窃情谋欲

The residential building of the Spring Kingdom was high, longer than any towers in the area. The glass panes reflected the morning sun rays as people started their days with hot coffees and other beverages.

The lobby was filled with people, most of them were foreign guests. A group of four men entered the lobby, each one was dressed in expensive clothes. All of them were handsome, but none of them could beat the beauty of the girls in front of them.

"Morning," Danielle greeted the receptionist at the counter with a bright smile.

"Good morning, my ladies." The receptionist responded, smiling back at the ladies. "How may I help you?" The receptionist was awed by the beauty of the ladies standing in front of him.

Though he had seen many crazy beautiful and hot ladies, especially during these times, he was yet to see someone beautiful and cute and striking as these beauties. His heart fluttered at the pearl voice.

"I'm Danielle Von Zadkiel, here to see my family. Heard they arrived last night."

"Ah, yes, yes, my lady. They have indeed come yesterday." His pointy ears and cheeks were red just from standing in front of the two humans. "But unfortunately, they are not here. They have left this morning to visit the carnival."

"Oh." A disappointing sigh escaped her.

"Seems like we are shopping after all," Aurelia snickered from her side.

"Thank you," Danielle thanked the receptionist with a grateful smile, which made the man redden like a tomato.

Aurelia now dragged the poor lady through the stores, hopping from one to another and filling her hands with items. She didn't even let Danielle take a look at the price tags.

"Look, Dani, this is gorgeous. How can I not buy it?" Aurelia showed a white dress with a golden ribbon tied around the waist. It was a beautiful dress, but Danielle felt that it would suit her friend more than her.

"Auri, you should buy it," Danielle suggested. "It looks good on you."

"Really? Okay."

Soon her hands were full, so she made Danielle carry the next round of bags. 

In the midst of the bustling city, two lovely girls carrying a load of bags that even hides their eyes were a sight to watch. But not to everyone. Some felt a pang of pain seeing these lovely ladies carrying heavy stuff, but nobody offered any hand that is until the hidden player, who stalked them since they exited the residency tower, decided to mingle with them.

"Hello ladies," he said, skidding to a stop in front of them, startling them. "As a gentleman, it pains my heart to see such lovely ladies carrying this weight yourself. Allow me to help you reduce the pain." Calen stretched out and grabbed Aurelia's bags even before she responded.

"What the..." Aurelia grabbed back her bags, but Calen had already secured them inside his hands.

"You are welcome, my lady," he sheepishly said.

Aurelia was momentarily taken aback as she identified the young man. How could she not? As the princess of the Spring Kingdom, she would naturally know about all the important personals around the world and this guy in front of her was the supposed hero of the Autumn Kingdom.

"You rude," Danielle said. "She can carry her bags herself. You don't need to snatch it from her." Her words were sharp, she didn't have the reservation like her friend.

"Not snatching, my lovely lady, just lending a helping hand, that's all."

"And then what? She should compensate you with a date night or something else? Isn't that the reason why you offered your hand in the first place?"

"How could you, my lady?" His face scrunched into a painful expression. "I was simply lending my hands without any ulterior motives, prime."

"Yeah, definitely trustable you are," she sneered.

"Thank you, gentleman, for helping me. Though my friend here doesn't need any help, I could surely use some help." Aurelia smiled gratefully at him, her voice that of regal and gentleness.

She was curious about him. Hearing about heroes in stories made her excited, and seeing the young new hero made her more curious and excited. She knew that if she didn't make a move, she won't ever get a chance like this.

"Not at all, my lady. It's always an honor to assist the beautiful ladies."

Danielle's eyes narrowed as she studied Calen, trying to gauge his sincerity. She was cautious, having encountered her fair share of charming individuals with hidden agendas. She didn't want Aurelia to fall into any traps, especially not with someone during this tournament.

"Well, if you insist," Danielle replied coolly, though her suspicion lingered. "But I must warn you, we're not easily swayed by empty compliments."

Calen's confident smile wavered slightly, but he quickly regained his composure. "I assure you, my intentions are genuine. I merely saw two ladies in need and thought it would be chivalrous to lend a helping hand."

Aurelia, intrigued by the encounter, interjected with a playful smile. "Well, if you're truly as honorable as you claim, perhaps you could accompany us for the rest of our shopping spree. It's always nice to have some company."

Calen's eyes lit up at the invitation, and he nodded eagerly. "I would be honored, my lady. Consider me at your service."

For the next few hours, Calen tagged along with Danielle and Aurelia, laughing and joking with them as they went from store to store. Though he had made jokes with Danielle, she didn't reciprocate it. She was cold to him like she was wary of him and his intentions. But Calen didn't give up as he tried harder and harder.

Aurelia had noticed it, his eagerness to mingle with her friend, and the frustration when she doesn't reciprocate his jokes and initiations. She was intrigued to know about his intentions for her friend.

At noon, they visited an exotic zoo filled with mana beasts that had never been seen before. Caught from the depths of the Altic Ocean, the Peak of the Seven step mountains, and even from the Forgotten lands.

It was Aurelia's idea and Calen, of course, agreed right away. Danielle also agreed, albeit not wanting to spend another time with the disgustingly annoying man.

She was intrigued to see this wild collection of animals, which cannot be seen in any other place at all.