Three days later, at the Blackwood estate.
A large number of guests had gathered that day.
The wedding was ceremoniously held in the estate’s grand hall.
Charles Whitmore welcomed the arriving guests with a smile as they came to offer their congratulations, while the reception staff effortlessly guided them to their seats.
All the servants were smiling and joyful, happy that the master was finally taking another wife again.
The days when the master got married were the best days for them.
The overseers no longer whipped them on those days, and they could also eat their fill.
They would have preferred it if their master got married every single day.
Aron’s wedding once again represented a combination of family tradition and Western customs, and Charles Whitmore was responsible for the entire organization.
Aron did not have to personally worry about anything.
Once Richard brought his daughter Palina as the bride, it was enough for the two of them to complete the wedding together.
The mayor of Edmonton and the chairmen of both chambers of the city council also came to offer their congratulations.
Mr.
Howlett’s butler arrived as well, along with Jimmy from the Holden family and numerous other dignitaries.
Many friends of the Blackwood family also came, and more than a hundred tables were set up for the lavish feast.
Although Aron had not wanted to hold an excessively conspicuous celebration, too many people eventually learned about the wedding, so the ceremony still had to be large and luxurious.
Exactly at noon, the Blackwood family’s grand hall was ceremoniously decorated.
Dressed in a snow-white wedding dress, Palina slowly walked down the red carpet toward Aron accompanied by Richard.
Aron was also dressed in formal wedding attire.
With a smile, he politely accepted the bride’s delicate hand and, under the ceremonial words of the host, completed the traditional part of the wedding together with her and paid respect to the family and their shared future.
Richard sat beneath the raised platform with a smile on his face.
He showed not the slightest dissatisfaction as he watched his daughter hold Aron’s hand during the ceremony.
Whether in terms of wealth or military strength, the Blackwood family represented one of the most powerful forces across the vast territory of Canada.
Countless impoverished nobles and wealthy merchants wanted to marry their daughters to Aron.
For Richard, the opportunity to establish such a family connection represented enormous good fortune.
A little personal pride and questions of ceremonial prestige meant nothing in the face of enormous wealth and interests.
The Blackwood family had never treated the families of its women badly.
More than twenty families that had established ties with the Blackwoods through their daughters had now prospered again, relying precisely on their reputation and connections.
Jenny, Alice, Catherine, Angela, Atarisa, and Aron’s other women also attended the ceremony with their children, behaving closely with one another like sisters.
The atmosphere in the hall was solemn and harmonious, but just as Aron and Palina finished the ceremony and were preparing to withdraw to their chambers, Charles Whitmore hurriedly approached them.
He moved close to Aron and whispered into his ear:
“Master, a group of people has appeared at the gate. They all look dangerous and are carrying loaded weapons.”
“Oh? They really know how to choose the right moment. Tell Marcus to take some men and stop them.”
Aron gave the order casually while thinking to himself.
They had come neither earlier nor later, but precisely at the moment when he was preparing to leave with the bride.
Still, he did not immediately order them to be killed, because the British Empire was still an extremely powerful force.
Charles hesitated slightly.
He was not afraid of the people who had come.
The problem was that today was the master’s wedding day, so bloodshed would represent a very bad omen.
“Master, the man leading them is not a simple opponent. I’m afraid a major conflict could break out. Perhaps it would be better to ask the mayor and the council chairman to go outside. That way there will at least be room for a peaceful solution.”
Aron frowned slightly. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
If the man was strong enough that even a Transforming Force master could not easily subdue him, then he certainly was not an ordinary person.
“Is he the demon hunter?”
“He doesn’t seem like a demon hunter. He behaves like a government official. However, his eyes somewhat resemble James’s and Victor’s, so he probably isn’t an ordinary person.”
Charles shook his head and gave his own assessment.
Aron snorted coldly and said indifferently:
“It seems they didn’t come with good intentions. For now, do as you suggested. Those two fat pigs take hundreds of thousands of pounds from me every year. It’s time they finally did something in return. My money isn’t that easy to take.”
Palina, who was standing beside him, was completely stunned by what she heard.
Judging by her husband’s words, the powerful mayor of Edmonton and the chairman of the council seemed almost like servants whom he could order around whenever he wished.
After leading Palina out of the hall, Aron lifted her into his arms and quickly headed toward their chambers.
…
In front of the gate of the Blackwood estate, the guards faced a group of armed men.
Just as it seemed that the two sides would begin fighting at any moment, the mayor of Edmonton and the chairman of the city council walked out through the gate.
Charles Whitmore followed directly behind them, silently observing the group in front of him.
“Which department are you from? What are you doing at the Blackwood estate?”
A cold light flashed in Mayor Breed’s eyes.
The more powerful the Blackwood family became, the more money ended up in his pockets.
Causing trouble for the Blackwood family meant cutting off his source of wealth.
And taking away a man’s wealth was almost the same as killing his parents.
Unless this group had sufficiently powerful protection, the sharks in the Pacific might receive an extra meal tomorrow.
“Hmph! Parasite of the Empire! You’re the mayor of Edmonton, aren’t you? Get out of my way if you don’t want to die!”
Lawrence showed not the slightest consideration.
Whoever had been involved in the murder of Governor General Edmund, he had no intention of letting that person go.
Whether for official or personal reasons, his position did not allow the killer to remain unpunished.
As a special investigator of the British royal family, he was not afraid of obstruction from any Canadian government institution.
Chairman Olymp smiled coldly, pointed a finger at Lawrence and his men, and cursed:
“I don’t care whether you’re the deputy leader of the investigation team for the Governor General’s murder. If you want to cause trouble in Edmonton, you won’t get away with it. The Blackwood family is the most respected family in our city and certainly has nothing to do with the murder of the Governor General.”
Lawrence was surprised.
The two most powerful men in Edmonton were obviously willing to openly stand on the Blackwood family’s side even at the cost of offending him.
“Very well. Truly very well. Today I will carry out the investigation no matter what. If the two of you dare stand in my way one more time, don’t blame me when I report your behavior in detail to the royal family and the cabinet.”
Breed and Olymp looked at each other.
Their faces became dark and uncertain.
They were not afraid of Lawrence, because the investigation team only had the right to investigate and could not appoint or dismiss Canadian government officials.
However, if the matter truly reached the royal family and the cabinet, then…
Seeing their hesitation, Charles coughed several times and discreetly rubbed his fingers together.
Lawrence did not notice his small movement, but Breed’s and Olymp’s eyes immediately lit up.
To hell with everything!
A man did not enter politics to remain poor.
If they performed well today, the Blackwood family certainly would not forget them.
Were the positions of mayor and chairman really that important?
“Today is the wedding day of the head of the Blackwood family. Regardless of the reason for your arrival, you are not permitted to enter the estate and conduct a search. We will not allow you to disturb the guests and spread suspicious rumors.”
Lawrence heard such openly disobedient words for the first time and truly became enraged.
Even senior officials in the Governor General’s office lowered their heads before him and listened carefully, and now two ordinary city officials dared oppose him like this!
“Chief Davor, we’re going in! Whoever dares stop us, shoot them!”
When he heard the order, Davor’s forehead was immediately covered in cold sweat.
If he really ordered his men to open fire and kill city officials, the news would spread immediately, and his career in the Canadian administration would be over.
Even returning alive to Britain would probably become nothing more than an unattainable wish.
“Deputy Leader Lawrence, calm down. What Mayor Breed and Chairman Olymp said makes some sense. There is no need to rush the investigation or provoke dissatisfaction among the local population because of it.”
Lawrence smiled coldly.
“Why? Are you afraid? No wonder the Governor General was murdered in Canada. You thick-headed parasites only compete to see who can flatter ordinary foreign merchants and landowners more.”
“The Empire’s great plans and laws fail precisely because of people like you!”
“Hmph! I’ll come back tomorrow. Surely he won’t be getting married every day!”
After saying that, Lawrence angrily waved his hand and left.
Davor ran after him, apologizing constantly, but Lawrence did not listen to him at all.
Breed and Olymp wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads.
Their backs were already completely soaked.
If not for the enormous benefits they expected, they would never have openly clashed with Lawrence.
After all, the man represented the royal family and the cabinet.
However, now that they had already stepped aboard the enormous ship of the Blackwood family, it was no longer easy to get off.
“Mr. Whitmore, you must mention to Mr. Blackwood what we did today. After this, we probably won’t remain in our positions for much longer.”
The two of them gathered around Charles and smiled bitterly.
“Don’t worry. Leave it to me. The Blackwood overseas shipping company will soon be completed and begin operating. If you’re interested, you can buy a certain number of shares.”
“And I’ll tell you one more little secret. The Blackwood Advanced Energy Research Institute has developed an internal combustion engine that will replace steam engines. Once the technology matures, our ships will be able to reach speeds greater than fifty knots. With that technology, we will be at least thirty years ahead of every other country.”
Charles returned the favor by revealing several secrets that were no longer particularly important to the Blackwood family.
The two of them had performed very well today.
Their stance had been firm, and their allegiance completely clear, so they deserved to receive a share of the benefits.
With their example, the other senior Canadian officials would certainly know which side they should choose.
The plan for the master’s great future was becoming increasingly complete.
Sooner or later, on this vast land, the Blackwood family would become the true ruler.
Lawrence left furiously, while Davor followed him and apologized without stopping, but Lawrence completely ignored him.
As deputy leader of the special investigation team, he had worked day and night for several months, yet had achieved almost nothing.
He had barely found a new clue, only for the Edmonton city administration to prevent him from smoothly beginning the investigation.
Lawrence’s heart was already filled with rage.
His time was running out, and he had to find the real killer as soon as possible.
The Blackwood family was his greatest suspect.
He could still somehow justify himself to the royal family and cabinet of the British Empire.
At worst, he could shift all the responsibility onto Davor.
However, Grand Elder Lucian could awaken at any moment.
If he learned that his pure-blooded line of descendants had been completely extinguished, he would certainly begin killing.
Neither Lawrence nor Davor noticed that several people were following them from a great distance.