Eze blinked in utter disbelief.
“…No matter how you look at it, it sounds like you’re the one who’s losing out more, doesn’t it?”
From any angle, Vellian’s appearance was undeniably outstanding.
If Eze hadn’t been worn down to a shadow of himself by his teammates over the past two years, not to mention his lingering distrust of others, he probably would have had plenty of thoughts about this.
But no matter how he saw it, this kind of close contact felt less like a punishment and more like a reward.
Vellian licked her lips with a mischievous grin and added, “The riding position is the one where you’re pinned to the ground~”
“…Forget I said anything.”
A chill ran inexplicably down Eze’s spine.
Just yesterday, Xian had given him face; he wasn’t about to socially ruin himself this quickly.
Besides, Vellian did mean well—this bad habit of his, born from years of being persecuted and almost PTSD-like, definitely needed fixing.
As for the personal desire mixed in… better not mention that.
Eze patted his face, trying not to dwell on those troublesome matters for now, and focused on the “date” at hand.
Lunch ended quickly.
Compared to the simple meals he’d eaten before, this was quite refined, even accompanied by a dessert.
Afterward, led by Vellian, Eze arrived at another part of the commercial district.
Here, there were no restaurants of all sorts, only a dazzling array of shops of various kinds, including the Adventurer’s Guild located within this area.
Passing by an armor shop, Eze’s eyes were drawn to the set of armor displayed outside.
He leaned closer to inspect it:
“Hm—armor enchanted with Shield Armor? To see this outside the Holy Paladin Order… Has armor production in the Holy Capital ramped up this much? The previous Workshop Expansion Plan really did have an effect…”
“Eze.”
“Hm?”
“Close your eyes~”
Before Eze could figure out what was happening, Vellian suddenly shoved him against the wall by the roadside.
Her face flushed slightly, and a heavy breath pressed down on him.
Seriously?
Coming on this strong and just like that!?
The commotion naturally drew the attention of passersby.
Eze hurriedly pushed her away.
“Wait, wait, wait—this doesn’t count, okay!!!? I just said it casually, just casually!!”
“It’s fine, it’s fine~ Just brushing against you won’t get me in.”
“You’d better be talking about that!!! No no no, seriously, there are too many people here. I’d be socially dead, really socially dead!”
“Then shall we go somewhere less crowded?”
“Uh…”
Eze realized he might have dug a hole for himself.
“Hmm~ Too bad—”
Seeing that he was indeed reluctant, Vellian let go of him with a hint of regret.
Eze quickly straightened up, brushed off the dust on his clothes, and changed the subject:
“So, what now? Shopping?”
“Buying some clothes.”
“Clothes?”
“Yeah~”
Vellian nodded emphatically.
“With my magic, most clothes can be made, but that’s just my taste. It’s necessary to take this chance to understand your preferences.”
“Mine? Why?”
“To wear for you, of course I need to know~”
Seeing that Eze still looked unenthusiastic, Vellian smiled gently and leaned in, lowering her voice:
“If you’re interested, you can even help me pick out some lingerie, you know?”
“…No, not interested.”
“If you’re not interested, why were you staring before?”
“Uh…”
Was she talking about the time in the study when she had actually noticed?
If she noticed, why not cover up a bit?
Just letting someone look like that—does she have some kind of special fetish!?
“Come on, hurry up—”
Vellian tugged Eze by the hand and dashed into a nearby clothing store.
On the second-floor corridor of the Adventurer’s Guild, Heidi happened to glance out the window just in time to see this scene.
She ground her teeth in fury, her nails digging deep into her flesh, even drawing blood.
“That bitch is getting more and more brazen!!! Dragging someone else’s fiancé out shopping in broad daylight!?”
It seemed her failure last night had somehow given the other woman confidence, making her utterly reckless.
Heidi knew she had to speed things up.
Suppressing the urge to smash the window and jump out to confront them, the princess composed herself and knocked on the door to the guildmaster’s office.
“Come in.”
A tired voice came from inside.
Heidi turned the handle and entered.
Behind the door, Rodrick—the man who’d been thoroughly taken down at last night’s banquet—sat half-dead in his seat, rolling his eyes like a dried fish.
“Cough, cough—”
Heidi cleared her throat twice.
Rodrick slowly lifted his head, staring at the uninvited visitor before him with bleary eyes.
“You are… Her Highness the Princess?”
They’d exchanged a few words at last night’s banquet, so Rodrick had a faint impression of her.
The unexpected visit made him leap up from his chair.
But Heidi waved him down, motioning for him to sit, casually locking the office door behind her before taking a seat opposite Rodrick’s desk.
This made Rodrick visibly nervous.
No matter how wan his family had become, Heidi was the heir to the throne and a hero.
Nobles might show disdain, but to ordinary people, she remained an unimaginable presence.
At last night’s banquet, Rodrick had felt honored just to exchange a few words.
Now she had come knocking, of all times—right when he was drowning in trouble—Rodrick was at a loss.
“Your Highness, did you come today because—”
“Guildmaster Rodrick, this morning, Viscount Edgar sent a group of soldiers to forcibly search the guild and confiscate all commission records from the past year. Is this true?”
Facing Eze’s act, Heidi showed deference to the noble but no pretense toward this commoner.
Leaning back in her chair with fingers interlaced and legs crossed, she tilted her chin up, her half-smiling expression paired with a blunt tone radiated authority.
Though still child-sized, she commanded the room.
As expected, Rodrick nodded profusely, cold sweat streaming down his face.
Heidi continued:
“All these documents have been handed over to a monsterologist named Ein for reexamination. Within a week, all your past lies will be completely exposed.”
Rodrick could only nod, his expression growing worse.
This sight pleased Heidi immensely.
A smile lifted her lips as she leaned slightly forward and said deliberately:
“When Viscount Edgar compiles all the evidence and reports to the guild, what do you think will happen to you?”
“I…”
“The guild is full of forgery, but you alone have been caught red-handed in front of all the city’s elites.
To prevent things from escalating, what do you think the higher-ups will do?”
Rodrick sweat profusely, shaking his head frantically.
Heidi sneered.
“If I were them, I’d handle things cleanly before the nobles act—cut off the tail to save the body. And that tail, of course, would be you, Guildmaster Rodrick.”
This was exactly what Rodrick feared.
Everyone was doing the same crooked dealings, but his exposure would almost certainly be uncontainable, and a single misstep would implicate the entire guild.
So it was highly unlikely the guild would be lenient with him.
Heidi’s words crushed his already fragile mindset completely.
The tall, burly Rodrick actually left his seat and knelt before Heidi with a thud.
“Your Highness, please help me, Your Highness, I’m willing to do anything!”
Such a scene lifted Heidi’s spirits.
That’s right, this is how a princess should be treated.
That woman could be blind for all she cared, but Eze actually dared to betray her like this.
She truly didn’t know the value of being the princess’s fiancé, huh?
Helping her was a great honor; even those who wanted to curry favor had to wait in line.
They just didn’t appreciate it.
“I can help you—in fact, that’s exactly why I’m here today.”
“Thank you, thank you, Your Highness…”
“But you must promise me one condition.”
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