When Lynn had changed into his formal attire and arrived at the manor entrance with Glaya, a luxurious and spacious four-wheeled carriage had already been stopped in the middle of the road.
From the thorny emblem carved on it, one could tell that this cariage must be that woman's exclusive ride.
"Two young masters, please get in. Her Highness has been waiting for a long time,"
the elderly housekeeper Kasha gestured calmly outside the carriage.
Seeing this, Glaya suddenly stopped in his tracks, as if struck by a sudden thought, "Hey, I suddenly have a stomach ache. Why don't you go ahead with Her Highness, and I'll follow later in another carriage?"
With that, he turned to leave.
Nonsense, he certainly didn't wish to share a room with that terrifying princess.
But how could Lynn let him have his way?
Having to share a carriage with that woman meant the risk of hypnosis causing who knows what mischief.
He grabbed Glaya by the neck in one swift motion, ignoring his struggles, and dragged him into the carriage.
From the outside, this carriage was already an overly extravagant model.
Yet, when Lynn stepped inside, he found that the space appeared to be four to five times larger than it looked from the outside.
It seems that some kind of space-folding Extraordinary Ability had been used.
At this moment, a tall woman dressed in a rose-colored fringe long dress was sitting idle beside the window, resting her chin in her hands, boredly watching the street scenes.
Tonight, she had taken off the black patterned mask and wore a butterfly-style half-face mask instead, exposing her snow-white chin and crystalline red lips, looking both sexy and enchanting.
Upon hearing the commotion, Princess Ivyst turned her head to look at the two who had entered.
Her gaze first landed on Lynn.
At a glance, one could see the already exceptionally handsome black-haired youth, now dressed in an opulent and exquisite buttoned-up formal attire with white lace lining, giving him a look of pride and elegance.
Princess Ivyst was very satisfied with her own taste.
"Not bad at all, looking quite presentable,"
she commented indifferently, after her gaze lingered on him for seven or eight seconds.
After all, the formal wear was personally chosen by her.
In fact, according to the original procedure, the tailor should have come to provide sample garments for one to choose the preferred style.
But Princess Ivyst found it tedious, and coupled with her control desires, she didn't think to ask for Lynn's opinion and casually chose something she liked.
"You look very beautiful tonight as well, Your Highness,"
Lynn said with a look of admiration as he performed a courtesy, under Glaya's horrified gaze.
Upon hearing this, Princess Ivyst let out a cold smile, "You're quite bold."
But in the end, she didn't issue any substantial punishment.
Perhaps it was because there was a third wheel nearby.
After their brief exchange, Princess Ivyst glanced subtly at Glaya, frowned slightly, and then shifted her gaze away again.
The princess just now found me an eyesore, didn't she?
Glaya's legs went weak; he found a corner like a quail and bowed his head low.
Like a schoolboy who had done something wrong, he didn't even dare to take a deep breath.
All he hoped was that Her Royal Highness would not focus her attention on him during the journey.
Of course, as it turned out, he was worried over nothing.
Lynn chose a seat opposite her and sat down.
Then the carriage door slowly closed, and the carriage began to move smoothly.
Princess Ivyst, resting her chin on her hand, turned to Lynn, "What are your thoughts about tonight's banquet?"
"If Your Highness wishes to get closer to the Tierus family, simply cater to their desires," Lynn pondered for a moment, "They want money, so giving them money should suffice, right?"
Princess Ivyst huffed lightly, "If it were that simple, why would I bother asking you?"
"To satisfy the three major armies under Duke Tierus with money, even my financially potent brother would find it a strain."
"A rough estimate, just the initial sum would be at least five hundred thousand Gold Coins," Princess Ivyst said blandly, "Moreover, is an alliance formed on purely monetary interests truly solid?"
In other words, there's a lack of funds.
Lynn criticized internally, but his face remained expressionless.
After a pause, as if struck by sudden inspiration, Lynn exclaimed, "Hey, Your Highness, I have an idea!"
Seeing his eager attitude to advise, Princess Ivyst's expression relaxed slightly, and she nodded for him to continue.
"The blood volume of a healthy adult male is roughly 8% of his body weight, which amounts to about eighty thousand drops," Lynn's eyes shone brightly, "And according to my previous tally, there are over five thousand clergy in Orn City from the Heavenly Principle Church alone. If we were to capture all of them and throw them into the greed magic box's containment chamber, that would probably..."
"Okay, stop, don't say any more."
Princess Ivyst's eyes flashed with a hint of headache as she held her forehead and spoke.
Like a quail huddled in a corner, Glaya was sweating bullets.
This must be the grim reaper incarnate!
Compared to Lynn, it seemed the dread-inducing Princess had suddenly become the embodiment of kindness and compassion.
"I've also considered this idea before, trading death row inmates for some Gold Coins," contemplated Princess Ivyst before shaking her head, "but the greed magic box isn't as simple as you think."
"As the amount of blood it absorbs increases, the ancient entity sealed within will gradually awaken... In short, it will become quite troublesome."
So she had considered this already?!
Glaya immediately decided to retract her previous thought.
Once again, the atmosphere fell into silence.
And so, they traveled without a word.
Ten minutes later, the carriage slowly pulled up to a spacious street and the carriage door opened.
At this moment, the night had fallen, and the streetlights just began to illuminate.
What came into view was a noble mansion that wasn't overly luxurious.
It was vast in area, but unlike the nouveau riche in Orn City, it exuded restraint and understated elegance.
However, at this very moment, the road was blocked with various carriages parked alongside it, making the spacious street impassable.
One after another, lavishly dressed nobles entered Tierus Manor, flanked by their servants, shining brightly.
"Let's go," stood up Princess Ivyst, "Also, I am attending the banquet in disguise this time, so be mindful of your behavior."
Dressed in a red gown, she carried herself with regal poise, like a queen attending a grand event.
Since very few people knew of her presence in Orn City, even with a mask, it was hard for others to associate her with the infamous Third Imperial Princess.
Under Glaya's gaze, he pulled a beak-nosed crow mask out of his pocket.
Glaya asked in surprise, quietly.
Hearing her question, Lynn responded seriously and loudly, "If I don't wear it, wouldn't Princess be the only one wearing a mask? I think, at the very least, I should help share the burden of those odd stares directed at her."
"And you too, as a subordinate, you lack such awareness!"
Saying this, he swiftly put on the crow mask.
Glaya was stunned, as if she comprehended the perils of the human heart for the first time.
Holy shit, is this directed at me?
She looked around but found nothing suitable to cover her face, her complexion darkened, and she resigned herself.
At the same time, she seethed with resentment.
Damn it, this guy really knows how to brown-nose.
No wonder Princess favors him so much.
Upon hearing Lynn's words, Princess Ivyst, who walked ahead, paused momentarily, a fleeting smile crossing her lips.
"Bishop, about the banquet later..."
Somewhere around the corner, a question came from within a discreet carriage.
"Yes, I know," the middle-aged man known as the bishop responded indifferently, "We, the local forces led by the Heavenly Principle Church, will probably face questioning from Tierus, but this is within our expectations."
"If he knows his place, he'd better accept our olive branch. Then he might be able to leave with a sum of money. Otherwise, he shouldn't think of getting even a penny."
His subordinate seemed puzzled by the response, "But he is a Duke after all, and he commands an army..."
"Not just him, there are other Dukes in the Saint Laurent Empire with real power," the middle-aged man said with a cold smile, "Moreover, the politics of the border cities are very complex, and having been appointed as Governor for less than a year, he wouldn't want to get involved."
"Otherwise, why do you think he hasn't used the military to impose taxes by force?"
"I see... Wait, Bishop, who is that?"
The subordinate caught a glimpse of someone outside the window.
Hearing this, the Bishop of Orn City's church district, Moselle, looked up.
"That person... is the rumored Third Imperial Princess Ivyst? Is she also attending this banquet?" Moselle frowned, "But I didn't see her name on the guest list."
"She must have come in disguise."
His subordinate guessed.
Upon hearing this, Moselle appeared contemplative.
After a long silence, a hint of coldness flickered in his eyes.
"What do you think, if someone were to accidentally reveal the identity of that 'Evil Princess' during the banquet, wouldn't it make the scene quite interesting?"