Eat that pie

Three hours later, Eliz sat in the carriage and smiled at a satisfied Kuron, who kept stroking the leather tube containing the signed contract. Both Eliz and he were delighted.

Father, of course, did not immediately agree. He and Kuron discussed a lot while Eliz stood by, refilling their cups or occasionally supporting the conversation with a few encouraging words. It was all she could do. She was not a strategist like her father or a builder like Kuron.

Her father, after all, had become enthusiastic about the whole thing, even if Eliz briefly feared he would take over the project, but he didn't. Eliz found it odd that her father had not built a fort before. She could only think that maybe there was a problem with the story's setting, but she could only speculate about that.

After three hours of editing, haggling, and minor discussions, they reached an agreement, and the check was written. To Eliz's even greater delight, she did not have to cash in a dime of the money she had saved.

"It went great," Eliz told Kuron.

He shook his head and laughed. "It did. Indeed, it did. Rest assured that I will ensure the fortress is the best."

Eliz nodded. "I did not expect anything else, either. That's why I wanted the best."

Kuron chuckled. "Flattery flies from you as easily as curses, Eliz."

Her eyes lit up with playful fire. "Tck. Now is not the time for our match."

"Haha. Sure. There's a lot to do. But now, will you tell me the real reason why you are coming to the capital with me?" Kuron wondered.

After making the deal, Eliz said she would go to the city with Kuron and spend the night in a hotel. She gave the excuse that she wanted to meet his team and celebrate a bit. But unfortunately for her, they sent a bodyguard with her anyway. She had hoped that the excuse of being under the protection of the dwarves would prevent that, but that was not the case. Not that she couldn't handle it, it was just a bit of a nuisance.

"I have a date," she replied.

Kuron raised an eyebrow at that. "And that's why you're keeping it a secret from your father? Wouldn't he be rather pleased?"

Eliz smiled. "Hmm. But I'm not going to the capital just for that."

Kuron waited for her to continue.

"I plan to hire some mercenaries."

"Don't you have enough soldiers?"

"Yes, but I need someone who will answer to me, not to my father or my family crest."

Kuron quickly understood and nodded his head. "You want a force of your own."

"Still, I wouldn't say it's something your father wouldn't approve of."

Eliz raised an eyebrow in question. "No offense, Kuron, but you're very curious today."

"Hehe. Drinking, building, gambling, and sticking my nose in other people's business are my specialties," the dwarf joked.

Eliz shook her head in amusement. "How old are you?"

"Sixty-seven; why?"

Eliz didn't know how to answer for a moment. "It's nothing."

They sat in silence for a few moments before Kuron spoke again.

"Aha, I almost forgot. I have something for you, Eliz."

Eliz gave him a curious look and watched as he pulled out a long box resembling a necklace case from under his beard.

"I rushed production a bit so I could bring it to you right away," he explained, opening the box.

Eliz leaned closer and saw three rings glistening on the soft cushion. She immediately recognized two of them. They were the same rings she had bought to protect Eren from the curse. But she was more interested in the third ring. It was the one with the storage space that she had ordered from Karenel.

"Thank you, Kuron. This is really wonderful," she said, accepting the box. She took the ring in her hand and examined it closely. The ring was made of elegant, thin silver, and the crystal set was about the size of a thumbnail. A swirling circle of blue mist could be seen inside the crystal, which she knew was mana.

"How is it used?" Eliz asked, sliding the ring onto her finger.

"Just drop a pinch of mana into it," he replied.

A smile froze on Eliz's lips. That posed a bit of a problem. If she did that, she would probably faint. Her control over mana had improved, but it was still poor. Kuron noticed her hesitation. "What's wrong?"

Eliz looked up at him, feeling embarrassed. "It's... just... I don't have any mana."

Kuron remained silent for a moment and nodded, refraining from commenting. "In that case, you only have to squeeze and twist the crystal."

Eliz felt relieved that there was another way to use the ring. She was already bidding farewell to her credit card replacement. Eliz followed Kuron's instructions. The crystal lit up slightly, and a small cloud of blue mist flew out. Eliz turned her hand in surprise, observing the phenomenon curiously. It reminded her of the scene when the genie emerged from the magic lamp, except this one wasn't singing any musicals.

"Now what?" she asked again.

"Just place something inside. If you want to retrieve something, put your hand in it and think about what you want to take out. The storage space is one cubic meter," Kuron explained.

Eliz took the box with the other rings and attempted to place it inside the cloud. Her hand disappeared as if she had dipped it into a foam bath. The sensation was similar too. She tried a few times to retrieve and replace the box before being satisfied, and then she squeezed the crystal again. The blue cloud was drawn back into the crystal. Eliz beamed at Kuron, who watched with amusement as she played with her new toy.

"It's magnificent! Thank you, Kuron," Eliz said, looking at the ring with satisfaction. Now it would be much easier for her to carry all her treasures.

Eliz got dropped off right in front of the restaurant where she had arranged to meet Miel. Her old friend from the Guard looked puzzled by the change of destination but asked no questions. It was not his place to question his young mistress.

Eliz glanced at the restaurant's entrance, one of the most popular spots among the younger generation. Naturally, she wanted to be seen with Miel.

She had kept their date a secret from her father, knowing he would send more people to watch her. As for Miel, he had made it clear that he wasn't thrilled about him. Dealing with one guard was manageable, but a group of guards would take more work to shake off.

The restaurant seemed crowded, but Eliz could already spot Miel's blonde head through the window. She sighed. Playing the role of a lover felt strange to her. It wasn't that she lacked experience in relationships, but Eliz had never been one of those overly affectionate partners.

She didn't understand those romantic movies or stories where people couldn't bear to be apart and constantly called or texted each other. Eliz found it exhausting.

Her mother once told her it was because she had never truly been in love. Eliz thought that was complete nonsense. Just because she didn't cling to her partner like an anchor didn't mean she didn't love him.

She frowned and pushed those thoughts aside. She scoffed in annoyance. Why was she entertaining such nonsensical thoughts now? She just had to emulate all the romantic movies she had seen, and everything would be fine.

Eliz entered the restaurant with her guard in tow. She shrugged off her traveling cloak and handed it to the guard before directing him to a separate room where the servants were stationed to keep the guards away from the masters' tables.

Her arrival didn't go unnoticed. This time, she wore a striking red dress that accentuated her hips and was adorned with black pearls. The neckline was a bit more revealing than she would have preferred, but it was suitable for the occasion. She wanted to give the impression of being on a date.

Eliz scanned the room, and her eyes fell on Miel, who had also noticed her and stood up. With his usual charming smile, he made his way towards her. Unlike the previous day, when he was dressed casually, today he wore a well-fitted suit that emphasized his broad shoulders and slim waist. The color was dark blue with a burgundy shirt.

"My dear Eliz, I couldn't wait to see you," he greeted her, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips to kiss her fingers.

"Miel, sorry for keeping you waiting," Eliz replied, smiling at him.

"I would have waited forever for you," he replied, his words echoing as he placed his hand on her waist and gently guided her to their table.

As they passed by the other tables, Eliz could hear whispers starting to spread.

"Isn't that Elizabeth Von Roseblood? And she's with Miel Hadfield."

"Didn't Gray Ironhound recently break up with her?"

"And now she's already dating Hadfield? Isn't that too fast?"

"Maybe they had an affair before."

"What if it wasn't Ironhound who broke up with her?"

"Ah, how did she manage to tame Hadfield?"

"I'm so jealous!"

Eliz stopped paying attention. She knew that from now on, rumors would circulate and change a hundred times over.

Eliz sat down at the table, and Miel sat next to her. The waiter was with them immediately, pouring them water and handing them menus.

Eliz, however, only got a little time to see what they had to offer.

"You look beautiful," Miel said.

Eliz looked up from the menu and saw Miel still watching her with his sensual smile.

"If you like it, I am happy," she replied, then looked around unobtrusively and lowered her voice. "You don't have to overdo it," she murmured, picking up the menu again. "No one can hear us now anyway."

"But I mean it."

Eliz's face twitched, and she looked back up at him, her stomach fluttering momentarily. He was still watching her, but this time he propped his hand on his chin and watched her as if she were something good to eat.

'Bloody hell,' she thought.

He was really good at that. It was no wonder he could keep his family afloat for three years if this were how he treated all his women supporters. She narrowed her eyes as she looked at him. He must be teasing her now because he knows she wouldn't do anything to him publicly.

Eliz lifted her menu so she couldn't see his face. "Choose something," she ordered him.

"Haha," she heard his soft laughter and tried not to frown. Soon they were ordering, and Eliz was forced to look back at him and watch his mischievous eyes. Eliz kept her expression at least with a slight smile. People might not have been able to hear them, but they could see them.

"By the way, how would you hold up against Gray Ironhound?" Eliz asked.

Miel blinked, the only sign that he was surprised by her question. "I could run away from him. Why?"

Eliz wanted to roll her eyes. "Because I heard he might want to renew our engagement."

"Oh? Congratulations?"

Eliz reached out and lightly stroked the back of his hand with her fingers, which seemed like a rather intimate gesture from a distance. In fact, Eliz pinched him a little. "Moron. Why do you think I hired you?" she told him with a gentle smile, but inside, she was upset. "If that happens, you must cause a scene for me until I can escape."

"Haha," Miel put his other hand on hers, and she stopped pinching him. Then he lifted her hand to his mouth again and kissed her fingers. "Don't worry, Eliz. I'll protect you from any suitor. After all, I only want you for myself," he arched an eyebrow at her meaningfully.

Eliz didn't know whether to laugh or be angry. She really couldn't tell if he was just saying that or if he meant it. Of course, she knew he was acting, but if she were someone else, Eliz wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

"I hope so, sunshine," she replied.

Eliz opened her eyes in surprise and gasped, quickly withdrawing her hand from his.

Had the bastard licked her?

She had to bite her lip to keep from cursing. Instead, she picked up a napkin and wiped the damp stain on her fingers while giving Miel a slightly stiff smile.

Was he trying to get back at her for yesterday?

Miel smiled wider and winked playfully at her.

'Oh, you little punk...'

"Why do you call me sunshine?" Miel suddenly asked.

Eliz took a deep breath to calm herself down. "Well, it's not really because of the hair."

"Then why?"

"I am not going to say."

"Why?" he wondered.

"Try to find out for yourself. If you do not find out before I leave, I'll tell you if you ask nicely," Eliz replied, taking a sip of water.

Miel watched her momentarily before deciding not to question the matter further.

"Where are you going, anyway?" he asked instead.

Eliz was glad they could finally have a normal conversation.

"I have decided to change my life and go to the Blue Rose estate east of our territory. I will be in charge there and intend to make it a prosperous place again."

Miel raised an eyebrow. "I admit I do not know much about the East. What's it like there?"

"Wild and infested with monsters. It will be a lot of work," Eliz said truthfully. She saw no reason to lie about that. Her departure would soon become the talk of the society anyway.

"Hmm... but... if you suddenly disappear while we are supposedly in a relationship, will there not be rumors?" Miel hesitated.

"Your reputation as a womanizer is already so notorious that it will not hurt you. And as for my reputation, I honestly do not care about it," Eliz feigned a small laugh for the benefit of any onlookers.

They both paused as their food was brought to them. Once it was gone, they continued their conversation, exchanging small smiles, gestures, and other subtle intimacies as they talked in hushed tones.

"Will that not make it hard for you to find a husband later?" Miel continued from the previous conversation.

"Marriage is overrated."

"That's pretty cynical."

"That's what the right one says. You are twenty and unmarried and do not even have a fiancée. Don't be a hypocrite," she smiled at him and gave him a pointed look.

"Indeed. I just have not found the right one yet," Miel held her gaze.

Eliz felt a slight shiver.

"For a noble, you have a rather naive idea of marriage. In our position, families are all about good political marriages. What if you fall in love with a commoner village girl? Do you think it will be that easy? Even my parents, who support me, would find it hard to accept such a thing."

"Is that why you are running away?" he raised an eyebrow.

Eliz let her fork clink against her plate. She wanted to deny it but realized that she had indeed run away, even if forced marriage was only one of the lesser reasons.

"That's none of your business."

They were both silent for a moment, concentrating on their food.

"Maybe I can come to visit you," Miel suddenly suggested.

"What a terrible idea. Why bother?" Eliz sighed.

Miel shook his head at her reaction. He never knew how Eliz would react, but he enjoyed it. Her words were razor sharp and so cynical he thought she had a hardened heart. His dislike for Gray grew even stronger. Miel liked to take advantage of women easily, but he was careful not to harm them.

Miel had touched his heart as if her words had hurt him. "How cruel you are. Our fictional relationship means a lot to me."

Eliz immediately glared at him before laughing, and Miel smiled with satisfaction. He was a true gentleman and wanted people to feel comfortable in his company. That was one thing he never pretended to do.

Lunch was slowly coming to an end. They were served dessert, a sweet pie with a layer of whipped cream and strawberries.

Eliz cut a piece with her fork but was interrupted by a sudden sound of throat clearing. She glanced at Miel, who discreetly pointed a finger at the dessert and then at herself.

Eliz inwardly rolled her eyes. Instead, she smiled and pointed her fork at his mouth.

"We are going to feed each other. Is not that romantic?" he said softly before eating the bite she offered him.

Eliz felt her cheeks heat up a little. "Eat that pie and shut up," she whispered to him and hoping he'd choke on the pie.