Chapter 59: Do You Take Annie to Be Your Wife?

The mother and daughter finally finished their conversation.

The Duchess looked very satisfied, seemingly convinced at last that her daughter had not suffered any misfortune. She could also tell that only when her daughter was truly happy would she speak in such a manner.

Her daughter Annie's lively and amusing way of speaking was something no one else could ever imitate!

"Thank you, Mr. Luxing, for taking such good care of my daughter!"

Madam Bridget solemnly expressed her gratitude to Luxing.

"It was nothing. Previously, I also received a great deal of care from Madam and Lady Catherine here,"

Luxing replied.

The maid standing behind him flickered her eyes slightly.

The Madam smiled and said, "Annie has a very mischievous personality. If she does anything foolish or goes too far, Mr. Luxing, please feel free to come and tell me without covering for her."

"She is most accustomed to throwing tantrums and denying her mistakes after doing something wrong, or running to her father to beg for mercy."

The Madam added.

Her words sounded like reproof, but Luxing could still hear the deep concern beneath them.

"Annie is very clever. She can make friends with anyone and would never do anything truly wrong,"

Luxing smiled.

This was meant as a polite remark, but unexpectedly, Madam Bridget's gaze shifted slightly. She seemed to study him for a moment before asking tentatively, "Mr. Luxing, do you truly think Annie is a good person?"

"Of course!"

Luxing answered without much thought, assuming the mother was merely worrying about her daughter's mischievousness.

The two maids, however, caught the other meaning behind the Madam's words. Catherine, in particular, frowned deeply, staring at the snow-white and slender neck of Lady Annie sitting before her, wishing she could pierce through the flesh to see the soul of the man residing inside!

The Madam smiled gently and asked again, "What does Mr. Luxing think of Annie's appearance?"

Luxing reached out to touch his own face—which was actually Annie's. Catching himself, he lowered his hand and offered a polite compliment: "Lady Annie, as the daughter of a Duke, inherited Lady Vise's powerful and beautiful bloodline, along with the centuries-old legacy of the Duke of Swinton. Her beauty is naturally breathtaking!"

This was the standard tone for compliments in the magical world, which Luxing had learned from Annie's two close friends.

Placing Vise before the Swinton family was because Lady Vise had already ascended to the divine realm, becoming a handmaiden of the Goddess of Holy Light.

The Madam smiled and said, "You don't need to be so polite. Just speak your true thoughts, and neither my husband nor I will mind."

Luxing was momentarily at a loss for words. Was she serious?

"Please go ahead and share your opinion, Mr. Luxing," the Duchess politely pressed on.

Luxing thought for a moment and said with a trace of embarrassment, "You know, Madam, due to certain circumstances, I saw Annie."

Casting a glance out of the corner of his eye at the master and servant opposite him, Luxing turned his head slightly to meet the emerald eyes of the maid behind him. Seeing that all three of them were seemingly "not pursuing the matter further," he continued, "I think Annie is a beautiful, lovely, lively, and cheerful young lady."

"Do you like her?" the Madam asked directly, then added, "I mean her appearance."

"Of course! Appreciating beauty is human nature."

Luxing answered quickly. Although he had some suspicions, he could not be certain and still could not figure out why she was acting this way.

"Does Mr. Luxing have a fiancée or a wife?"

Changing the subject abruptly, the Madam inquired about his personal life.

"No."

"If Annie were to encounter danger on Earth, would you go to her rescue?"

"Madam, that goes without saying!"

"If Annie were to do something very wrong, would you accept and tolerate her?"

"Madam... what on earth are you trying to ask?"

"Please feel free to answer, Mr. Luxing, or you may choose not to."

Annie's mother, Madam Bridget, simply smiled, her gaze never leaving him.

It gave Luxing the illusory sensation of being scrutinized by a future mother-in-law!

After pondering for a moment, he replied, "I don't think Annie is a bad child. If she did something wrong, she would feel guilty, and I would help her find a way to face it."

The Madam nodded slightly and asked again, "In your opinion, what is the most important thing between a husband and wife?"

"..."

Luxing no longer wished to guess the motive behind Annie's mother's questions, so he simply answered, "Trust. Believing in each other."

"Do you trust Annie?"

"As ordinary friends, I trust her. But if the Madam expects me to view it with the trust of a husband and wife, then I suppose not."

"You and Annie truly haven't known each other for long. Mr. Luxing, have you ever learned about the Goddess of Holy Light?"

The Madam changed the subject yet again.

"A slight understanding, but not much."

"Annie is a devout believer in the Goddess. Would you be willing to follow and believe in the Goddess of Holy Light as well?"

"No!"

Luxing answered just as quickly this time.

Yet this reply did not stop the Madam from continuing her interrogation: "If Annie were to ask you whether you are willing—"

"Madam, she has already asked me!"

"Oh, is that so... Would you be willing to tolerate her devotion to the Goddess?"

"Is the Goddess of Holy Light evil? For example, human sacrifices, oppressing believers, fooling mortals... Hiss!"

Luxing had been about to mention more deeds typical of evil deities, but suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in Annie's rear, as if he had been jabbed by a needle.

It made him spring straight to his feet.

All three women covered their mouths and giggled, finding nothing unusual about his reaction.

The Madam stood up, performed a ritual prayer to the deities, and said, "Annie is watched over by the Goddess, Mr. Luxing. Please never speak words of blasphemy again."

Pausing for a moment, she continued, "The Goddess wields the Holy Light and is a merciful and great deity. You come from Earth, yet the Goddess did not send down punishment despite your blasphemous words—that alone is proof of the Goddess's magnanimity!"

Was jabbing Annie in the rear not divine punishment?!

Luxing cursed inwardly, but out loud, he said, "Praise be to the great and merciful Goddess of Holy Light!"

Faint laughter seemed to drift down from the sky, so subtle that one might suspect it was just an illusion.

"If Annie and you were to have children, would you be willing to let one of them inherit the Swinton family name and carry on the glory of the Swinton family?"

Annie's mother, Madam Bridget, dropped yet another shocking question!

"Madam!"

Luxing raised a hand in a gesture to halt the conversation. "Are you planning to marry Annie to me? If not, I feel this question is utterly—"

"No."

The Madam smiled. "You guessed correctly. My husband and I intend to marry Annie to you!"

"..."

Luxing was left speechless. Even though he had already suspected it, hearing Annie's mother say it aloud still came as a massive shock.

He glanced back at the grey-silk maid and the other attendants behind him, trying to read their expressions to see if the Swinton family was playing a joke on him.

Catherine remained silent, her posture and expression impeccably standard.

"Please forgive us, Mr. Luxing."

The Madam sighed softly and explained, "Both my family and the Swinton family belong to the conservative nobility. We adhere to the traditional doctrines of the Holy Light Church: no premarital relations between men and women, and absolute loyalty to one's partner after marriage, with no mistresses."

"Even in the Northern Territory, where the atmosphere is open and nobles boast about the number of their lovers, the Swinton family and other conservative families have remained steadfast in their traditions! Although some children of traditional nobles have cast tradition aside, that does not include the daughters of the Swinton family."

The Madam added.

Luxing finally understood the concerns she and the Duke shared. After a brief silence, he said, "I am very sorry, Madam."

"You needn't apologize; this is not your fault."

Madam Bridget smiled gently. "Since things have already reached this point, let me formally ask you, Mr. Luxing: are you willing to take Annie as your wife?"

Luxing was a hundred times willing!