Chapter 151: An Unexpected Twist
A short while later, while Ethan and the members of his house were about to leave, Bettie spotted him and went on to approach.
"Hey Ethan" she called out
He then excused himself from Isabella and the others who then proceeded without him.
"Hey," he said as she approached.
There was a pause, then she began, "I gave a thought about it. And I appreciate it, really. But I’m going to have to say no to the guild offer"
Ethan nodded slowly, not looking surprised but waiting for her to explain.
Bettie continued, "The past few days have made me realize something. I’m not cut out for the risk to life and all that comes with guild participation. I want a quiet life. I want to be a tutor, help students learn magic theory and spellwork without having to worry about breach zones or assassination attempts or any of that."
She paused, then added, "I know that probably sounds boring compared to what you’re doing, but it’s what I want."
Ethan shook his head. "It doesn’t sound boring at all. It sounds like you know what you want, and there’s nothing wrong with that."
Bettie’s expression softened with relief. "Thank you for understanding."
Then her face shifted again, becoming more apologetic. "I also wanted to say sorry for how the day ended at your house. The last time I was there."
Ethan wanted to speak, but Bettie raised one hand to stop him.
"I wasn’t angry at you," she said. "I was angry at myself for being used like that."
Ethan looked puzzled. "Why? It wasn’t your fault. That person looked exactly like me, there’s no way you could have known."
Bettie shook her head. "It’s not that. It’s because over time, we became actual friends. And that day, I thought I was following my friend into the car."
She paused for a second. "And when I woke up and realized what had happened, I felt like an idiot for not being more careful."
Ethan’s sighed. "Bettie, you’re not an idiot. You trusted someone you had every reason to trust."
Bettie smiled again. "I know that now. I’ve stopped being angry at myself."
She looked at him with warmth in her eyes. "And I do love being friends with you. I hope that doesn’t change just because I’m not joining your guild."
Ethan smiled back at her. "Oh of course not."
Bettie nodded and after a moment she said, "I should get going."
"Yeah, me too" Ethan said, and with that, they moved parted to those waiting on them.
—
Later That Night
Ethan sat on one of the couches in the living room, reviewing documents from Stark Industries. The papers were spread across the table in front of him, detailing production schedules, material costs, and projected timelines for the new aircraft designs.
Rue was standing nearby, close enough that he could hear her. Her two black cats with red eyes were sitting beside her feet, watching Ethan with the same unblinking stare their mistress often wore.
The small witch held no papers in her hands as she delivered summaries of the reports Ethan had asked her to read through earlier that morning, before leaving for his graduation ceremony.
"The warehouse reported a delay in receiving the rithium alloy shipment," Rue said in her flat voice. "Three days behind schedule. Cause listed as delay from the everknights guild."
Ethan made a note on one of the documents without looking up. "Hm.. alright, that guild is about to lose their relevance to the company anyway"
After a while of back and forth between them, Ethan then set down his pen and leaned on the couch, finally looking up at the summon. "Anything else?"
Rue’s expression remained completely blank. "No, that concludes the report."
"Good work, Rue," Ethan said.
The witch gave no particular reaction in acknowledgment, then stepped back and sat down in a nearby chair. Both cats immediately jumped up onto her lap and settled there.
It wasn’t as though Ethan couldn’t pull the information directly from her mind using the bond skill, but he chose not to. Instead, he let the summon handle the task, using it as a way to let her earn experience and rise through the ranks.
Perhaps then, one day, her true capabilities would reveal themselves.
He returned his attention to the documents in front of him, making a few more notes before organizing the papers into a neater stack.
It was at that moment that Eduardo walked into the living room.
"Master Ethan," Eduardo said, "Prince Rayleigh is at the gate. He came alone and is requesting an audience with you."
Ethan looked up from the papers, without an expression of surprise. "Took him long enough"
This was probably it, the confrontation Ethan had been anticipating.
"Let him in," Ethan said.
Eduardo inclined his head and turned to leave.
Ethan glanced over at Rue, who was watching him. "You can go, Rue. We’re done for tonight."
[You have completed a self-imposed objective:
-Letting Rue Give Report Summaries: +2500 XP]
[Rue has gained 200 XP for completing assigned tasks]
[Current Progress: 700/900 XP to Elite Class]
The small witch stood uo, and both cats leaped down from her lap in perfect synchronization. She gave a small nod, then walked toward the staircase leading up to the guest rooms, with her cats following behind her.
Ethan set the documents aside and waited.
A few minutes later, Eduardo returned with Rayleigh behind.
Eduardo move onto the side while Rayleigh walked till he was standing across from Ethan who was still seated and staring at him.
"Ethan," the prince began. "We need to talk."
"It’s the second time you’re giving the same preamble. Just get on with it" Ethan replied.
Rayleigh exhaled and said, "I need your help, Ethan Stark"
Ethan had slightly widened eyes on hearing that. Both he and Eduardo were genuinely taken aback.
This was certainly not how they expected this to go.
"Help?" Ethan repeated. "I thought you came here to accost me for being a demon."
Rayleigh’s expression was hard to read as he stared at Ethan silently.
But Ethan continued, "If it was help you needed, then why were you acting up earlier... and, dare I say, like a bitch?"
Rayleigh didn’t react to the language, although it looked like his expression had begun shifting into annoyance.
Instead, he said, "Because I still had to observe and make sure you weren’t one of the bad ones. My sister cares about you, and I needed to know if you were a threat or not."
"And?" Ethan asked.
"And maybe you’re not," Rayleigh said. "Which is why I’m here asking for help."
Ethan studied the prince for a moment, then asked, "what is this thing about?"
Rayleigh replied, "It’s best if you see it first. I can’t explain properly without showing you."