The sealing ritual concluded successfully in the end, and the prayer gathering neared its close, but the crown prince came to seek Elodie out alone.
She was puzzled. What is he looking for me for at this hour?
The crown prince stared at her, his tone carrying an odd emotion. "Aren't you even curious why I came?"
Elodie grumbled inwardly that he used to treat her as coldly as a stranger, so why was he acting like a different person today. She answered evenly. "If you have something to say, Your Highness, please say it."
The crown prince asked how she had managed to enter the temple.
Elodie raised a brow. "I don't think that's what Your Highness is truly curious about."
After a brief silence, as though making up his mind, the crown prince asked, "Is it that you want to break off the engagement?"
Elodie answered without hesitation. "Yes."
The crown prince's eyes darkened, and there was a faint trace of hurt in his voice. "Do you hate me that much?"
Elodie calmly replied, "I only want to break off the engagement because I don't want to marry you. It's nothing personal against Your Highness. Besides, from my point of view, the one you should hate is me. Calling off the engagement is the best choice for both of us."
The next day, when she walked out of the temple gates, she caught sight of the arch priest standing not far away, looking as if he wanted to speak, but constrained by his position, ultimately saying nothing.
Elodie understood in her heart that her father would no longer allow her to come and go freely. What awaited her was most likely house arrest. She tentatively asked, "Father, I'd like to stop by the mercenary company first."
Without even thinking, the Duke refused outright. The Duchess chimed in from the side. "Elodie, it's better if you stay at home for now."
Just as she was feeling disappointed, Ashen suddenly spoke up. "Father, Mother, I'd also like to visit the mercenary company. I can go with my sister, and we can look out for each other on the road."
The Duke hesitated a moment. Then, thinking that nothing should happen with Ashen watching, he nodded his approval.
When the two of them arrived at the mercenary company, they found that Ryan was not there. After asking around, they learned that upon discovering Elodie's disappearance, Ryan had immediately taken people out to search for her and had not yet returned.
A strange feeling stirred in Elodie's heart. She had not expected her sudden vanishing to provoke such a strong reaction from Ryan. She quietly resolved that she would have to find him as soon as possible.
Right then, a familiar figure suddenly pulled her into a tight embrace. Ryan's voice was choked. "I thought I was going to lose you again."
Elodie soothed him softly. "I'm fine now. Don't worry."
She keenly caught that word, again, and her suspicions rose at once. There was fear and despair in Ryan's eyes, as if he had already lost her countless times. She was more certain than ever that Ryan was hiding enormous secrets.
Watching their intimacy from the side, Ashen's face darkened instantly, his tone ice cold. "Let go of my sister."
A chill flashed through Ryan's eyes as he met Ashen head-on, and the air went taut in an instant.
Elodie hurried to smooth things over, turning to Ryan and saying, "I'm a bit tired today and want to go home first. Let's meet again tomorrow."
Ryan gave her a long, deep look and watched her leave.
In the carriage, Ashen fixed his eyes on Elodie, speaking gravely. "Elodie, Ryan's feelings for you aren't simple. You'd better stay away from him. You're not thinking of taking him as your lover, are you?"
Elodie actually smiled at that. "Even if I did have a lover, the crown prince wouldn't care. Would he?"
Ashen was taken aback, then immediately pressed her. "So the crown prince doesn't like you either."
"I don't like him either," Elodie admitted bluntly.
She knew how the original story went. The crown prince would in the end fall in love with the heroine Estelle without the slightest hesitation.
Only then did Ashen understand. Elodie's insistence on breaking off the engagement was simply because she did not like the crown prince.
Elodie then shifted the topic, her tone turning serious. "Brother, I want to ask you to investigate Ryan for me. I want to know what he's hiding."
The next day, Ryan came to the Pedia annex as promised. Elodie told him in full detail what had happened after she touched the sealing stone: being pulled into a strange space, meeting Greed, and being sent to the temple.
After listening, Ryan's gaze fell on Greed, and he frowned as he asked her, "Is this little thing not quite right in the head?"
Elodie immediately asked Ryan what Greed's power was. Ryan thought for a moment and said Greed's power was most likely related to wealth and possessions. Legend had it that it had eyes that could see the true value of any object.
Elodie's heart leapt. If that was true, she could get out of her financial crisis in a short time. She immediately asked Greed how long its power could last.
Greed lazily replied that within a week it could only be used for three seconds, and only three times.
"You've got to be kidding me," Elodie could not help complaining.
Greed snapped back slowly. "Blame the long years of being sealed. Put up with it if you can."