60 CHAPTER 60- One on One Talks

Ray decided he would give the Duke his blood after the meeting was over and signaled Ambrosia to transfer the barrier over to him and the Eastern Duke.

The old man was adept at talking and negotiating.

To him Ray wouldn't act overbearing; otherwise he would just become cautious and hide himself more.

He needed to appear shameless and only caring about his own image.

If he did that, the Duke would think he wouldn't interfere with the East.

"Duke Dray Hadwyn… I thought you would bring your son to spar with me… seems like I couldn't see him before?"

Ray spoke as he half-opened his eyes and smiled.

Dray again started cursing internally.

'There! There's that smile again! That is definitely trouble!'

But he had to play calm and spoke with a composed face.

"Your Majesty, my son was too scared to spar with you. He is just not worthy and when I …"

"This won't do."

Dray's smile froze and he looked up at Ray.

'What does that mean?'

"I thought this was your compensation for wasting my time earlier. But it seems like you don't care about my face at all."

Ray's smile didn't change but the look in his eyes grew sharper as he looked at Dray who suddenly felt threatened.

"Your majesty… I will-"

"You will follow the other form of compensation. Your son will conduct his marriage in the events hall of the palace. And I will decide the time."

Dray knew Ray was eager to show goodwill and kindness to people by lending the palace's events hall to the Duke's son, but he still felt something was not right. His intuition skill kept tingling every time he talked with Ray.

"You see, it's no longer the prince talking to you, but the king."

'So basically he's ordering me to obey him…'

Dray didn't like following orders but he had to do it in order to survive peacefully.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I'll follow your orders. My son will get married on the day you suggest in the venue you choose."

Ray was satisfies by this reply.

It was at this very marriage that he would bring this old man to his end. He didn't want to keep him alive but torture him before he killed him. Then he would use his son to control the East.

And once again he signaled Ambrosia and she transferred the barrier to the south Duke and his wife.

Honestly, Ray liked both of them. They were the only people who were so high up in the noble ranking and still remained complete free of corruption or deceit.

They managed their territory fairly, didn't discriminate, helped people and had lowered taxes whenever the season was bad for the commoners.

Barion Krones and Tserina Krones were childhood friends who married each other as soon as they both turned adults.

And then it was a natural ascension as a Duke when his father handed over his seat and went out to adventure.

As the barrier formed around them, Ray couldn't even open his mouth before Barion opened his mouth.

"I congratulate Your Majesty on finally ascending the throne successfully."

Tserina chimed in and congratulated him as well.

They looked even happier than him because he got the crown.

"I thank you for protecting the people back there as well. Your swordsmanship is excellent."

Barion laughed as he looked to the side at Tserina who then spoke for her husband.

"It was our combined creation. When we were children, we started learning swordsmanship together and made it."

Ray nodded his head. He already knew this. It was a special swordsmanship including two people. The better they knew each other and had synergy, the more it was strong.

For Ray however it was useless. He always fought alone, and even if he did bring someone else he would never fully trust them.

Suddenly Tserina poked Barion with her elbow and he suddenly remembered something.

"Ah yes, your majesty we brought something for you."

As Ray looked at him and tilted his head, he brought a box out of his spatial ring and placed in on the table.

Ray looked at it and appraised the thing.

[Eternal Snow Flower Nectar]

As soon as he read this, Ray's eyed shone.

He knew what it was. It was the best material for enchanting ice type artifacts or weapons.

Enchanting was itself a method of carving runes, or synthesizing special items with weapons or artifacts to increase its strength.

The Southern territory of the empire was covered in snow most of the time and the snow flower was a rare flower that grew every ten year or so.

The eternal snow flower however was the first snow flower that existed.

It never dies and no one knew how long it was there for.

Its nectar was so rare that just the amount that Ray had received would take hundred years to replenish.

Ray wondered what would happen if he used it on his hero's sword.

"I accept it. However, you must ask something in return."

Ray didn't want to refuse their goodwill, but he liked these people and he would definitely try to help then if he could.

'The more people on my side the better after all…'

Immediately both of them shook their head and Barion spoke again.

"Your majesty, we already asked you for something, this was just to repay that."

Tserina nodded and spoke the moment Barion finished.

"Yes, we are soon going to have a child. It would be enough if your majesty could spare some time to attend the ceremony and name the child."

Ray nodded his head.

He had already agreed to it during the banquet.

He had never seen their child even though he had promised to name it once before already.

In his second life they died while helping him during the coronation ceremony and in his third life, as he killed without caring, he didn't have good relation with these two and they apparently had some conflict with someone in the palace and got killed.

'This time it will be different.'

"All right. I don't go back on promises."

"Thank you, your majesty."

And finally when he instructed Ambrosia once again, he honestly didn't know what to expect.

As the barrier transferred to another person he was seriously thinking what he should talk with her.

With the barrier established, Valindra Tiafel looked at Ray without any expression.

'Should I just appraise her? Should I tread careful?'

His initial plan was to just stay indifferent to her, but she had suddenly started moving erratically.

She was looking at him strangely from time to time and she suddenly took action in the hall which she had never done before.

But Ray couldn't speak before Valindra broke the silence.

"How did you hear about the three?"

Ray expected this. No respectful speech when there was no one to hear, no hint of fear, straight to the point and exactly the thing Ray thought she would ask.

He had used the name of 'the three' to divert the suspicion and attention of the association's vice-leader but he knew if he used that name, this woman would get notified.

'She even tried to appraise me from a long distance.'

Ray was thinking how he should break down the reason of his knowledge.

'Should I just tell her? Should I appear naive?'

Out of the two obvious choices, Ray chose the third.

'I'll be so vague even I won't understand what I'm saying!'

And he did exactly what he thought.

"The same way you did."

"How did you know about them?"

"I thought it was all a mess. But when I looked deeper I learned of them."

"Why did you use their name?"

"Because I wanted to."

With every answer Valindra felt her interest growing while Ray was trying to think of even better lines to confuse her.

However he suddenly received a message from Lust System.

[Lust System: Can you… use your love sight on her?]

Ray was confused by the question but complied and used the skill.

However the window that appeared shocked him.

[Target: Valindra Tiafel

Relationship: None

Love: 0%

Interest: 99%

Innate Traits: ???

Fetishes: ???

Likes: ???

Dislikes: ???

Condition: Normal

Special Condition: Interested in an individual

Titles: Eastern Duchess of the Celestial Empire, ???]

This was the weirdest window he had seen.

He could understand that the rank of the skill was not assess her soul but when he looked at the love being stuck at 0% but the interest being progressed at 99%, he didn't know what to make of it.

And then Valindra asked another question which would have made no sense to anyone other than Ray.

"Which of the three do you think is correct?"

Ray who heard this question made a guess.

'Probably her love stat would grow if I increase her interest to 100%?'

However this was the first thing that Ray would guess wrong.

He knew what to say to increase her interest in him.

"Which of the three? Of course it's… you."

The look in Valindra's eyes changed as she slightly enlarged them.

[Interest has reached 100%]

'Alright now…'

But suddenly another message interrupted him.

[Interest will slowly start to change into Obsession.]

Immediately after reading it he looked back at Valindra to see her eyes glowing as she looked at him.

That expressionless face appeared a lot more filled with emotions to him.

[Lust System: Are you thinking what I am?]

Ray knew he would soon be busier than he wanted to.

'Yes… its one of those cases.'