Lys stood between Selene and Vivian. He was feeling a little uncomfortable between them, as he was someone who had become the subject of an exchange he was technically part of but was not actually controlling. He felt frustrated with this whole gathering. All he had seen so far was women trying to flirt with him, directly or indirectly. That was far from the vision he had about a social gathering among high-ranking people.

Before he could even take a proper breath, Priest John appeared a few minutes later and steered Lys away for another introduction.

"Come, Lysander," John said, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. "There is someone else who wants to hear the hobgoblin story directly from you."

Lys went along without argument. As John led him across the room, he looked back once. Selene was watching him go. Vivian leaned in and said something to her. Selene replied with a tight smile. Neither of them appeared to be enjoying the other’s company, but neither was openly hostile either.

"I see you still enjoy testing boundaries," Selene said pleasantly, though her eyes were sharp.

Vivian gave a small, elegant shrug, her green hair shifting with the movement. "And I see you still enjoy claiming territory. He is your fiancé now, correct? How fortunate for you."

Selene’s smile stayed perfectly polite. "Fortunate for both of us, I think. Though I would appreciate it if you remembered that."

Vivian’s lips curved. "Of course. I was merely being friendly. After all, a hero who survived a hobgoblin deserves some attention. Don’t you agree?"

Selene tilted her head slightly. "I agree he deserves rest more than attention tonight. Especially from people who already have... other arrangements at home."

Vivian let out a soft laugh. "You really have grown sharp, Selene. I’ll remember that."

The exchange ended there. Selene gave one last nod and turned away, leaving Vivian standing with her wine glass. The tension between them remained, hidden behind perfect social smiles.

Meanwhile, John continued guiding Lys through the crowd, introducing him to more people who wanted to hear the story. Lys answered the same questions again and again: how he found the herbs, how the hobgoblin appeared, how he managed to survive. People clapped him on the back. Some women gave him lingering looks. The little men there were, asked for details about how his sword work. He smiled politely, nodded, and kept his answers short. His ribs ached, and his splinted hand felt heavy. The room grew warmer and stuffier as more people gathered around him.

-----

By the time the gathering started winding down, Lys felt drained. Servants began calling carriages outside. He found Selene waiting near the main door. She stood quietly, her hands clasped in front of her. He walked over and stood beside her.

John joined them a moment later. He looked satisfied with how the evening had gone.

"I still have a few more people to meet inside," John said. "You two can go home. I have called for a carriage for you two."

He noticed the dissatisfied look on Lys’s face and gave a small chuckle. "It wasn’t the kind of social gathering you expected, was it?"

Lys shook his head. "Not really. I thought these things would be about business or politics. Instead, it felt like... everyone was just looking at me strangely."

John nodded slowly, his expression turning more serious. "Things were not like this before the curse hit. Back then, gatherings like these were for making alliances, trading information, and strengthening noble families. But nowadays, nobles and wealthy women use them to pick up healthy young men like you. Healthy, strong males have become rare. So when one appears, especially one who just survived a hobgoblin fight, they naturally flock around them."

Lys frowned. "Did you bring me here for that?"

John shook his head immediately. "Absolutely not. I brought you here to socialize. Now that you are Selene’s fiancé, there is no other proper way for you to attend gatherings like these unless you are invited. Today, the baron himself asked me to bring you. So, I couldn’t refuse. He and I are old friends, you see."

John paused, then continued in a lower voice. "Even with all the flirting, the socializing still works for what it was meant to be, making contacts. That is why you should come whenever you can. It may feel uncomfortable now, but these connections matter. They open doors for later."

John gave Lys a firm pat on the shoulder. "Take care on the way home, lad. We will talk more later."

As John turned to walk back into the manor, Lys quickly spoke up.

"Selene... hasn’t your father gotten too easygoing toward me somehow? He used to be much stricter."

Selene’s expression shifted. She looked toward the door where her father had disappeared, her brows drawing together slightly.

"Not only toward you," she said quietly. "Toward everyone lately. It is making me worry. I keep wondering if something happened to him that he isn’t telling me. He has been... different since...that night."

Lys nodded slowly. He wanted to say more, but the carriage rolled up at that moment. The driver gave them a respectful nod.

"Ready to go home?" Lys asked.

Selene nodded. "Yes."

Her tone was completely neutral in a way that told him the conversation was not finished.

They climbed into the carriage together. The door closed with a soft click. The interior was dimly lit by a small lantern, casting warm shadows across the cushioned seats. The scent of polished wood and the faint perfume of the previous passengers lingered in the air. As the wheels began to move over the cobblestones, the carriage rocked gently, the rhythmic clatter of hooves filling the quiet night.

Selene sat close to him. The jealousy she had been holding back all evening was visible in the tight set of her shoulders and the way her fingers twisted together in her lap. She had watched women flirt with him openly tonight, and it clearly bothered her more than she wanted to admit.

Lys noticed. Without thinking, he shifted closer and wrapped his good arm around her shoulders, pulling her gently against his side. The warmth of her body pressed into him through the thin fabric of her dress. She stiffened for a second, then slowly relaxed into the hug.

"You were jealous tonight, weren’t you?" he said softly, his voice was low and warm near her ear, making her flinch a little. "Seeing all those women talking to me...But don’t you know I don’t get seduced just like that, Selene. You know that, right?"

Selene turned her face toward him. Her cheeks were slightly flushed in the lantern light. She didn’t deny it. Instead, she leaned her head against his shoulder, her hand resting lightly on his thigh.

"As if," she whispered. "I know you won’t get taken by those women that fast, but still....Plus, even if you don’t get seduced by them, I don’t like it. Especially Lady Merin... the way she touched you. And Vivian watching you like that."

Lys tightened his arm around her, his fingers gently stroking her upper arm. "Forget about them. They don’t matter. You’re the one I’m coming home with. Aren’t I? Even if they flirt all day, they can’t have me that easily. I decide who can get me, always remember that."

The carriage continued through the quiet streets. Outside the window, the village lights flickered past like distant stars.

While inside, the air grew warmer between them. Selene’s body pressed more firmly against his side. Her breathing had changed, a little quicker, a little deeper. The jealousy still lingered inside her, but it was slowly turning into something else as Lys held her closely.

Author note: If you like my story, then please give me some ratings and some power stones, guys. That boosts my motivation more than you think.