Inside the carriage heading toward St. Helier Royal Academy, the atmosphere was a bit unnervingly quiet.
Sylvia sat upright, pretending to look at the scenery outside the window, but the corners of her eyes kept drifting uncontrollably toward the person sitting across from her.
That face didn’t seem quite so annoying anymore.
Shen Luolin, meanwhile, was studying the attendee list Sylvia had given him, calculating how much overtime pay he should charge for tonight.
St. Helier certainly lived up to its reputation as the oldest academy in the Kingdom of Elf; its heritage was staggeringly deep. Most of the kingdom’s power players were graduates of St. Helier, and the list of invited guests was a “who’s who” of the wealthy and influential.
Tonight’s school anniversary celebration was a massive web woven from connections, interests, and hypocrisy.
For some reason, Shen Luolin thought back to that girl in the alley from before—the one with the thick glasses and eyes that were unexpectedly beautiful. The school uniform she had been wearing seemed to be from St. Helier.
“Your collar is crooked.”
Sylvia spoke up suddenly. She leaned in toward him. A pleasant, cool fragrance instantly filled his senses.
Before Shen Luolin could react, she reached out with her slightly chilled fingertips and moved directly toward his neck. A pair of cool, small hands touched his skin.
Shen Luolin’s body stiffened. His instinct was to dodge, but she had already skillfully brushed past his collar to smooth out a tiny wrinkle.
“Rosa Rhodes. She is the first trouble we will face tonight.”
She spoke in a businesslike tone as she adjusted his clothes, her gaze never leaving the fabric. “She used to be my best friend. That means she knows my weaknesses better than anyone.”
Shen Luolin raised an eyebrow.
‘Oh? Spoilers for the boss’s skills? This service isn’t bad.’
Sylvia withdrew her hand and sat back up, regaining her dignified posture as Queen.
The carriage came to a steady halt.
An attendant opened the door, and the brilliant lights and noisy chatter from outside rushed in like a tide. However, what awaited them was not the red carpet leading to the banquet hall.
It was Rosa Rhodes, wearing a smile that looked as fake as a plastic flower, flanked by a group of so-called “old classmates” waiting for a good show.
Rosa covered her mouth in an exaggerated gesture, her sharp eyes scanning Shen Luolin without any attempt at discretion. Finally, her gaze fixed on Sylvia, her smile icy.
“Oh, my dear Sylvia.”
“I thought you wouldn’t dare bring your… ‘fiancé’ to meet us old classmates!”
Rosa’s voice was sharp and shrill, precisely stabbing at Sylvia’s most vulnerable nerve. The surrounding air instantly froze.
The finely dressed nobles wore impenetrable smiles, but their ears were all perked up, waiting to witness the Elven Court’s greatest joke.
A Queen with impure blood and an unstable foundation.
An impoverished, mysterious fiancé of unknown origin.
This was a top-tier comedy tailored specifically for their boring social season.
Sylvia’s back stiffened. Under the brilliant lights of the banquet entrance, her face turned a frightening shade of pale. She could feel her palms sweating as a surge of humiliated rage rushed to her head.
With a single command, she could have the Royal Guard drag Rosa’s annoying face away. But she couldn’t. Using her power would be an admission that she had lost—it would confirm her lack of confidence.
Just as Sylvia prepared to strike back at her “best friend,” a figure stepped calmly and unhurriedly in front of her.
It was Shen Luolin.
He only moved half a step forward, like a tree suddenly taking root in front of her, using his broad back to completely block Rosa’s line of sight.
The tip of Sylvia’s nose almost bumped into the fabric of his expensive suit. She could even smell the scent of his clothes—clean, cool, and freshly pressed. Through that expensive Deep Sea Blue Suit, she couldn’t feel his body heat, yet she somehow sensed the presence of a wall in that silhouette.
A wall… built specifically for her.
“Marquess Rhodes.”
Shen Luolin spoke. His voice was flat, devoid of any discernible emotion. He even forced a professional smile at Rosa. It was polite, distant, and carried a hint of the indulgence an elder might show a misbehaving child.
“Sylvia mentions you often.”
The fake smile on Rosa’s face faltered.
‘Mentioned me? What would she mention to this pauper?’
“She said that you grew up together and that you are her… most straightforward and caring friend.”
Shen Luolin’s words were measured, each one clearly reaching the ears of every noble listening in.
“Straightforward?”
Rosa almost laughed out loud. Was this man stupid or naive? Could he not hear the malice in her words?
“Indeed.” Shen Luolin nodded honestly. Then, his tone shifted as his previously emotionless eyes suddenly turned toward Sylvia behind him.
His gaze contained a deep affection that could melt an iceberg.
“That is precisely why I can better understand why I am so attracted to her.”
“Because she is strong enough and tolerant enough.”
“Strong enough to carry the responsibility of an entire kingdom, and tolerant enough… to accept the ‘concern’ her friends express in any form.”
“Even if that concern, in the eyes of others, has crossed the line or even become a bit offensive.”
His voice was tender enough to drown someone. But every word was like a slap delivered squarely to Rosa’s face.
The expressions of the surrounding nobles became a kaleidoscope of reactions. Some forgot to raise their wine glasses, while some young ladies instinctively covered their mouths.
‘You weren’t provoking her?’
‘No, you were just being “straightforward.”‘
‘You weren’t trying to humiliate the Queen?’
‘No, you were just using your “unique way” to show you “cared.”‘
‘And our Queen is so magnanimous and tolerant that she doesn’t even bother to hold a grudge against a “friend” like you.’
In an instant, the offensive and defensive positions were reversed.
Shen Luolin used gentleness as a weapon, weaving humiliation into praise. Rosa was instantly transformed from a high-and-mighty provocateur into a clown who didn’t know her place, shouting at the Queen by relying on past sentiment.
Sylvia, meanwhile, was effortlessly placed on a pedestal of “tolerance and magnanimity” by him.
The color drained from Rosa’s face. She wanted to argue, but she realized that no matter what she said, it would only prove Shen Luolin’s labels of “offensive” and “crossing the line” true.
‘This man… isn’t he just a useless pretty boy?!’
Sylvia was dazed. She looked up at the side of Shen Luolin’s face. The lights cast handsome shadows across his well-defined features. That face she was so used to—the one usually written with expressions like “how annoying” and “I want to go home”—was currently radiating a sense of strangeness that made her heart pound.
A momentary flutter of the heart was the only truth in this fake performance.
‘Liar.’
‘This massive liar.’
Every word he said was false, and every expression was an act. But… why was her heart beating so fast?
Thump. Thump. Thump.
It was like a drum, making her eardrums buzz.
Shen Luolin didn’t give Rosa any chance to recover. He turned around and, under the stunned gazes of everyone present, elegantly extended his hand to Sylvia.
“My dear Queen, time is up for reminiscing with old friends.”
“If we don’t go in soon, those elders who truly care about you—and know how to express that care correctly—will become impatient.”
Once again, he lightheartedly categorized Rosa as a “clueless old friend.” At the same time, he reminded everyone who the true protagonist of this banquet was.
As if under a spell, Sylvia placed her cold hand into his warm palm. The warmth traveled from her fingertips and instantly surged through her body, dispelling her chilled blood.
Shen Luolin led her, looking straight ahead as they walked past the ashen-faced Rosa. As the two entered the magnificent banquet hall, a dead silence was left in their wake.
Melodic music completely isolated the disturbances from outside.
Sylvia’s mind was still a bit muddled. She hadn’t even had time to process the thrilling confrontation that had just occurred, nor the lingering heat in her palm.
She instinctively tried to pull her hand away. But the hand had already let go of its own accord. The warmth was abruptly withdrawn.
“Alright, the second overtime session is over.”
Shen Luolin’s voice instantly switched back to his familiar worker mode as he lazily stretched his neck.
“Her Majesty, how do you plan to calculate the payment for this?”
Sylvia: “…”
‘A pay-per-service heroic rescue?’
The tiny pink bubbles that had just begun to surface in her heart all popped with a loud “pop.”
‘This man…’
‘What else is in his head besides money?!’
Though she had expected this outcome, a breath still caught in Sylvia’s chest. She felt both angry and amused and was about to say something when her expression froze in the next second.
Not far ahead, a group of white-haired elves, dressed in formal attire representing the highest level of The Senate, were all raising their wine glasses toward them in unison.