Chapter 115 - Return to Festivities

After several long moments of staring at the newly made over Anuva Jien could only nod and respond with an affirmative that this form would work for the time being. He turned to his father and Mark and requested them to remove her bindings so as to allow her to move freely. They were still concerned and wary of the woman, so they did not immediately move to release her. Rather they looked at Jien with a look as if asking him if he was positive that he wanted to make this choice. In response he only gave them a firm nod to indicate that he was positive of his decision.While the adults were unable to understand what the mysterious woman had said due to the language barrier, Jien was firm in the understanding that this woman couldn't do anything to him. Whether she could harm those around him was a different matter, but he thought her smart enough to know that if she made such moves that he would find a way to make her miserable beyond all compare. He had negotiated with her on the previous points from a desire to have a friendly cooperation but that did not mean that he wouldn't find ways to make it otherwise if she chose to do anything too heavy handed. What none of them knew was that the hidden clauses of the contract signed were very specific in that she would not be able to harm those with good connections with Jien.The pain she had felt at just being angry with Jien was nothing compared to the real punishment she could receive for breaking the contract. She would rather be forced to stoop to the lows of those other demons than deal with those consequences. As long as she still lived there would always be things she could do, but the listed punishments were designed to be worse than death itself and they made her shudder at the very thought of the words branded on her soul.Seeing that Jien had made up his mind Lord Losler and Mark untied the ropes that bound Anuva to the wooden chair she was sitting in. After being untied she slumped forward a bit weakly but after a few moments managed to straighten her back and sit back upright. After what had happened, she definitely couldn't be said to be anywhere near her peak. She had kept herself strong during the negotiation with the boy, Jien but that did not mean that she had the power to really refuse him. Given that this round of negotiation appeared to be finished she could show at least a small amount of how she was currently feeling, but she still did her best to appear calm and in control.Jien watched this act, noticing Anuva gritting her teeth by the tightening of her jaw as she sat up straight once more. It appeared that something had happened to her between the time she had walked into the summoning formation and when he woke up, but he didn't know what it was or the implications. He watched her closely while the mana inhibiting manacles were removed from her wrist and saw her tensed brows relax a bit. With this his own shoulders relaxed as well, realizing that what he thought would be the hardest part was over.He did not know what enhancement Anuva could bestow him, but he also figured that he could ask or test it out on a different occasion. He turned his attention to Runa instead and suggested that she help him get ready to entertain their guests once again. They still had some time before the dinner and dance that had been scheduled but now that he was back up, he and his father would need to entertain the guests to a respectable degree lest they be found lacking.After getting the approval of his handmaiden he turned to Mark and his father told them that they should return and that he was feeling alright. He had not asked them to take Anuva from his room so they still felt rather hesitant to leave but he did his best to reassure them that he would be fine. If the worst was to occur, then he knew that Runa would be able to keep him safe until others could arrive to assist. The worry and doubt in the adult's tone made Anuva frown even though she couldn't understand what they were saying. She did her best to interpret from Jien's side of the conversation and the adult's tones and expressions when speaking.After several minutes of back and forth with Jien reassuring the two men that he would be fine, they finally left his room so that Runa could help him get ready once again. This time his outfit was far more formal in nature than his previous one. He was dressed in a crisp white button down with a set of emerald cufflinks, a black silk vest with silver buttons, a black bowtie with an ornament at its center of emerald and silver to match his cufflinks. His pants were black along with his well shined leather shoes. His hair was done up in a ponytail much like it had been done prior, tied in place by a dark green silk boy that matched well with the accoutrements that he wore. To finish off the look he wore a silver chain across his vest and wore a black dress jacket that had similar buttons to his vest, a pin on his lapel bearing the Losler crest.This was the final outfit for the event. Though the other guests likely hadn't changed Jien chose to do so as he had been changed out of his prior outfit to be more at ease as he rested. It was time to return to the festivities, he only had to worry about his interactions and those of his newly summoned companion. He looked over to Anuva before saying in a calm voice "You will have to put up with the rest of this event as I do. This is important to my future so be on your behavior."