Aegob was exactly the perfect person to puppet, although she still hasn't dug her claws into him just yet, Rontress knew that it is only a matter of time before she can start asking him for favors knowing he would comply.

  For now, she will have to compromise with only making him fall in love with her. Assuming that it even happens, but she's been throwing herself at him for the entire duration of the tour so she knows he must be feeling something by this point.

  Even if it's just touches, soft giggles, and a word of agreement here and there, things like that coming from the fairer sex would make anyone fall.

  "And this is the theatre." Rontress stopped Aegob directly in front of a building made entirely of plants, glowing fruits hang from vines growing all over the structure and carnivorous plants snap at bugs that get too close.

  This was something she made herself, somewhere around the first or second year of the Gilded District's existence. She wanted a place to entertain people back then and felt that a puppet show consisting of nothing but plants would be a good start.

  Eventually, it evolved into what it is today: the most popular attraction in all of Flotol and a place of opportunity for aspiring artists, actors, and treasure hunters who wish to auction off artifacts they managed to dig up from some Pricorian ruin.

  "I've heard about this from nobles who came to the capital, is it really that interesting? I never felt that sitting in place for too long, watching people play pretend is a form of entertainment." Aegob's complaint was out of the blue, but he also didn't sound like he hated it when Rontress expected him to.

  "Well maybe you should give it a shot?" Rontress leaned closer to the prince, he didn't back off. "Unblinking Star is making a new story and I hear it's pretty good, would you like to come watch it with me when it shows?"

  "Rontress," Aegob pushed her away, it was light and barely had any strength. "You do realize what you are asking me right? I know you said that I have the potential to look good if I worked on myself but don't you think it's embarrassing to be seen together? I know things like that are seen completely differently in Flotol."

  Did he mean Rontress popularizing the dating term a few years ago? So what if a man and woman are seen going to the theatre together?.. Wait no, actually, hasn't there been a rumor spreading around lately where people say if a woman accepts to go to the theatre with a man that they are getting together?

  "Well, work on yourself then." Rontress backed off, noting the disappointment Aegob had. He's definitely thinking she's the same as everyone else, that she hates him and his looks, which is why what she's going to say next would be so impactful. "But between you and me? I wouldn't mind being seen with someone fat when entering the theater."

  "But..."

  "But nothing, I like what I like and if I say I don't mind, then what everyone says doesn't matter. Simple as that." Rontress confidently walked away, she made sure to look away from the prince to give him some time to breathe.

  He's been holding himself back from reacting to her advances whenever she's looking at him, which may seem like a benefit right now but stroking his ego and acting tough is detrimental when the person he's talking to is trying to manipulate him.

  Bottling up his emotions like that and acting stoic probably came from some kind of misunderstanding of how he thinks his brother acts, and the crown prince is apathetic to people's advances in general, but that's because he knows he looks good.

  The truth of how he truly is became clear the moment Rontress didn't act like some charmed maiden when they first met: he's an ego maniac who relies on his charms too much.

  Leaving the Alfenheim Theatre means that they are now close to the end of the tour, the only place left for them to visit is Dragon Den itself.

  Rontress didn't know if Ifira is also done but she knows that her best friend should also finish soon, if she isn't in the Inn by the time Rontress gets there then it means it's only a matter of time before she arrives.

  'Ifira should be taking a detour to grab the wine, I can understand why she'll get delayed...' The detour also coincidentally makes her spend more time with Zale but that's going into specifics. 'I do feel uneasy about leaving him with Ifira though, that guy better not try anything funny while they're alone or else...'

  ...

  This whole thing was a waste of his time, Zale did his best to keep his charming mask intact but it is genuinely getting tiring. Ifira keeps on making jokes and he's forced to laugh at all of them, even if the joke isn't funny. And that's most of them!

  Does she not get tired? Is this how she flirts? By making jokes like some kind of jester? Why would she even do this? He has so many questions and yet he knows none of them will be answered should he ask as Ifira can be quite resolute whenever she's guarding things she cares about.

  "So you've been leading Flotol huh? That's amazing." Zale complimented her without even thinking, he does this reflexively by this point, it keeps conversations going.

  "Yes! And thank you!" She giggled. "I have been working hard to keep our territory intact! There is a bank in Flotol that has been used to attract the attention of merchants, they trust us to keep their money safe and also slowly increase it over time!" As excited as Ifira is to explain the banking system inside of Flotol, Zale couldn't help but notice that she can't go into the details of the system.

  And that's most likely because Ifira isn't the one who thought of them, but Rontress. His hunch had been correct, he knew that the one responsible for Ghorise's rise wasn't Ifira.

  Zale wanted the other girl as the one to lead him around the territory not only because he figured she was the one who made all this territorial development possible, but also because she's the first girl that barely gave him a second glance.

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  His father had warned him of girls like her, the kind who can keep their heads even in front of people like him, the girls who aren't as affected by a man possessing wealth, status, and attractiveness all at once.

  Zale was also told that his mother was exactly that kind of woman.

  "So banks huh? I hear you guys also give money to those who need it? Especially villages also inside your territory, did you get the finances from the money that the merchants gave you?" Even if Ifira didn't know how the banking system worked on an intimate level, surely Rontress showed her this much?

  "Yep!"

  Zale blinked, he was taken aback, did she just admit it so easily? Was it because of her infatuation with him? Is she insane?!

  "Oh, isn't that breaking the law?"

  "No, not really." Ifira shook her head then a long winded explanation about how they let the merchants know beforehand that they can increase their savings by letting the bank use it poured out of her mouth, it ended with: "— and since they let us use it, we invest it in the villages that belong to my family and use the taxes to pay them back and give them interest."

  "Hm, I see." Zale nodded. "So the money technically belongs to the bank even though the merchants own it?"

  "Yeah, it's not like they need to use it immediately anyway, might as well put it to good use right?"

  Zale guessed that line was most likely taken directly from Rontress. He nods anyway, "yes, of course, it makes sense. I'd love to start a similar system in the capital as well, though I'm a bit unsure how to do it."

  "You should ask Rontress later, which means that you shouldn't remove her family from their current position since it would be strange for someone like you to talk to those with lesser ranks."

  "I'll keep that in mind."

  "Yep! You should, oh, and we're here." Ifira ran away from him and towards an archway between two walls made of interloping vines. "Stay there okay? I'm just gonna go to our cabin to pick up the bottles of wine! I'll be quick!"

  Zale could see that fruit trees grow in abundance past the unguarded entrance, it made him wonder why the orchard was so open to everyone, there's no gate or anything. Didn't they worry about people breaking in and stealing the fruits? That's a very real threat, didn't they know?

  Also, did this girl just think of leaving him alone? Who does she think she is?

  "Hey Ifira." Zale ran forward and quickly caught up to the heiress, he reached for her hand and nabbed it mid-air. He held her hand tightly and said, "what if we go in there together?"

  His smile was charming, Zale didn't really expect to have some physical fun when he chose to visit this place but Ifira has always been interested in him right? So why not take the chance to do this? They are alone and everyone else can always wait before the negotiation starts.

  "Go in there together?" For once, Ifira showed signs of hesitation when interacting with him.

  "Yes, together. Alone." Zale wasn't a stranger to women hesitating when he advances like this, they're scared of giving in, he can understand that, it doesn't change the fact that he hates needing to pressure them until they give in. "Don't you want to show me around your room? I'd love to see it."

  Zale moved forward and leaned close, Ifira should be flustered by now right? She wants this, he knows she does, why isn't she swooning like usual?

  "You mean enter the cabin Rontress and I built together? You wanna go in there?" Ifira took a step back, she wasn't as charmed as he expected. "No, sorry I—"

  "I know you're scared—"

  "Shut up!" Air left Zale's lungs when Ifira violently pushed him away. "Scared? I'm not scared of you." She scoffed, "so don't think that you can worm your way into the house Rontress and I built together. When I say no, it means you aren't allowed, understood?"

  "Yes, of course." Zale made a show of not being affected by the pain now eating away at his chest. A single shove and he's hurting this badly.

  "Good, make sure that you understand next time. I would love to be alone with you but entering our cabin is simply forbidden, it is ours and it will forever stay that way." Ifira turned to the orchard. "Now stay here, I won't be long."

  Zale watched her go, curious as for what kind of secrets such a place held in order for Ifira to push him away like this.

  Because he refused to believe she did it out of sentimentality or her feelings so there must be secrets in there that she wishes to hide.

  ...

  Rontress carefully observed the Inn's caretaker gently place a tray of food on the table in front of her.

  Flotol's most popular dishes usually consist of aberrant meat and the contents of the tray is no different, crayfish that's glazed, fried, and roasted sit at the top, letting off an aroma that makes the stomach of those who inhaled it churn with hunger.

  Her eyes went to the door for a second before she forced them on the pair of royalty sitting opposite from her.

  Eonea looked composed, her father was stoic. Both are hard to read, unlike Zale and Aegob, Rontress actually expected them to be this way. This did not make it any easier for her to figure them out.

  But she's not giving up without a fight.

  "Aegob is a fine young man." She pulled off a trick she expected to save til at least halfway through the conversation. The shock that overtook the two royalty made them vulnerable, she proceeded to launch another attack, "I think if given the time, he would end up as someone you can be proud of."

  She didn't actually believe this and knew that Aegob would be the kind of fool to continue wasting his life after leaving Flotol. The fleeting emotions that he feels towards Rontress currently will pass and he will be back to his old ways once that happens.

  "You say that like you actually believe in him." Eonea shot back. "Giving my brother false hope seems cruel, no?"

  "I don't believe in him." Rontress admitted, they were trying to catch her off guard and the best way to do that is by forcing her to lie and then calling her out. A card. They're setting up a card.

  "So you don't believe in what you are saying." King Obierce, knowing that the girl's honesty had crumbled the social trap they are setting, decided to play the card before it loses its effectiveness. "Why mention it?"

  "Pity." Rontress smiled softly, she sighed. "And perhaps I relate to him a bit," this was true, she was being honest, yet the way the two reacted implies they didn't want to be lulled into a false sense of security and fooled. "The pressure being put on him by his older brother and his family must be quite harsh, if I was Aegob, I would have run away."

  "And ruin the family's reputation even more?"

  "Maybe she's asking to be assassinated, father." Eonea giggled but she was irritated.

  Rontress held back a smirk, they fell for the good old taunt. "While that is true, I think it's better than rotting away and becoming stagnant."

  She set up the middle ground after pissing them off, now they should step forward and meet her halfway...

  "That we can agree on." The king nodded. "Foolish boy, I can't figure out why he ended up choosing that kind of life."

  "Maybe it's because you spoil him too much?" Rontress suggested.

  "Punishing him would have made things worse, he'd be even more rebellious than before." Eonea retorted, and her argument did hold weight. A cornered rat will fight back even harder, so they say. "His current state of being useless is better than having a liability within our family."

  "So you are getting attacked then."

  "Wasn't it obvious?" The raised eyebrow Eonea replied with was condescending. "Of course we're being attacked, we're the royal family."

  "Who?" Rontress didn't fall for Eonea's aggression, if the princess is looking to argue, she's not gonna give it. "You don't know, do you? Maybe it has something to do with the people who complained about my current position?"

  "Are you suggesting we should become allies?" Eonea figured it out quickly.

  "Hm... That's not a bad idea." The king nodded. "I can see the benefits of an alliance."

  Before they could continue, a maid appeared from the ground and warned them of the incoming princes.

  "Ifira and the others are here, unfortunate. I was hoping that asking Aegob to fetch them would have slowed them down but I was wrong." Rontress put on a mask. "Let's discuss this another time."

  "Very well." Eonea replied, she didn't seem to hate the idea.