For some reason, she felt a bit... lost.
Could it be that her attraction to Ahtal wasn't strong enough, so Ahtal had not shown any impropriety toward her, not even a hint of flirtation in his words?
Although everything Ahtal did was very normal.
After some time.
The door opened, and Letixia looked into the living room, only to see Ahtal leaning on the door frame, naturally helping her to stand up.
"After breakfast, we'll set off," Xi Mu said, helping Letixia to the table and pointing to the breakfast laid out on it.
"Just one serving?" Letixia asked, puzzled by the breakfast on the table, as the knight clad in silver shook his head.
He pulled out a chair and sat down.
"I've already eaten earlier," Xi Mu gestured with his hand for Letixia to hurry up with her breakfast, so he could take her to see the Time Witch afterward.
To protect his princess, he resolutely decided to participate in a life-or-death duel, and for the safety of his princess, he chose to entrust her to the person he believed to be the most capable.
On the surface, it appeared very reasonable, not only to the Time Witch but also to Letixia.
Anyone who knew this story would surely be moved.
"Lord Ahtal, why are you so good to me?"
Letixia pressed her lips tightly, looking at the knight beside her, tears rolling down her delicate face.
She bit her lower lip, trying to hold back her tears, but found she simply couldn't stop them.
In response, Xi Mu simply shook his head, signaling Letixia to continue with her breakfast, without explaining his actions.
After all, he was only on a mission to bring Letixia to the Time Witch, mainly to find an excuse to get in touch with her.
Otherwise, after he found the Goddess of Plague, it wouldn't be easy to find an excuse to reveal it to the Time Witch, allowing her the opportunity to assassinate the Goddess of Plague.
And, being vague had its benefits, letting people...fill in the blanks with their own expectations, the more they liked someone, the more positive their assumptions.
The current Letixia was already so moved and guilty; the easily deceived and honest princess was eating breakfast while trying to suppress her tears.
She truly deserved to be a popular character from the Mysterious Gate, impeccable in her character.
Once her favorability increased to a certain level, she could even serve as a supporting character to help less skilled players defeat some of the tougher bosses.
After some time.
Bruil Street.
Room 506.
"You're asking me to take care of her?" Kronos lightly rested her chin in hand, her gaze playful as she looked at Xi Mu standing beside the gracefully seated Letixia, her lips curling slightly.
"Yes, but it'll cost you something," she said.
"What do you want me to do?" Xi Mu asked, nodding, as the cold yet mysterious witch smiled with ambiguous intent.
Her slender finger lightly touching her lower lip, she spoke teasingly.
"Come to my room tonight, and I will tell you what you need to do then."
Xi Mu remained silent, not immediately responding.
However.
Letixia, on the other hand, became agitated, "Wait, Miss Kronos, what do you want Lord Ahtal to do tonight?"
To this, Kronos' smile grew more suggestive, and she raised her delicate hand idly looking at her fingernails: "What things can a man and woman do together at night?"
As she spoke, her smile became even more playful.
"Of course, you can also forgo the protection; it matters not to me, I won't insist."
"Agreed," Xi Mu stood up, resting his hand on Letixia's shoulder, nodding at Kronos:
"Tonight, I'll come for you."
"Then, I shall look forward to your arrival, little one." Kronos chuckled lightly, his interest piqued as he watched Letixia, her green eyes wide with the urge to speak out and stop him, but she merely tapped her fingers lightly against the armrest of her chair.
An invisible force spread out, as if an unknown power prevented Letixia from speaking, leaving her with no choice but to watch Ahtal leave the room.
Accompanied by the sound of a closing door.
"..." Regaining control over her body, Letixia instinctively tried to stand up to chase after the departing Ahtal.
"If you want him to die, then go ahead and chase him," Kronos said with a light, charming smile, watching the human girl in front of her. "You should understand the outcome for those who cannot focus wholeheartedly and carry burdens in their hearts, even without me saying it."
Letixia: "..."
Her footsteps stopped at that moment. She turned her head to stare at the mature woman opposite her, her green eyes filled with both anger and helplessness.
Kronos, seeing this, showed no fear. In fact, she revealed a teasing smile, finding pleasure in tormenting such an upright young girl.
She was somewhat looking forward to seeing the human girl's heartbroken expression tonight, as she helplessly watched the object of her unclear affection enter the room of the 'wicked woman' for her sake. Just imagining the heartbreak and pain brought Kronos joy.
Though she had no intention of having a relationship with Ahtal, that didn't stop her from letting the human girl in front of her think they had done something together.
As for guilt, of course, she would feel none; after all, she was a proper witch, not even human, so how could she have the same moral concepts as a normal human.
"I am the heir to the Iris Flower Kingdom. I can give you more in compensation afterwards," Letixia said, calming down and wanting to negotiate with Kronos.
However, Kronos merely scoffed at the words and turned her head away, casually waving her hand. "The inheritance to a kingdom is the least valuable thing in this world. Even the most remote villages can form a nation,"
"It's not a remote village; my country has a long history!" Letixia retorted, only to see Kronos nodding her head and smiling gently at her.
"So it's just a remote village with a long history." She took out a bank card. "Can your country offer ten billion Gold Coins?"
Letixia: "..."
In fact, her country really couldn't come up with that much money, not to mention she was currently a fallen princess.
Meanwhile.
The dueling arena.
Xi Mu shouldered his hefty greatsword, step by step, walking through the dark corridor, downing one Magic Potion after another and leaving behind a trail of empty bottles.
Until he stepped into the dueling arena, his feet once again touching the soft sand, he looked across the arena at a woman clad in light garments, holding twin scimitars, her skin the color of coffee.
"Ahtal, care to try a more thrilling fight?" The woman twirled her blades provocatively at the silver-clad knight.
"Battling with a woman whilst wearing that turtle shell lacks any knightly honor."
"..." Xi Mu gave no answer, but he planted his heavy greatsword into the ground, and with a powerful toss, like throwing a javelin, he launched forward with the momentum of an uncontrollable tank.
Then, the fight was declared over.
Midway, Xi Mu caught the heavy greatsword that had been flung, his gaze locked onto his already dodging opponent, and he threw the sword again with force.
The dual-scimitar-wielding female duelist, who had attempted to dodge, had no time left to evade; the heavy greatsword pierced through her body and, with the remaining momentum, pinned her to the arena wall.
"In a duel, there is no such thing as fairness," Xi Mu stated calmly as he approached the deceased female duelist and forcefully extracted the greatsword.
At that moment, the arena erupted in intense cheers, the audience thoroughly satisfied with the opening fight.
Everyone knew that this duel was just an appetizer, and Ahtal would continue fighting till the real opponent arranged by the arena made their appearance.
It was just a warm-up to set the atmosphere.
"So cool, Ahtal!" a noblewoman shrieked, "Come over to my place tonight, and my daughter and I will keep you company with a chat."
"Me and my son will join you for a chat!" a burly man followed with a shout, ignoring his son's terrified expression beside him.
"Come to my place, and you won't have to work a day in your life!" declared a wealthy matron, loudly tempting him.
The atmosphere in the dueling arena was incredibly lively.