Chapter 133
Chapter 133. It's a Trap, Don't Believe It
"Regarding the high-ranking Demon who abducted Aina earlier—Aeldelin......"
Having temporarily drawn the three ladies into his own rhythm, Luo Nan immediately got down to business.
Based on his understanding of the three heroines Anya, Serela, and Qili, when it came to discussing serious matters, they shouldn't pull any unexpected tricks on him.
Luo Nan spoke at a measured, unhurried pace, giving a smooth account of his three-round game of wits against Aeldelin.
Of course, he concealed a certain amount of information.
For instance, his specific actions within the Mind Phantasm—he changed it to simply not having located the Phantasm Keystone within the allotted time, and therefore losing.
The reason was simple: he had no desire to share his phantasm experience with the three of them.
Especially the parts concerning his mother......
Not even to Qili.
Beyond that, his final combat and "combat" with Aeldelin were also omitted, replaced with "Aeldelin was so impressed by his remarkable audacity that she was quite satisfied with the entertainment he had provided her, and therefore let him go."
Far-fetched as it was, the three of them had no knowledge of Aeldelin, and even less chance of ever tracking her down to cross-examine her.
"That's the full account of events...... ladies, do any of you have questions?"
Luo Nan was feeling somewhat parched. He reached out instinctively for his teacup, and only after picking it up did he realize that the tea inside had long gone cold—it was the cup Aeldelin had drunk from last night.
He dumped the tea out with a faint look of distaste and set the cup back down.
Fortunately he had just told Aina to go prepare fresh tea.
Luo Nan glanced around, carefully observing the expressions of the three beauties of differing styles.
To his disappointment, apart from Serela, who was listening with genuine attentiveness, the two girls on his left and right both seemed rather distracted.
Anya, needless to say—her golden eyes were nearly fully closed, her head bobbing up and down, the chestnut ponytail tied up high swaying gently with her movements.
And Qili, meanwhile, sat perfectly upright in her chair. Her silver-moon eyes, beautiful as they were, never stopped looking straight at him—yet Luo Nan had the persistent feeling that this person's mind had drifted elsewhere.
'These two probably spent the whole night searching for me. Their energy must be flagging. Especially Qili—she must have just returned from her long journey, and immediately came looking for me, her elder brother.'
'Tsk, looks like she still cares about me after all.' Luo Nan thought to himself.
With that in mind, Luo Nan's heart eased somewhat.
Now he only had to face Serela. The pressure dropped significantly.
"Luo Nan, I have a few questions......" The Imperial Princess gave Luo Nan a brief moment to catch his breath, then asked.
"Go ahead."
"As you described...... you suddenly changed your target at the last moment, and rather than growing angry, Aeldelin was instead struck by your audacity?"
'Ah...... I knew you, Serela, would raise a question on this point. I deliberately left the whole incident slightly unlinked—just waiting for you.'
With that thought, Luo Nan said slowly: "Here's the thing......"
Luo Nan ran through the entire event's logic once more, and re-introduced some of the information he had concealed the first time around, making the three-round game more coherent and highlighting his own arrangement.
"I see...... if that Chrono Phantom Demon's personality and history are truly as you've described, then reacting that way at the end does indeed make sense." Serela gave a nod, acknowledging Luo Nan's account.
"Then......"
"I have one more question," the Imperial Princess seemed in no hurry to let Luo Nan off. She narrowed her beautiful eyes, her expression hovering between a smile and something else. "When I first walked in, I noticed something...... why is there a faint, elusive...... strange smell in the air?"
As she said this, Serela rose from her seat and walked to the spot where Luo Nan and Aeldelin had once "fought," stood still, and gave a delicate sniff.
"It's rather like...... the mingled scent of a man and a woman's perspiration?"
No way—she could smell that?
Cold sweat shot straight up Luo Nan's spine.
"Oh? Your Highness Serela noticed it too? I thought it was just my imagination!"
At that very moment, Anya—who had been on the verge of falling asleep—suddenly snapped awake and chimed in agreement with Serela's words.
Not content to stop there, Anya turned her head toward Qili sitting across from her and asked: "Miss Qili, did you catch it too?"
"Mm." Qili, having come back to her senses, also gave a nod.
"......"
Luo Nan was momentarily speechless.
Did all three of them have bloodhound noses?
And why had Aeldelin cleaned up the scene but left the scent behind?
Wait, no—she did seem to have cleaned up...... that enormous red gauze canopy had been taken away by her.
Otherwise he would have been done for on the spot.
Luo Nan decided to maintain silence for now.
"So then, Luo Nan—care to explain?" Serela walked back to the table, propped her elbow on it, and wore a curious smile on her face.
"Right, Luo Nan—what's going on? You and Aeldelin...... did you two have a fight?" Anya delivered the killing blow.
In a certain sense, they did indeed fight......
No wait—he and Aeldelin really did fight, but fortunately Aeldelin had restored the Moonlight Greenhouse to its original state before she left.
Luo Nan subconsciously shot a glance at Qili and met those gleaming silver eyes.
Qili said nothing, but those silver eyes of hers clearly held scrutiny as well.
"......"
Luo Nan knew with absolute certainty he could never admit to the last two bouts between himself and Aeldelin.
First, the power of the Infinite Tree was far beyond imagining. It wasn't that he didn't trust the three girls before him—it was simply that the matter was of grave importance, and the fewer people who knew he could "go nuclear," the better.
Second...... well, everyone understood. On the very night a man had concluded a marriage pact with a woman, he had done that sort of thing with another woman. Even if the man had been forced into it, that still made him a first-rate scoundrel.
'Especially when the "man" being cuckolded happened to be Serela, the "Benevolent Imperial Princess"......'
With that thought in mind, Luo Nan immediately stood up, his expression solemn. He furrowed his brow, walked over to the spot where he and Aeldelin had "fought," and mimicked Serela's manner of sniffing at the air.
After a moment, he lowered his head, stroked his chin, and said: "How strange...... could this be some kind of trap that person left behind?"
"That must be it!" Luo Nan turned to perform for the three ladies: "This is very likely a trap Aeldelin left behind, intended to interfere with our judgment!"
With that, he matter-of-factly produced from his breast pocket a supernatural tool shaped like a hair dryer, and aimed a vigorous blast of air at the lingering scent left by the two of them.
"There—taken care of."
Luo Nan put the tool away, walked back to his seat with a composed expression, and met the gazes of the three ladies with perfectly clear eyes.
Not the slightest hint of guilt.
After all, the evidence had already been destroyed by him.
Even if the three girls were suspicious, that was all they could be—suspicious.
Having taken in Luo Nan's entire performance, Serela tilted her head and said languidly: "Ah, so it was a trap...... very well, then."
The Imperial Princess had no intention of pressing the matter to its roots—at least not in front of the other two girls. She was prepared to drop it here.
As his fiancée, she knew she had to preserve her fiancé's dignity in front of outsiders.
Indeed, in Serela's mind, both Anya and Qili were currently outsiders......
"I—is that so?"
Anya scratched her head, seemingly not entirely convinced by Luo Nan's conclusion, but since even Serela had accepted it, she felt she shouldn't be the one to keep questioning it.
It was as though...... the couple themselves weren't bothered, and here she was, an outsider, refusing to let it go.
Somehow awkward......
No, no—they only had a marriage pact, just an engagement, not a marriage. They weren't husband and wife!
The girl corrected herself inwardly.
After the self-correction, Anya felt marginally better.
"It's a trap, Anya."
Luo Nan held her gaze steadily, and at the same time added: "Right—how much would you like as payment? I'll settle it with you right now."
Simultaneously, he deployed his Monetary Suppression Technique against Anya.
Sure enough, the moment she heard the word "payment," Anya instantly perked up. She opened her mouth almost without hesitation: "I'd like......"
"How much?" Luo Nan pressed.
"......"
Luo Nan could see Anya's expression shift rapidly—from conflicted, to reluctance, to gritting her teeth, and finally to a calm release.
"Forget it, never mind. After all, I never discussed it with you beforehand—consider this one voluntary labor."
She waved her hand and, for the first time, deflected Luo Nan's monetary offensive.
"About that......"
Just then, Qili—who had been silent throughout—spoke up and interrupted Luo Nan and Anya's exchange.
Her silver-moon eyes swept once over Luo Nan, and she said quietly: "Since Elder Sister Serela believes you, consider this matter closed."
"Of course, Qili, we're......"
"However."
There was still a "however"?
"Luo Nan von Medillion," Qili said, lifting her snow-white, delicate chin ever so slightly, her eyes tilting sideways in a sidelong glance, "can you explain...... that black bundle of fabric I saw you wiping your sweat with earlier?"