining room, Uncle Da Chui turned to look at us and said before leaving the room.

Margaret, who was trailing behind him, took the opportunity while her father turned his head to show me a sweet smile, then hurriedly left.

Looking at the empty hall and long table, the old bastard awkwardly cleared his throat and said, "Ahem... let's go, my good daughter and foolish son."

I gave a noncommittal grunt and finally stood up.

Although I still couldn't stand that old lecher... it was clear that now wasn't a good time to start a conflict.

Since Uncle Da Chui had already brought it up, it was necessary for me to discuss it properly with my family.

Of course... this family only referred to my stepmother.

As for the old lecher, I would pretend to respect his opinion for the sake of my stepmother's face...

And as for Lilyce... well, she's always disliked me as her brother anyway.If I were to move out after marrying Margaret...would she be happy about it? After all, it would mean one less "useless older brother" that she despises, and she would have more space for herself. As I thought about this, I couldn't help but turn my head and glance at Lilyce sitting beside me. To my surprise, she had her head down, one hand tightly clutching her skirt, and the other gently gripping the bread on her plate. Judging from the arrangement of food on her plate and the almost solidified soup, it seemed like Lilyce hadn't eaten anything just now. Was she still sulking? What happened to her today? Normally, we would play around with each other, and even if we were angry, it would only last for a while before she would come back with a smiling face, ready to plot how to tease me again...Why was she reacting so strongly today? As I looked at Lilyce, her face pale and her lips almost turning purple from biting them, I couldn't help but feel confused.