Swear Fealty To Me, My Subjects!

Rayne's scolding stunned Hela.

Hela was stupefied.

The eager anticipation in her heart was shattered instantly. Right now, she did not know how to face Rayne's accusation and stood on the spot helplessly…

Initially, Hela thought that she would be able to give Rayne a surprise and have him see her in a new light by helping him take down Lilia.

However, she did not expect that… she would attract Rayne's disgust instead.

Instantly, self-blame, panic, anxiety and all sorts of emotions that Hela had never experienced before surged into her mind.

She felt her head spin…

Hela asked weakly, "Your Highness, I… did something wrong?"

Rayne nodded solemnly.

"I just received news from Olivia that Gold Village has sent troops to the Desolate Tundra of Leta to investigate."

"They're investigating the dragon lair of Obadiah! They already know about Obadiah's death! Your Excellency Hela, did Gold Village eavesdrop on you when you were communicating with Lilia?!"

Rayne's tone was extremely stern and there was anger in his voice that he tried his best to contain.

This made Hela even more flustered, but she could not understand Rayne's words at all.

Hela's tone was even weaker. "But Your Highness, I don't understand. What has this got to do with us…"

"It's important!"

Rayne said coldly, "Your Excellency Hela, do you know what Gold Village is? That is the sacred ground of the gold dwarves. After the gold dwarves went extinct, it was guarded by the kings of the dwarves. There's a reason why the dwarves guarded the place for a thousand years. Do you know what's the key to unlocking Gold Village?"

Rayne: "It's New One-handed Sword 01!"

As for New One-handed Sword 01, it was a sacred item that Obadiah had been guarding!

When Hela told Lilia that she had the ribs of Obadiah, the dwarves of Gold Village had already deduced that the relic of Original Sequence, New One-handed Sword 01, was already passed to someone else.

The ancient dragon, Obadiah, could not be attacked because of his immortality.

However, there was hope when it came to dealing with the demigods of Haines—no matter what, at least the demigods of Haines could be killed!

Rayne could have kept a low profile.

But now, he had to be exposed to the greedy gazes of Gold Village and could not rest in peace.

Hela finally knew how much trouble she had caused for Rayne!

"Your Highness, I—I…"

Hela wanted to explain but did not know what to say.

She wanted to apologize, but she did not know how to. That was because she was surprised to discover that in more than 20 years of her life… she had not even said a serious 'sorry' once!

This was the first time she had a man she valued.

However, not only did she fail to gain his recognition, she even angered him because of her stupidity!

Rayne: "Your Excellency Hela."

Hela stammered, "Your Highness, I'm sorry… I…"

Rayne hugged Hela with a pained expression.

"…Hela, I'm very worried about you!"

"Huh…?"

At that moment, the world in Hela's eyes seemed to have stopped.

Rayne: "Since you have Obadiah's corpse in your hands, you will definitely be the first person that the dwarves of Gold Village suspect of possessing New One-handed Sword 01. You will be targeted and dealt with by them… I'm very afraid that they will hurt you."

Hela's eyes widened in shock.

So... it was because of this?

Rayne's outburst was not because he was angry at her?

On the contrary, it was because he was worried about her safety?!

Hugged by Rayne, Hela did not struggle at all and merely closed her eyes with endless relief and joy.

The embrace of His Highness was... very warm.

This firm and warm embrace was even more intoxicating to Hela than his beautiful eyes.

That was also the reason why Hela's final defenses were shattered.

Hela probed, "I-I don't seem to understand what you're saying, Your Highness. Are you worried about me instead of blaming me?"

"Hela…"

Rayne continued hugging Hela tightly in his embrace. "After knowing about this, I rushed back immediately. You're my partner, but you're also my friend… Furthermore, I realized that I seem to be…"

He did not continue.

Hela could roughly guess… Right now, His Highness probably could not understand his feelings for her.

In reality, Hela could not understand her feelings for Rayne either.

Why…

Prince Rayne merely hugged Hela in his embrace and yet, she was already intoxicated…

That vague statement was enough to stir Hela's heart.

It was as though she could see a… new light ahead of her on the path of life.

However, just as Hela was enjoying Rayne's embrace…

Rayne suddenly released Hela and took two steps back.

He looked ashamed. "I'm sorry, Your Excellency Hela. I lost my composure and offended you."

Hela wanted to persuade him to stay. "N-No, it's fine…"

Rayne: "Let's get down to business."

Hela: "Sigh… alright…"

Hela left Rayne's embrace and could not help but feel a sense of emptiness in her heart.

However, she pulled herself together quickly and listened intently to His Highness.

"Since Gold Village already knows about the situation, it's only a matter of time before they take action. This is a serious matter. If we let it continue, it will definitely affect the entire dwarven race."

Rayne said sternly, "Therefore, we have to take the initiative to attack and resolve the problem as soon as possible before things get troublesome. Furthermore, I hope that Your Excellency Hela can help as well."

Naturally, Hela agreed readily.

Hela was already thankful that Rayne did not abandon her and head off to settle everything with the three puppets instead.

Rayne added softly with a guilty expression.

"However, I'm sorry, Your Excellency Hela. I'm afraid I won't be able to pay you any rewards for this operation. Although I still have some assets in Dreamland, those are prepared for Thea's golden sword. I…"

"It's fine!"

Payment was no longer important.

Right now, Hela did not care about that at all!

Unknowingly, Rayne's handsome reflection was the only thing left in Hela's eyes.

Hela held Rayne's hand and smiled sincerely at him. "I don't need any reward from you, Your Highness. I just hope that I can help you resolve your troubles… Therefore, I only hope that Your Highness can give me another chance to perform… I won't disappoint you this time round."

Rayne was touched. "Thank you, Your Excellency Hela."

As for Hela, her smile was even sweeter.

Just like that, Hela's negotiation with Rayne came to an end.

Hela obtained Rayne's affection.

Rayne also obtained a free tool, congratulations!