"You...!!!" Grant trembled in rage as he clenched his teeth forcefully to control himself from walking towards Selena and choking her.

"Haha he he..." After laughing for what seems an eternity, Selena also began to finally calm down. The unexpected marriage proposal from Grant had made Selena burst out in laughter. However, her laughter was not really to mock Grant.

She laughed because she now realized how frail Emotional bonds are. It was a burst of grim laughter, filled with pain and sadness.

When Grant's and Patricia's love was being truly tested, instead of struggling through the bad times, Grant chose to abandon Patricia.

For better or for Worse... such vows are nice to say, but when a couple truly experiences it, it dawns upon them how much struggle these words contain.

It's true that Grant was in a dire situation and can lose everything if he doesn't back off from the relation, but what about Patricia?

Did he even stop to think about what would happen to her if he breaks off with her? The sheer mockery that she will face will be enough to drive her to insanity. Not to mention, no one will marry Patricia after this. Who would be crazy enough to do so? Not to mention, there is no advantage to it. Patricia was just a Baron's daughter and with Duke Rant demanding compensation, it is doubtful whether he may remain as Baron any longer with his finances crippled. Selena didn't expect Grant to be this cold-hearted. Sure, Selena herself is cold-hearted, but only to her enemies. Patricia loves Grant, and he is repaying her love by abandoning her without a second thought. It wouldn't be surprising if Patricia fell into despair and killed herself after this. Selena hated Patricia for stealing Grant from her, but not enough to the point where she wanted her to die. After all, looking at it from a broader perspective, Patricia did Selena a favor by stealing Grant which helped her become who she is now. It also revealed Grant's true nature. So, in a way, Patricia is Selena's savior.

"I am freaking serious here...!!" Grant bellowed at Selena. He had a deranged expression on his face and if looks could kill, Selena would have been chopped to tiny pieces by now.

Selena composed herself and wiped the smile off her face before sitting down on a chair and motioned Guard Rhys to bring her tea. Then she looked at Grant with her cold eyes.

"What about Patricia?" Selena asked staring at Grant as if she could bore a hole through him.

"I-I... will handle it." Grant replied as his anger calmed down when Patricia was mentioned. Of Course, it was not because of his heartache for abandoning Patricia but because he was well aware that his actions would ruin Patricia. It was Guilt.

At this point, Guard Rhys brought Selena her cup of tea and then stood behind her with his arms behind his back.

"What if I refuse...?" Selena asked as she sipped on the piping hot tea.

"Are you in a position to refuse?" Grant asked in return as he sat on a chair opposite to Selena.

"What do you mean?" Selena asked as her eyes narrowed.

"I know about your bad grades..." Grant replied with a small confident smile.

"Oh?" Selena was surprised. The incident had happened yesterday. One truly cannot underestimate the power of gossips.

"It's not what you think." Soul interjected Selena's thoughts, "Just keep listening."

"Do you think anyone would marry you once they learn of your bad grades?" Grant began explaining, "As you know, Aristocrats only marry those who pass the Aristocrat Exam. There are only two months remaining and I doubt you would be able to get even Third-class now. However, as you know, the Church was going to make an exception and talk to the King to allow our marriage before the incident. However, if you do not marry me, you will probably end up with some commoner who your parents have to take care of. Surely, you won't deny that it would be more of a horrible fate than marrying me, right?"

Selena didn't react immediately. She sipped her tea again and asked.

"From the way you are speaking, it seems you knew a long time ago about my bad grades." Grant was too prepared with his answer. There's no way he had heard about it only yesterday.

"I... Yes, I did." Grant avoided Selena's gaze as he replied.

"He's telling the truth." Soul interjected, "The paper he has on him is one of your mock-exam answer sheets of yours. I don't know how he found out about it though."

"How? Who told you?" Selena narrowed her eyes again.

"This..." Grant hesitated before gathering his confidence, "How about we make it a part of a deal?"

"Oh? A deal?"

"Yes... I am well aware that marrying you won't be enough to appease your anger. So, not only will I tell you who is after you but also who he is using to destroy your reputation."

"Who he is using? Wasn't that Claire Walker? It seems he really doesn't know about yesterday's incident." Soul replied.

"Soul, is he telling the truth about knowing who is after me?" Selena asked Soul.

"Yes... No... Er... 50/50. I think he has a guess about the Culprit's identity but is not 100% sure about it." Soul replied after scanning Grant again.

"Better than nothing..." Selena replied and then turned her attention towards Grant.

"I have a better deal for you."

"Eh?" Grant was confused.

"How about you tell me who the Culprit is and maybe..." Selena turned her eyes towards the "guard" behind Grant.

"...I won't tell people that you have hired a goon to intimidate me and having him enter our manor illegally dressed as one of your guards."

"W-What...?" Grant panicked.

"I-I don't know what you are talking about." Grant tried to deny it.

"Please..." Selena ate a small biscuit as she continued, "...The Royal Court Case is not done yet. Your manor could not be that poor yet to not even give a guard properly sized armor, right?"

"T-That..." Grant was practically shivering.

But suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to look and saw the "guard" smiling at him.

"Don't bother... Let me handle the negotiations now..." Unlike the stone face he showed before, he now had a kind smile that looked so fake that it was terrifying to look at. Grant didn't oppose it. He quickly got up and allowed the fake guard to sit in his place while he stood behind him.

"My Lady, My name is----" The Fake Guard bowed and proceeded to talk but was interrupted by Selena.

"Did I give you permission to speak?" Selena stared with a small frown on her face.

"Wha-- I... He he he..." The fake guard was surprised by Selena's demeanor but quickly composed himself. "It seems I must shape up my information network because frankly, the data I have on you could not be any more wrong."

Selena didn't bother responding as she was still drinking her tea. As if he never existed. But the fake Guard did not mind. In fact, it excited him. The more proud a person is, the better he felt when they were thrown in utter despair.

However, contrary to his expectations, Selena was not putting on airs but was bidding her time as she had ordered Soul to search the guard thoroughly by the time she sipped the tea.

"He looks way too calm. He is not going to hurt me. Even if he thinks Rhys is a normal old guard, he cannot escape the mansion which is surrounded by many guards." Selena talked to Soul. "Even if he did, the witnesses who saw him and Grant enter are too many to silence. Even if he escapes, one can find information about him via Grant. So he must have some other way."

"Oh, okay... I just checked the surface before, I will do a thorough check this time..." Soul replied as he extended his radar towards the fake guard.

Only a second passed in the real world, but Soul was working for a couple of minutes.

"Hey...!! He's wearing an odd ring underneath his Gloves... I ignored it before because it didn't have any magic flowing through it. Let me show you." Soul responded and produced an image of a green ring with a flat head that had some inscriptions on it.

"That's... I think... it's a communication ring." Selena responded in astonishment.

"Communication Ring? Is it like a phone?" Soul asked.

"I don't know what a phone is, but by tapping the ring's head with your finger and sending your magic into it, you can send written messages. It does not contain any magic within it which is why you ignored it at first but it does have inscriptions that can invoke magical properties that allow it to send messages." Selena explained and continued.

"The Ring has a collection of alphabets inside it. The Alphabets respond as magic energy is sent into the ring at different intervals. The responded Alphabets are transferred to another ring where it forms a sentence or code depending on which alphabets are sent."

"Ohhh... So not a phone, but a telegraph. Wait, why don't we have it then? It would make calling for help easier then, right?" Soul asked.

"It's because the Communication ring is also a relic. The process to make the ring is already lost. The rings are not as rare as the Book of Gluttony, but they are still considered treasures. If one finds it, the Royal Family has ordered to hand it over to them as it can help them govern over long distances. Of Course, the person who finds it is given compensation."

"However, the ring is not without its limitations. A ring can only communicate with other rings if they have all have the magic signature of the same person. Chances are, he has another ring that was given to someone, probably one of his goons. His true cards probably lay with that person who is wearing the other ring."

"What should we do then? Destroy it? I don't think I can though." Soul replied.

"Why?"

"I broke the record Crystal by destroying the magic inside it, and there's no magic inside it for me to overload it with."

"This... Will you be able to destroy it when he transfers his magic to communicate?" Selena asked.

"Oh yeah...!! That could work...!! I will stay on guard. As soon as he transfers his magic, then bam...!! The ring will be history." Soul replied as he readied himself.

"Okay then, let us see what cards he has to play." Selena replied as she finished sipping her tea. The Conversation was inside Selena's head so it was extremely fast. She played with her cup as she turned her attention to the Fake Guard.

"You may speak now... Start with your name."

"Now that I think about it, my name does not matter. After all, I am a wanted criminal from an underground Organization." The Fake Guard replied as he laughed.

Selena did not get angry, instead, she seemed to talk to herself after the Fake Guard finished speaking.

"That could be a problem, I am not comfortable calling you Fake Guard all the time." She then turned her attention towards Guard Rhys.

"What do you think, what should I call him?" She asked Rhys.

"I believe anything other than Trash would be too good for him." Rhys replied after getting Selena's hint.

Those words finally made Trash show a real expression. His face turned livid for a second before calming down and then he spoke.

"Compared to you Aristocrats, maybe we are Trash..." Garbage replied as he ridiculed the High Society.

"So, Trash, How can we Aristocrats help you today?" Selena replied without being bothered by his words.

Trash's mouth twitched a little but then, it turned into the big fake grin again.

"My lady, I think you should accept Young Master Grant's offer."

"...and why would I do that?" Selena replied calmly.

"This world is a dangerous place, my lady." Trash continued talking, "It is better for similar leveled people to stick together. After all, we don't know when disaster may strike..."

After this, he placed his hands together and his eyes narrowed as he continued speaking.

"...Like for example, it would be a shame if something happened to your little brother while he was happily stuffing his mouth at the Flower Star Restaurant, am I right?"

Selena was jolted. It was lunchtime, and Nicholas has a habit of eating his lunch at the Flower Star Restaurant whenever he gets the chance.

"H-Hey...!! He's touching the ring." Soul said in an alarmed tone.

Selena quickly calmed herself, "Chances are, his men are in wait outside the restaurant. Nicholas has a couple of guards with him but this person in front of us seems like a careful character, he would have made sure to have enough goons with him. Is he sending a message now?"

"No, but it seems he is prepared to. My guess is he is waiting for the negotiations to break down before sending the message and---- huh?"

"What?! Did he send the message?" Selena was alarmed.

"No... I..."

"Soul...?"

"Just... give me... 30 seconds in the real world. Don't allow him to send the message till then. I think I may have an awesome way out of this."

"I... Okay." Selena decided to trust Soul and turned her attention towards Grant.

"You know this won't end well, right...?" Selena asked Grant.

"I-I..." Grant stuttered and averted his gaze.

-25 seconds remaining-

"My lady, it is not his fault. It's yours." Trash replied calmly.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"If you hadn't cornered him to this point, he wouldn't have been this desperate to ask us for help."

-20 seconds remaining-

"Don't you think you are taking quite the risk as well by doing this?"

"Doing what, My lady?" Trash chuckled, "I am just simply concerned about your brother's well being."

-15 seconds remaining-

"I wonder what Grant paid you to disregard a powerhouse like the Booker manor? Shall I double it?"

"Ah... Sorry, Even Trash like us has rules. I can't back out of a deal because someone paid a higher price, otherwise, no one will do business with us if we are this frivolous with our customers."

-10 seconds remaining-

"What exactly do you have in mind for this deal?"

"Oh, it's simple. I am aware that you children of Nobility have special family seals for contracts. I want you to stamp that seal on a Contract that young Master Grant has brought which will re-establish your engagement."

-5 seconds remaining-

"...And what if I disagree? Will Nicholas die?"

"Oh no, not at all." Garbage's smile turned evil as he continued, " However, it would be weird for a crippled boy to inherit the manor, don't you think?"

-Time's up-

"Okay...!! Done...!! Now go kick his ass...!!" Soul shouted inside Selena's head.

"Rhys... take care of him for me, would you?" Selena commanded Guard Rhys as she took another sip of her tea.

"Yes, my lady..." Guard Rhys replied as he slowly and calmly walked towards Trash.

Trash's face visibly darkened at Selena's response. He quickly sent a message with his communication ring and stood up.

"My lady, it seems you are not as smart as I thought. Not only did you ignore my good advice, but because of you, this old guard is going to---- UUuuuhooogghhh....!!!"

Trash felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He looked down to see the slow old man had somehow teleported in front of him and his fist lodged inside the armor and pressing against his stomach with extreme pressure.

"Ugghhh... Urk...!!" The sudden jolt to his stomach turned it inside out and he was on the verge of vomiting.

"This carpet is expensive Rhys... I don't want it to become dirty." Selena commanded lazily.

"Of Course..." Guard Rhys replied as he removed his fist, unfurled it into a claw, and forcefully grabbed Trash's face with it, sealing his mouth completely.

A bizarre scene happened after that. The vomit which was supposed to come out of his mouth was not allowed to because of Rhys's grip over Trash's mouth. It swam around in his mouth before Trash swallowed it out of desperation. However, his stomach was still under the effects of the punch and he ended up regurgitating it again. This loop continued till tears came out of Trash's eyes and his legs gave up bringing him to his knees. Only by then, did his stomach calmed down a bit and he managed to swallow his own vomit.

Rhys let go Trash's mouth and he coughed violently.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU...!?" Trash bellowed at Rhys. After becoming the Boss of the Underground Organization, the Black Roots, no one had humiliated him like this before. He sent out a punch wrapped in magic. This was his strongest attack. Even trained army captains would have a hard time defending against it. Such a strong punch would utterly disintegrate a normal person.

Guard Rhys simply narrowed his eyes and put out his palm.

Crrraassshh...!!

The punch was stopped in place which created a small shock wave. Trash immediately showed an expression of fear as his back went become drenched in sweat from fear. He realized the old man in front of him was a bona fide expert in combat.

"Me? I am My Lady's personal guard, you can call me Rhys." Rhys replied calmly as he gripped the fist of Trash tightly and then continued talking.

"Etch that name deep into your soul, if you wish to take revenge on me... from beyond the grave."

After which, Rhys simply flicked his wrist.

CcraaccCCKKK...!!!

A resounding crack sounded as Trash's arm bones were broken with a loud snap.

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