Ten minutes later, inside the hovercraft, a very guilty-looking Xavier sneaked a peek at Scarlet's face. Her expression hadn't changed much, but she seemed way happier than when they arrived. A little smirk kept tugging at her lips.
It should have been a good thing, but for some reason it just made Xavier feel incredibly anxious. He furrowed his brows, pressed his lips into a tight line, and hesitated for what felt like forever. Finally he spoke up.
"Scarlet, didn't you leave?"
Scarlet heard this and shot him a sideways glance. "Who said I left?"
Nobody, actually. But the way Scarlet did things — she never gave anyone a heads-up. She was always flying by the seat of her pants. He was honestly used to it by now.
Xavier pinched the bridge of his nose and murmured softly, "When I came out of the fitting room, you weren't there."
Scarlet noticed his eyes cast down, looking so vulnerable. He had looked so aggrieved ever since he saw her. His brows had been furrowing constantly, like something was weighing heavily on his mind. Who knows what he was so worried about. But a situation like this was the perfect time to swoop in.
Scarlet shoved the sunflower right into Xavier's arms and said, "I just went to buy you some flowers."
She tapped her holopad, pulling up the recording of her talking with the beastman and played it for Xavier. On the screen, Scarlet was looking up at the two-meter-tall beastman, saying, "I'm going downstairs to check on something. If my beast husband comes out, please tell him to wait here for me. I'll be right back."
After watching the clip, Xavier just froze. He looked down at the sunflower in his arms, then back up at Scarlet's earnest face. His heart got all tingly and started beating faster.
The recording couldn't be faked. Scarlet hadn't abandoned him. She had even taken the time to explain it to him. Back in the day, he would never have even dared to dream of something like this. But right now, Scarlet had actually done it.
Xavier hugged the flowers tighter against his chest, his nose stinging a little. Tears welled up in his eyes.
"Why? Why did you give me flowers?"
No one had ever given him flowers before. He actually really loved flowers. Back at the royal court on planet Alga, his room was right next to the greenhouse. Every time he went for a swim, he could see a massive sea of flowers swaying in the wind. He absolutely adored it.
Could it be that Scarlet had gone out of her way to find that out?
That question put Scarlet in a bit of a tight spot. She had just bought the flowers on a whim, and she had made up the excuse on the spot. But seeing Xavier's pitiful little expression melt into pure emotion, Scarlet decided to go all in.
She smoothly reached out, took Xavier's hands, and said affectionately, "Because these flowers are beautiful, just like you. They caught my eye immediately. Besides, your room is a bit too empty. Putting some flowers in there will brighten it right up."
Just as her words trailed off, Scarlet shifted her tone, adding a hint of melancholy. "I just didn't know if you'd like them or not."
"I love them." Xavier's eyes were bright and completely certain. A faint blush spread across his cheeks. He completely ignored the fact that Scarlet had only bought a single potted plant. He was totally lost in the thrill of actually being cared about.
Beep, beep. Male adoration detected toward host. Affection points plus ten thousand.
Scarlet's eyes lit up. Holy crap, that's huge. Compared to the points from random nobodies, this was easily over a hundred times more. It really is true. Having your own man is the best.
Ten minutes later, at Helda Palace, Scarlet and Xavier stepped out of the hovercraft. That mob of interstellar reporters was still waiting outside. The second they spotted them, the crowd swarmed over like bees. Camera flashes went off non-stop.
But this time Scarlet didn't even pause. She grabbed Xavier's hand and rushed straight into the palace.
Left in the dust, the reporters let out a collective groan. But right after that, a few more airships landed right in front of them. The sides of the ships were plastered with logos from major brands. Countless beastmen stepped out, carrying shopping bags from all sorts of high-end stores, pouring out of the airships and flowing into Helda Palace like a steady stream.
These reporters were total pros. Seeing that they couldn't get a shot of their main targets, they quickly shifted focus, aiming their lenses and snapping away at the beastmen instead.
One minute later, the number one trending topic on the Star Net was: Scarlet drops a massive fortune, crushing rumors just to make her beast husband smile.
The attached photos showed Scarlet and her beast husband with their fingers tightly intertwined, while he followed closely behind her, blushing with a shy smile. There were also shots of the mall's airships parked right outside Helda Palace and the beastmen carrying shopping bags inside. Mixed in were a few candid shots of Scarlet and Xavier shopping together at the mall.
The dazzlingly beautiful Scarlet looked up at her elegantly handsome beast husband. Her clear eyes were deep and mesmerizing, practically overflowing with endless affection. The scene looked incredibly heartwarming, completely contradicting the online rumors about her being toxic and abusive. She obviously adored him. The deep love in her eyes was practically spilling over.
Meanwhile, Annie, who was still at the mall sipping tea to calm her nerves, saw the trending topics and absolutely lost her mind with rage. She ripped off her comms bracelet and smashed it into the floor, screaming, "Son of a — she was spending my money. How the hell did these Star Net reporters even take these pictures? I'm not even in them. The money — that was all my money."
She was blowing up.
At the exact same time, sitting in her dining room, Scarlet looked at the day's trending topics with total satisfaction, her eyes curling into crescents. A sly, mischievous smile touched her lips as she opened her holopad. She switched to her burner account and wired the paparazzi who had tailed her today one hundred thousand star coins each. As for the comments under the trending posts, she sent fifty thousand to every hype account steering the narrative.
When it came to PR manipulation, Scarlet was a total pro. Otherwise all those years of binging celebrity gossip in her past life would have been a waste.
After the transfers were done, Scarlet ordered the servants to serve dinner just as her beast husbands took their seats at the table.
Xavier had changed into a brightly colored shirt. Keeping his head down, he quietly chose the seat right next to Scarlet. The other three deliberately chose seats as far away as possible.
Riley shot Xavier a deeply meaningful look, seeing that Xavier's eyes were practically glued to Scarlet — but whenever she glanced back, he would immediately snap his gaze away, his cheeks flushing pink.
Riley's brow twitched. He hesitantly withdrew his gaze and kept his mouth shut.