A Journey Unwanted

[Realm: Álfheimr]

[Location: Heart Kingdom]

[Pulchritudo]

[Banquet]

Gretel was still trying to process the fact that one of the Queen’s Royal Guards was standing directly in front of her.

That alone would have been enough to make the situation unusual.

The fact that Ella, of all people, seemed to be on such casually familiar terms with him only made it stranger.

Gretel’s silver eyes moved briefly between the two of them. Ella remained relaxed, while Trismegistus stood with the same posture he had maintained since approaching them. Neither seemed particularly concerned with the attention they were attracting.

Gretel had learned enough about Ella by now to know that trying to make sense of every absurd thing that happened around her was probably a waste of time.

("When it comes to her, I should probably just expect the most ridiculous thing imaginable to happen.")

For the moment, however, she let the matter go.

Her attention returned to the Duke.

Only this time, she immediately noticed something had changed. Bluebeard was no longer paying attention to the nobles around him; his eyes were fixed in their direction.

More specifically, they were fixed upon Trismegistus.

The Duke’s expression shifted almost instantly.

"Oh?" His deep voice carried across the nearby conversations. "Is that my good friend Hermes, I see?"

The moment he recognized the Royal Guard, Bluebeard practically shot up from his luxurious seat.

The two servant girls beside him jolted at the sudden movement, one nearly losing her grip on the goblet she had been holding. Bluebeard paid them no attention. He was already stepping forward, his attention entirely fixed upon Trismegistus.

The surrounding nobles quickly moved aside to make room for him.

Their attention followed the Duke, but it did not remain on him for long. One by one, their gazes settled upon the masked man standing beside Ella and Gretel.

The murmuring began almost immediately.

"That’s... that’s one of the Queen’s Royal Guards." The man’s voice carried a mixture of disbelief and awe.

"One of the Queen’s four Royal Guards, here?" Another noble lowered his voice, though the excitement remained obvious.

"Leave it to the Duke to be associated with someone of that standing." A woman nearby smiled as though the revelation only confirmed something she had already believed about Bluebeard.

"Hermes Trismegistus," another voice whispered. "He’s every bit as imposing as you’d expect from a Royal Guard."

Gretel could hardly blame them for reacting that way; one of the Queen’s four Royal Guards was standing in front of them. Not merely a name spoken about in stories or a distant figure associated with the highest levels of the kingdom’s military power.

He was here, in the same banquet, and standing only a few paces away. Gretel herself could feel the pressure of his presence despite making an effort not to show it. It was difficult to ignore him. His composure, his posture, even the way he stood without seemingly needing to acknowledge the attention around him. All of it merely enforced the type of man he was.

Yet Trismegistus did not seem particularly interested in the nobles’ reactions.

His attention remained on the Duke.

"I am glad to see you here, my friend." Bluebeard placed particular emphasis on the word friend. He wanted everyone nearby to hear it; Gretel noticed immediately. The Duke wanted to show that he was not simply greeting an acquaintance; he was making certain everyone understood that he, Duke Bluebeard, had a personal association with one of the Queen’s Royal Guards.

"I was beginning to fear you would not show," Bluebeard continued, his smile widening. "With a gathering such as this, I had begun wondering whether even you might have found something more important to occupy your evening."

Trismegistus remained as composed as ever.

"Yes, well, when I heard this banquet was being held for my old student, I could hardly bring myself to ignore it." His tone remained polite, without any obvious change. "I suppose there are some occasions that even an old man can still feel sentimental about."

The Duke gave a low chuckle.

"Well, I have yet to properly converse with the Princess myself." His smile became broader. "Perhaps with you by my side, she may be somewhat more willing to speak with me. I would hate to waste an opportunity to converse with someone of her standing."

He paused for a moment.

"Especially someone so radiant."

The words had barely left his mouth before his attention began drifting away from Trismegistus; his eyes moved across the group. They landed on Ella first; the Duke’s gaze traveled over her petite frame with open appraisal before settling upon her face.

Ella noticed, but her expression did not change. There was no embarrassment in her eyes, nor any attempt to accommodate the Duke’s interest. If anything, her red gaze remained almost completely indifferent, as though his attention were beneath the level of annoyance required for her to acknowledge it.

Bluebeard’s smile remained as his gaze then shifted toward Gretel. This time, his attention lingered longer, specifically her chest.

Gretel noticed it as her silver eyes narrowed by the smallest degree.

The Duke’s attention moved between the two girls again, his earlier conversation with Trismegistus apparently forgotten for the moment.

"But it seems you’ve been holding out on me, old friend." His tone carried amusement, though there was a possessive quality beneath it that Gretel disliked immediately. "Just who are these two beauties you’ve been surrounding yourself with?" He looked from Ella to Gretel once more, waiting for Trismegistus to explain.

The other nobles naturally followed the Duke’s gaze. Conversations that had been directed toward Bluebeard moments earlier gradually faded as attention shifted toward the two girls standing beside Trismegistus. It was almost instinctive; wherever the Duke looked, others looked as well.

Most of them did not even bother pretending otherwise.

Their admiration was obvious in the way their eyes lingered on Ella and Gretel, some whispering to one another while others simply watched with open curiosity. Gretel had already become accustomed to receiving attention throughout the banquet, but there was something different about the way these nobles looked at them. It was less curiosity and more like they were being evaluated as potential additions to the Duke’s already extravagant collection of possessions and acquaintances.

"This is a young mage I happened upon," Trismegistus explained calmly, gesturing toward Ella with one hand. "And her companion."

Ella gave the Duke a flat look.

"Name’s Ella."

Gretel followed with a short, polite introduction of her own.

"Gretel."

Neither girl offered anything more than that.

Bluebeard did not appear bothered by their brevity; if anything, his smile widened. He stepped forward, his considerable frame moving with surprising confidence before he stopped in front of them. Then, with an exaggerated sweep of his arm, he performed a swift and somewhat theatrical bow.

Gretel’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

For all his apparent fondness for displaying his wealth and status, she had half expected him to take one of their hands and kiss it like some overly theatrical noble from a story.

Thankfully, he did not.

"You may already know who I am," Bluebeard began as he straightened, "but it would be terribly impolite of me to assume an introduction is unnecessary. Duke Bluebeard." His grin remained fixed. "It is a genuine pleasure to meet two such beautiful young ladies, particularly when you both possess names every bit as lovely as you are."

There was something unpleasant beneath the compliment. The Duke’s eyes lingered on them with far more interest than simple politeness required. His smile was pleasant enough for the surrounding nobles, but his expression carried a distinctly lecherous undertone that became difficult to miss.

As he finished speaking, Bluebeard briefly wet his lips before fully straightening.

"If I had known the two of you were here sooner," he continued, his voice becoming warmer in a way Gretel found increasingly uncomfortable, "I assure you, I would have been much, much more hospitable. It seems I’ve been terribly negligent toward my guests."

With the way he emphasized "much, much more hospitable" it made the implication difficult to ignore, even if he had carefully avoided saying anything explicit.

She chose not to dwell on it.

Ella, meanwhile, seemed completely unconcerned.

"Gee," she said, her tone bland enough to make the words almost sound dismissive, "you’re too kind." Her voice was so pleasant, however, that anyone who did not know her well might have mistaken the response for genuine gratitude.

Gretel knew better.

Bluebeard either did not notice or chose not to care.

"But please," he continued, spreading one hand toward them, "allow me the great honor of your company. Surely you wouldn’t deprive an old host of the pleasure of speaking with such interesting guests."

He snapped his fingers.

The two servant girls who had been seated beside him immediately reacted, their expressions fell. They exchanged a brief look before reluctantly rising from the couch, clearly understanding that their places were being given to the newcomers. Neither protested. They simply stepped aside and waited.

Bluebeard gestured toward the now-open seats.

"Please. Sit with me."

Gretel’s eyes moved from the couch to the Duke, then to Ella.

Ella was already looking at her.

For a moment, neither spoke.

They did not need to.

The Duke’s intentions were clear enough. Gretel could see it in the way he watched them. She could hear it beneath his overly gracious words. Whatever interest he had in them was not simply because they were interesting or because they happened to know Trismegistus.

He wanted something else.

Gretel leaned just slightly toward Ella, keeping her voice low enough that the Duke and surrounding nobles could not hear.

"What now?"

"We’ll just kill him if he gets handsy," Ella whispered.

Gretel stared at her, then she let out a quiet, resigned sigh.

("Of course that’s her response.")

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!