Chapter 14: Salina's Suspicion

"Your fiancée?"

Edwin was genuinely surprised by Ravus' words. Amber had never told him she was engaged. Of course, Edwin also never asked any questions about it. After all, it was none of his business. 

But now, when Ravus told him that Amber was his fiancée, he felt a little annoying tightness in his chest. He was a little taken aback by this strange feeling, but he didn't show it outside.

"So, you are Amber's fiancé. You better treat her well in the future, Ravus. Even though I haven't known Amber for very long, she's a really good-hearted woman and deserves to be loved." Edwin expressed his sincere wishes.

Ravus looked at Edwin for a moment without saying anything. Then he started to speak resolutely.

"Thank you, Edwin. You can be sure that I will treat her well."

For some reason, when Edwin heard these words, he felt as if Ravus was speaking genuinely for the first time.

"Ahh, by the way..." Ravus suddenly looked shy, scratching his hair with his right hand. "I said Amber is my fiancée, but nothing is official yet." 

Then he puffed out his chest and continued with a determined expression. "Actually, I came here with my parents' approval. I was going to ask for Lady Salina's consent to be officially engaged to Amber."

"Ohh, so that's it! Then I hope things work out in the best way for both of you." Edwin nodded to Ravus.

"Thank you, Edwin." After his words, Ravus pulled a pocket watch from his pants. "Hmm... It's getting a bit late, so I'm going to go to my room now. It was a pleasure to meet you, Edwin. I hope to see you in the morning, good night."

"The pleasure is all mine, Ravus, good night." Edwin replied with a faint smile.

After the two young men said good night to each other, Edwin closed his door and Ravus went to his room. After closing it, Edwin remained where he was for a while, staring at the closed door with a thoughtful expression. 

He had sensed something was wrong in the conversation just now, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Unable to figure it out, Edwin decided not to think about it any further. He walked away from the door and slowly made his way to the balcony.

Once on the balcony, he started to watch the view as he did in front of the window. Edwin couldn't shake off the strange suffocating feeling, but the cool evening air that hitting his face was bringing some relief. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the chilly breeze ruffling his long, slightly wavy hair.

While Edwin was busy relaxing on the balcony, Ravus entered his room a little away from Edwin's and closed the door behind him. With slow steps he went to one of the armchairs in the room and sat down, then crossed his legs.

The expression on Ravus's face was completely different from the one he had just worn with Edwin. He had an unhappy frown on his face, with his eyes slightly squinted, as if he was thinking about something and his friendly face was completely gone.

"Edwin, huhh... You mysteriously appear out of nowhere and become Amber's friend. How interesting..." 

These words came out of his mouth in a calm voice. He picked up a glass from the table next to him, then brought it to his mouth and took a sip of the wine in it.

As he sipped his wine, the bracelet on his arm glowed with a faint light and a adult male voice sounded from it.

"Lord Ravus, I have some information about the mysterious man who came with Lady Amber. From what I have learned, his name is Edwin. It seems that when Lady Amber and her soldiers were ambushed by corrupted wyverns, he appeared out of nowhere and helped them. After that, they traveled all the way here together. And... It may sound strange, but the people I spoke with, especially the female soldiers, said he was unbelievably handsome." The man speaking through the bracelet in a serious voice hesitated a little at the end.

While listening to these words, Ravus leaned back in his chair and continued to sip the wine in his hand. When the person whose voice could be heard through the bracelet had finished, he spoke calmly in a stern voice.

"You have done well, Cedric. There is no need for you to investigate any further and draw attention to yourself. Wait in your room until my next order."

"Yes, Lord Ravus!" Cedric said in a respectful voice.

The glow from the bracelet faded and the room fell silent once more. Ravus was looking at the half-full glass in his hand with a calm expression. It was clear that he was in deep thought. 

Finally, he put the goblet down on the table next to him and folded his arms across his chest.

'Tomorrow I should talk to Lady Salina about betrothing Amber to me. I was thinking of doing it after I have improved my relationship with Amber, but that is likely to take a long time. Besides, if I don't make a move, my lie might be exposed.'

After his thoughts, he sighed with a bored expression.

"Haaa, really... Where did this guy come from all of a sudden. "

He balled his hands into fists and a dark blue light began to shine in his eyes. Crackling sounds started to come from his seat as the air around him became increasingly stifling. His overwhelming emotions had caused him to lose control of his power a little.

"I will not give Amber to anyone, no matter what or who they are!" Ravus's deep voice sounded frightening combined with anger. then all of a sudden the anger in his voice subsided and he continued calmly. There was a small yearning smile on his face and a look of deep tenderness in his eyes.

"Amber... My dear Amber... You don't have to worry. I won't let this man cloud your mind."

There was no logic in his words and he began to mutter madly to himself. In the room without lights, the silhouette of Ravus, illuminated by the moonlight, looked really scary.

...

Amber had just finished telling her mother about her trip while Edwin and Ravus met and chatted. Listening to what had happened, Salina frowned and spoke sternly to Aveline beside her.

"Aveline, when you leave the room, go and tell Julia to severely punish the soldiers who gave this inaccurate report."

"Yes, Lady Salina," Aveline said in an indifferent voice and nodded.

Turning towards her daughter after her statement, Salina squinted her eyes slightly and stared at her.

"What is it mom?" Amber asked, tilting her head slightly to the side in a cute way. She was acting relaxed because there were no strangers around.

"Amber, you seem very attracted to this young man named Edwin." There was suspicion in her voice.

"I-I..." Amber was about to try to find a suitable excuse but when she saw the look in her mother's eyes, she gave up. She let out a breath and continued, her cheeks a little flushed with embarrassment. "Yes mom, he is really a wonderful person! The more I know him, more I realize how kind, strong and genuinely good-intentioned he is!" She lowered her head a little and murmured in a small voice. "A-And he is also very handsome."

A look of disbelief slowly spread across Salina's serious face. She was really surprised that her stubborn daughter, whom she had raised, was behaving like this. 

However, this young man who appeared out of nowhere really seemed suspicious to her and the fact that he was hiding his face made the situation more questionable. Realizing something, Salina asked curiously.

"Amber, why didn't you tell me this young man's last name?"

"... I-I don't know as I n-never asked him." Amber was a little embarrassed when she realized that she had forgotten that because she had been so preoccupied with Edwin's handsome face.

"Really... where's your head, young lady?" Salina scolded Amber.

"..."

"And does this young man realize that you are interested in him?"

At her mother's question, Amber shyly began to play with her fingers.

"... N-Not yet... W-We just became friends. I-I don't want to be hasty." 

At these words the two mature women looked at Amber with vacant eyes. This impatient, straightforward girl was now squirming bashfully in front of them, saying that she didn't want to be hasty. Utter nonsense!

"Haaa... Whatever, now listen carefully Amber! I have nothing against you being fond of this young man called Edwin. And it doesn't matter if he is noble or not, as long as you like him. But I find it a bit strange that he showed up just when you were in a difficult situation." Salina spoke in an authoritative voice.

"Mother! Please don't talk about Edwin like that! I have already confirmed that he is not a bad person!" Amber immediately tried to defend Edwin.

"I understand, Amber. But sometimes there is more to people's intentions than meets the eye. If he's pretending to be nice to you and also-

"Mom! Edwin is really not the kind of person who would do such things! And besides, he's dedicated to serving a goddess, how could he think such evil thoughts!"

"..."

Seeing her daughter's stubborn behavior, Salina's eyebrow twitched. She realized that Amber was a lost cause. As the head of the family, she really had to deal with a lot of people. So she understood how the social order worked better than her adventurous daughter. Salina knew that bribery, corruption and other vices could be found in everyone, from the nobles to the priests.

In the vast and complex terrain of the Ancient Black Forest, it was highly unlikely that a warrior sent by the goddess would appear to help her daughter in her most difficult moments. It was only natural for her to be skeptical.

But when it came to Edwin, Amber refused to listen to her mother's warnings. This put Salina, who was worried about her daughter, in a really difficult position.

"Lady Amber your mother is only worried about your well-being." Aveline joined the conversation with her apathetic voice.

"I-I know, it's just..."

Seeing Amber's troubled state, Salina looked at her daughter with a motherly smile.

"Don't worry Amber, I trust you." She turned her head to the clock hanging on the wall. "It's a little late so go to your room and rest. Tomorrow we will meet your friend Edwin, anyway."

Seeing her mother's expression, Amber was relieved. Hearing anything bad about Edwin, even a speculative remark, made her extremely uncomfortable. But she didn't find it strange, almost as if this was the way it was supposed to be.

Salina thought of something and began to speak.

"By the way, Lord Kaldor's son has come to visit you again and is staying in the guest quarters. You should say hello to him."

Amber frowned when she heard this. "Ravus? He came here from the capital again? How persistent..."

"Amber, Ravus is your childhood friend and a really nice kid. If you are serious about Edwin, you should talk to Ravus and tell him not to get his hopes up." she continued, narrowing her eyes slightly. "And remember to be polite when you do it."

Amber rolled her eyes. "I know, I know... Don't worry mom, I'll explain the situation to him. Anyway, I'm leaving!" 

Without waiting for an answer, she turned around and went to the door. After opening the door, she looked back.

"Good night, mom!" She then continued with a mischievous smile. "Good night to you too, Aunt Aveline!" After saying these words, she quickly ran out and closed the door behind her. Hearing these words, Aveline's eye twitched a little.

"Haaaa... What am I going to do with this girl? I think I spoiled her a little too much." 

Aveline nodded expressionlessly in agreement. "I totally agree, a good spanking might be nice once in a while."

Salina ignored her words and folded her arms under her huge breasts, lost in thought. After a while she turned her head to Aveline. There was a serious expression on her face.

"Aveline, after everyone is asleep, go to this young man's room and bring him here with the excuse that I wanted to thank him." A suffocating aura began to spread around Salina and a dangerous smile formed on her face. "I want to talk to him alone, see if he really has as good intentions as Amber says."