"I won’t accept this!!" Max shouted, slamming the table hard enough to rattle the cutlery. His eyes blazed with frustration. "Mom!! Tell her! Tell Valerie I love her!! Tell her I want her!!"
The King exhaled long and slow, rubbing her temples as if she’d heard this tantrum a hundred tis before. Her son was hopelessly spoiled, a boy who’d never once been denied anything in his life—and now that he was being denied this, he was unraveling.
Hands folded elegantly beneath her chin, the Queen turned her gaze to Valerie with composed grace, her voice deceptively calm. "Forgive my son’s outburst, dear. But I must ask—this man you claim to love... what rank is he? You do understand it’s forbidden for a woman of your caliber to consort with soone of inferior rank, don’t you?"
Valerie flinched. The question hit harder than expected. She was a born prodigy—an A-rank despite never training for combat. But in all her ti with Asher, she’d never once thought to ask his rank. Never questioned his background. She’d simply fallen—heart first.
"I... he’s..." she stamred, fumbling for words.
That was when Asher finally stood. He gave a dramatic sigh, loud enough to draw every gaze in the room. "Well," he said, placing a hand over his heart with mock elegance, "I guess it’s about ti I speak, seeing as everyone’s been acting like I wasn’t even here."
He straightened his posture, his tone turning firm and proud. "My na is Asher Reynolds. I hail from the Kingdom of Eldoria. A student of the Grand Magic Academy—and this year’s winner of the first-year tournant." He paused, letting the words settle like dust after a storm. "Though that’s hardly a flex. What is, however, is that I’m arguably the strongest student in the entire academy..."
He t the room’s skeptical gazes one by one.
"...and maybe," he added with a smirk, "the strongest in the kingdom."
A stunned silence followed. Then murmurs. So snorted. A few nobles outright laughed.
"The strongest? In the whole kingdom?" Max barked a laugh. "What a damn joke!"
"Shut up, mommy’s boy," Asher said without missing a beat. "I’m still talking."
Max’s jaw dropped in disbelief.
"Right... where was I?" Asher tapped his chin mockingly. "Oh yes—my rank. Last I checked... I was an A-rank."
Gasps swept through the nobles like wildfire. An A-rank male? Ridiculous. If it were true, he’d be famous already.
Valerie couldn’t help the pride bubbling inside her. The way he stood there, unfazed, unapologetic and confident—he was like a storm that refused to be ignored.
Max, on the other hand, looked ready to explode. His face turned red, fists clenched tight at his sides. "HE’S LYING!!" he yelled. "There’s no way a brat like him is my equal! I’m the Prince of Zephandria!!"
Others in the room nodded solemnly, muttering agreent. The idea of a commoner rivaling royalty was absurd.
The Queen lifted a hand, silencing them.. "Asher, was it? Are you certain you’re telling the truth?"
Asher gave a smirk. "If I’m lying, I’ll personally hand Valerie over to your son," he said boldly. "But if I’m telling the truth..." He leaned forward, locking eyes with the Queen. "Then all this marriage talk stops—and you give us the Platinum Coins we ca for."
Valerie shot him a sideways glance. Was he seriously betting her? But... sothing in his eyes made her believe in him again.
The nobles chuckled, so shaking their heads. A bet like this was laughable.
Before the Queen could reply, Max stood again, voice booming. "Fine! I’ll take that bet!!" he shouted. "Maids!! Bring an evaluating magic crystal!"
His grin returned, wide and hungry. He knew Asher was bluffing. There was no way a no-na student could match his rank, much less surpass it.
Monts later, a maid returned, carrying a glowing orb the size of a lon. She placed it on the table in front of Asher.
"Well then," the Queen said with a raised brow, "you know what to do."
All eyes were on him. Max looked ready to pop a bottle of champagne the mont Asher’s hand proved him a liar.
Asher remained still for a long breath, building tension. Then, with deliberate calm, he reached out and touched the crystal.
The mont his fingertips grazed it, the crystal ignited and flared with a blinding red light before shattering into sharp, glowing shards. Screams erupted as nobles ducked, covering their heads. Max fell off his chair with a startled yelp.
Then finally, the light faded.
The King grinned, flashing her shark-like teeth. "Red... That’s S-rank."
Asher stared at his hand. "Huh... I guess I leveled up. Didn’t expect that."
He muttered mostly to himself, surprised the system hadn’t notified him.
"S-rank?" soone whispered. "Is that even real?"
"Who is this guy?" another noble asked.
Whispers filled the chamber. Asher, once the dismissed outsider, had suddenly beco the center of everything.
Max stood slowly, trembling with rage. "This is... this is a mistake. I refuse to accept this!! I’M THE PRINCE, DAMN IT!!"
The Queen gave him a cool glance. "Sit down, Max. You know the crystals don’t lie. You’re outranked. Now stop before you embarrass yourself further."
Valerie, beaming, reached over and held Asher’s hand, boldly displaying her affection in front of everyone.
But Max wasn’t done. "I demand a duel! I won’t believe it until I beat it out of him!"
The King sighed, rubbing her temples again. But just then, the maid returned, breathless.
"I’m sorry, young master! But the woman from earlier insisted she couldn’t wait. She’s coming inside!"
Max growled. "Tell her to fuck off—!"
Too late. The hallway doors opened.
A familiar figure stepped in, and Asher’s brow rose. Clara.
She paused when she saw him. "Master...?" she said, blinking.
Max echoed, "Master?"
Asher grinned. "Oh hey, Clara. Fancy seeing you here."
She walked in, bowed politely to the royals, then turned to Max. "I’m here to break up with you."
Dead silence.
Max blinked, baffled. "You’re... what?"
"I didn’t want to do this in front of people," she continued, tone flat. "But I waited long enough. I’ve found soone better to serve."
Thats when a sudden realization hit Asher like a punch. This guy, Max! He’s that fool who strutted around Clara’s house that other day, lounging on her couch like a king while Asher had been screwing his girlfriend in the kitchen while she cooked for him.
Yeah. He rembered him now.
These were the so-called nobles of Zephandria who ca to Eldoria for won? Pathetic. Sharon had said one of them was even his mother’s forr lover. Gross.
He made a note—his mom needed better taste. Maybe he should craft her so enchanted dildos. Definitely a safer alternative.
"Clara..." Max raised his hands in desperation. "Please... think about what you’re saying! Your kingdom has no decent n! You’ll die alone without !"
Clara didn’t even flinch. She stepped up behind Asher and wrapped her arms around him. "I’m sorry, Max. But this man is more than enough for ."
The gasps that followed echoed like thunder.
Max’s face twitched, veins bulging at his temple.
The Queen, however, erupted into laughter. "Incredible," she said. "So this boy doesn’t just have you, Valerie, but another girl as well?"
Valerie smiled, looking at Clara, then back to the Queen. "Yes, Your Majesty. Our plan is to build a harem city. Just for him."
"Harem city?" The Queen laughed harder. "Astonishing!"
The nobles were scandalized. Murmurs flared, hands over mouths. A harem for soone so young?
Max ripped off his blazer, sweating in rage.
Asher smirked. "You know... you’re not half-bad yourself, Your Majesty. You’d make a fine addition to my harem city."
The Queen raised a brow, amused. "You’ve got guts. No wonder they’re all over you."
Clara took a seat beside Asher. Two n rushed to Max to calm him before he exploded.
The Queen raised her hand. "Enough gas. Let’s talk business. You ca for Platinum Coins, yes? As you know, they’re used only by nobles. But since Valerie brought you here, we’ll establish formal ties. You know the rate—one Platinum equals one hundred gold. Can you afford it?"
Asher stood and opened his item box, pulling out a mountain of shimring coins. He dropped the sack onto the floor with a loud thud.
Gasps again.
"This is 1500 gold coins," Asher said.
Before the Queen could speak, Valerie stood up. "We’ll pay 90 gold per coin, not 100."
The Queen frowned. "That’s impossible—"
But then it happened.
A purple aura erupted around Valerie, her hair rising like she was subrged in magic. Her gaze sharpened, glowing with power.
Even Asher shivered.
The Queen stared, then slowly smiled.
"What do you say?" Valerie asked, voice ice cold.
The Queen nodded. "Very well. For you, I accept 90."
The other nobles quickly nodded along. "Yes! Of course! It’s Lady Valerie, after all!"
Asher looked at her as she calmly returned to her seat, her beauty almost eclipsed by the weight of her presence.
He couldn’t help but wonder...
Was this... the true power of her Gift of Allure?
TBC
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