The most eye-catching things in the room were not the expensive-looking furniture or the luxurious decorations, but two exceptionally noticeable blonde girls.
They sat by the window at a table, both dressed in elegant gowns, and their appearances could only be described as beautiful.
"You’ve finally returned, Clem."
The first to speak was the owner of the room, whose voice was as gentle and kind as the sound of wind chimes.
She was so beautiful that her portrait couldn’t be easily captured, with smooth, flowing, golden hair that cascaded over her neck and down her back, and deep blue eyes that sparkled like sapphires yet were filled with a soft hue, leaving anyone who saw her astounded and full of sincere admiration.
She was the Third Princess of the Re·Yestijie Kingdom, the beauty known as [Gold]—Lana Theiere Chardelon Ryle Vaiself.
Following closely behind Her Highness, the other beautiful woman in the room also spoke up.
"Honestly, aren’t you a little too slow?"
Such a complaint came from a woman who seemed slightly older than Lana. Like Lana, she had striking blonde hair and green eyes. Although her beauty was not quite on par with Lana, known as [Gold], she too possessed an extraordinary charm.
She was Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra.
In this country, the two most famous women in various senses appeared together in this room.
"I apologize for keeping you waiting, Lady Lana."
Clem was the first to bow his head, apologizing to his master.
"I’m glad you’re safe."
Rather than blame Clem, Lana expressed relief upon seeing him unharmed.
It was evident that Clem’s prolonged absence had begun to worry the princess about whether he had encountered trouble.
This made Clem feel both happy and guilty as he quickly lowered his head even more, repeatedly apologizing.
"Sorry for being late."
Only then did Gegran and Iveyer speak up in turn, greeting Lakyus.
Lakyus lacked Lana’s good temper, the disapproval still evident on her face.
"You didn’t deliberately slow down because you heard you were coming to the royal castle, did you?"
Lakyus’s remarks weren’t meant as malicious speculation.
She was well aware that unlike herself, her companions did not enjoy the royal castle, a place teeming with rules, nor did they like dressing up and appearing in the palace.
In such circumstances, it wouldn’t be strange for Gegran and Iveyer to intentionally drag their feet after being summoned.
That’s why Lakyus made such a comment.
"Now that’s an injustice, boss," Gegran shrugged and said, "We were simply delayed by some matters, not on purpose."
"Is it just you here?" Iveyer then asked, "Where are Tia and Tina?"
Upon this question, two voices immediately responded to Iveyer.
Both voices rose in unison, their tone and timbre so similar that they were almost indistinguishable.
The voices came from a corner of the room, a very hidden shadowy spot.
From there, two petite figures suddenly leaped out and appeared before Iveyer.
They were twin sisters with identical looks and attire.
One was named Tia and the other Tina, both members of the [Pale Rose] adventurer group and top-tier Mithril-ranked adventurers, just like Gegran and Iveyer.
Priest Warrior Lakyus Alvein Dale Aindra.
Valiant female warrior Gegran.
The assassins twins, Tia and Tina.
These five individuals comprised one of only four current Mithril-ranked adventurer parties in the Re·Yestijie Kingdom—members of the [Pale Rose].
Now, the renowned Mithril-ranked adventurers of [Pale Rose], famous throughout the entire kingdom and the entire human society, were all gathered in this room, before Lana and Clem.
It must be said, the scene was somewhat spectacular, in a sense.
"So, you two were here."
Gegran smiled, not sure whether he was pleased or being sarcastic about Tia and Tina’s lack of presence.
But Tia and Tina didn’t care and just started scolding the two men.
"We’ve been here from the start."
"We’ve been waiting for you for a long time."
"Where did you guys go?"
"It couldn’t be that Gegran was out looking for males again, wanting to find a man to sleep with, which is why you were delayed, right?"
"You should tone it down a bit, Gegran."
"You know, there’s no man in this world who can withstand you."
The twin sisters took turns mocking, mostly targeting Gegran, which made his expression collapse.
"You two, stop bad-mouthing me." Gegran was clearly annoyed. "I’m surely better than you two little runts, aren’t I? If someone were to get into bed with you, they’d have to be on edge, wondering if they might break you two little girls."
Upon hearing this, the twin sisters immediately retorted.
"I think it’s the men you’re looking at who are getting broken."
"Poor Gegran, you need to realize you’re no longer human."
"After all, as your companions, we’ve started to doubt whether you’ve turned into a dragon already."
"Even if not a dragon, certainly a gorilla."
Faced with the twins’ mockery, Gegran couldn’t help but roar out, causing Iveyer next to him to subconsciously cover his ears.
"Alright, you three, mind the place." Lakyus couldn’t listen anymore and hastily intervened. "We have the pure princess here, don’t let Lana hear all these weird things, alright?"
At that, Clem couldn’t help but nod repeatedly, as if protesting against Gegran and others talking nonsense in front of Lana.
"What, I’m already 16 years old. Can you please stop treating me like a child?"
Lana puffed up her cheeks, raising objections on an odd point.
"No, it’s still too early for you."
Lakyus firmly stated, making Lana even more dissatisfied.
Fortunately, Gegran and the others were still considerate of Lana’s presence as a princess and refrained from uttering any more careless words.
However, Tia and Tina still inquired about why Gegran and Iveyer were late.
"So, why were you late for so long?"
"Gegran is one thing, but it’s quite rare for Iveyer to be so unpunctual."
They brought the topic back up.
Gegran and Iveyer immediately exchanged glances and then both looked at Lakyus, seemingly uncertain whether they should bring up the issue in front of Lana.
"It’s okay, go ahead." Lakyus, sensing their hesitation, said: "Lana is one of us, and she won’t casually disclose our team’s internal matters."
"If you need me to leave, I can step out for a bit?" Lana smiled sweetly at everyone, considerately offering: "You can use this room. We can talk about our matter later."
"No, there’s no need, Your Highness." Gegran shook his head: "Anyway, the kid on your side already knows about it, there really is no need for secrecy."
Iveyer was more straightforward, taking a step forward.
Then, turning to Lakyus, Iveyer said.
"Actually, we ran into Reiger Brillhaut."
As these words left Iveyer’s mouth, everyone present fell silent.
A flicker of unusual emotion swiftly passed through Lana’s eyes, but it soon disappeared.
"Reiger Brillhaut..."
Lakyus was initially surprised, then her expression gradually became serious.