### Chapter 145: Standoff at the Town
The night breeze gently swayed the grass mat, rustling the fence and flickering the flames, tousling hair like an unruly pet.
“Caw, caw—”
The raspy call of the raven floated distinctly in the wind.
As I caught sight of the silver-haired woman with blue eyes, her face shimmering in the firelight, my mind went “buzz—” and I blanked out for a moment.
My steps instinctively halted.
“Little Bernie—”
In front of me, Ryan and a few young fellows stomped through the mud, jogging up to the fence of the house. Little Bernie’s older brother couldn’t hold back his loud complaints: “Honestly, why are you running? I told you I’d buy you…”
On the other side, the silver-haired woman gave a light push on the boy’s shoulder. Little Bernie turned back, hesitating and dragging his feet toward her one step at a time. Meanwhile, the woman stood behind him, watching.
Then her gaze turned towards me.
It was… a look entirely different from what I encountered in the Royal City.
In that instant, I felt as if I was the prey of a lion-dragon lurking in the dark. My scalp tingled, a chill ran down my spine, and I suddenly shivered, goosebumps prickling from my arms to my back!
“Ryan!”
I couldn’t help but yell, my tightly wound nerves reacting uncontrollably.
As I shouted, my right hand instinctively reached for my back, but with the sweet pastries cradled in my arms, I couldn’t free my hand. That thought was suppressed in an instant, and then I tried to take a Moon Step. Just as my toes touched the ground, it finally clicked. She might not recognize me.
That night, to avoid drawing attention, I hadn’t brought Captain Gray along, nor was I wearing the Pope Knight’s cloak; I was just in an ordinary rough-cut white dress, my hair tucked under a wide-brimmed hat. Even if she had heard rumors or seen my portrait in the Church gazette, there was little chance she’d recognize me immediately.
Furthermore, I was with Ryan and company—this bunch of local slackers out for a joyride. Their shabby get-ups certainly didn’t scream “possible threat,” which meant me hanging out with them was the perfect cover.
She…
Doesn’t know who I am…
And I can’t trigger any alarms by fighting her here; I absolutely mustn’t…
Otherwise, the consequences would be beyond our control…
Thoughts whirling, less than two seconds had passed before Ryan reached Little Bernie, pulling him by the hand and seemingly saying something. I didn’t have the energy to listen; the woman had stopped looking at me and made no move.
At that moment, one of the young fellows finally grasped the woman’s appearance, stunned for a second before losing control of his emotions and shouting.
“Miss Meiser…?”
“Miss Meiser!”
“It really is Miss Meiser!”
“Unbelievable!”
Once they recognized the woman one by one, they all became a bit unhinged; even Ryan was no exception. They barely even bothered to cheer up Little Bernie, crowding around the woman, giddy with excitement, their voices trembling: “Miss Meiser, I’m your biggest fan! I love you so much, I love watching you perform with swords, really love it…”
“Miss Meiser, how come you’re here…?”
“The show… isn’t it about to start…?”
“Just out for some fresh air,” Miss Meiser said softly.
Her voice was something special—sticky sweet at first hearing, floating lightly in the wind like a feather on the breeze, yet it carried the icy aloofness of one who has braved frost and snow. There was an indescribable contradiction in her tone, delicate yet with an enchanting quality that felt both pleasing and delightful.
“Phew…”
Keeping my composure, I let out a quiet breath, casting a glance at the goat cheese on the roof in the distance. Shaking my head, I tossed out the jumble of thoughts in my mind, gathered my emotions for a moment, forced a smile, and tiptoed towards them, bouncing along like a little girl.
“Ryan bro!”
I sweetly called out, and the young man suddenly turned, mouth agape, eyes widening in disbelief, like a stunned goose, stuttering: “Xi…”
No way he just said my name—
“Ryan bro Ryan bro, let’s go buy that, that… goat cheese snack~”
I blinked innocently, hugging the sweet pastry bag tight, tipping my head up to look at him.
“……”
Ryan was still in shock, unable to escape its clutches.
“Come on, let’s go~”
If it weren’t for the pastries in my arms, I would have yanked him out of there… Inside, I felt a little anxious, but on the surface, I tried to beam a sweet smile. After two seconds of hesitation, I finally made up my mind, pushing one bag of pastries into Ryan’s hands and grabbing his arm: “Let’s go~ I want to eat that… The little brother wants to eat too, right, right~”
At least get them out safely…
“Wow…”
“Holy—”
I caught a few exclamations from nearby.
Turning back, I saw several young men eyeing Ryan, looking either envious or furious: “Ryan…”
“I’m suddenly reconsidering our friendship…”
Stop staring dumbfounded! Hurry up, you bunch of fools!
I struggled to control my facial expression, avoiding Miss Meiser’s gaze. The veins on my forehead threatened to pop: “Hurry, hurry~”
Wriggling my shoulders, stamping my feet, I gave Ryan’s arm a tug, pouting: “Brothers, let’s go, let’s go~ I’m hungry…”
Ugh—
Holding back the nausea, the tough guy finally sold his dignity, acting cute for them, and it worked like a charm. I never doubted that anyone could resist me like this. The young men were blushing in the firelight, expressions dazed, especially Ryan, who looked like a tomato, tongue-tied and stammering: “I, um…”
I dragged him further away; Ryan, like a puppet, followed blankly, leaving the others standing there for a moment, glancing back at Miss Meiser and then at us as we gradually walked away. Some, acted on instinct and began to follow.
Perfect, let’s get out of here…
But now we can’t—
“Wait, wait! Miss Meiser, do you… do you need anything? If you don’t mind, would you like to come with us to the square…?”
d*mn!
Who—
I momentarily went serious, but when I turned back to check, I replaced it with my usual charming smile.
That pesky red-headed idiot…
“I have something to do.”
Before I could think up a way to shoo them away, the previously silent Miss Meiser suddenly spoke, her calm gaze sweeping over to me: “That young lady.”
!
cr*p…
For a moment, my brain went haywire, and I released Ryan’s arm, clutching the pastry bag tightly, taking a deep breath as I turned around: “Sister, did you call me?”
“Yes.”
She responded softly.
She was calling me…
Oh no…
Did I overdo it…?
She’s a professional actress; will she see through this…?
Unconsciously taking two steps forward, I subtly positioned Ryan behind me, standing five paces away from her—this was the distance I deemed best for launching a surprise attack, should conflict erupt, while still ensuring the safety of the young men.
“Well then, sister, what is it…?”
I tightened my grip on the bag, took out a pastry, nibbled on it slowly, my innocent eyes twinkling as I blinked at her…
This demeanor probably made me seem like a harmless little girl, right?
I awaited her next words.
Or her next move.
Yet the woman remained silent.
The moonlight was thin, casting shadows on her cold but alluring features.
She stayed quiet, making no move, just lingering there, looking at me—one second, two seconds passed without a word, and the atmosphere turned oddly tense. Even the young men began to catch on, glancing confusedly between us, unsure of what to say or do.
“Um…?”
“W-what’s going on…?”
It seemed the two stunning young ladies in Stag Town—each uniquely beautiful—were creating a palpable pressure with their probing stares. The young men were at a loss, fumbling for words, standing frozen in place.
“Crunch…”
I took another bite of the pastry.
Slowly chewing, the once-rich flavor was becoming indistinct.
My clenched hands started sweating, and beads of perspiration dotted my forehead. I could feel my expression stiffening, barely holding it together.
“If there’s nothing else…”
“There is.”
…Well, you could just say it!
What’s wrong with this woman…
Wait a minute, how coincidental that we would run into her here… Did she somehow know since earlier—
“You all, leave,” the woman said again, addressing the young men.
That familiar commanding tone hit me.
I suddenly realized her way of speaking was strikingly similar to Victoria’s—both cold and detached, devoid of personal emotion. The difference was that Victoria had an absolute queenly air about her, making her seem unapproachably distant, a heavy pressure weighing down.
But this woman…
Despite her similar emotional restraint, perhaps due to her inherent poise or matching appearance, her calm words carried a gentle charm that Victoria would never possess—a sort of quaint allure from a lifetime of grace.
That flavor wasn’t something she forced, but it inherently drew people close.
Her gaze was friendly; even given a command, it didn’t evoke any annoyance but rather a feeling of “this is how it ought to be.” After she said those words, the young men hesitated for a moment, and instinctively they started to move.
“Xi… sis, do you know…?”
Ryan’s uncertain voice came from behind.
“Don’t know her.”
“Know her.”
The two responses followed in sequence from my mouth and the dancer’s—mine came first.
Theirs came second.
