After Lux finished giving Sam and Lucius his orders, he ordered Shax to take Lucius outside Whitebridge City to make it seem like the merchant successfully escaped their pursuit.
The Half-Elf then returned to the Dancing Lass Inn, where Nevreal and Robin were waiting for him.
However, when he arrived, it was not only the middle-aged Dwarf and the low-profile Prince who welcomed him.
"Sir Lux!"
"Big Brother!"
Two adorable Dwarves instantly latched onto the Half-Elf as if they were bees attracted to honey.
"Hey! Why are you holding onto Big Brother? Who are you?" Colette asked as she glared at the Dwarf girl who was a few years older than her.
"Because he is my benefactor," Princess Anastasia replied while narrowing her gaze. "And what about you? Why are you hugging Sir Lux as if you have a close relationship with him? Who are you?"
"I'm his little sister!"
"Hah? Since when is it possible for a shortie like you to become Sir Lux's little sister?"
"Have you looked at yourself in the mirror? You're also a shortie!"
The two adorable Dwarves glared at each other and were still fastened onto the arms of the Half-Elf, who found his current circumstance quite amusing.
"Colette, what are you doing here?" Lux asked the little girl who was holding onto his left arm with a smile. "It's way past your bedtime."
"Big Brother, how could I possibly sleep with the explosions outside?" Colette asked back. "I'm sure that only those who sleep like their dead could have kept sleeping through all that ruckus."
At that moment, Aina walked towards Lux and gave him the "is everything okay?" gaze.
The Half-Elf nodded. "Everything has been dealt with. However, do not go out of Whitebridge City for a while just to be safe. We will talk more about the matter tomorrow morning."
"Understood," Aina replied before shifting her gaze to Princess Anastasia and giving her a respectful bow. "Greetings, Your Highness. I apologize if my sister has offended you."
Colette, who saw her sister's sudden gesture, blinked in confusion.
"Your Highness?" Colette muttered. "You're a Princess?"
Princess Anastasia then smiled evilly, which made Colette hide behind Lux, making the Half-Elf chuckle.
"Princess, please do not bully my little sister," Lux said.
"How can I possibly do that, Sir Lux?" Princess Anastasia's devilish smile then changed into a captivating smile so sweet that would make anyone's teeth rot. "But this is the first time I'm hearing that you have a little sister."
Colette, who had gained Lux's support, stopped hiding and raised her chin arrogantly while facing the Princess.
"Big Brother is my family member," Colette stated. "He is going to marry my sister soon!"
Princess Anastasia's smile stiffened after hearing Colette's declaration. The Princess then looked to the side to see the doll-like beauty, who had great popularity among the young nobles of the Kingdom of Gweliven.
She even thought that the reason why her brother, Robin, was always hanging out with the members of the Eternal Guild was to get close to Aina.
This was what Princess Anastasia had assumed from knowing about her brother's constant travels outside the Capital City.
"Y-You will marry each other?" Princess Anastasia. "Is this true, Sir Lux?"
"Colette is just joking, Your Highness," Lux replied. "Aina and I don't have that kind of relationship."
The Princess breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the Half-Elf's words, but a faint feeling of anxiety rose in her heart.
Aina was truly an exceptional lady, and even Princess Anastasia found herself being attracted to her charm and charisma. If even a Princess like herself was already feeling like this, it was very easy for others to be attracted to her as well.
"Big Brother, you know I'm not joking!" Colette pouted as she swung Lux's left hand like a spoiled child who hadn't gotten her way. "All you need to do is say yes, and I'll convince my entire family to hold the wedding as soon as possible!"
"Hmph! Stop playing matchmaker," Princess Anastasia stated. "Sir Lux said that your sister and he don't have that kind of relationship. Why are you being a busybody?"
"You're the busybody!" Colette shot back. "Also, you're not the only one who has Big Brother as a benefactor. I have been saved by him many times already!"
"… That's not something that you should be proud of, you know?" Princess Anastasia found herself at a loss of words with Colette's attitude.
Almost everyone in the Kingdom would bow their heads to her in respect, but the Dwarf in front of her was different. She was like a mother hen protecting her egg and would automatically attack anyone who came near it.
For some reason, the Princess found this to be ironic because she too didn't want other people stealing her golden egg.
"Alright. Why don't the two of you calm down first?" Lux decided to intervene before things escalated further. "Colette, the explosions are gone, so it's time for you to head back to your Guild Headquarters and rest. Don't worry. I promise to see you tomorrow."
"Really?" Colette asked back.
"Of course," Lux replied. "The only reason why I came back to the Kingdom of Gweliven was to see you and the others."
The adorable Dwarf's face brightened after hearing Lux's assurance, and it even made her feel special knowing that her Big Brother had gone out of his way just to see her.
Because of this, she no longer argued with Princess Anastasia and obediently went to her sister's side like the good girl she was.
"We will wait for you at the guild tomorrow, Lux," Aina said before giving him and Princess Anastasia a bow. "Let's go, Colette. Time to sleep."
Colette nodded and bid her Big Brother and Eiko goodbye before following her Big Sister back to their Guild Headquarters.
"It must be nice being popular," Millie, who had just descended from the sky, commented. "Do you have any idea what kind of trouble you've caused tonight?"
"It's good to see you again, Millie." Lux grinned. "You have gotten prettier since the last time we met."
"Flattery won't get you anywhere," Millie replied. "You're just dodging the question."
Lux could only shake his head helplessly because he understood that he truly did cause a lot of trouble for everyone.
He couldn't even imagine how Nevreal handled the aftermath of his raid at the Merchant's Guild, which had been mostly destroyed due to the battle between the Rankers and the Greater Light Elemental.
"Why don't we head to the inn first?" Nevreal proposed. "The night is still long, and all of us can talk while having a midnight snack."
The middle-aged dwarf's proposal was exactly what everyone needed, so they followed him back inside the inn.
All of them were very curious about what happened during the battle at the Merchant's Guild, and they were hoping that the red-headed teenager would be able to give them the answers that they were looking for.
Naturally, Lux didn't plan on telling them everything. He only told them that they didn't have to worry about Lucius for the time being because he and the Merchant had managed to come to an agreement that would benefit both sides.
As to whether Nevreal and the others would believe his story, that was something that Lux no longer needed to worry about for the time being.
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