As I had said, Arthur rejected every engagement proposal, but while discarding them, he encountered one that, at least, piqued his curiosity.
"An engagement proposal from Chen Shiao?" he laughed, tossing the envelope aside without even reading its contents.
"...What is that old man thinking? Does he really believe I'd accept an engagement proposal from his son...? Or did he just do it to make fun of me?"
"Well, whatever: that marriage is never going to happen. Those people wouldn't do my daughter any good, and such a marriage would only ruin her life."
After voicing these thoughts just as he had with the other proposals, Arthur simply rejected them—crumpling the paper and tossing it into the fire. However, as he leafed through some more envelopes, he was once again surprised by another engagement proposal.
"What does this mean? Even the Xiao family is proposing an engagement for my daughter?" he said as he opened the letter out of curiosity.
"...Xiao Yun...? Isn't that the boy who reached the sixth stage of Qi Refinement even though he was only 11...? Isn't he just thirteen now? What tricks are these old foxes up to? First Chen Fang, and now Xiao Feng?"
"...They definitely have something in mind, but they won't succeed, because these marriages are simply impossible."
Arthur murmured these words as he crumpled the paper and threw it into the fire.
---
While distractedly walking through the city center, Sophia wondered to herself,
'Will I really be helping Dad if I get married...? But I don't like any of those guys—at least that's what I think... And Mom said I should marry the person I'm truly in love with... although, until now, I don't even really understand what that means...'
After these thoughts, Sophia continued wandering aimlessly through the bustling city streets. During her stroll, she noticed something rather unsettling: everywhere she went, she felt as if she was being watched—not by one or two people, but by many. That feeling made her very uncomfortable, especially since she couldn't understand why.
Previously, people had mostly looked at her because of her beauty, but now the gazes seemed far more intense than usual.
Even so, Sophia paid little attention to it and kept on her way, passing by various places. Along the way, she ended up entering a small restaurant and, shortly after, headed to the city's central square.
The square featured a beautiful fountain, where Sophia sat down on the edge and stayed there, watching the people—especially the couples. She observed them, wondering how it was possible for them to be so happy just by being together.
'Can a person really smile like that when they're alone...? Why would I need to be with someone to do that?' she thought, even as she watched a girl smile at her companion.
As she continued observing the scene, Sophia heard two girls whispering on the other side of the fountain:
— ...Did you see that? That one over there—isn't she the 'genius' girl?
"'Genius'?" they laughed. "Now she's finally useful?"
"Someone told me that she has even given up on cultivation now."
"Really? (laughs) Well, it was to be expected, considering it took her 9 years to reach the fourth stage of the tempered body. Imagine how long it'll take her to get to the fifth..." (bursting into laughter).
'Ah, so that's why everyone's looking at me... Now everyone is talking about me: the girl considered perfect both for her beauty and for her 'talent' in cultivation... Genius...? I never asked to be called that...' Sophia thought as she gazed up at the beautiful blue sky stretching overhead at that moment.
After a few seconds spent absorbing the view of the sky, she sighed, got up, and walked slowly toward her home.
— ...It really seems like everyone's looking at me.
She reflected, noticing that even on a very busy street with dozens of people, all eyes kept turning toward her.
Trying to distance herself from the prying gazes, Sophia moved to a corner of the street, and after several minutes of walking there, she saw something that completely dashed any expectation of surprise.