BXBX NOVEL Chapter 41 Choose Your Reward.
Marian raised her right hand and gently held my chin, tilting my face backward. Her eyes locked onto mine as if she were seeing something beyond what was visible. Then, there was an abrupt transformation in her expression, shifting from a demonic look to an angelic appearance. With a serene voice, she began to speak:
"What do you think about an engagement?"
With a swift motion, I quickly moved my arm to push her hand away from my chin, while speaking.
"I\'m sorry, but I\'m not interested in a married woman."
Marian returned to sitting on the couch calmly, saying,
"You\'re overthinking it. The engagement wouldn\'t be with me, but with my daughter. However, if you want, you just need to raise your noble rank because I\'ve been a widow for a while."
The way Marian spoke was so casual that it must be making her late husband turn in his grave. But that\'s strange, especially because in the game, her husband should be alive at least until chapter five, where I was supposed to meet him. With this information, the answer quickly came to my mind.
\'Freytan... So this was the consequence of preventing her from leaving my side?\'
The urge to laugh was so strong that I could hardly contain myself. I thought it would cause something more serious, but what happened was just the death of a secondary character with less than seven lines. And besides, a widow, huh? Better forget about messing with this demon, it would only bring me a headache.
"So what\'s your answer, Mr. Dantalian?"
"Why should I accept this? I don\'t see any compelling reasons for me to become your son-in-law."
Marian held a cookie in her hands and took a bite while squeezing it, causing it to crumble and scatter over her bust.
"For someone so greedy, you don\'t seem to know much. By becoming my son-in-law, you\'ll have an easy life guaranteed, filled with wealth and pleasures."
Marian delicately brushed her hand over her bust, removing the cookie crumbs that had accumulated there. Her fingers slid smoothly over the surface as she displayed a faint smile of dissatisfaction.
\'She\'s not wrong, but it\'s an obvious trap. I would have to pledge loyalty not only to the Beaumont family but also to the Sinclair family. Becoming a lapdog for not just one but two worthless families is not worth it.\'
"I have no interest in such things, you know. I don\'t even like drawing attention, so you should understand how I feel."
Marian\'s finger was constantly tapping her cheek as she looked at me, lost in thought.
"If that doesn\'t please you, then what do you want? After all, I owe you two rewards—one immediate and another when I complete my small request."
She smiled and picked up a cookie.
"Before we delve into that, I want to know the real reason behind this request. Because the elves aren\'t as friendly as they appear if we start calling them allies."
Marian clasped her hands, intertwining her fingers.
"My daughter is the problem at this very moment. She must be on her way to the elf kingdom, and honestly, I didn\'t want to send her, but it was a request for investigation from the only people above me."
"I understand, so basically, the engagement was just an excuse, since in the end, I would have to retrieve the prize."
"That\'s right, but it doesn\'t matter anymore. You won\'t accept the engagement, so tell me, what do you want?"
\'We\'ve finally reached the part I wanted. Since Marian is a duchess, she should be able to easily obtain that impossible item for players.\'
I placed my finger in the center of the table.
"Let\'s do this: since there isn\'t much that I desire, I\'ll ask for something now, and later, if I find something interesting, I\'ll make another request."
Before I could continue, Marian interrupted me by touching her hand to my body, mirroring my position.
"What would that be? Because one thing I can\'t do is give you powers."
Marian chuckled briefly, remembering the time when the boy was less than seven years old and trying to release powers through his hands.
"Before you get lost in your thoughts, what I want is an invitation to the party that will take place at the king\'s castle."
In the game, there\'s no way for players to obtain it, which means you would have to invade the king\'s castle just to participate in the event. To make matters worse, after going through several puzzles while walking through the corridors unnoticed, when you finally reach the designated area for the mission, the trigger for the main event is activated, and the prince dies.
And now, with this invitation, everything will be easier. I can enter and enjoy the party while searching for that person without having to constantly evade the guards and risk being banned, only to return in chapter six.
Marian picked up a cookie and held it between her fingers, showing it to me.
"You should be careful. You\'re after a very big fish for your belly. The moment you start eating, your stomach will explode."
Marian squeezed the cookie in her hand.
"But if you still want it, I can get you more, just for you. Your maids won\'t be able to enter, though."
"No problem, they will understand."
\'Besides, on that day, they will have a mission. A simple one, to prevent a servant connected directly to one of the fifteen get away\'
Marian scratched her cheek as she spoke.
"If that\'s what you desire, I\'ll grant your request."
\'Such interest in an annual and tedious event where nobles only go to show off... It seems that something interesting will happen on that day. Maybe I\'ll start attending again after such a long time,\' Marian thought, standing up.
"I\'ll give you information about the problem in the elf kingdom later."
Marian walked to the door, holding the doorknob.
"We have prepared a room for you. Rest from your journey today."
\'Even this... It\'s like a different person.\'
I stood up, passing by her.
"I promise to bring back your daughter safely," I said, smiling, and closed the door.
\'Well, there might be one thing missing... But it\'s better not to mention it,\' I thought, then looked around searching for Amanda and Freytan. I found them a few meters to the left, leaning against the wall.
"Master, isn\'t it great? We\'re getting a room. Why is she our enemy? She seems so nice."
"Amanda, you\'re talking too much," Freytan said, covering her mouth. Luckily, she spoke in a low tone so no one far away could hear her.
"Judging by the reaction, it seems to have worked. But are your ears hurting or something?"
Amanda took my hand and placed it on her ear. When I touched it, I noticed that the temperature was higher than normal.
"I hadn\'t noticed it at first because I was focused on being invisible, but Freytan immediately realized and told me."
"That\'s normal. What\'s strange is that your ear was practically burning, and you didn\'t say anything."
I caressed Amanda\'s ear, causing her to let out a slight moan. While doing so, I thought, \'So the golden energy really has some properties related to fire? Initially, I thought it was because of the light, but it doesn\'t seem to be the case.\'
"Mmm~ Master, please don\'t do that in public."
Freytan sighed, grabbing my arm and pulling me away.
"I know you got excited about it, but for the love of God, save it for the night."
"Oops, you\'re right. Let me remove the golden energy from both of you."
Amanda, without hearing anything I said, responded to Freytan while panting.
"Yes, exactly. Now that we\'ll be sleeping in the same room, there\'s so much we can do, hehehe."
"Hey, that\'s not what I meant, you pervert."
"It seems like there will be something else to investigate tonight."
Freytan looked at me with trembling eyes, his perception of reality slightly affected by the long period he had been exposed to the golden energy, unlike the waterfall where the golden energy was stronger but only lasted for a shorter time.
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"Hehehe, I\'ve only seen that in books," Amanda said.
\'That reminds me of a character\'s dialogue. So, it\'s not just a joke related to her profession; it really represents her hidden desires?\'
Amanda put her arms around my shoulders, speaking into my ear.
"We can\'t do that now, are you sure, Master?"
Before I could respond, one of the maids coughed behind us, grabbing our attention. Amanda jumped back, and Freytan looked at me with an expression that said, "I told you this would happen, even though I didn\'t say anything."
"If you\'re ready, I can take you to your room," said the maid. She has black hair and dark eyes. She has an elegant and professional appearance, with a neat hairstyle. Her skin is fair, and her maid uniform is impeccable.