Elodie decided to use Greed's ability and try her luck again at an auction. She had not expected to run into that man again, because they fancied the same item.
Under the second prince's sticky, nauseating gaze, she only wished he would stop trying to talk to her.
The ring was the target she had seen with Greed. She had to get it. In the end she succeeded, winning the ring with the highest bid. Unfortunately for the second prince, he did not get it.
After purchasing the item, the two of them quickly left their seats. Once the item was confirmed, all that remained was to sign. The auction supervisor recognized her. She had also bid on a ruby last time, and that had been before Ryan was at her side.
Just then, footsteps sounded behind them. The second prince and his entourage had actually followed them over.
Seeing Elodie avert her gaze, the second prince assumed she was being shy. He smiled suggestively. "There's a very nice restaurant nearby. Why don't I invite you there for a meal?"
Elodie rejected him outright.
The second prince instead concluded that she was playing hard to get. "Then how about a cafe? I'll book it out just for us. How about that?"
Elodie blinked innocently and asked, "What's so impressive about that? I can do it too." With that, she turned to leave.
The second prince reached out to stop her, but his hand was blocked. The atmosphere went tense in an instant.
The second prince snapped coldly that a mere guard knight daring to stand in the way of royalty was committing a grave offense. But Ryan was not only unafraid, he radiated pressure as he replied in a threatening voice. "Step back."
The second prince exploded. "A commoner dares to shout at royalty. So what if Father is fond of you? I'm a prince."
A faint red light flickered in Ryan's eyes. In the next second there was a sharp smack. A clear handprint appeared on the second prince's face.
The second prince was utterly confused. What just happened? Did I — did I just hit myself?
Ryan allowed himself a small, wicked smile. "Seems Your Highness is aware of how rude you've been. I'll be sure to report your behavior honestly to His Majesty."
Then, no matter how furiously the second prince ranted behind them, Elodie's heart pounded. Hopefully this won't cause trouble. But if not for Ryan stepping in, she would have been pestered by the second prince even longer. Seeing how unconcerned Ryan looked, it probably was not a big problem.
What unsettled her more was the scene of the second prince slapping himself. Ryan had definitely used some kind of power. It had been the same at the cliff, and now again here. If it wasn't magic, could it be authority? But Ryan clearly did not belong to the four great families.
With Elodie frequently talking about breaking off the engagement lately, someone as scheming as the second prince would only keep looking for excuses to get close to her. Ryan suggested that she simply use him.
Elodie was stunned. Ryan continued calmly, "Any role is fine. Assistant, guard, even lover. In a darkness so deep you can't see your hand, you're the only light. Everything I have is just waiting for you to claim it."
But Elodie could not understand why. Ryan refused to explain.
She knew he was willing to give selflessly, but how long could that last? She could not repay it, and did not want to be in his debt. Rather than accept kindness of unknown origin, it was better to refuse it outright.
She had thought she would tell Ryan everything when the time was right. But would that opportunity ever really come?
In any case, she did not want to keep arguing and chose to head back for now. Just before leaving, Elodie suddenly turned and said, "Don't look down on yourself, even if that person is you."
As she returned to the annex, she was startled by being called the people's favorite. It turned out that before she came back, three letters had already arrived.
The first was from the young lady's friend. Judging from the signature, it should be Mario, vice-captain of the Sky Eagles mercenary company, likely meaning there was news on the investigation she had commissioned before.
The second letter was from the mage Elbi, most likely to say the magical tools were finished.
The third had already been opened by the butler. It was a handwritten letter from the emperor, summoning her for a meeting the next afternoon. Since the butler had opened it, her father would surely know as well.
The maid, on the other hand, really missed that little black fox.
And from her father's side, he would soon be coming to see her. Sure enough, when they met, her father immediately refused to let her go. But this was a personal letter from His Majesty. It was unlikely to be a trivial matter. Elodie guessed it might be to pursue what had happened at the gathering, but she might not necessarily have to go in person.
She felt a bit awkward. Even for one of the four great families like Pedia, disobeying an imperial summons would be troublesome, and it was obvious her father did not trust sending her alone into the royal city. She had caused too much trouble lately.
In the end he sighed and let her go.
Once she stepped out the door, though, Elodie felt something was off. Given the timing, the crown prince should already have raised the matter of breaking off the engagement at least once. She ought to meet him as well.
The next day, Ryan escorted her to the entrance and stopped there, going no further.
As Elodie walked down the corridor, she wondered if she had walked into a funeral home. Stay in an atmosphere like this long enough, and you'd fall ill even if you were healthy.