After that day, Arthur felt a sense of relief and began working day and night to solve the problem facing the Radiance family. To that end, he stopped searching for a doctor for his wife and devoted his efforts to finding a way to earn money, so that the family could pull through this crisis and—later—he could expand his search area beyond those forgotten lands to the larger cities and even the imperial city.
While he was trying to put an end to the Radiance family's financial crisis, the days passed and—as expected—families as powerful as the Radiance continued to send marriage proposals for Sophia.
"You have to accept this engagement, Arthur; it's the only way out of the problem you've put us in."
"That isn't going to happen, old geezers— not even over my dead body!"
"Stop acting like an idiot, Arthur! You're the one responsible for putting us in this state! It's only fair that your daughter should help solve this problem."
"Besides, what's so bad about it for her? That useless girl would finally have some purpose, and in the end, she'd still be treated like a princess by everyone."
With a swift slap, the table split in half. Arthur glared at the old crone among the elders and said,
— Listen well, you hag, think carefully before you say anything about my daughter.
Taking a step back, a gray-haired man retorted,
— L-look at the way you talk to us, Arthur... Have you forgotten that we are the elders of this family!?
"Yes, exactly… don't forget who we are."
"Don't test my patience, old ones; I already said this is not happening," Arthur replied, smiling. The fact that these people call themselves elders nauseated him—those pigs. He looked them in the eyes and continued,
— And besides, look at you two, hypocrites. Did you really think I wouldn't notice that you've been spending hundreds of crystals to buy pills at auctions to prolong your own lives?
"How... how do you...?"
"How would I not know? Did you truly think I wouldn't notice your petty thievery—just because I've been preoccupied with my wife all these years?" (laughs)
The glares of the other elders, now enraged, shifted their focus, causing the old man and the old woman to step back, trembling. Arthur pointed his finger at them and exclaimed,
— Calumny! That is clearly a lie—we would never do such a thing!
"Oh, please, don't even try to lie, old man. At your age, not even at the peak of your Qi Foundation would you still be alive, and look at you: you're still only in the first stage. What, did a miracle occur?"
"You…!"
Waving his hand with obvious disdain, Arthur said,
— I already told you: that marriage isn't happening, so get out of here and stop annoying me.
"How dare you…!"
"Come on, old man: your hair is falling out because you still haven't taken the pill; even your teeth are only staying in your mouth thanks to your Qi—and the same goes for you, madam. I'd say that if this keeps up, you'll have less than a month to live… Ah, so that's why you invented that stupid rule against me?"
"Arthur, you really…!"
"Now, you old geezers, get back to your rooms, cultivate to extend your lives even further, and leave me alone to do my job in peace."
Those who had attracted those judgmental stares were the first to leave—a tongue click echoed, and the old elder bolted before the others could catch up to question him, with the elderly woman following closely behind.
"Ah, this is truly embarrassing. Oh, where have we ended up…" sighed one of the two remaining elders in the room. "That pill story is indeed true, Arthur?"
"…Yes, elder."
The old man nearly collapsed from a sudden weakness—he had to lean on his cane to stay upright.
"How shameful…" he said in disbelief. "To think they spent so much money on things like that—wasting the family's funds on pills that barely add five years to their lives… idiots, where were they thinking?"
"Calm down, brother. Quarreling over this now won't solve our current situation," said the other elder, consoling him as he looked at Arthur. "But why didn't you reveal this fact earlier, Arthur? Had you done so, the damage would have been less—even if only a little—any difference would have helped."
Arthur averted his gaze and sank back into his chair, unwilling to meet the eyes of the elders—he knew that part of the blame for this situation lay on his own shoulders.
— I… I wasn't in a position to judge them…
He murmured.
But slamming his cane on the floor, the elder exclaimed,
— You are the current leader of the family! If you're not in a position to judge them, then who here is?!
And then he coughed again.
"But…"
"As head of the family, it's up to you to decide how and when to use the money, Arthur," added the other elder. "You weren't the first, and you won't be the last to use the family funds for personal reasons—but letting this situation worsen was indeed a mistake—your mistake. I hope you truly manage to turn things around, or else I'll be forced to stand for little Soph's marriage, whether you like it or not."
The elders left together, leaving Arthur in a desolate silence. He rose from his chair and, as the old men passed through the door, bowed in respect.
As the door closed, Arthur sighed and slumped back into his chair, declaring,
— Finally…
For my moment of peace.