Chapter 575: The winner is still unknown

The fire in the fireplace

Sitting across from Princess Ailin, Luo Yan fully savored that delightful expression, then gently placed the teacup in his hand back onto the ceramic tray, his expression composed and at ease.

"Since it is a request from Princess Princess Ailin, I shall respectfully comply."

If this were a year ago, he probably would have declined out of fear of the trouble, but the situation now was different from the past.

Soon, his students would be relocating from the Northern Wasteland; those people were not just magic apprentices, but also many excellent professional mages.

Serving as the first president of the Mages' Guild would be the perfect way to solve the "employment" problem for his students.

Furthermore, he still needed to put some of his conjectures regarding ectoplasm into practice. If his deductions were correct, he might just be able to create a "National Defense Array."

In fact, even if Princess Ailin hadn't brought this up, he had been mulling over finding an opportunity to remind her to be prepared for danger in times of peace. His old friends in the north had only cut their losses; they hadn't forgotten about them.

Hearing Prince Kelin agree without hesitation, Princess Ailin's face immediately lit up with a look of pleasant surprise.

"Really? That's wonderful! Regarding the venue, we intend to entrust the royal property in Lei Ming City to—"

"Regarding the venue, I think the Zhong Ta in Lei Ming City would be quite good."

Luo Yan, who had already had this idea, softly interrupted Princess Ailin's proposal, and instead laid out his own plan in full, "It overlooks the entire city and is situated right in the central district; it couldn't be more suitable as the headquarters for the Mages' Guild."

Princess Ailin was slightly stunned.

"The Zhong Ta, but... isn't that Mr. Watching Pangke's property?"

When the Zhong Ta was built, she was leading troops in battle in the Twilight Province, so she clearly didn't know who was behind Watching Pangke.

And Edward probably hadn't specifically mentioned it; after all, it really wasn't something worth bringing up.

Luo Yan smiled faintly and said.

"Regarding this matter, I will communicate with him. I believe Mr. Watching Pangke will certainly understand the significance of what we are doing."

Princess Ailin was still a bit embarrassed and said in a low voice.

"But you have already helped us so much; if I let you pay even more for us..."

"Please don't be so formal; don't forget that we are allies," Luo Yan said in a gentle voice, "And, for me, this isn't entirely a sacrifice. I am still quite interested in the title of the first president of the Mages' Guild."

Princess Ailin coughed lightly and said with a blushing face.

"It's just a principality's Mages' Guild..."

"Only for now."

Luo Yan said in a conversational tone.

"The original Adventurers' Guild was even smaller; I remember it seemed to be just a request board at the entrance of the Saint Clement Cathedral. I believe that with our strength, we can certainly establish a system completely different from the Academy's and let more and more mages participate... I am full of confidence in this."

Hearing this affirmative reply, Princess Ailin's long-tensed shoulders finally relaxed. She raised her head, her eyes shimmering with gratitude.

"Thank you, I really don't know how to thank you..."

Luo Yan smiled, picked up the teacup on the table again, and took a light sip.

"Saying that makes us strangers. Given the friendship between us, this small favor is not worth mentioning to me."

His investment in the Principality of Campbell was more than just a Zhong Ta; he was practically operating this place as part of his core territory.

Although Beifeng City was also well-developed, its population was ultimately too small, and it served more as a vanity project and seed bank for the Great Graveyard.

Fortunately, the citizens of Lei Ming City were industrious themselves and copied his homework very quickly, which saved him a considerable amount of effort.

He didn't even need to play the gardener himself; he only needed to stand behind the gardeners and do what he did best.

The business was finished.

Logically, this was the time to rise and take his leave in accordance with etiquette, yet Princess Ailin seemed to be nailed to the soft sofa, with no intention of leaving at all.

She lowered her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her skirt, as if she were counting the sound of her own heartbeat.

"Um... Prince Kelin."

"Yes?"

"That Miss Yaya Mitia," Princess Ailin bit her lip lightly, her gaze somewhat wandering, "Your relationship seems... very unusual?"

She tried her best to say this in a casual tone, yet her overly clumsy posture exposed the concern she couldn't suppress in her heart.

The smile on Luo Yan's face remained unchanged; he only pondered for a moment before skillfully giving a textbook-perfect answer.

"Miss Yaya is indeed a rare talent. During my most difficult times, she helped me with many things."

"Is... just that?"

"Well, more than that."

"...!"

"To me, she is a very important benefactor in my life, and also a trustworthy partner."

"..."

Benefactor.

And partner.

Although these two terms were full of respect, they didn't seem to have crossed that clear boundary; at least... she felt they shouldn't have.

Princess Ailin exhaled softly, feeling her chest loosen slightly, yet a new conflict soon crept into her heart.

The more watertight his answer was, the more intense the inexplicable unease in her heart became. It wasn't that she had any opinion of Miss Yaya; she just wanted to know what exactly happened between them in the Shengcheng...

And, if she is a partner, what am I?

A comrade-in-arms? A friend? Or...?

"She's a chess piece!" Hearing You You, floating to the side, said excitedly. Although it couldn't read Princess Ailin's mind, it knew what she was struggling with just by looking at her expression.

As the saying goes, the dog follows the master; it had learned some of the Demon King's skills, and Arakdo and Sarah were the same in this regard.

However, its cleverness didn't earn it any praise from its master.

'Hearing You You, shut up.'

"Woo..."

The spoiler who ruined the atmosphere vanished into a wisp of blue smoke in the fireplace amidst a series of aggrieved whimpers.

And Princess Ailin hadn't noticed from start to finish. At this very moment, she was caught in a struggle of tossing and turning, just like on those countless quiet nights.

Memories of Gladstone Castle always flashed into her mind from time to time; although that unrefused kiss had a suspicion of cheating, it still ignited a fire in her heart that burned brighter and brighter.

Perhaps—

She should be a little braver.

Driven by an impulse, she summoned the courage she had been gathering for a long time and suddenly raised her head.

Those eyes, clear as a lake, stopped dodging and, like a horse charging forward, plunged straight into Luo Yan's deep purple pupils.

"Then... how do you see me?"

The air in the study seemed to freeze at this moment, as if even the crackling whispers of the burning fireplace had stopped.

And Hearing You You, who had drifted away resentfully, drifted back slowly, amusing itself by clinging to the edge of the fireplace, its gossiping gaze full of curiosity.

The Demon King was as elegant and composed as ever, yet the heartbeat behind that composure was not as calm as he appeared on the surface.

The orange-red firelight illuminated that face as bright as moonlight, silver hair hung over her shoulders like a waterfall, and the vermilion point beneath the high bridge of her nose appeared even more vivid in the ambiguous light.

Perhaps due to the influence of her vampire bloodline, she looked even more mysteriously moving at night than the bright and moving Hero Princess of the day.

Coincidentally, Luo Yan's thoughts couldn't help but be brought back to that night at Gladstone Castle, remembering that reckless and brave kiss.

"I..."

It was all that damn Hearing You You's fault for interrupting.

He had just thought of the perfect answer, but when the words reached his lips, he actually forgot them.

No—

To be precise, it should be blamed on Professor Lilith.

If it weren't for that guy often teasing humans in class, he probably would have passed the "woman test" long ago and wouldn't have been unable to gauge the scale at a critical moment.

The Demon King was not only a master at fooling himself but also someone skilled at shifting blame.

Just as his brain was running at high speed, a rhythmic knocking on the door sounded at the right time, suddenly relieving him.

Knock, knock—

The sound wasn't loud, but it shattered the romantic atmosphere in the room just right.

Luo Yan immediately seized the opportunity and said in a deep voice.

"Come in."

The heavy wooden door pushed open silently.

Sarah, who had already changed into a maid's outfit, walked in with light steps.

Those amber vertical pupils swept quickly over the two people in the room, seemingly reading the lingering emotions in the air in an instant.

This time—

It was the Hero Miss who was on pins and needles.

However, Sarah, who saw through everything, didn't say anything; like a professional attendant, she moved silently to her master's side.

She bowed respectfully and whispered in Luo Yan's ear, only those cat ears standing between her hair twitching slightly.

"Your Highness, there is an urgent letter for you. Although I don't want to disturb your rest, this letter comes from the north... You instructed me that if there is any news from there, I must report it to you immediately."

"The north? Is it the Academy?"

Looking at Sarah gratefully, Luo Yan immediately took the opportunity to step down, pinching his chin with his index finger, his brows slightly furrowed, putting on a concerned appearance.

"Since it's an urgent letter, it certainly cannot be delayed."

While saying this, Luo Yan gave Princess Ailin an apologetic look, his voice carrying a hint of just-right regret.

"Sorry, Princess Ailin. It seems our chat tonight can only end here... By the way, I will handle the matter of the Mages' Guild."

"N-no problem!"

Princess Ailin waved her hands in a panic, her eyes darting around, not daring to look into Prince Prince Kelin's eyes at all.

"Just now... I was too abrupt, please don't take it to heart! Um... please pretend I asked nothing! Business is important, please go handle it!"

When Sarah came in just now, she had completely sobered up and suddenly realized what strange things she had just asked.

Saint Saint Xisi above, the hero of the Campbell family was actually like a resentful woman forcing a marriage, questioning another gentleman about what kind of relationship they had...

This, this was too undignified!

A sense of shame instantly drowned her like a tide; her face was so red it was almost dripping blood, and she wished she could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.

It must be said that the Campbell people in the year 1054 of the Os calendar were still too conservative, both men and women. If it were a girl from the Shengcheng, she would definitely have grabbed this hateful guy and not let him out of bed until he answered the question clearly.

Watching the girl's flustered appearance, Luo Yan suddenly felt he was guilty of a terrible crime, but he still nodded gently and stood up to walk toward the door.

Sarah stepped aside, clearing the way for her master, while nodding slightly to Princess Ailin, who was sitting in the study.

"Then, excuse me, Princess Princess Ailin."

"No problem, you go ahead..."

"Mm."

The lowered black hair tips hid the slightly upturned corners of her mouth; that seemed to be the smile only a winner would show.

Princess Ailin suspected she had seen wrong.

But when she wanted to confirm it again, both figures had already left the study and merged into the shadows of the corridor...

The study returned to quiet.

The crackling in the fireplace replaced the girl's increasingly clear heartbeat again, yet it couldn't replace the conflict hidden behind the misty tea fragrance.

Prince Kelin seemed to want to answer just now.

But what exactly did he want to say?

Repeatedly recalling the changing shape of his lips, Princess Ailin ultimately couldn't figure out the reason.

But she finally reached an unquestionable conclusion—

Compared to the unhesitating answer about Miss Yaya, Prince Kelin's feelings for her were clearly more indecisive and complex.

At least, it wasn't a relationship as simple as comrades or companions.

Thinking of this, Princess Ailin finally stopped struggling; a sweet and shy smile appeared on her pretty face, and her fingers pinched the teaspoon, gently stirring the already cooled black tea.

"It seems I'm still in the lead after all..."

The flickering candlelight cast a dim yellow glow on the walls.

At first, Sarah walked in front, and Luo Yan followed closely behind.

However, when the two turned the corner and moved away from the romantic atmosphere in the study, Sarah naturally slowed her pace, respectfully falling half a step behind Luo Yan, becoming the latter's shadow once again.

The two passed through the long corridor and arrived at another study at the end of the hall; this was where Luo Yan usually meditated.

On the walnut bookshelf against the wall, some books were placed casually, and among them was an exquisite arc-shaped glass bottle.

Inside the bottle, a butterfly emitting a faint blue light was resting on a withered branch, occasionally flapping its wings and scattering a few points of dreamy phosphorescent powder.

That was one of his eyes.

"Sarah." Luo Yan walked to the desk and loosened his collar.

Sarah answered softly.

"Demon King, what are your orders?"

"No orders, thank you for relieving me just now."

"It wasn't entirely a relief; I do have a letter for you here, although... it wasn't important enough to interrupt your in-depth exchange with the Princess immediately."

Sarah closed the heavy door and skillfully flicked a hidden rune on the door lock with her finger.

With a slight click of the mechanism, a pale purple sound-insulation barrier unfolded silently, completely isolating all noise from the outside world.

Although the people of the Campbell family were nobles who adhered to the spirit of chivalry and were unlikely to do something as tacky as eavesdropping, as the Demon King's personal guard, she would never entrust safety to others' moral standards.

Caution was the first lesson the Demon King had taught her.

After finishing these things, Sarah walked to Luo Yan and took out a secret letter sealed with special wax from her bosom, offering it with both hands.

Luo Yan raised his eyebrows slightly, his fingertips tracing the dark patterns on the envelope, and asked while unsealing it.

"Roland City?"

Sarah nodded slightly.

"Yes, it has finally begun over there."

Luo Yan unfolded the letter paper, his gaze sweeping over the shocking lines of text, and continued to ask with a calm expression.