The noble carriage was very spacious, comfortably accommodating three people.
Reji and Shermen sat side by side on one side, with the lively and curious Miss Ariel, having taken off her sun hat, sitting opposite them.
"So... Mr. Reji, where are you from?"
"A small village on the eastern side of the Royal City."
"I see."
Seeing that Reji did not intend to elaborate, Ariel did not pursue further questions but instead turned her inquisitive gaze towards Shermen.
"And what about the person next to Mr. Reji? Are you childhood friends? Master and servant?
Or... lovers!!"
The noble miss appeared very keen on gossip, especially at the last part, her eyes shining brightly, seemingly looking forward to hearing some love story.
Unfortunately, Reji shook his head.
"Just a fellow villager."
"Oh..."
Ariel nodded, clearly a bit disappointed, but she quickly perked up, showing a hopeful and coquettish attitude, this time addressing Shermen:
"Sister, why are you always wearing a cloak? Can Ariel see Sister's face?"
Shermen remained silent.
More accurately, she completely ignored, not even glancing at the miss.
This was often how the Shadow Demon Apostle behaved.
Not just with humans, even among the apostles, Shermen was mostly the most silent.
The way she acted around Reji was exclusively "Demon King limited".
Seeing this mysterious "cloak-wearing female adventurer" completely disregarding her, Ariel felt somewhat awkward. The smile on her cute face stiffened a bit, evidently encountering this situation for the first time.
Fortunately, Reji quickly spoke up, easing the atmosphere in the carriage.
"Sorry, Miss Ariel, my companion, she's just like this, a bit shy, which is why she's always draped in a cloak."
"Oh, I see, it's okay, it's okay, it's all Ariel's fault. Lawrence always tells me off for not understanding people's boundaries, always assuming too much, and in the end, causing trouble for others"
Lawrence is the old butler driving the carriage.
Ariel waved her hands in a dismissing gesture, indicating she didn't mind, but in reality, she keenly observed an interesting detail.
Just now, when Reji stepped in to defuse the awkward atmosphere, Ariel noticed that this seemingly cold and mysterious female adventurer clearly showed some emotion. Although it was very slight, she still caught it.
And how to describe this emotion?
It was as if...
She was angry at her?
Ariel wasn't wrong; Shermen indeed felt anger towards her, for a simple reason, daring to make her king say "sorry."
After speaking, the noble miss lowered her head slightly, her hair covering part of her face, making it hard to see her expression under the shadow of her hair strands.
However, Ariel silently moved away from Reji's side and returned to her original seat opposite him.
Afterward, the atmosphere inside the carriage became completely frozen.
It was silent.
Ariel was no longer as actively engaging, no longer lively and curious.
And on Reji's part, he naturally wouldn't initiate conversation. After all, he wasn't following Ariel for a chat. Now that the noble miss had quieted down, it gave Reji some peace.
In this way, the journey continued without words for about a quarter of an hour until the carriage gradually slowed down and eventually stopped in front of a manor estate.
The old butler stepped down from the horse, walked around to the back, and opened the carriage for them. Seeing the silent atmosphere inside the carriage, the old butler seemed somewhat surprised.
It was a first for him to escort the miss and a foreign adventurer like this "many times."
Ariel didn't say much, taking the lead in getting out of the carriage, with Reji and Shermen following behind.
However, they hadn't even entered the manor's gate when they were stopped again.
"Stop!"
"Take off your cloak and submit to inspection."
A straightforward young guard drew his sword, pointing the blade directly at Shermen.
Ariel remained silent, and it was the old butler who first intervened to stop the guard, "Do not be rude; these are Miss Ariel's guests."
Yet, the young guard seemed stubborn and did not give an inch.
"I serve Lord Vedler. My duty is to ensure the safety of the estate, especially during the lord's absence. Every guest must undergo a security check before entering."
Seeing this, the old butler cast a helpless and apologetic glance at Reji.
And Ariel, the miss who had been "protecting" Reji all this while, remained silent at this moment, not saying a word.
"It's okay, as guests, it's expected. Shermen, take it off."
Reji nodded in understanding.
With Reji's command, Shermen didn't hesitate much longer, quickly reaching up to the hood of her cloak and pulling it back.
As the hood fell back, Shermen revealed her appearance.
A head of eye-catching, rare purple short hair, a coldly beautiful loli face, and lastly, skin as white and delicate as the first snow, that seemed almost translucent.
For a moment, everyone around, including the young guard, was stunned.
As if everyone was amazed by Shermen, the beautiful little girl with a strong "exotic charm," including Ariel.
The noble miss stared intensely at Shermen's purple hair, at her skin which was even whiter and more delicate than hers, her gaze like that of a beast ready to devour its prey.
But in the next moment, Ariel seemed to revert back to the innocent, lively, unassuming noble miss she was when she first met Reji.
"Alright, alright! That should do, right? Such a beautiful sister, how could she possibly be a bad person? I'll explain to Daddy latter,Mr.
Reji, and... and this beautiful sister, let's go inside, Ariel is starving!"
Just like that, it was as if all the awkwardness and displeasure in the carriage had never happened.