Chapter 163: Sharp Tongues
The standoff lasted only a few seconds, but it felt much longer for Lys. Lady Merin’s gaze lingered on him, and her lips curved in a knowing smile that promised the conversation was far from over.
But before she could say anything else, Selene moved. She slipped her arm through Lady Merin’s with smooth confidence and gently but firmly steered the older woman away from Lys.
"Lady Merin, you simply must come with me for a moment," Selene said, her voice sweet but leaving no room for argument. "I promised Father I would introduce you to the baron’s steward. He was asking about your husband’s latest silk shipment just this morning. It would be rude to keep him waiting, right? Let’s go right away."
Lady Merin opened her mouth, clearly reluctant, but Selene was already guiding her through the crowd with polite insistence. The older woman shot one last lingering look over her shoulder at Lys before disappearing into the sea of guests.
Lys let out a slow breath. The room felt slightly cooler without Lady Merin’s perfume pressing in on him. But now that all the ladies were away from him, he was alone on the corner, and the difference in the dress code between him and others felt way too contrasting to him all of a sudden. He looked down at himself, with his bandaged body, he looked overly highlighted and noticeable in this whole gathering, even if he wanted to be noticed or not.
He stood alone for only a moment before another woman approached. This one had striking green hair that fell in waves down her back and curves that strained noticeably against her silk blouse.
Lys recognized her immediately. She was Vivian, the wealthy textile merchant and village council member, whom he had met the night John came looking for revenge.
"It is appropriate for an adventurer," Vivian said calmly as she stopped beside him.
Lys turned to face her fully. "What is?"
"Showing up like this," she replied, gesturing lightly at his bandaged wrist, splinted hand, and bruised face. "Among nobility and higher merchants, adventurers often attend events in whatever they happen to be wearing when they are called. You can say it is practically a tradition. Believe me, nobody here is looking at your clothes. They are looking at you."
Vivian was composed and observant, somewhere in her forties. She carried the specific kind of confidence that belonged to a woman who had spent years in rooms exactly like this one. So, when she said it like that, Lys felt the weight of gazes lift a little from himself.
They stepped slightly away from the main flow of the room, near a tall window where the air felt a little less crowded. The soft clink of glasses and low hum of conversation filled the background. The room was warm, almost stuffy, and Lys was tasting the faint sweetness of the spiced wine a servant had pressed into his hand earlier.
Vivian was easy to talk to. She was direct. Not performing or trying to humor him like others.
"You really fought a hobgoblin alone?" she asked, her tone genuinely curious. "Most adventurers your age would not even take that quest with such a low reward. What made you decide to go so deep into the forest for that simple quest?"
Lys shrugged with his good shoulder. "Come on, what do you expect a rookie like me to do. I just became an adventurer, you know. An F ranker like me can only take quests like those unless we have a very high number of guild points. Surely you know that."
Vivian studied him for a moment. "Yeah, and you almost died for taking that simple quest, too. Haha. Talk about bad luck. And even with that bad luck, here you are, still standing. Impressive, lad. I gotta say, I didn’t expect to learn that it was you who was the rumored boy who defeated a hobgoblin, even though he was just an F-rank adventurer."
Like that, they talked for a while, standing with a wine glass in both their hands. In between talks, she even offered to have something made for him at her shop, a proper set of clothes for occasions like this. "It would be no trouble. Consider it a gift from me."
Lys declined politely. "Thank you, but I already have appropriate clothes at home. I just got dragged here directly from the street without the chance to change."
Vivian laughed. It was a genuine laugh, warm and uncalculated. "Dragged by John, I assume. That sounds exactly like him."
Lys felt himself relax a little around her. Compared to Lady Merin’s aggressive flirting, talking with Vivian felt straightforward and comforting.
From across the room, Selene had been watching the entire exchange. She had been answering questions about herself, how she and Lys became engaged, how long they had known each other, and what her father thought about it.
She was managing the social performance with the practiced composure of a priest’s daughter. While smiling and nodding at the people around her, she kept glancing toward the corner where Lys and Vivian stood, keeping a quiet count.
After a few minutes, she excused herself from her conversation and moved toward them with focused steps. She knew Vivian was a sharp woman. Not the flirty type like Lady Merin, but somehow more dangerous. And knowing how gullible Lys can be sometimes around beautiful women, she was afraid he might have gotten caught in Vivian’s trap.
Vivian noticed Selene coming. When Selene arrived beside Lys and placed herself close to his side with the clear energy of someone reclaiming her position, Vivian spoke with mild amusement.
"Whoah... Is she always this protective?"
Selene answered pleasantly, without missing a beat. "I am simply making sure my fiancé does not get lost in the crowd, Miss Vivian."
She then added, still smiling sweetly, "And I was not aware you had time to seek out young men at gatherings, Miss Vivian. Given that you already have two male servants at home who keep you quite... occupied, I heard."
Lys blinked. That was news to him. He had genuinely thought Vivian was just being friendly and professional. The idea that she might have ulterior motives, and that Selene knew about her personal life in such detail, hit him with surprise. His eyebrows rose slightly before he could stop them.
Vivian’s expression acknowledged the hit without flinching. She smiled back, sharp and knowing. "Touché, Selene. You have grown quite sharp since the last time we spoke."
Selene stayed close to Lys, her shoulder pressed lightly against his. "I have had good reason to stay alert lately."
The two women understood each other completely in that moment. The tension between them stayed hidden behind polite smiles, but it was thick enough to feel.
Vivian’s eyes lingered on Lys for a second longer, calculating. And Selene’s hand rested lightly on Lys’s good arm, a clear signal that he was hers.
Lys stood between them, suddenly very aware that he had walked into something much more complicated than a simple birthday gathering. The clink of glasses and murmur of conversation continued around them, but the air in their small circle felt heavier.
