"What?"

Renelle asked as she noticed her butler’s eyes on her.

They were currently back in her tent, and she had put her armor back on, which was why her butler seemed to be unable to turn his eyes away from her.

"Did I tell you how beautiful you look in that armor?" Adrian asked without an ounce of hesitation.

She stopped whatever she was doing as she looked at him, then, very slowly, the tips of her ears turned red, "You did not."

"Then allow me to correct that mistake," Adrian answered immediately while continuing to stare at her, "you look beautiful, my lady."

The white-haired girl tried maintaining her usual composed expression, but the directness in his gaze made it increasingly difficult.

Especially after she recalled what happened between them just a few hours ago.

Renelle quickly looked away from him again before walking toward the desk inside the tent.

"My armor is practical," she muttered, pretending to inspect the maps laid out across the table, "there’s nothing particularly beautiful about it."

"Hmm, the armor on its own is quite ordinary," he nodded before adding, "but when my lady puts it on, it becomes something worthy of admiration."

Renelle’s face got even redder than before and she couldn’t help but wonder if this was the type of relationship she’d have had with the prince had he accepted her feelings.

No.... She shook her head, wiping those unnecessary thoughts away.

Renelle had felt Adrian’s love, and she doubted there was anyone capable of loving someone like that.

She blushed again as every thought about him led to the previous night.

Adrian noticed the sudden change in her expression and asked with genuine curiosity, "Is my lady thinking about something?"

"No," she denied, but it didn’t sound convincing, one but.

Noticing this, the butler walked closer toward her with a small smile still on his face only stopping when she was between him and the table behind her.

"My lady seems flustered."

"I wonder whose fault that is."

"Mine, hopefully."

They both went silent, looking directly into each other’s eyes and the atmosphere suddenly changed.

Unfortunately for the two, before anything could happen, the tent’s flap suddenly opened.

An ice shard and a shadow spike were launched towards the direction at the same time, fortunately, the person that open it had fast enough reflexes to dodge the sudden attack.

"Are you two trying to kill me?" the one who just walked in, Darius, asked.

"Yes."

Both Adrian and Renelle answered at the same time as they looked at the red-haired idiot.

Darius stared at the two of them for a few seconds before letting out a tired sigh.

"You know what? Never mind. The prince sent me."

Neither the prince nor anyone within his group was allowed anywhere near Renelle’s tent.

Not even Cassian.

Darius was the sole exception.

After all, unlike the others, he had already sworn loyalty to both Renelle and Adrian, making him less of an ally and more of a servant at this point.

Which was exactly why Lucian sent him to deliver the message.

Unfortunately for him, right now was perhaps the worst possible timing.

"What does he want?" Renelle asked, still a bit annoyed that her moment with Adrian had been interrupted.

"He said the king wanted to meet Adrian," Darius replied.

"We’ll be there soon," before Renelle could respond, Adrian spoke up and Darius nodded before walking out, leaving the two alone.

Again, before Renelle could say anything, the butler spoke up again, "I already met him."

"The king?" She asked, a bit confused.

"Hmm," He nodded in response, "last night."

Renelle’s expression immediately turned cold as she asked, "What did he want?"

"To kill me," Adrian responded with a chuckle, but Renelle was far from amused.

The tent suddenly turned cold as she looked directly at him.

"What do you mean he tried to kill you?"

Her voice was far too calm for the expression currently on her face.

Frost had already begun spreading across the floor beneath her feet.

Adrian noticed this immediately and gently placed a hand over hers.

"My lady," he said softly, "I am fine."

"That is not the point," her icy blue eyes locked onto his, "you met a creature that attempted to kill you and only decided to mention it now?"

"...I was distracted."

Renelle’s face immediately reddened slightly before she forced herself to stay focused.

"Adrian."

The butler coughed lightly before finally speaking properly, "The king is no longer human."

Silence filled the tent.

Renelle’s expression slowly lost all traces of embarrassment.

"What?"

"The corrupted mana within him is abnormal," Adrian explained calmly, "far beyond anything I sensed from the creatures outside the walls."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"And yet he still somehow retains his mind."

That alone was enough to make Renelle understand the severity of the situation.

She had faced quite a fair bit of corrupted beasts within this dungeon, and none were capable of keeping their sanity after being fully taken over by the corruption.

The butler leaned lightly against the table behind Renelle before continuing.

"He also has no intention of leaving this dungeon."

"Why would he?" Renelle muttered coldly.

Here, he was worshipped, feared, and obeyed.

Here, he was a king surrounded by desperate people willing to cling to any hope he offered them.

"He called them sheep," Adrian added, "and he also said I was a variable that needed to be removed before I led them out of the pen."

For a few seconds, Renelle remained completely silent for a while before she suddenly said, "Then we kill him before leaving."

Adrian shook his head.

"No."

"No?" She had a frown on her face as she looked at him.

"My priority is getting my lady out safely," Adrian answered calmly, "the prince and the others will eventually discover the truth on their own."

Besides, they were the protagonists of this world weren’t they? And since they were determined to save everyone here, they might as well deal with the obstacle in their way.

Renelle was silent for a while before letting out a sigh and saying, "Let’s go meet him then."