At midnight, the ball finally came to an end.
As the host, Yilin toasted each guest and stood outside the door to see each of them off, either onto their carriage or horse, bidding them farewell.
Gray was asked to stay close to Yilin.
As for Shelley, she stuck close to her grandfather. During the toasts, she secretly glanced at Gray, shocked to find that he didn't look at her at all, not even once. He wore a helmet and visor, looking cold and aloof. She couldn't help but feel a bit sulky.
As the carriage left, Shelley cautiously observed Gray through the window slit. Confirming he showed no reaction, she muttered angrily, "This man is truly... frivolous! Just proposed, now pretending not to know me!"
...
"What exactly is this Lich doing on the surface? He either stands around doing nothing all day or engages in inexplicable activities." The female Angel, hiding behind the church bell tower, grumbled as she watched from a distance, "Are we here just to act as his followers?"
"Could he have a contract with this lady lord? Sometimes Liches make contracts with humans, like demons, though rarely. If they've made a contract, it would violate the Gray Robe Agreement. We could take immediate action." The male Angel beside her was equally puzzled.
"Does the Knight's Vow count?"
"No. That's a contract protected by the Holy Law, though it's not very binding."
"Then no." The female Angel said indignantly, "For now, we've found nothing else."
"Let's wait a bit longer. Maybe something will come up? The most evil opponents always disguise themselves as harmless, don't they?" The male Angel said helplessly.
*Though even he didn't quite believe his own words.*
*After all, they'd been following Gray for nearly half a month. Really found ab-so-lute-ly nothing!*
...
Watching the last noble carriage leave in the distance, Yilin softly asked Gray, who stood behind her, "I heard you proposed to Shelley and got rejected?"
"Yes." Gray replied without hesitation.
"Need my help?"
"Help with what?"
Gray's voice was so calm it was as if nothing had happened. Or rather, it was like he was discussing something unrelated to himself.
*Yilin couldn't figure it out.*
Had the information she'd just received from her subordinates been wrong?
*Though when she first heard Gray proposed to Shelley, she also found it unlikely. But hadn't Gray just admitted his proposal failed?*
*So why did he act as if nothing happened?*
*Originally, she planned to comfort Gray from a friend's perspective and then gently sow discord, making Gray completely forget Shelley.*
*A new romance was always the best cure for the wounds of the previous one. To achieve this, Yilin even decided to set aside time tomorrow to introduce a few noble girls to Gray.*
*A knight who appeared suddenly, who could guarantee he wouldn't disappear just as suddenly? The noble girls of White City were plenty, but a knight who could uproot trees, easily defeat opponents, and even become a legend spreading far and wide, was one of a kind.*
Gray proposing to Shelley made Yilin realize profoundly that she needed something more substantial to bind Gray. A mere knight title, a baron rank, wasn't nearly enough. Even a mercenary corps leader who could talk to him was useless.
Just now, the mercenary corps leader had gone off to flirt himself, not even greeting Gray throughout the whole event.
Thinking about it, Yilin felt exhausted. But there was no helping it. Since she wanted to claim what should be hers, she had to exert some effort.
However, when Yilin decided to introduce lovers to Gray, she found Gray...
*showed no signs of heartbreak at all!*
*Could this knight be so deeply shrewd that he could conceal everything without a trace?*
Yilin secretly glanced at Gray, seeing nothing. After all, Gray was wearing armor. This made Yilin even more anxious.
"No, nothing." After thinking for a long time, Yilin could only answer softly, "Did you enjoy the evening?"
"Mm!" Gray nodded heavily.
In fact, the seemingly motionless Gray was now chatting with the Black Cat.
"What are you thinking about?"
"I'm thinking about the previous knight vows. There are quite a few items on the list, and I need to take some time to do them one by one."
"Uh... weren't you just heartbroken?"
"Heartbroken?" Clearly, the Lich didn't know what "heartbreak" was.
"That means your proposal failed."
"So what?"
"You should be devastated."
"Why?"
"Uh... why? You've got me stumped. Why does a failed proposal mean you should be devastated?"
"If a proposal fails, just propose again next time, right? I used to fail in experiments often, too. I'd just clean up and do it again. Being devastated wouldn't make the experiment succeed by itself."
"Okay, forgive me for not understanding a Lich's thoughts. But it seems you're right, being devastated wouldn't make the romance recover. So what are you going to do next? Find another woman? Or propose again to carry out your plan to have a bunch of little Liches?"
"No. Love is too complicated for me right now, I've decided to start with something simpler."
"Like?"
"For example, tomorrow we'll go out and see if anyone asks for my help, then help them. That one seems relatively easy to fulfill." Gray said seriously.
...
In any case, the ball had ended, and it seemed both Yilin and Count Gruglu had achieved their goals, though not perfectly.
As for Gray... oh, he made the front page of the White City tabloid the next day.
"Extra! Extra! Baron Gray, chief knight of the Beisher Family, meets Miss Shelley of the Gruglu Family at the ball and falls in love at first sight, proposing on the spot! Dejected after being rejected! With pictures!"
"Senior commentator says Baron Gray's proposal signifies the Beisher Family's attempt to ally with the Gruglu Family. This is a political marriage! Rejection indicates Count Gruglu refused Miss Yilin's request!"
"Latest news! An anonymous eyewitness claims it was Miss Shelley who tried to approach Baron Gray, not the other way around! The proposal is dubious!"
"Senior commentator changes tune! He now believes the incident was a fabrication by Count Gruglu to test the Beisher Family's attitude! This is a strategic probe affecting White City's future!"
"Breaking news! An anonymous observer swears they indeed heard Baron Gray ask Miss Shelley to be his lover! The previously critical commentator has been fired by our newspaper! Seeking new commentators!"
"Breaking news! An anonymous noble present at the time swears by the Holy Spirit that they did not hear Baron Gray ask Miss Shelley to be his lover! The previously fired commentator has been rehired!"
"Less experienced, still under observation, commentator claims it's highly likely that Miss Shelley tried to entice Baron Gray, failed, and fabricated false news out of spite! If wrong, he'll jump from the Lyme Bell Tower!"
No one else knew, but as long as they could sell six newspapers a day, the editors were very happy. The readers were also happy, gossiping on every street corner.
Of course, Shelley was not happy. She tore the newspaper to shreds.
"Extra! Extra! Gruglu Family's trash bin found full of shredded newspapers! Suspected Miss Shelley, angered and humiliated! Further confirming the defamation against Baron Gray! Commentator rejoices for not having to jump from the bell tower!"
Seeing through the gap in the curtains the crowd squatting outside, even rummaging through the trash bin, Shelley was furious.
"Why are they all watching me! Has Gray's side no news to report?"
"In fact... yes." The maid stammered, "But I think you wouldn't want to see it, Miss."
"Let me see."
Shelley took the other newspaper handed by the maid, flipped it open, and was greeted by a large portrait of Gray, of course, in armor.
"Baron Gray appears on Int Street, buys large amounts of feed to feed pigeons at his own expense!" Picture: Gray surrounded by pigeons.
"Baron Gray helps a lost child find his way home! Parents offer a great reward, but he declines!" Picture: Parents hugging their child and gratefully shaking Gray's hand.
"Baron Gray finds homes for stray cats! Countless girls flock to adopt, clearing out White City's stray cat population!" Picture: Gray handing over a stray cat to a girl coming to adopt.
"Less experienced, still under evaluation, commentator says he might be the greatest knight in White City's history!"
"Why are all his news good?"
"Because he really does these things."
Holding the newspaper, Shelley suddenly felt she'd been betrayed by the whole world.
"I don't believe it!" Lifting her skirts, Shelley stormed out the door.
Soon, her carriage met Gray on the street. He was helping an old lady cross the road, surrounded by a crowd. The old lady told everyone, "He's the kindest knight I've ever met."
A tabloid reporter interviewed nearby: "If you had a granddaughter, you'd definitely want to marry her to him, right?"
"No! If I were sixty years younger, I'd want to marry him myself!"
"So, you think Miss Shelley couldn't possibly reject Baron Gray's proposal, right?"
"Yes!" The old lady said firmly, pursing her toothless mouth, "Your paper's commentator is right! It must be that woman who's acting out of spite because she fell in love and failed with Baron Gray!"
"Exactly!" The uninformed crowd echoed.
Well, that was it. Shelley was now sure the whole world had truly betrayed her. She was utterly lost.