Chapter 36: Don’t lose him
Meira stood beside the window with her phone in hand. Outside, the lights around the hospital grounds had begun to turn on. The small magical orbs lining the paths lit up one after another, their pale golden glow reflecting off the glass.
On the other end of the call, Elowen was still explaining through choked sobs, "I was just too happy at the time... I really didn’t mean to make him uncomfortable."
"I know."
Meira closed her eyes and gently rubbed her temple. She was starting to get a headache.
Until now, Meira had always believed Elowen held an almost unbeatable advantage. Her compatibility with Erik was ninety-six percent, the two of them had signed an Official Contract, and Erik himself treated her very well. He had even stood up to Nathan to protect Elowen.
Meira had thought that as long as her daughter did not do anything too foolish, her place beside Erik would be nearly impossible to shake.
Looking back now, she had clearly been far too complacent.
Elowen had failed to form a connection seventeen times and had almost no experience with romance. After waiting for so many years, she had finally found a man she liked so much that the fear of losing him could drive her mad. Once those emotions erupted, it was entirely possible for Elowen to lose control.
Meira opened her eyes, her voice turning serious. "Listen to me."
The other end of the call immediately fell silent.
"Tonight, I’ll prepare a banquet to welcome Erik. You need to apologize to him properly, prepare a gift and the things he likes, then clearly explain how you feel."
Meira tightened her grip on the phone. "I don’t want you to follow in the footsteps of the first Succubus Erik abandoned."
The crying on the other end stopped.
Elowen naturally knew who she was talking about.
Saraya.
"She had Erik by her side for three whole months. He cared for her, cooked for her, paid her expenses, and endured her temper. In the end, Saraya pushed him away with her own hands because of her foolish thoughts." Meira looked at her reflection in the window. "Elowen, an opportunity this good doesn’t always come a second time."
A small sob came through the phone. "I know..."
Hearing her daughter’s voice, the cold expression on Meira’s face immediately softened. No matter how strong or strict she was, the person crying on the other end was still her only daughter.
"Stop crying."
"But what if Erik really hates me...?"
"Then that’s all the more reason to explain things to him." Meira lowered her voice. "Don’t make assumptions on your own and make everything worse."
Elowen remained silent for a moment before answering, "I’ll apologize. I’ll tell him that from now on, if I don’t have his permission, I won’t touch him without asking again."
Meira paused. She felt that statement was a little extreme, but in the current situation, even she did not know what Erik was thinking.
In the end, Meira could only remind her, "For now, just be honest with him."
"All right."
Meira ended the call and stood still for quite some time. When she turned around, she saw that Felyn was still sitting on the examination bed.
A clean white bandage covered her eyes. Her golden hair had been neatly combed by a nurse, and a hospital gown had replaced the old, tattered cloth she had worn in the Forsaken Forest. Although her face was still somewhat thin, the beautiful features she had possessed in the past were beginning to show again.
Felyn tilted her head toward the sound of Meira’s footsteps. "Did something happen to Elowen?"
Meira walked closer. "Just a small misunderstanding."
"Does it have something to do with Erik?"
Meira looked at her. A Succubus’s senses really were remarkably sharp.
"Yes."
Felyn’s fingers slowly tightened around the blanket. "Am I causing trouble for them?"
Meira immediately frowned. "Don’t think such nonsense."
"But ever since I appeared..."
"This has nothing to do with you." Meira pulled over a chair and sat down in front of her. "My daughter is simply afraid of losing Erik."
Felyn remained silent for a moment before softly saying, "I understand."
Of course she understood. In just a single day, Felyn had already begun to fear the feeling of Erik letting go of her hand. Elowen had been with him longer and had even signed an Official Contract with him. If Felyn had to imagine that one day Erik would no longer want to look at her...
Felyn’s hand gradually turned ice-cold.
Meira noticed her reaction and could only sigh inwardly.
’Another one.’
The longer this continued, the more Meira felt that the future estate truly might not have enough room.
Meira’s phone vibrated again. This time, it was a message from the butler. She read it and quickly replied.
[Prepare the rear garden.]
The butler immediately asked:
[To what standard, Madam?]
Meira thought for a few seconds before typing:
[The highest.]
[Flowers, light crystals, dinner, and gifts.]
[Arrange everything for a formal apology.]
Her finger paused over the screen. A moment later, Meira added another line.
[Invite several reputable reporters.]
Hearing the phone chime repeatedly, Felyn asked with some curiosity, "Are you preparing something, Madam?"
"I’m giving Elowen a chance." Meira put away her phone. "She wants Erik to understand that her apology is sincere."
She watched the last light of day slowly fade beyond the window and sighed softly.
"Then let everyone see it."
...
At the same time, Erik stood in front of a jewelry store inside one of the largest shopping centers in the area.
He had changed out of his combat outfit and into ordinary clothes on the way there. A dark shirt and simple trousers made him appear less dangerous than he had inside the Trial Space, but the moment his face appeared, several employees inside recognized him.
The brown-haired woman behind the counter widened her eyes. "Lord... Erik?"
Erik felt slightly helpless. News had spread faster than he expected.
"That’s me."
The three employees beside her all turned toward him. One hurriedly straightened her uniform, while another had already bowed in greeting.
"What would you like to purchase?"
Erik looked over the glass display cases. "A ring."
The brown-haired woman immediately interpreted his request in the most conventional way. "Would you like to choose a ring for yourself? Our bonding rings are over—"
"No." Erik shook his head. "I want to buy one for a woman."
The entire store suddenly fell silent.
The brown-haired woman blinked. "Buy one... for a woman?"
"Yes." Erik found their reaction a little strange. "Is there a problem?"
"No, of course not." She quickly shook her head before cautiously asking, "Would you like to buy her a gift?"
"An engagement ring."
Clang!
An employee holding a tray behind them flinched and nearly dropped it. The metal frame struck the glass display case, producing a sharp sound.
Erik turned toward her. The woman immediately blushed and lowered her head to apologize.
The woman standing before him also needed several seconds to find her voice again. "You said... an engagement ring?"
"Yes."
"For a Succubus?"
Erik became even more confused. "Who else would it be for if not a Succubus?"
The brown-haired woman choked on her words.
It was a perfectly reasonable question, but the rules of this world worked in precisely the opposite way. Normally, the Succubus was the one who prepared the ring and brought betrothal gifts to the man’s home. She had to offer resources, real estate, or something sufficient to prove that she could provide for her Partner. If the man agreed, he would accept the ring.
That was all.
The employees had worked here for many years, but none of them had ever encountered a man who came to the store of his own accord and spent his own money on a ring to propose to a Succubus.
The brown-haired woman swallowed. "I’m sorry for asking so many questions, but... are you truly planning to propose to her yourself?"
"Yes."
"Will you..." Her cheeks reddened slightly. "Get down on one knee?"
Erik raised an eyebrow. "Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do when proposing?"
The store fell silent again. A woman standing behind the counter raised a hand to cover her mouth, and her eyes even began to turn red.
Erik looked at the group, feeling even more confused.
’Do they really need to react this strongly?’
He did not want to waste any more time. "Show me some suitable designs."
The brown-haired woman immediately recovered. "Yes!"
Her attitude became far more enthusiastic than before. A succession of rings was quickly brought out. Some were set with crystals nearly as large as a fingertip, some were covered in magical patterns, and some carried price tags that made Erik stare at the numbers in silence for several seconds.
The employee enthusiastically introduced a ring bright enough to nearly serve as a lamp. Erik looked at it for a moment before shaking his head.
"Too big."
"What about this one?"
"It would get in the way if worn every day."
"And this design?"
Erik looked at the slender ring placed in front of him. Its band was bright silver, with a small transparent crystal set in the center. The light inside it was very faint and not ostentatious at all.
He picked it up and examined it for a moment before nodding. "This one."
The brown-haired woman smiled. "Would you like a name engraved on it?"
"No need." Erik looked at the ring in his hand once more. "This is enough."
A few minutes later, a small velvet box was placed in his hand. Erik paid with his own account and turned to leave.
Just as he was about to step out of the store, the brown-haired woman ultimately could not stop herself.
"Lord Erik."
He turned around. She stood with her hands clasped in front of her, her face still slightly flushed.
"I don’t know who that woman is, but she truly is very fortunate."
Erik looked at the box in his hand and laughed. "I think I’m quite fortunate too."
The brown-haired woman froze completely.
Even after Erik left, she remained standing in the same spot. An employee beside her softly asked, "What did he just say?"
She stared at the closed door, her eyes gradually turning red. "He said... he’s fortunate too."
...
By the time night fell, the rear garden of the estate had been completely transformed.
Rows of flowers stretched along both sides of the path. Magical candles had been placed among the bushes, their warm golden light spilling over the grass. Hundreds of small crystals floated in the air, drifting slowly like stars that had descended close to the ground.
Inside the dressing room, Sarna stood behind Elowen and adjusted the waist of her white dress.
"Stop trembling."
"I’m not trembling."
"Your shoulders are shaking."
Elowen pursed her lips. Sarna looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed. "Erik isn’t even back yet."
"That’s exactly why I’m scared."
Elowen looked at herself in the mirror. Her silver hair had been carefully combed, with part of it secured behind her head by a small accessory. Her makeup was very light, just enough to conceal her slightly pale complexion and the redness around her eyes from crying.
On the table before her sat a ring box prepared by Meira. Inside was an exquisitely crafted ring with a small energy crystal set in the center, continuously releasing faint fluctuations.
According to the customs of this world, Elowen would give the ring to Erik, ask for his forgiveness, and beg him to remain by her side.
Sarna placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let’s go."
Elowen took a deep breath and tried to stop her body from trembling. "All right."
...
At nearly eight o’clock that evening, an ordinary taxi slowly stopped in front of the estate’s gates.
Erik paid the fare and stepped out. The moment he raised his head, he froze.
The entire path leading into the estate shone brilliantly in the darkness. Flowers, candles, and floating crystals lined both sides. Farther away, several cameras and female reporters stood in a separate area.
Erik remained silent for several seconds.
’I only came here for dinner, didn’t I?’
The gates slowly opened.
At the end of the path covered in light stood a woman in a white dress. Her silver hair swayed gently in the wind, and she held a bouquet against her chest with both hands. Behind her stood Meira, Sarna, and the estate’s maids.
The moment she saw Erik, Elowen’s emerald eyes immediately lit up.
She walked forward. Her steps were slow at first, then grew increasingly fast. Only when she was less than two meters away from him did Elowen finally stop.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly beneath the white dress. She clutched the bouquet so tightly that the flower stems trembled.
"Erik..."
Her voice shook.
Erik looked at the scene prepared before him, then back at Elowen. "What’s going on?"
Elowen bit her lip. After several seconds spent gathering all her courage, she bowed deeply.
"I’m sorry."