The Dreamer's POV

Chapter 100: Reward

[00 Months: 09 Days: 12 Hours]

"Please, sit," I said, offering her the only chair I had in the room.

The Delegate nodded and gracefully lowered herself onto it, while I picked the next best thing, the edge of my bed.

I glanced at the closed door before turning back to her.

"Are you sure it's advisable to be without your entourage?" I asked, arching a brow.

Seraphina merely smiled, an air of serenity about her. "I trust you, Luke. You went out of your way to save me. I have no reason to fear you."

"But back then, I didn't know you were the daughter of the Lyma Family," I pointed out, shifting slightly on my bed. "Now, things are different."

A flicker of something crossed her face. Disappointment? Uncertainty? She looked slightly flustered and I immediately felt a pang of regret.

'Did I go too far?'

"I'm just joking," I said, raising my hands in surrender. "I wouldn't harm you, Delegate. I'm just saying that you should be more careful about trusting people. Not everyone is as harmless as I am."

At that, Seraphina laughed lightly, a soft and genuine sound that seemed to brighten the dimly lit room. She nodded, her smile lingering.

"I appreciate the sentiment, Luke. I'll keep that in mind."

I nodded back, relieved that she seemed to understand where I was coming from. I might not have been a threat to her, but not everyone would be as kind.

Especially not in this new world we found ourselves in.

'But even so…'

As I looked at Seraphina, I couldn't help but have some thoughts swirling in my mind.

I wondered what kind of picture Benard had painted about me. Some sort of valiant knight, a virtuous hero?

I wouldn't be surprised if he'd embellished the truth a little.

'But why would he do that? Could it be a misunderstanding on his part?'

See, the real reason I'd refused to move to a better room was simply because I didn't want that to count as a reward. Explore more at m,v l'e-NovelBin.net

I wanted to maximize what I could get out of this whole situation.

If they'd put me up in a better room, they might have deducted the cost from my final reward.

Moreover, I had insisted on waiting until Seraphina was awake because only she would be able to grant me a satisfactory reward. She was the Lyma family delegate, after all.

Kindness? Consideration? No, it was nothing like that. I was just looking out for my own benefits.

And now, sitting here in front of Seraphina, I began to think that maybe I could use this misunderstanding to my advantage.

If I played my cards right, and she favored me well, maybe I could get even more rewards than I'd initially calculated.

But a fear gnawed at me.

What if Seraphina had been told that I was some kind of righteous hero?

What if she thought that I didn't care about rewards, that I'd done all of this out of the goodness of my heart?

That could backfire spectacularly.

The reputation I'd somehow managed to build up could prevent me from being greedy. And that was a situation I certainly did not want to find myself in.

I hoped it didn't come to that.

'I want to be rewarded! You can't leave me high and dry, okay?' My thoughts screamed as I comported myself before the Noble lady.

Still, all I could do was wait and see. The ball was in her court now. I could only hope that I'd played my cards right.

"What's the real reason you wanted to see me privately?" I asked, unable to hide my curiosity. "I have a feeling it's more than just thanking me with your words."

In my mind, I was hopeful. I was expecting her to reveal the rewards I was going to receive for my deed.

Yet, as I looked at her, I noticed a troubled expression on her face. The room seemed to darken a little as my hopes began to falter.

'Oi, oi, oi, don't tell me there's no reward!' A flicker of anger rose inside me, but I knew I had to control it.

"Calm down, Mikey," I murmured to myself. "Let's hear her out first."

"L-Luke," Seraphina stammered, breaking the silence. "Can I ask you to hear me out for a moment?"

My heart thumped louder. Was this it? Was she going to thank me with just words and nothing else?

'I don't want to think the Lyma Family is a cheapskate Noble Household. Come on, Seraphina. You guys can't do this to me… you know how much I sacrificed?'

Well, I didn't sacrifice much.

I mean, time was money, so in a way maybe I sacrificed my time. But over the course of the past three days, I hadn't particularly done much, so it probably wasn't too big a deal.

'Still… this is the life of a Noble lady we're talking about. It has to be worth something!' My thoughts echoed.

I hoped this wouldn't be something disappointing. I really wasn't a fan of people using me.

"I feel awful for having to do this so abruptly, especially when I haven't properly rewarded you for your actions yet."

My ears perked up at her words. 'Yet.' That one word was like a glimmer of hope.

She hadn't forgotten about my reward!

'Hehehe!'

A happy mood instantly took over me, and I found myself donning a friendly smile.

"No need to be shy, Seraphina," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Just tell me what it is."

She clenched her fist tightly, as if preparing herself for something big.

After a moment, she finally spoke up, her voice filled with a strange mixture of determination and vulnerability.

"Luke... I need your help," she said, her voice barely a whisper. "My family and I need your assistance."

And there it was. The delegate of the prestigious Lyma family was asking me for help.

Now, the ball was really in my court.

'This better be something good!'

*

*

*

[A/N]

We finally hit a hundred chapters, and I'm so excited about this.

Thanks for reading, and for your constant support, everyone!

Cheers!