During the two years they maintained their engagement, Heidi went on dates with Eze so few times they could be counted on one hand.
She had worried that showing too much affection would make Eze take liberties, possibly leading to unreasonable demands that would be difficult to handle.
So she kept their distance carefully balanced—close enough to hold Eze’s attention but always ready to push him away if needed. That was enough to achieve her purpose.
Besides, Eze himself was always swamped with work and didn’t really have the time.
On the other hand, as long as Heidi occasionally proposed a date, Eze rarely refused, squeezing out time no matter how busy he was.
So this time, she was still brimming with confidence that Eze would agree immediately.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as she hoped.
Faced with Eze’s firm refusal, Heidi jumped up from the sofa in a flurry of confusion.
“No… you’re not going? Why!? I specially arranged this for you!”
Eze sighed and scratched his head.
In the past, he agreed to Heidi’s date invitations mainly to put on a show for those nobles.
After all, just saying you were engaged wouldn’t convince others so easily—they needed occasions to perform the part.
But now, since this fake engagement no longer needed to be maintained, what reason did Eze have to accompany her?
Not to mention Vivian was still struggling in bed at this very moment.
He shook his head:
“No reason. The injury healed, that’s all. Nothing worth celebrating.”
“But—”
“This isn’t my first injury. I never celebrated before, so why start now?”
Heidi was momentarily speechless.
After all, the so-called celebration was just an excuse.
As agreed, the Adventurers’ Guild Master Rodrick had already organized a group to ambush the manor’s surroundings. Each member was a specialist in dirty work, ready to act the moment Eze stepped outside.
A weak woman like Vivian wouldn’t even have a chance to resist.
What seemed like a sure thing to her got stuck at the simplest first step.
Heidi panicked for a moment but quickly composed herself.
Quickly devising a new plan, she changed her expression and put on a look of sadness and guilt so deep it was almost tearless sobbing, speaking in a voice that sounded sincere at first hearing:
“I’m sorry, truly sorry! It was my fault before… every time you got hurt, that Liya would stop me from taking care of you!”
“I worried it would cause trouble in the team, and that Liya might lash out worse at you if she got angry. I had no choice but to listen to her, thinking it was better for you…”
Reaching the emotional climax, she even wiped imaginary tears.
“But these past few days without you, I realized how foolish I was—really, so foolish… So please, can you give me a chance? A chance to make it right?”
Heidi’s classic tactic—retreat to advance.
Though it seemed she was conceding a bit, once Eze softened and agreed, their positions would flip the instant the plan was complete.
Then Eze would be the one begging on his knees, and she’d have no shame reminding him of this small concession today.
Moreover, even if anyone fussed over it, she wasn’t lying and wouldn’t take the blame.
When Eze was hurt before, it was indeed Liya who stopped Heidi from raising her favor.
The reason was—
“You’re so fragile you can’t manage without someone taking care of you? What kind of disgraceful hero is that? You’re spoiling him way too much!”
Heidi scoffed at Liya’s idiotic remark but used it as an excuse not to care for Eze, which was convenient since Eze didn’t seem to mind anyway.
Confident in her performance, Heidi thought it was flawless.
But Eze, watching this act, covered his face.
No way to watch.
One word: awkward.
So awkward she could dig a basement underneath this manor’s basement.
She thought that by being cold toward Heidi, she could hint to her that her act had long been seen through, calming their relationship smoothly.
That way, no major trouble would arise, and both sides could save face.
But the opposite happened—the princess’s condition seemed to worsen.
Yet no matter what, now was not the time to expose her.
After all, Vivian was still lying there, and if they clashed now, it wouldn’t be easy to escape anytime soon.
Not to mention if she got furious and threw a fit here, things would be even harder to settle.
He sighed deeply and said:
“It’s fine. What’s past is past. Don’t mention it again.”
Heidi stopped sobbing at once and glared with her tear-blurred eyes:
“You… you don’t blame me?”
“No, I don’t.”
This answer made Heidi’s heart leap with joy:
See? My acting worked!!! He still cares about me like before!!!
Barely able to suppress a smile, she hurriedly said:
“Then let’s go together. I want to talk to you properly…”
“No, I’m not going.”
Eze’s unwavering reply nearly made Heidi fall on the spot.
“Why not!?”
If this dragged on, there would be no end, so Eze made an excuse:
“Viscount Sheen Edgar asked me to help with some urgent documents. I promised to finish them within these days, and I don’t plan to go out before then.”
Buy time. Wait until Vivian is fine and he’s ready, then be clear.
Heidi shook her head:
“It’s just for a little while. It won’t matter, right?”
“Heidi, you know me. If I promise something, I’ll do it.”
Once said, forcing him would just seem unreasonable.
Heidi bit her lip and nodded.
“…I understand. Since you promised someone else, there’s no choice. I’ll… leave first?”
“Yeah, take care.”
After seeing Heidi out, Eze hurriedly turned and went upstairs.
Rejected, Heidi’s mood wasn’t bad—actually, it improved.
After all, she had just confirmed her tricks still worked on Eze. He still cared for her.
Even more so, the complex and affectionate look he gave her while she was crying meant he still liked her, didn’t it?
Knowing this was worth more than any progress.
Turning away, Heidi moved into the shadows of Nobles’ Street.
From the blind spot, a figure cloaked in black immediately leapt out, asking sharply and harshly:
“Ma’am, what’s the situation? Shall we move?”
This was one of the guild’s hired hands, named Nelson.
He called Heidi “Ma’am” because she had ordered Rodrick to keep her identity secret from unnecessary people.
Facing these lowlifes among lowlifes, Heidi had zero patience:
“Do you understand human language? Absolutely no action in front of that man—that’d be instant death. With your skills, you can only bully that woman.”
The cloaked man was displeased but dared not lose his temper since his boss had repeatedly warned him not to disrespect Heidi.
He even replied in a fawning tone:
“Just watch, Ma’am. My brothers are watching here. Once that man leaves, we strike. Once that woman goes out, we strike too!”
Heidi nodded with satisfaction.
“Good. Keep watching. I’m leaving first. If there’s no movement by tomorrow, I’ll try to lure him out again.”
After thinking it over, she was still uneasy and repeated:
“One last warning—only touch the woman, not the man. Understood?”
“Understood, understood!”
Nelson answered with such a groveling tone Heidi found disgusting, bowing repeatedly before retreating into the shadows.
Even as a hero, Heidi wouldn’t notice him without looking closely.
Satisfied, she glanced back at the manor behind her.
“Just wait, Eze. The game is only just beginning~”
With a confident, knowing smile, she left Nobles’ Street without looking back.
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