Chapter 63: The Unexpected Gathering

‘Oh no…’

Despair welled up within Yalin.

Why did it have to be today, of all days?

Normally, he would never set foot in a bustling place like the shopping district; it was only because Luluti had dragged him out for a stroll that he had coincidentally run into Celeste.

“My apologies, Liyang, have I kept you waiting?”

Celeste waved her hand and hurried over.

The two pairs of delicate dragon horns on Liyang’s head were always her most striking feature.

Moreover, dressed in a pristine, light-colored dress, its soft skirt paired with a sky-blue bow at the chest, she appeared as pure and lovely as an angel, instantly recognizable in any crowd.

Naturally, her gaze first landed on Liyang.

Only then did it drift slightly upward, revealing the familiar figure.

“Eh… Yalin?”

Celeste froze instantly, her hand even suspended mid-air.

The air seemed to solidify as the three of them exchanged glances, utterly speechless.

Yalin couldn’t help but twitch his lips.

He had no idea what Celeste and Liyang were thinking, but at that moment, only one thought consumed Yalin’s mind.

‘He had to make a quick escape!’

Liyang would be easy enough to fob off with a few excuses, but Celeste… that troublesome heroine was not so easily handled!

“Well, the two of us arranged to meet here today to buy a few things…”

Perhaps unable to bear the silent atmosphere, Liyang lowered her head, fiddling with her slender fingers, and spoke with hesitation.

A sense of unease stirred within her; when she had seen Yalin’s back earlier, she had clapped him on the shoulder without a second thought.

Yet, judging by the current situation, perhaps it would have been better if she had pretended not to see him then.

However, since she had created this predicament, she could only grit her teeth and continue the conversation.

“Yalin, are you also here to shop?”

“Ahaha, I’m just browsing.”

Celeste suddenly snapped back to reality, taking two swift steps forward.

An overwhelming sense of pressure washed over him!

A bead of cold sweat trickled down Yalin’s forehead; he could distinctly feel that ‘thing’ inside him stirring once more.

“Yalin, are you by any chance shopping alone?”

No sooner had the words left her lips than she immediately regretted them.

Of course, Yalin had few friends to begin with, and with no one beside him now, wasn’t it obvious?

Shopping all by himself was already disheartening enough; to have it pointed out so bluntly by her, wouldn’t it wound his feelings even more?

Celeste pressed her lips together, her heart suddenly quickening, and feigned indifference as she suggested, “How about the three of us look around together?”

Yes, with three of them here, it was the perfect opportunity!

After all, if only two people went shopping, it might feel a bit strange, but with three, it would simply appear as a casual outing among friends, and there would be nothing to be self-conscious about.

Yalin and Liyang seemed to get along well enough; surely, he wouldn’t refuse?

Perhaps this chance could help her subtly bridge the distance between them…

As Celeste calculated in her mind, Liyang on the other side grew flustered, her small face instantly flushing.

“Eh!? Three people?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, do you not like the idea?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Liyang quickly shook her head.

Of course, she was willing to shop with Yalin; secretly, she was even a little delighted.

But they rarely had a chance to meet… could she truly intrude upon them?

After a moment of hesitation, she whispered, “I-if you don’t mind, then…”

“Wait a moment!”

Yalin abruptly raised a hand, cutting her off.

‘No, why are you unilaterally assuming I’m alone? Did I agree to that?’

“Um, I’m sorry, but I actually have plans with someone else today, so I won’t be joining you. You two enjoy yourselves.”

“Plans?”

Liyang immediately perked up her ears, her expression inexplicably tense, her darting eyes secretly glancing at Yalin.

Celeste paused for a moment, then promptly asked, “Who is it?”

“It’s someone you don’t know, so I really must be going now. Farewell, both of you.”

Yalin dropped those words and intended to leave, having no desire to linger with the two of them.

However, the moment he turned, he saw Luluti, holding a string of fluffy white cotton candy, jogging towards him.

“Hey, Yalin, I’ve got the cotton candy! Want a bite?”

“That fast?”

Yalin’s eyes widened. The shop had a long queue, so by all accounts, it should have taken at least ten minutes, if not more!

“It was simple enough,” Luluti declared proudly. “I just tossed a few gold coins to the people in front, and they all politely made way.”

Right, he had forgotten: money truly could buy anything.

“Well, whatever, but are you going to eat this or not—”

Mid-sentence, Luluti suddenly halted, her gaze sweeping suspiciously back and forth between the two girls before her.

‘Humans… and a Dragonkin?’

How rare; it was her first time seeing a Dragonkin in Alenmia.

What surprised her even more was that both girls, without exception, were beauties one in ten thousand.

The maids employed in Luluti’s household had all undergone extremely rigorous beauty screenings and were usually quite pleasing to the eye, yet compared to these two, they all seemed utterly dim and lackluster.

Furthermore, the way they looked at Yalin seemed utterly off.

Luluti’s intuition screamed that something was very strange!

As if asserting her claim, her petite figure swiftly moved to block Yalin, her sharp gaze fixed on the two girls.

The atmosphere instantly grew taut once more.

Luluti stood in distant confrontation with the other two; each harboring their own intentions, a tense triangular standoff was imminent.

Yalin, however, found himself precisely at its sharpest point.

‘Uh… what is this? A shuraba?’

‘No, with that Crimson Demon Lord present, it could only be an execution ground.’

At this point, Yalin could only place all his hopes on Luluti.

‘Please, my lady! Hurry and huff a breath to chase them both away!’

‘As long as I can escape that woman’s clutches, I’ll do anything, even take off my socks or shoes!’

Chaos erupted among the four, yet none of them noticed the fifth person, hidden on a distant rooftop, quietly observing everything.

“One… two… three…”

Carol remained concealed beneath her dark cloak, the street’s clamor seemingly irrelevant to her, as if the entire world were cut off, save for her chilling, crimson eyes, which were fixed intently on Yalin’s figure.

“Yalin, no wonder you haven’t been home much lately… so this is why.”

“Ah, ah, Carol feels so awful… but Yalin isn’t at fault, it’s those bothersome mosquitoes who are.”

“Bothersome mosquitoes… they must be eliminated quickly…”