After Dantalian's conversation with the villagers, it was only a matter of time before the rumors were shattered and everyone began to ignore them.
Dantalian never actually wanted to tarnish the Duchess's name. After all, how could he use her influence or, worse, what if his invitation was invalidated? Absolutely not, he didn't want that.
He decided to tell only a partial truth, albeit a milder version, among various other well-crafted but exaggerated lies that would serve as blatant disguises.
By doing this, the fact that one of the rumors turned out to be true could easily be attributed to sheer luck on the part of the true villain. Yes, the person who spread all the false rumors and now drew all the attention to themselves.
No one would be foolish enough to appear, right? And so, the problem that would gradually lead Duchess Marian to ruin came to an end.
A week passed, and as Dantalian predicted, if anyone mentioned this incident, the only topic that would be discussed was the fact that a scoundrel had tried to deceive an entire kingdom.
And so, two more days passed, and now on this beautiful day, Dantalian woke up to the sound of knocks on his door.
"Mr. Dantalian, I would like to speak to you about some great news." It was the voice of Duchess Marian.
'Ah, what a pity, my vacation is over...' Dantalian thought, placing his hand on his face.
Dantalian stretched and spoke, looking at the door, "Miss, let me get dressed, and we'll meet in your office, is that alright with you?"
"Oh, sorry, did I wake you up?" Marian said.
"Yes, but it's no problem. We'll see each other shortly. I'm excited to hear the good news." Dantalian would get out of bed, stretching his neck from side to side.
"Alright, I'll be waiting then." Marian smiled and walked away.
'Hmm, you enjoyed regaining all your power, didn't you? Well, it'll be of great help,' Dantalian thought, placing his hands on his waist. At this moment, he was wearing only white briefs.
As he directed his gaze towards the bed, he was greeted with a delightful sight: the three girls lying together, forming a harmonious image of friendship and affection. There was an empty space between Freytan and Amanda, bringing them closer together as they embraced each other.
Meanwhile, Fiona, who had fallen asleep hugging Dantalian's legs, now sought something to fill the void, holding the pillow that Dantalian had used.
The three of them were dressed in adorable pajamas, each with a unique and distinct color. Amanda wore a blue pajama, its soft shade accentuating her serenity. Fiona opted for black, perfectly in tune with her aura of mystery. Freytan, in her pink pajamas, radiated vivacity.
'My heart... Damn Marian, I didn't want to wake Fiona up just yet.'
[Truly a beautiful scene.]
'Oh, you've arrived, and since you're here, stay for a little while. The show is about to begin,' Dantalian grinned wickedly, looking at the wall.
[First, put on some clothes.]
'Oh, right... Well, I'll let her sleep while I get dressed,' Dantalian said, grabbing his clothes and starting to dress, while looking at the three girls.
[Don't you dare attack them now, alright?]
'.....'
[What's wrong?]
'Nothing, just sit back and watch.'
Dantalian finished getting ready, and after waking up Fiona, he would descend the stairs and head to Marian's office.
Arriving at the front of the door, Dantalian knocked three times and said, "Miss Marian, may I come in?"
"Of course, you didn't even need to knock, just come in," Marian replied while giving a quick glance to the person next to her, smiling.
"Then, with your permission," Dantalian opened the door and was greeted by the sight of Marian sitting on top of the desk with her legs crossed, while Echidna stood by her side, showing an embarrassed face.
'Oh, well done, Echidna,' Dantalian thought.
"So, what's the good news, Miss Marian?" Dantalian spoke.
"The rumors are gone, or rather, they have been forgotten. I really have to thank you, Dantalian. The few days I spent being pursued were horrible. When I heard of your return, I did everything possible to avoid it from interfering with you."
Hearing this, Echidna bit her lower lip and clenched her fists.
'Wow, your parental abandonment is truly heavier to witness than to read,' Dantalian thought, running his hand through his hair and pushing it back.
'No, not at all. I thank you very much for getting rid of this headache,' Dantalian's thought before speaking.
"You went overboard, there was no need for all that. I could have read it myself if something happened."
Marian smiled back and tapped her index finger several times on the table. "No worries. You saved not only the Elven Kingdom but also my daughter, and now my reputation. Count on me if you need anything."
'You shouldn't say that, Mother,' Echidna thought, trying to maintain her embarrassed face and avoiding looking directly at Dantalian.
Dantalian pulled the chair back and sat on it as if everything was normal, but it was clear that it wasn't, considering that the Duchess chose to sit on top of the table. This gave Dantalian a privileged view of a certain area covered only by the crossing of her legs and her red dress.
"So, I can only express my gratitude, and I will certainly make good use of our relationship. Now, moving on to the real matter at hand, my reward, what will it be?" Dantalian asked, looking directly at Marian's face.
"Regarding that, I believe we have already discussed it before, haven't we?" Marian spoke, caressing Echidna's hand. When Echidna tried to resist, Marian held her hand tightly, squeezing it before releasing it, demonstrating it to Dantalian.
"Would you accept her?" Marian asked.
"No, Mother, you can't..." Echidna would feel a slight pain in her chest, causing her to stop speaking almost instantly.
Dantalian stood up, coming face to face with Marian. "I've already told you, I would love to, but for personal reasons, I can't accept."
"Hahaha," Marian released Echidna's hand and placed it on Dantalian's shoulder. "You don't have to worry, I'm not asking you to become my lapdog. You can have her just for yourself, with no strings attached, you know, simply take her."
Dantalian pretended to contemplate the situation, looking at Echidna once and then at Marian. "Hmm, it is indeed tempting, I can't deny it. However..." Dantalian reached his hand towards Marian's, intertwining their fingers, and pushed her back, making her turn around on the table.
"If I'm going to have the daughter, I want the mother too," Dantalian said, smiling mischievously.
"What?" Marian exclaimed.
But before she could do anything, Echidna, who had remained quiet all this time, slapped Dantalian with all her strength, sending him flying to the other side of the room, crashing into the wall.
"Argh!" Dantalian spat blood and when he freed himself from the wall, he fell face-first onto the floor.
' Well done... Echidna ' thought Dantalian, managing to elicit a terrified expression from Echidna, even though it was not caused by what Dantalian did to her mother, but rather by what she did to him. It worked for both situations.
A second slap occurred, but this time it was Marian hitting Echidna's face. Even though Echidna had not done anything physically to her, her mind was affected, causing her to fall to her knees on the floor. 'She's horrible. I knew that even before these days. So why am I feeling like this?'
"What have you done? Can't you see that you just hit Mr. Dantalian? Have you really forgotten everything he did? You're simply useless. Understand the situation before you act!" After saying this, Marian ran to check on Dantalian.
"Mr. Dantalian, are you alright? What happened? Hey, Mr. Dantalian," Marian spoke, holding Dantalian's head and resting it on her lap.
"Please wake up, don't think badly of her. She just didn't know what to do."
"But mother... He was going to harass you. Are you really okay with that?" Echidna spoke, her hand on the spot where she was slapped.
"Shut your mouth. Of course, he wasn't going to do anything. He was just playing around, I know that. After all, I'm already very old, and I need you to carry on everything," Marian looked towards the door and said, "Go quickly and find a healing option before his maids wake up. They can't see him like this."
"Okay... mother," Echidna, with her head down, would walk out of the room, rushing towards a healing potion. 'Shit, shit, shit, shit... Did I hit him too hard? But he asked me to hit him without holding back.'
Inside the room, Dantalian would open his eyes, coughing up blood. "What happened?"
"Mr. Dantalian, you're awake? That's good. I have no words to describe my disappointment. My daughter didn't mean to do it... Please, don't abandon her."
' I can't lose such a valuable asset. Damn you, if he wants her, what's your problem? Your father is already dead anyway,' Marian thought.
*Cough cough*
'Oh, now is not the time to think about that. What should I do? She needs to come back soon.'
"Don't worry, I know that... I just wanted to test if she's truly a good girl, and indeed, I think it's worth having her in your family," Dantalian spoke, smiling even in his pitiful state. His words brought a smile to Marian's face.
"That's great. You will not only have her but also me, if you desire. Just don't tell anyone, as it would jeopardize the reputation we saved."
'Yes, yes, now I can destroy everyone else and take their possessions. I have the perfect weapons,' Marian thought, referring to Dantalian's entire group.
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