It took two days for the carriage to travel from Thune's estate to Matthews' estate, but the ground dragon carriage made the journey in just one day.
Inside the carriage was soft and fragrant, so smooth that Romon even managed to take a nap.
That was until…
He heard Nini's voice from outside the carriage.
"Master, we have arrived." Nini had been here before, so she was familiar with Matthews' estate. She expertly drove the ground dragon carriage and pulled it onto the cobblestone driveway in front of the estate's entrance, stopping right at the gates.
The last time Matthews had tried to make an imposing entrance, but this time, when the knights at the gate saw the ground dragon carriage, they immediately knelt in unison.
The butler, who was standing by the door to greet them, quickly instructed his servants to go call for the lord.
"Welcome, your arrival is a great honor to Matthews' estate." Even before the door to the ground dragon carriage had opened, the butler was already bowing in greeting.
Only the royal family could use a ground dragon carriage, so seeing the carriage naturally led them to believe that a royal family member was inside.
However…
The first person to open the door and step down from the luxurious carriage was not a royal, but Lord Romon of Thune.
He spoke up, "It's been a few days. I've missed you, Butler."
Hearing the familiar yet strange voice, the butler looked up in surprise, only to find that the visitor was none other than Romon!
Romon of Thune! The crafty lord who had deceived the head of the family, redeemed the Great Forest at a low price, and then discovered mineral veins and a labyrinth in the forest!
In just a few days, Romon's reputation in Matthews' estate had undergone a complete transformation.
The old Romon: Poor, young, the last of the Thune family, a pitiable man who would soon be executed by the king for failing to pay taxes.
The new Romon: Devious, despicable merchant, a thief who deceived people using information gaps, the fraud of the Thune family.
"Lord... Romon..." The words nearly tumbled out from the butler's clenched teeth. "Sir, thank you for accepting my lord's invitation. Please, follow me to the banquet hall."
"Mm."
Romon responded briefly but didn't immediately follow. Instead, he stayed where he was, waiting.
Once Nini set up the steps for disembarking, Princess Angelia gracefully and elegantly descended from the ground dragon carriage.
She was dressed with great nobility today, perhaps she always looked this way, but this time, her attire wasn't done by her servants—she had done it herself. While there were minor flaws in the details, the overall effect exuded a sense of aristocratic grace laced with a touch of femininity.
Her wine-red gown hugged her long, shapely legs, accentuating her slender waist and full hips, creating an extraordinary waist-to-hip ratio.
She raised her left hand slightly, and Romon stepped forward to take her hand.
The butler, witnessing this, had his old eyes widened in shock.
"Welcome, Your Highness."
"Mm, where is Matthews?" The princess glanced at him with her butler's status but showed no intention of engaging in further conversation.
Romon, holding her left hand, could already feel her subtle emotions.
She was restraining herself, forcing herself not to get angry.
Seeing this, Romon finally understood—Angelia cared deeply about her pride. In the simulator, their first meeting alone had ended in disaster. Only with the presence of a lord, along with a grand welcoming ceremony, would this princess feel joy.
But not only did Lord Matthews fail to greet them in person, he also made no effort to prepare any kind of welcome ceremony.
This was like dancing on the princess's emotional landmine.
"Princess! Your Highness!"
Suddenly.
A voice called out, and Lord Matthews, his hair slicked back, his face heavily powdered, and his large belly swaying, came running over from the distance.
"Phew! Your Highness, I am so sorry! I had no idea of your arrival. Had I known, I would have welcomed you with the most distinguished ceremony!" Lord Matthews said, breathless.
Upon hearing this, Princess Angelia furrowed her brows, growing even more displeased.
Romon could feel the pressure in her left hand, so intense that it almost hurt. This swordswoman had far more strength than a mage!
He quickly turned to look at Angelia, only to see a faint black mist surrounding her head.
At the sight of this, Romon's pupils contracted.
This was bad!
This must be the source of the first bad ending from the simulator!
Something was clearly wrong with Princess Angelia. If he was right, it was the demon inside her that was affecting her!
"Your Highness? Angelia?"
Romon gently tightened his grip on her left hand and tried to shake her slightly.
With his interference, Princess Angelia slowly came out of that strange state.
She took a deep breath, glanced at Romon, and seeing the concern in his eyes, she looked away, feeling guilty.
Here it comes again...
She probably already knew what had just happened.
"Forget it. Let's go inside."
Princess Angelia didn't scold Lord Matthews further. Instead, she followed Romon as he led her toward the banquet hall of Matthews' estate.
As they walked through the wide, empty stone corridor, Angelia hesitated for a while before finally speaking. "Did you see what happened just now?"
"What?" Romon replied, confused.
"My... the ugly side of me when I was affected by the demon."
"What? I didn't see anything."
Angelia knew Romon was lying, but living with a demon meant that even the slightest misstep could lead to death, yet he still held her hand and helped her snap out of it.
"Sometimes it happens like that. We've been so relaxed during the journey that I almost forgot about its existence. That's why I've been trying so hard to deal with the demon inside me," she said.
Romon looked at the princess. He was only interested in her long legs and didn't want to be her emotional listener, but if he had to listen, then what was he supposed to do afterward? He hoped she would understand that on her own.
"Your Highness!"
Lord Matthews came running up again. "Your Highness, you are of such noble status, please, this way."
Romon looked at the direction Lord Matthews was pointing, unsure where he intended to take the princess. After all, this was someone else's estate, and he had only been here once.
But when Princess Angelia saw this, she directly refused, saying, "No need, Lord Matthews. I'll just take a walk. You can talk with Lord Romon."
With that.
Angelia gently released Romon's hand and walked towards the garden.
Seeing this, Matthews' hands and legs began to tremble. "Just taking a walk" was often the hardest thing to deal with. He knew he had neglected the royal family, but the princess's temper was impossible to read, and he had no idea how to make amends.
So.
He finally focused on the true guest of the visit.
"Lord Romon, it's been a while. I've been thinking about you every day these past few days," Matthews greeted, though the "thinking" was more of a curse wishing for Romon's demise.
"Lord Matthews, it's been a few days. You seem to have lost weight. I'm sure you must deeply love your daughter and have been working hard for her coming-of-age ceremony," Romon responded.
"Ah…" Matthews sighed. This wasn't about working for his daughter's coming-of-age ceremony. It was clearly frustration from the person standing before him, but he didn't dare to express it. The princess had already spoken, and now he had to keep up appearances. He braced himself and asked, "Lord Romon, you should have informed me in advance that you would be traveling with the princess. Now, this situation is cooling our friendship."
"Not at all, Lord Matthews," Romon reassured him. "It may seem like the princess is angry, but it's nothing serious. She won't hold it against you, don't worry."
Upon hearing this.
Lord Matthews was one hundred percent unconvinced.
This trickster was definitely lying again! The last time he pretended to be poor, he tricked Matthews out of the Great Forest, only to discover magic crystal veins and a labyrinth. That was a huge fortune!
And now he was saying the princess was angry, but it was no big deal? Could it really be no big deal? Even if he brought a pig here today, the pig would know this was a matter of life and death for a family's future!
Romon Thune, with ill intentions, was up to something!
"Lord Romon, tell me, how did you come to be accompanying the princess?" Matthews decided to investigate the matter from the source, then analyze it for himself.
Romon didn't hide anything and replied straightforwardly, "The princess is building extensively on my territory. Didn't you know?"
The president of the Stone Town Merchants' Guild had openly announced that they were recruiting a large number of craftsmen in other cities. If Lord Matthews didn't know about this, he might as well hang himself.
"Eh heh heh…" Matthews tried to play it off, pretending to joke with Romon, but failed. "Of course I know, my friend. What I meant was, how did the princess suddenly decide to build a manor on your land? You two didn't seem to have any relationship before, and it's only been a few days…"
"Who knows? The princess's will is something a small lord like me cannot defy. A big lord like you has the right to challenge royal authority. To put it simply, I'm just a backdrop in this situation."
"No, no, my friend, you're being too modest. And how could I ever dare to challenge royal authority?"