While the two most important people in the Hal Family currently talking, the subject of their talk was currently enjoying the hospitality given to him.
"Those all guest treated like this?" he asked himself. He was not sure if all guests were treated like him or if he received special treatment because of his friendship with Solance.
However, he wouldn't complain about the treatment, though he wished his siblings and lovers were with him. But, it was the best option so he couldn't regret it. He then heard a creak. He looked at the door, expecting to see Solance and his father.
"Eh! Who are you?!" surprisingly, the person that entered was a young woman, Solance's cousin if he remembered it correctly. Though, he said his cousin is an elegant yet kind woman. But seeing a stranger inside might make her shocked.
He looked at the young woman, not answering her question, merely observing her, who similarly tried to study. After a minute of full silence, the young woman was the first one to speak.
"Oh, I'm sorry for yelling. It just I'm surprised to see someone in this room. You must be a guest if you are inside the mansion though I'm not aware that our Family has a guest," she said, making his impression of her rise.
As Solance said, she was both elegant and kind, her surprised reaction can be forgiven by how reacted. Her apologizing for it also showed she's the type who can admit her mistake. Overall, she is a fine young lady in his opinion.
"It's okay. It's alright to be surprised by a stranger when you don't expect it. As for me being here, let's just say I have an important business with the patriarch though he asked me to stay even though I already finished it with him," he said, not letting out the fact he had brought Solance with him.
"Oh," she said dejectedly. "It just, I hope someone would at least tell me the whereabouts of my cousin," she may try to hide it, but she clearly cares about Solance.
"If there is nothing else, I will take my leave," she bowed slightly before heading towards the door.
However, before she could open it, the door opened, showing both Solance and Solail, both of whom looked surprised by his presence.
"Shuri, what are you doing here?" Solance asked. His question went unanswered as the young woman leaped towards her cousin, sending him falling.
Solail merely shook his head, knowing how much her niece cared for his son, their relationship already like one of brother and sister then mere cousins. Letting the two have their moment, he looked at Ryker who watched their interaction with interest.
"Let's get some more snacks and drinks, shall we?"
-x-
By the time Shuri calms down, she still can't believe her cousin is next to her, she listens to the conversation between the three men. To his surprise, the guest was the one that brought Solance back, though it was done as discretely as possible to avoid anyone except for the most important personnel of the Hal Family knew about his presence.
"You don't tell me you brought my cousin?!" she angrily questioned him, the young man had the audacity to laugh at her.
"I don't want to tell anyone. It's up to Solance to tell people he is still alive. Besides, there is the possibility of eyes from another family," he remarked, the three people looking solemn at the mention of possible spies in their family.
"You right, after all, how could anyone know about my hunting trip when only the people inside the family knew?" Solance said, sighing at the thought of spies.
"We going to do another check of the personnel in the house. We going to uproot those spies as quickly as possible," Solail promised, after all, it was those spies that led to his son's near demise. If not for the young man in front of him, he would have died.
He shuddered at the thought. He cared for his son greatly but he also needed to care for the Hal Family, it would have fallen in the hand of Shuri. While Shuri had been taught how to lead the family, in the end, she was still slightly inferior to Solance in both influence and capabilities.
The most likely scenario if she became the leader was that she married an outsider and her husband would be the one to control the family. Now he thought about it, the scenario might be what the Uru Family and their backer looking for.
Solail looked at the young man, gratitude on his face, his action indirectly saved the Hal family from possible subjugation by an outside force. He put a small metal box in front of him. The young man looked at it with an interest.
"This box contains several cultivation resources that I decided to give to you. Furthermore, we also going to give you enough gold coins to buy a house at the most expensive location in the city. When you leave, you can head to the real estate office.
There, someone from the Hal Family will be to greet you. The location of the house will be up to you, but for the sake of your safety, I suggest picking the one closest to our Estate. After all, it would be easier to protect your group if the Uru Family knew of your involvement.
Besides, I will allow you to pick a treasure from our collection. But I need to tell the elders first so they won't make a fuss. So it might take a few days before you can take a look. Of course, all the gifts cannot be compared to Solance's life but it is something we can give to you.
If you are in need of any help whatsoever, the Hal Family will help you as long as it's not too much or break our principle," Solail explained.
"Thank you for the gifts. If there is nothing else, I would like to go to the real estate office. Getting a house for my group would be the best. So, I will take my leave," Ryker excused himself, leaving the room, planning to head to the inn and taking his family to take a look at the housing.
-x-
After Ryker left, Solance asked Shuri, "What do you think of my friend?" Shuri touched her chin, looking like she was giving it some thought.
"I think he is a good person but he might be faking it though I think it is unlikely. Other than that, I can't really tell his personality, though he is very handsome," she said with a blush.
The two exchanged a look at each other, the same thought in their head.
'Look like she has a crush,'