Ren was already immune to her charms, so he asked instead in a flat tone, "Why are you wearing a mask?"

Elena elegantly gave a half-shrug. "It was to make sure that no one would recognize me."

But she attracted a lot of attention. Ren wanted to say but deigned not to reply and let the matter run its course.

As the night went on, the room was filled with lively chatter, the clinking of glasses, and the gentle sound of music played by a talented orchestra. The guests danced and laughed, enjoying the company of their fellow nobles and the warm hospitality of their gracious host.

Throughout the night, the Queen's attendants served an array of exquisite dishes and drinks, each more delicious than the last. Plates of succulent roast beef, buttery lobster tails, and fragrant herb-crusted lamb were passed around the room, and of course, the highlight was the suckling warthog roasted to perfection. At the same time, glasses of rich red wine, sparkling champagne, and refreshing lemonade were refilled without pause.

Ren was just at the corner, standing and observing, never mingling. If he wasn't breathing, he would pass out as a statue.

Elena was enjoying the party like she always did. Dancing with the men and laughing with the ladies. Until she went to Ren and pulled him into the dance floor.

As she did, the orchestra began to play a gentle waltz, filling the room with sweet and melodic music. The timing couldn't be perfect. Ren didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Elena's emerald green dress flowed around her as they began to move together in perfect synchronization.

However, despite her beauty and the sweet music of the dance, Ren's mind was elsewhere. He couldn't shake the feeling of guilt that gnawed at him, knowing that Evie should be the one he was holding.

He tried his best to be present, but his thoughts kept drifting back to Evie, and he found himself lost in a sea of conflicting emotions.

Elena, however, seemed to be enjoying herself immensely. She smiled warmly at Ren as they danced, her eyes sparkling with joy and laughter. Her movements were fluid and graceful, and she glided effortlessly across the dance floor as if she were born to dance.

She was good with formal dancing, and terribly bad with the rest.

As the music drew to a close, Elena and Ren finished the dance with a flourish, and the crowd erupted into applause. Elena beamed at Ren, thanking him for the dance, and Ren only nodded without a word.

He was feeling a sense of regret and longing for his absent girlfriend to even speak a word.

Elena's smile dropped when he noticed Ren's expression. "You okay?"

Ren didn't want to answer that question. Good thing that the Queen appeared and simply passed between them, murmuring some words that they could only hear.

"Remember to entertain my guests. I don't care how you do it. Just don't let them be bored."

When she left, Elena and Ren looked at each other.

"I think we should split," the Princess said. "There are a lot of noble feys here that the night would end before we could talk to all of them."

"Agreed," Ren said and left. Before he did, he caught a glimpse of disappointment and hurt in the Princess's eyes.

Was he too cold towards her? He didn't know.

She was just an NPC. He shouldn't care too much.

But the problem was . . . he was starting to treat Elena like a real person, and this troubled him more than he might have admitted.

Ren sighed, longing for Evie's touch and voice.

He shook his head to refocus his thoughts. This was no time to be lost in his emotions. He still needed to accumulate billions of dollars.

Ren got to work and entertained some nobles. His first target was . . .

[Leylandra, Summer Court Archduchess. Archfey, genderfluid, Floraia's cousin. She actively wanted to see her lesser cousin humiliated, but she also had a weakness for grisly stories of mortal wars on the Material Plane. Particularly stories of war and combat.]

Ren approached Leylandra, unsure of how to start a conversation with the Archduchess. He knew of her reputation as a schemer and a trickster (according to his Probe), and he didn't want to say anything that might offend or anger her and sabotage the whole quest.

This was the problem if he didn't know anything about the quest. It was always a gamble. But he liked the thrill nevertheless. As long as he didn't start a fight and kill someone, all was well.

Rather, it was the Princess he was worried about. He could only hope her patience wasn't thin as his.

"Your Grace. My name is Ren, an adventurer in the," Ren started. "I couldn't help but notice your interest in the mortal world," he began tentatively. "Have you heard any interesting stories lately?"

Leylandra's eyes lit up at Ren's words, and she turned to him with a sly smile. "Oh, an adventurer? I have heard many interesting stories. But the ones that I find the most fascinating are the stories of war and combat."

Ren nodded, unsure of how to respond. He had never been a fan of war, and he didn't want to encourage Leylandra's interest in such gruesome tales. However, he knew that he had to keep the conversation going if he wanted to keep her attention.

"I can see why those stories would be interesting," he said carefully. "The mortal world can be a violent and dangerous place."

Leylandra nodded eagerly, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "Yes, and yet mortals still fight and kill each other with such passion and intensity. It's almost admirable, don't you think?"

Ren hesitated, unsure of how to respond. He didn't find anything admirable about war or violence, and he didn't want to encourage Leylandra's fascination with such things. But he had no choice here but to please her and proceed to his next target.

"I suppose I can see why some might find it admirable," he said carefully. "But personally, I find it tragic that mortals are willing to kill each other over such trivial things."