Chapter 463: Living Together...?

Elira stared at Scarlett for a long while...

Her gaze turned to Gray before looking back at Scarlett, as if waiting for one of them to burst out laughing and admit the entire thing was an elaborate joke.

Neither of them did.

"Wait..."

She raised one hand, her expression growing increasingly bewildered.

"Wait, wait, wait! You’re telling me that you, Scarlett of the Crimson Moon Royal Family, the princess who once refused to let a visiting duke sit beside you because you thought his perfume was annoying, are living under the same roof as an Incubus?"

Scarlett’s eyes narrowed.

"Do you intend to repeat everything I say, or are you capable of forming an original thought?"

"Don’t change the subject!" Elira practically shouted.

"You live together? In the same house? You wake up in the same place? You eat together? You see each other every day?"

"Your ability to ask questions is impressive," Scarlett replied coldly. "Though, your ability to understand answers is considerably less impressive."

"SCARLETT!"

Several nobles who had been preparing to leave stopped in their tracks.

One of them slowly turned around, apparently deciding that watching two royal princesses argue was more entertaining than returning home.

Another nudged his companion, and within seconds, a small crowd had gathered nearby under the increasingly obvious excuse of waiting for their carriages.

Gray looked at them, then at the two women standing on either side of him.

’Wonderful. I’ve become the main attraction again.’

He slipped his hands into his pockets and considered whether he could leave without either princess noticing.

Unfortunately, Elira was far too occupied with Scarlett’s living arrangements to ignore him for long.

She suddenly grabbed Gray by the sleeve and pulled him half a step toward her.

"Tell me the truth. How did you do it?"

Gray looked down at her hand.

"Do what?"

"Get her to trust you!"

Scarlett’s expression immediately darkened.

"I do not trust him."

Elira turned toward her so quickly that her silver hair swept across her shoulder.

"Then why are you living together?"

"Because I allowed him to stay at my residence. That is not the same as trusting him."

"But you allowed him into your residence!"

"And?"

"And you’re Scarlett!"

For the first time since the argument began, Scarlett looked genuinely confused.

Elira threw both hands into the air.

"Do I have to explain everything to you? You rejected the sons of three royal families because you suspected they wanted to use your name to advance their positions. You sent a noble heir home because he tried to give you flowers without asking your permission. You threatened to have a merchant banned from the Crimson Moon territories because he called you adorable!"

"He was being disrespectful."

"He called you adorable!"

"Exactly."

Gray lowered his head, hiding his smile behind one hand.

This was becoming much more entertaining than he had expected.

Elira turned back to him, her violet eyes shining with curiosity.

"And you somehow managed to get past all of that? What did you say to her? Did you save her life? Did you defeat one of her enemies? Did you offer her some rare treasure? Wait, don’t tell me you possess some kind of ancient Incubus technique that lets you charm royal bloodlines!"

"Would you believe me if I said I was simply charming?" Gray tilted his head thoughtfully.

"No!"

"Then I suppose I shouldn’t tell you."

"Ahh!?" Elira gasped.

"You do have a secret!"

"I have several."

"Gray," Scarlett interrupted, her voice carrying a clear warning.

He turned toward her with an innocent expression.

"What? I haven’t told her anything."

"Your face is telling her enough."

"Is my face really so talkative?"

"Unfortunately."

Elira looked between them, and her expression slowly transformed from shock into something far more dangerous.

Interest.

Not the passing curiosity of a noble who had encountered an unusual person at an auction, but the intense fascination of someone who had found a locked chest and become determined to discover what was inside.

She let go of Gray’s sleeve and stepped directly in front of him.

"All right, I’ve decided."

Gray raised an eyebrow.

"Decided what?"

"I’m going to figure you out."

"That sounds exhausting. You should reconsider."

"I refuse. I’ve known Scarlett for years, and I’ve never seen her willingly keep someone close for this long, especially someone she met only recently. There must be a reason, and I intend to find it."

Scarlett folded her arms.

"Perhaps the reason is that you have too much free time."

"Perhaps the reason is that you’re hiding something!"

"I have never hidden the fact that I dislike you."

"See? This is exactly what I mean!" Elira turned toward Gray again.

"How do you tolerate her? She’s always like this, isn’t she? Cold, arrogant, impatient, and completely convinced the world should arrange itself according to her preferences."

Gray considered the question with exaggerated seriousness.

"Well, she does provide a place to sleep, the food is good, and the servants are surprisingly polite. It would be difficult to complain about the arrangement."

Scarlett stared at him.

"You forgot to mention that I am standing right here."

"I noticed. You’re rather difficult to miss."

"And you seem remarkably comfortable discussing my household as if you own half of it."

"I wouldn’t dare. Half would be an unreasonable amount to claim without negotiating first."

Elira clapped a hand over her mouth.

A startled laugh escaped her before she managed to stop it.

"You’re unbelievable!"

Scarlett’s eyes narrowed further.

"Do not encourage him."

"I’m not encouraging him! I’m trying to understand how he hasn’t been thrown out of your house yet!"

"Believe me, the thought has crossed my mind."

"And yet he’s still there!"

"Do you want me to throw him out now?"

Elira immediately looked at Gray.

"See? This is why I try to be polite to my host." Gray gave her a sympathetic smile.

"You were teasing me in the infirmary yesterday," Scarlett said.

"That was a private conversation."

"Your definition of private is becoming suspiciously convenient."

Elira’s head snapped toward him.

"The infirmary? You were in the infirmary together?"

Gray closed his eyes for a moment.

’Of course she heard the one detail I didn’t need her to hear.’

Scarlett looked ready to regret every decision she had made since leaving the auction house.

"He was injured during the entrance examination," she explained calmly.

"I brought him to the infirmary because he collapsed in the arena. There is nothing more to it."

Elira stared at her.

"You personally brought him?"

"I was present."

"You carried him?"

"He was unconscious."

"You stayed with him?"

Scarlett’s expression became dangerously cold.

"Elira, I strongly suggest you stop asking questions before I begin answering them in ways you will regret."

For a moment, Elira looked as if she might obey. Then she leaned closer to Gray and whispered loudly enough for Scarlett to hear every word.

"She definitely cares about you."

"I heard that," Scarlett said.

"I know!"

"Then why are you whispering?"

"Because it makes the conversation more exciting!"

"Pftt.... keke, pwahahha~" Gray finally laughed, unable to hold it back any longer.

Scarlett turned toward him, and her gaze promised a very unpleasant conversation once they were alone.

He raised both hands in surrender.

"Don’t look at me like that. I haven’t done anything."

"You have done nothing but make this worse since we left the auction."

"That’s a little unfair. I also bought a few things."

"You bought one item and somehow convinced two princesses to spend the evening arguing over you."

Elira immediately straightened.

"Wait, what?"

Gray’s smile faltered slightly.

Scarlett looked at Elira.

"You heard me."

Elira slowly turned toward Gray, her eyes widening as the pieces began falling into place.

"Hold on. Is that why you were standing between us all evening? Every time I offered you something, Scarlett offered something better. When I asked whether you wanted to visit my family’s collection, she suddenly remembered that her residence had its own collection. When I mentioned the auction’s private vault, she started talking about the treasures her family kept at home!"

Scarlett’s face remained composed, but a tiny twitch appeared near her eyebrow.

"Coincidence."

"Coincidence? You told him your family possessed a seventh-grade cultivation chamber!"

"Because we do."

"And then I offered him access to our family’s spirit spring, and you immediately offered him access to your private training grounds!"

"Which are better."

"That isn’t the point!"

Gray watched Elira’s growing outrage with quiet admiration.

’She’s much quicker than she looks.’

He had not planned every detail of the evening, but once the two princesses began competing, refusing the benefits would have been foolish.

He had simply allowed each of them to believe the other was offering something worth surpassing.

And now, after one auction, he had gained promises of resources from two royal families without making a single formal request.

Not bad for an evening’s work.

Of course, he had no intention of explaining any of that.

Instead, he gave Elira a mildly embarrassed look.

"I apologize if my presence caused a misunderstanding. I wasn’t trying to make either of you uncomfortable. I thought you were both being generous, and I didn’t see a reason to refuse your kindness."

Elira stared at him and slowly pressed a hand against her chest.

"Oh, that’s awful."

"I’m sorry?" Gray blinked innocently.

"You look so sincere when you say things like that!" she exclaimed.

"How am I supposed to tell when you’re being honest? You could probably convince someone to hand over their family treasury while apologizing for inconveniencing them!"

Scarlett gave a quiet, humorless laugh.

"Now you’re beginning to understand."

"Don’t sound so pleased! You’re the one who fell for it too!"

"I did not fall for anything."

"Then why are you taking him home?"

"Because we live together!"

The words came out before Scarlett seemed to realize how they sounded.

Silence descended.

Elira’s mouth fell open.

A nearby noble dropped his fan.

Gray slowly turned his head toward Scarlett.

She stared straight ahead, her cheeks growing faintly pink beneath her otherwise controlled expression.

"...That was a poor choice of words," she said.

Elira inhaled so sharply that Gray briefly wondered whether she was about to summon her guards.

"YOU SAID IT AGAIN!"

"Elira."

"You said you live together, and now you said you’re taking him home because you live together! Scarlett, do you have any idea how this sounds?"

"Yes. Unfortunately, I am becoming painfully aware."

"Then explain it!"

"I am not required to explain my private arrangements to you."

"Fine!" Elira spun toward Gray, her expression suddenly full of determination.

"Then I’ll ask him instead. Gray, would you like to visit my family’s residence tomorrow? We have a private library, several cultivation chambers, and a collection of rare materials that you would probably find interesting. I could arrange access to all of them, and we could have dinner together while you tell me how you met Scarlett."

Scarlett immediately stepped closer to Gray.

"He already has plans tomorrow."

"I do?" Gray glanced at Scarlett in complete confusion.

"You do now."

Elira’s eyes widened again.

"You can’t simply decide his schedule for him!"

"I can when the schedule involves my residence."

"Then I’ll invite him to mine!"

"That is precisely what I just heard you do."

"Good! Then we’re agreed."

"No, we are not."

Elira ignored her and turned to Gray, offering him the brightest smile he had seen from her all evening.

"So, what do you say? You can come in the afternoon, and I’ll personally show you the collection. I promise I won’t interrogate you the entire time."

Gray studied her face.

She lasted about two seconds before adding, "Well, perhaps I’ll ask a few questions, but only the interesting ones."

Scarlett caught his sleeve before he could answer.

"He is returning with me."

Elira looked at the hand gripping his sleeve, then slowly lifted her gaze to Scarlett’s face.

A knowing smile spread across her lips.

"Oooh..."

Scarlett’s expression hardened.

"Do not."

"I haven’t said anything."

"Your face has."

Elira leaned slightly toward Gray.

"She really does care about you."

Scarlett’s fingers tightened around his sleeve.

"One more word, Elira, and I will personally escort you to the city gates."

Elira laughed, apparently deciding that the threat was worth the risk.

"Fine, fine. I’ll stop. For now." She stepped back, then pointed at Gray with an expression of absolute conviction.

"But I’m not giving up on you. I want to know what makes you so interesting, and sooner or later, you’re going to tell me."

Gray smiled politely.

"I look forward to the interrogation."

"You’d better!"

She turned to leave, then stopped and looked over her shoulder.

"Oh, and Gray? If Scarlett tries to convince you that she doesn’t care about you, don’t believe her. She’s been doing that for years, and she’s terrible at it."

"ELIRA!"

Elira burst into laughter and hurried toward the waiting carriage before Scarlett could make good on her threat.

Gray watched her go, and slowly turned toward the princess beside him.

Scarlett was still gripping his sleeve.

He glanced down at her hand.

She released him immediately.

"Don’t say anything."

"I wasn’t going to."

"You were smiling."

"I smile often."

"Not like that."

Gray tilted his head.

"Then perhaps you should tell me what this particular smile means."

Scarlett stared at him for several seconds before turning toward the carriage waiting for them.

"It means you’re going to be unbearable on the journey home."

Gray followed her with the same faint smile.