Path To Godhood Begins With Marrying Wife And Gaining SSS Rank Skill - Chapter 321: Invitation

Chapter 321: 321: Invitation

Ethan stared at the letter resting on the table.

Behind him, four heads leaned closer, their eyes fixed on the envelope as if it might explode at any moment.

“He isn’t going to start another war, right?” Sophia asked, her voice filled with worry.

“I don’t think so,” Randall said after a moment of thought. “There might not be a war, but it could still be bad news for us.”

“Knowing the feud,” Noel added, “it might be something meant to provoke the Blanks.”

Ethan paused and glanced at the group, watching them discuss one dark possibility after another.

“Guys,” he said calmly.

They all looked at him.

“Just calm down.”

He picked up the letter and gave a small smile.

“I am sure it is a birthday invitation.”

“Birthday?” Everyone spoke at the same time.

“Yes,” Ethan nodded. “That old man just turned one hundred a few days ago. He is probably preparing to celebrate it in full grandeur.”

As he spoke, Ethan opened the letter. His expression did not change, and after a quick glance, he nodded as if everything was exactly as expected.

“It is a birthday invitation,” he said.

He began reading it out loud. The letter stated that he was cordially invited to attend the King’s birthday celebration on the eighteenth of January, to be held at the Royal Palace.

“See?” Ethan said with a faint smile. “I told you.”

Sophia’s expression, however, did not relax. Instead, she frowned and crossed her arms.

“I still can’t believe it,” she said. “I am sure there is a trap hidden in it.”

“Yes,” Randall nodded strongly. “I also believe there might be a trap.”

“Enough,” Ethan said firmly, raising his hand. “Whatever it is, I will handle it.”

He stood up and gestured toward the door.

“Go and prepare. We also need to bring a gift.”

With that, Ethan pushed everyone out of the room, one by one, until the door finally closed behind them.

The moment he was alone, the smile on his face faded.

His expression froze.

He picked up the letter again and read it carefully, line by line. This time, he did not skim over the words. He studied them, searching for anything unusual, anything hidden.

He could already feel it.

Trouble.

Ethan walked toward the window and looked outside. The sky was painted in shades of orange and pink as the sun set, and faint stars glittered above, slowly appearing one by one.

“It is either that he is going to declare the Crown Prince,” Ethan muttered, “or he is about to be thrown off the throne.”

He paused and narrowed his eyes.

“There might be something else too.”

He rested his hand on the window frame and let out a slow breath.

“Whatever it is, I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

For a moment, he wondered if he was overthinking things. But deep down, he knew better. The capital was never peaceful, and the Royal Palace was a nest of schemes and hidden blades.

“It is better to be prepared,” he said quietly.

Ethan turned back to the table and picked up his pen. The calm atmosphere of the room felt heavy now, as if the walls themselves were listening.

Without hesitation, he began to write.

A secret command.

If something was about to happen in the capital, then the Blanks would not be caught unprepared.

……..

“What?”

“You want me to accompany you?” Claira gasped loudly in shock.

She stared at Ethan, trying to find even a trace of hesitation or falsehood on his face, but there was none.

“No… I don’t want to go. Please take someone else,” Claira pleaded, her voice trembling. But Ethan shook his head firmly.

“It can’t be anyone but you,” he said.

“You need to accompany me.”

“Why?” Claira asked, trying to understand.

That place.

Just thinking about it made her feel suffocated. She did not want to go there. She did not want to leave this place that had given her warmth, safety, and love. She did not want to step into that nightmare again.

Seeing her refuse so strongly, her frail body trembling, Ethan stepped forward and pulled her into his arms. He hugged her tightly and gently caressed her hair, trying to calm her racing heart.

“That place has become a thorn in your heart,” Ethan said softly. “On the path of knighthood, where belief is tested, it will block your path.”

“The only way to step past it is to overcome it.”

There was no secret potion or shortcut here. Even with the system’s help, trauma was something that needed to heal from the heart.

Ethan knew it was hard. He knew she did not want to be part of this. But this was something she had to face.

“Claira,” he said gently, “you can’t keep hiding forever.”

“You have suffered a lot, but those days are gone. You need to brace yourself and move forward.”

“I swear I will protect you. With me there, nobody can harm you.”

With his strength at the Emperor Knight level, and Rathlos by his side, if they still could not protect a single woman, then they might as well drown themselves in a basin of water.

Claira slowly calmed her restless heart. After a moment, she spoke again, her voice small.

“But I am ugly,” Claira said, pointing at the dark spot around her eyes.

Ethan smiled softly.

“Don’t worry. I have an eye mask that will hide it while enhancing your beauty.”

“But what about the act?” Claira asked hesitantly.

“Act?” Ethan asked, confused.

“The act of being treated badly.”

“Oh, that,” Ethan replied with a light laugh. “Don’t worry about it. People can already see our love. They might say that the witch has ensnared Baron Ethan’s mind, which isn’t entirely false.”

As he spoke, Ethan leaned down and kissed her forehead tenderly.

“You witch has completely captured my heart,” he said softly. “Let them speak.Let them burn with jealousy as they watch your happiness.”

“All you need to do is show your superiority with my support.”

Claira raised her chin and looked at Ethan’s beautiful face, half wondering if all of this was just a dream.

After a moment, she reached up, grabbed his chin, and spoke with a gentle smile.

“I wonder what good deeds I did to get such a handsome, loving husband.”

“You are the best man in the world, Ethan.”

Standing on her toes, she leaned forward and kissed him, sealing her resolve.