Chapter 21: Lion’s Heart

"Let’s make a bet."

After Ephraim released her chin, his expression grew more serious.

Lydia wasn’t sure what kind of conversation she had expected, but this wasn’t it. That was the kind of face he rarely showed to others.

Raw and vulnerable.

Well, although Ephraim would never admit it out loud, Lydia could see it clearly. She always does.

"If I happen to betray you and choose to annul our engagement again, I will pay you one hundred billion Gold in damages and grant you lifelong access to my family’s domain."

Lydia.exe stopped.

Her mind went completely blank.

One hundred billion Gold and lifelong access to the Adelstein royal family’s domain. That meant she would have rights upon various mines, excavation sites, and the largest hunting ground in Ceras continent.

She stared at Ephraim as if she had suddenly discovered that the man standing in front of her was a completely different person.

"Are you being serious?!"

Lydia lunged at with sparkling eyes. They practically glittered like sapphires now. "Are you really Ephraim?"

To make sure she wasn’t dreaming, Lydia pinched Ephraim’s cheeks then grabbed the front of his clothes.

Yeah, everything was warm and real. He even winced when Lydia pinched his abs.

No, absolutely not because Lydia was gooning him. And hey! There was nothing wrong with touching your soon-to-be ex fiancé, wasn’t it?

It wasn’t like she ravaged or took his dignity. Just some reality check! A little parting gift won’t hurt anyone, will it?

"Can we annul it now, then?!"

Lydia practically beamed at him, her eagerness to get rid of her fiancé on full display. Who cared about romance when freedom was finally within reach?!

"My ultimate financial freedom!! My early retirement! My lifetime supply of financial security! No more poverty! No more working for my entire life! Ephraim, you have no idea how much I’ve dreamed of this day!"

The youngest Valendorf didn’t even bother to hide her joy. Lydia even held Ephraim’s hands and spun him gleefully.

Her Spirit Animal’s antlers and tail even popped out as Lydia bounced up and down with childlike wonder. Flower petals danced around them as her Guide power manifested, filling the air with a flurry of blossoms.

"I won’t be accepting any take-backs!!"

Lydia was too excited to notice the small flowerbeds blooming across the floor around them. Ephraim, however, couldn’t help noticing the soft grass sprouting beneath his feet.

His gaze dropped to the flowers spreading around his shoes.

Wonderful. His fiancée was so happy that she’d turned the floor into a garden. This was his very first time to see a Guide was capable of doing something like this.

How strange.

Somehow, the world seemed a little less dull whenever Lydia was around. There was something different about her lately.

Funny, even.

Something that Ephraim couldn’t quite put his finger on. Whatever it was, he found himself enjoying her company more than ever.

"Did you even listen?" He squinted at her.

"Huh?"

"I said, if I do, Lydia."

Her excitement disappeared almost instantly. She released Ephraim’s hands and pouted before sitting on the edge of her bed.

"Such a killjoy! I never knew you were capable of being so mean to me like this, Ephraim!"

"...You do realize you’re the one being mean to me right now, don’t you?"

This was beyond cruel. It was like placing a feast in front of someone who hadn’t eaten in a week, only to snatch it away just as they reached for their first bite.

His words made her flower petals scattered and faded away around the room. Even the little flowerbeds carpeting the floor began to wilt, their blossoms gradually disappearing along with Lydia’s excitement.

"But why? You’re so indecisive. One moment you wanted an annulment. The next moment, you changed your mind, Ephraim. And now you’re even baiting me with this kind of promise."

Lydia hugged a pillow to her chest as if she was trying to suppress the pain in her heart.

"I can’t believe anything you do now, Ephraim." Her voice grew quieter now. "Are you even serious... about us?"

"Shit."

The curse slipped out before Ephraim could stop it. He hadn’t expected her words to hit him quite so hard, but the tears gathering in her ocean-blue eyes made it painfully clear that he’d messed up. Badly.

Reaching for his silk handkerchief, Ephraim gently dabbed at the tears gathering in Lydia’s eyes.

His unexpected gesture caught Lydia so off guard that she barely reacted at first, but the pout on her lips soon deepened into a frown.

She was genuinely hurt, and Ephraim knew better than to brush it off with another teasing remark.

"You’re just toying with me." Lydia threw her pillow at Ephraim as another tear dropped from her eyes.

She tightened her fingers against the edge of the mattress.

"I won’t be surprised if you suddenly say this is a joke or something."

After a long moment of pause, Ephraim knelt in front of Lydia to get a better look at her tearful eyes. He pulled out a small device from his coat and tapped it.

It wasn’t like the usual devices used throughout the Empire. She recognized the meaning immediately.

A finely crafted golden lion insignia was engraved across its surface. The gold device belonged to the Crown Prince.

The moment Ephraim activated the device, golden light spread across its surface. His Resonance flowed into the mechanism, illuminating the golden lion insignia before a document materialized above it.

Lydia’s eyes widened at the Imperial Seal stamped at the top.

An ordinary document could be copied, and a seal could be forged. But this was different.

Ephraim had prepared the whole thing beforehand. He was really serious about this.

This wasn’t some casual promise he could take back whenever he pleased. Ephraim had every intention of honoring his word.

It was an agreement authenticated by the Crown Prince’s Resonance and recognized under the authority of the Imperial Family.

"A bet, you say?" Lydia’s gaze lingered on the document before lifting to meet Ephraim’s eyes, her fingers tightening around its edges.

"Ephraim, how can you call this a bet when you’ve gone so far as to ask the Emperor himself to approve it? You even put your father’s Imperial Seal on the line." Her voice softened as she met his eyes. "How could you possibly expect me to believe this is just a game to you?"

There was no way to call this a joke.

"You’re really serious, then."

"I did have a document prepared, Lydia." Ephraim raised an eyebrow.

"What else would you have me do? Swear on my life?"