Chapter 102: Ask the Duke To Be Her Bellhop?
Should he physically lock the gates of the estate? No, she would hate him forever.
Should he throw himself at her feet? He had already offered her his name, his wealth, and the entire world, and she hadn’t even blinked so she wouldn’t care.
For the first time in his life, Ace Alvarez realized that his strength, his prestigious background and all of it was entirely useless when it came to her.
As formidable as he was, he could never wage a war against that one woman, let alone having any possibility of winning it.
He stood there in the dark hallway for hours, as miserable as man could get.
At the first crack of dawn, the bedroom door clicked open.
Evelina stepped across the threshold, dressed in a traveling cloak. In her hand, she effortlessly dragged a leather trunk.
It was incredibly heavy, but she was not as fragile as she had been in her past life. And her body had strengthened over these months with her good diet and rest as well some random exercises she did once in a while.
Suddenly, she halted in her tracks.
Directly in front of her stood the brooding Duke.
Just one look at him was enough to tell her that Ace hadn’t slept a wink.
His hair was disheveled, his jaw was shadowed with stubble, and his dark eyes were heavily bloodshot as he stared at the luggage in her hand.
The sight of her luggage seemed to have ruffled him more as his face darkened.
Ping!
Before Evelina could mutter a word, the System flashed.
[ALERT! New Mandatory Side Quest Triggered: The Price of Freedom!]
[Objective: To unlock the first sea map coordinate toward the Jade Dynasty, the Host must make the Target willingly carry her luggage to the carriage.]
[Time Limit: 10 Minutes.]
[Penalty for Failure: 3-Day Travel Ban. You will be forced to remain at the estate with the Target.]
Evelina was speechless.
She stared blankly at the text overlay floating in front of Ace’s miserable face.
It hadn’t been long since she gave him a speech about the importance of cutting ties, refusing his help, and walking away entirely under her own power.
She had literally told him that she didn’t need a single thing from the Alvarez name anymore.
And now, this completely shameless, capitalistic system was forcing her to use him as a glorified bellhop just to get her maps.
Evelina was beyond frustrated.
’Are you actively trying to ruin my dignity?’ she roared furiously at the system in her mind, ’A travel ban? You think a it can stop me from traveling?’
[Host, the system will shut down and take down all the procedures it is currently handling on behalf of the host, stopping the traveling operation completely.]
[Warning: A double penalty will be applied if the Host continues to challenge the system.]
Evelina squeezed the leather handle of her trunk so hard her knuckles turned white.
"You have grown mean," her emerald eyes narrowed at the glowing blue screen.
[Host has been hard-headed.Please guide the Target to handle the luggage immediately! 8 minutes and 45 seconds remaining!]
Evelina slowly lowered her head, closing her eyes for a brief second to soothe the irritation growing inside her.
When she opened them, she found Ace still staring at her with sorrowful, dog-like eyes.
She cleared her throat softly, ready to open her mouth and make the request.
But in the end, Evelina wasn’t as thick-skinned as she thought she was.
What was she supposed to say?
’Hey, Ace, why don’t we keep our differences aside for a moment while you help me carry my luggage to the carriage?’
With how intense he was, she wouldn’t be surprised if he threw her luggage in the fire just to have it his way and not let her leave.
The System pinged.
[Time remaining: 5 minutes and 27 seconds]
Evelina felt a throbbing headache consuming her. This was insane.
The shot of strength inside her dipped and her wrist buckled, letting the trunk fall to ground with a ’thud’.
She was done for.
She closed her eyes helplessly, the gears in her brain turning for an alternative way.
But at this moment, there was a sudden movement.
Her eyes snapped open.
Evelina didn’t have to say a single word for Ace to act.
Ace’s eyes had already dropped from her tense face down to her hand. He saw the thick leather handle straining against her fingers, and he noticed the the rigid posture of her shoulders.
Even though every single fiber of his being wanted to violently smash that trunk to pieces, even though he wanted to drag her back into the room and lock the doors to keep her from leaving him, his instincts took over when he saw the strain of unhappiness on her face.
Without a word, Ace stepped forward.
His large hand came down smoothly over hers, his warmth momentarily shocking her skin, and he gently but firmly pried her fingers away from the handle.
Ace snatched the heavy luggage from her grip and held it as if it weighed absolutely nothing at all, lifting it effortlessly with a single arm.
[System Notification: Target has initiated contact with the objective material.]
[Time Remaining: 4 minutes and 12 seconds. Progress: 50%... ]
Evelina blinked, her eyes widening slightly in surprise.
But then, once she saw her remaining time, she snapped out of her daze, "Thanks,’’ she uttered softly and stepped forward.
Ace bit his bottom lips.
"Let’s go," he rasped.
He turned and began to walk. Evelina adjusted her emerald green traveling cloak before falling into step right beside him.
The walk down from the grand master suite to the central courtyard usually took no more than a few minutes.
Today, however, it seemed to take forever.
It even felt like Ace was making sure it took much longer.
The man famous for his lightning-fast movements and explosive speed on the battlefield, was suddenly walking as if his boots were molded from iron.
Every single step he took was intentionally smaller and slower than the last.
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