Princess.
It was a very simple term. The best way for Gigolos and any other people in the hosting industry to call their clients without having to remember their actual names.
After all, if everyone was a princess why bother calling them with their names? Why follow the tedious route of remembering each and every name you would encounter?
The reason Adam used this way of speaking was, of course, because he couldn't come out of nowhere and call Shuri by her true name now, could she?
This would only make the situation more complicated for him. So now here he was, wondering why Shuri was in this place while mustering the courage inside of him to call out to her.
'Haha. This feels so much more stressful than usual.'
With those idle thoughts in mind, he took a seat not far away from Shuri and adjusted himself to be in a relaxed position. However, his posture and everything about him was in reality an illusion that he had conjured from the get-go.
The 'real' him was standing two steps away from her as he took her appearance in more readily.
Shuri was a truly beautiful woman, it was something he had always known about her, and clearly, he was even subconsciously attracted to that beauty of hers.
That wonderful beauty of hers became even more pronounced at this very moment with that evening gown she wore. It further accentuated her plump and mature body and voluptuous form, making her look absolutely ravishing.
Adam remembered the final ordeal he had left for himself.
『 3rd Ordeal: Love — The Beginning and The End of All Emotions
Description: Have Shuri break off her shackles and decide to give up on her cheating husband
Reward: 1 free pass to the Bronze section of the library 』
It wasn't hard to understand that Shuri had come to this place in order to relax slightly from her daily life and perhaps to forget the pain that accompanied her with the knowledge that her husband was cheating on her.
In the same way, the fact that she was here meant that she was already entertaining the thoughts of completely breaking things off with her significant other once and for all.
Even if it was just an afterthought for now, this was still a very important first step and something that he couldn't afford to let go.
Adam took a deep breath and finally walked out of his illusion before perfectly changing places with his imaginary silhouette.
"So, are you the host?"
His change had been at the perfect time. Just when she had asked him a crucial question.
"I am not the host; I am 'your' host. For this night, I will be with you and make it as magical for you as possible."
Shuri chuckled at his words and crossed her arms, "Magical heh… I was getting bored so let's see how this goes."
She took her phone out and showed it to him, "You don't mind if I take a photo of you, right?"
"Why not? Should we take a photo together then?"
"There is no need. One photo of you will be enough."
She did not ask him to take off his mask for she knew that the chances of him going through with her words were minimal. She didn't really need to take a photo either. Even more so since he was a masked individual.
But she knew that people were less likely to commit a crime when they knew that they wouldn't be able to easily walk their way out of it.
By showing this to him she was basically screaming in his face that she was prepared for anything if things were to go south.
Adam nodded his head and knew that it was the perfect occasion to finally put Medusa's teachings into action.
The problem was—
[Emotions: Sad, confused, wary, intrigued]
—He didn't really need to learn how to observe her small subconscious actions when he could easily see her emotional stats by simply using the 'Eyes of Truth.'
'Well, it wouldn't hurt to get some practical lessons now, would it?'
Since he had the skills that could make a lie into truth and some people could block him from prying into their information, having some skills to read them without the use of his abilities was a must.
He could see that Shuri was clearly acting withdrawn and conservatively, and from the way she distanced herself from him, it was clear to see that she was definitely wary of him as well.
The thing he had to accomplish here was to make her wariness vanish and increase the interest and intrigue she had in him.
The good thing here was… He also had another ability that could help him to accomplish that objective. All he needed to do was just keep on talking and the ability will work in itself to calm her wariness.
"So, tell me, Cinder, what makes a young man such as you join this line of work?"
Adam wasn't the only one observing here. While the voice coming from behind Adam's mask was slightly muffled, she was still able to distinguish that this was not the voice of an old man that was speaking to her.
The shape of his body as well as his hands was another proof that she was facing a pretty young man. Most likely the masked man before her was in his 20s.
"Oh… We are starting by talking about me now, are we?"
Adam smiled beneath his mask and leaked a slight chuckle through the confines of his mask, "I guess, I chose this line of job for the same reason as many did before me. Because I wish to earn money at a fast pace and this is the best place for me to do just that."
"Oh…? You are quite upfront about your goals. Weren't you supposed to say that you were doing this for more… decent reason, hmm?"
Adam shrugged in response to her words, "This world is one that runs entirely on money. That is something none of us can live without. I am not willing to lie for being realistic in my intentions and goals."
He smiled as he spoke those words and though she could not see his face due to his mask, from the way his eyes almost twinkled she was sure of that fact. She heard him emit another chuckle from beneath his mask, "Of course, while money is very important, I believe that honesty is also a requirement to live life to the fullest."
He looked up at the ceiling, his eyes closed as he spoke, "We are the sellers of dreams. But the dreams we sell are not cheap dreams based on lies and deceit. At least, not the dreams I sell to my clients. I believe that honesty is the key that holds any relationship. Without honesty, only disappointment is bound to come to everyone involved. What do you think, princess?"
Shuri closed her eyes at his words, before sighing as she spoke, "This is pretty interesting coming from someone who is wearing a mask like you do… But… You are at least right in thinking like that. Honesty is the most important element of a relationship and without it… none of them can truly last for long."
Her voice became lower as she delivered those last words and Adam brought himself closer to her with each small whisper she leaked, "Is this disappointment I feel in you, princess? Would you mind talking about what's hurting you right now?"
"Haha… Why should I talk to a stranger about my problems now?"
"For the same reason that we spend hundreds of dollars to visit psychiatrists and shrink to get some therapy, I guess…"
This time, a more genuine laugh escaped Shuri's lips as he listened to those sensible words coming from the masked man. It was possible to see that her shoulders had visibly relaxed ever so slightly as she uncrossed her arms and took a more comfortable position with her hands on her lap.
"What kind of drink do you have in this establishment? We can't really have a long discussion without something good to drink now, could we?"
"Well, all of our wines are pretty expensive. Are you sure you can afford it, milady?"
The way he spoke made it clear that he was just jesting with her and Shuri understood his intentions and mimicked his way of speaking with a small smile tugging on her lips,
"My brave… believe me, I am richer than you could possibly imagine."
She spoke with a haughty tone underlining her usual mature voice, like a princess looking down at a simple servant.
"Then… I guess only the best of drinks is fit to grace your lips."
He snapped his fingers and a few moments later, the door opened as someone entered with a cold bucket with a vintage wine bottle held inside.
"Time to start this magical night."
(AN: So, I am falling deeper into Social Media lol. Even created a Tiktok. I made a small video with a few illustrations of SHK. https://www.tiktok.com/@hikarugenji97. The goal is to eventually use this for my future stories and promote like Midnight Prince SHK and new stories. Honestly, I suck. Yesterday was my first time trying. Didn't even have a Tiktok until then. For those who don't like Tiktok, I posted the same video on Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/shorts/OxuNV4m-VA8.
I don't know how useful all this will be. But as long as it brings one more reader it's a win. So it's good.)
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