Chapter 75: The Dowry, the Pinch, and the Twin Rings

The man was tall and slender, his face bearing the cunning, untrustworthy look of a corrupt official. A faint, elusive smile perpetually played on his lips. Dressed in a navy-blue tailcoat and adorned with a refined monocle, his mysterious and shrewd demeanor made him seem, in every aspect, like a mastermind operating from the shadows.

Beside him stood a woman in a luxurious long gown, a top hat gracing her head. She held a folding fan, using it to conceal half her face, exuding an air of captivating charm.

Eve’s gaze immediately fell upon them, and she couldn’t help but feel that these two looked more like villains than she did.

She recalled the man’s earlier words.

Instinctively, she assumed they were here to cause trouble for Anna.

After all, the requested garments from that particular commission—well, they had been returned in utter tatters. Yet, Anna had still managed to collect the full reward from the Adventurer’s Guild. It wasn’t unreasonable, then, for someone to come knocking, seeking an explanation.

Eve had mentally prepared herself to stand by Anna, ready to face whatever came next. The very next moment, however, left her utterly dumbfounded.

The man strode forward directly, seizing Anna’s hand with unrestrained excitement. The smile on his face was now completely undisguised.

“If I’m not mistaken, you are Miss Anna, the Mithril-rank adventurer, aren’t you!”

“Thank the heavens, and the Goddess of Light’s blessing, that we’ve finally found you!”

Anna still clutched her sandwich, a single bite taken from it. With that enthusiastic grip, it was instantly flattened into a mere pulp in her hand.

‘No—my dinner sandwich—’

After a brief, one-second mourning for the ruined sandwich in her hand, Anna finally looked up at the man before her. “You are…?”

The man then realized his oversight, quickly apologizing. “My apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Monit Ailan, and this is my wife, Stith Fiopchivili.”

“My wife previously posted a commission at the Adventurer’s Guild, hoping someone could retrieve her most precious dowry from the grasslands.”

“Those items hold immense significance for us, and Miss Anna, your success in recovering them has been an incredible help!”

“That’s why I wished to bring my wife to thank you in person!”

At the man’s words, the bewildered look in Anna’s eyes finally cleared, as if she had just remembered the extremely valuable commission she had completed not long ago.

This was the benefactor who had paid a full gold coin, ensuring she and Yulim Wilivia would eat and drink well for quite some time!

Anna’s earlier slight annoyance vanished instantly. The crushed sandwich in her hand no longer held any appeal; she promptly placed it on the table. Grabbing a tissue, she hastily wiped her mouth and addressed the man with her utmost formality. “So it was Count Monit! Oh my, a personal thank you is far too grand! Yulim and I merely fulfilled our duties as adventurers!”

“Oh! Miss Anna, your dedication fills me with admiration! It is truly fortunate for this world to have such exceptional adventurers as Miss Anna and Miss Yulim!”

“Hahahaha, oh, no, no, I’m not that excellent, hehehe…”

Eve: “…………”

Watching Anna, who was already floating on air after just a few compliments, Eve felt no surprise at all.

‘It is Anna, after all…’

‘However, this Count Monit certainly knows how to talk. Don’t think that including Yulim will make everything fine. If there were more adventurers like Anna, a crisis of intelligence would likely erupt immediately!’ ‘That would truly be a tragedy for the world, wouldn’t it!’

Eve genuinely wanted to press his conscience and ask if it truly didn’t ache when he uttered such words.

The purpose of their visit to find Anna remained unclear, so Eve maintained her vigilance. That was until Anna, in a moment of garrulousness, brought up the two garments she had returned to Count Monit after completing the commission.

“Count Monit, Madam Stith, I’m still quite curious. Did you already do something…”

“Since the two dresses ended up in that state, don’t you feel any regret about it? If it were me, and my beloved clothes became like that, I would be sad and disappointed for a very long time.”

Upon hearing this, Monit’s smile grew even brighter.

“Regret? No, not at all, Miss Anna.”

“On the contrary, my wife and I found it rather more charming and interesting after seeing the dowry in its altered state. That very evening, we…”

“Hiss!”

Mid-sentence, the man suddenly shivered, drawing in a sharp gasp of air.

Eve, sitting opposite at the table, also inhaled sharply. She clearly saw the noblewoman, a gentle smile gracing her blushing face, naturally place her hand behind the man’s thigh. Then, she mercilessly pinched the flesh of his leg.

The way his trousers twisted and contorted around that large chunk of flesh made Eve, a small undead without pain receptors, begin to experience phantom pain.

Unlike Eve, who was already mentally preparing to mourn for the man, the oblivious Anna remained utterly confused.

“Uh, Count Monit, what… what’s wrong? Did something happen that evening?”

This question, practically adding fuel to the fire, made both Eve and the man flinch.

The man trembled all over, yet still stood ramrod straight, struggling to maintain his smile. “No… nothing, nothing at all… it’s just that my wife and I… *hiss*! Wait, wait, wait! I mean, my wife and I mended the clothes together!”

‘It probably wasn’t just the clothes they mended…’

Eve couldn’t bear to watch, turning her face away from the man’s thigh.

‘Poor Count Monit, I’m sorry, I truly shouldn’t have doubted you. You are a true gentleman!’

‘My respects to you!’

Anna, oblivious to the truth, actually believed he was talking about mending clothes and was happy for him.

“So the clothes are mended? That’s wonderful!”

“Yes… yes, it is… truly wonderful, hahahaha… hahahaha…”

“Count Monit, do you have a cold too? Your voice is trembling, and you’re sweating a lot…”

“Y-yes… yes, I have a cold… this wretched weather lately has been so fickle…”

Eve: “…”

‘Anna, please, spare him!’

‘Count Monit has reached his limit!’

Not only his voice, but the man’s entire body trembled as he struggled to stand, even though Madam Stith’s hand had already left his thigh.

The resilient man, even at the very end, maintained the same smile he had arrived with. “Miss Anna… let’s set that aside for a moment. Our true purpose in coming here today is to offer you an additional gift…”

Anna, perplexed, echoed, “A gift?”

“Yes… please, you must accept it…”

Monit presented a small, exquisite gift box.

Anna took it, then asked curiously, “What kind of gift is inside? Can I open it now?”

“Of course you can.”

Hearing this, Anna cast aside her reservations. She tore open the ribbon and unwrapped the box, revealing a pair of silver twin rings before her.

Monit explained, “These are a pair of Twin Rings. When two people wear them, they can sense each other’s location. They are also part of my wife’s dowry, though their value cannot compare to that dress.”

“Having learned that Miss Anna and Miss Yulim often venture out together, my wife suggested offering these rings as a token of our gratitude.”

“I agreed as well. Compared to my wife and me, I believe you two are truly better suited to be the owners of these rings.”