Chapter 223: Sign of Disaster

Chapter 223

Signs of Disaster

“Hmm? Did Eldest Young Lord Owen give such instructions?” Ellie was slightly surprised by his order to Aman. The letter she received was entirely different. It seemed that...the eldest young lord wanted to throw everyone off track.

He was the only one who knew that Ellie and Luke were the same person, and people would likely be very interested in this. Therefore, the eldest young lord of the Setter family stepped in to help by giving one set of instructions to his brother and letting Ellie have fun with another.

He knew she wanted to train. If she had to stay in the tent like a fool for months, Ellie would wither away. No one knew her thoughts. They might think that letting Ellie rest would be best, but actually...if she hadn’t received Owen’s letter, she would have joined Aman on the mission.

‘Complete the association’s mission.’

This was the letter Ellie had received earlier, and she hadn’t understood what Eldest Young Lord Owen meant until she heard his instructions to his brother.

Leaving Ellie alone in a tent, with someone guarding outside, was no different from setting a fish back in water. He had hinted not to disturb her and not to meddle unnecessarily, sparing her from exhausting herself in performing her skills. Coupled with his advice to complete the association’s mission, it was clear he was creating a way for Ellie to appear as “Luke” while also being Ellie.

The young girl’s heart swelled. She thought no one cared about her details more than Luke’s. As an adventurer, the onset of war meant receiving special missions from the association to gather resources. Adventurers who didn’t comply would be blacklisted and questioned later. If their reasons were good and credible, fine; otherwise, they’d be branded as “deserters,” facing punishments similar to soldiers.

Ellie wasn’t too concerned about this. Although she worried initially, she’d have to abandon her identity as Luke if forced to choose. Who would have thought Young Lord Owen would find out about this detail that made her distressed...?

While Ellie felt grateful for his thoughtfulness, the eldest young lord himself sat with a furrowed brows in displeasure.

After learning that the seemingly perfect prince was always trying to get close to his Ellie, Owen felt uneasy. He didn’t think the prince’s strength could match his own. His appearance wouldn’t interest Ellie either, as she didn’t judge men by their looks. Otherwise, those around her—Aman, Professor Medik, Professor Lucien, or even member of the Femon family—would have caught her eye. They all had better-than-average looks, similar to the prince, who wasn’t particularly outstanding.

But for some reason, he felt that the prince had something more outstanding than others, and he feared...he feared that Ellie might get too close to him and develop feelings for him.

Because of this...he planned to keep Ellie away from the prince. He discovered this key point and, yes! He wasn’t really worried about Luke’s identity being revealed. He did all this just to give Ellie more to do. Then, as Luke, she wouldn’t have to focus on missions that would keep her near the prince!

No one would have guessed that in the private guest room prepared by the Emperor, the sharp scent of jealousy was filling the air...

Back at the institute students, after they had gathered in the main hall again, the students were well-prepared. Some had a lot of luggage, others had little. Most planned to camp in the forest, much like Aman’s idea. However, they didn’t have the experience of the Setter family, so their division of labor wasn’t as efficient. Ellie noticed many had brought redundant items while lacking essential ones.

But it didn’t matter. They could always return to the city if they needed anything. They could either contact their families or buy more supplies in the city.

Duchess Vida was another person with a dimensional ring. So, only she and Ellie weren’t carrying any luggage. When Vida noticed Ellie watching, she took the opportunity to greet her, though her real intention was to be near the prince.

“Duchess Ellie, are you ready?” Vida asked in a composed voice.

“Yes.”

“I see. Well, travel safely and be careful on your mission. I...I have something for you. With this item, if you place it around your camp, it will...”

“We don’t need gifts from other groups,” Prince Jason, who had been watching, narrowed his eyes and brushed Vida’s hand away, not letting her give Ellie anything. In his mind, Vida didn’t really want to give the item to Ellie. She just knew Ellie would be with him and wanted it to be used for his camp. Well...Vida’s interference only annoyed him further, though Vida had no idea she was being misunderstood.

“The prince may not want it, but Duchess Vida and I are very close. She’s giving it to me out of concern for a friend. So, I will accept it, Your Highness.” Ellie smiled, a mystery in it was kept well. Her expression showed only concern for a friend, surprising Vida and Aria who saw her demeanor.

Both knew Ellie was usually irritable and wouldn’t want to accept anything from them. They hadn’t expected her to cooperate so smoothly.

"Your Highness, you misunderstand me. I only want to give this to a close friend," Vida said softly. She knew she was lying, but if this lie would increase the prince’s safety, she was willing to do it.

"Oh, friend this, friend that. I really want to know how close you all are," Prince Jason said with a mocking smile. Did they think this act would deceive him?

"Whether we are close or not is for me to decide, Your Highness."

"Indeed. You’ve made such great decisions. In fact...you should follow your brother’s example and walk away from me," the prince scoffed, but Ellie frowned deeply.

"What are you talking about, Your Highness?" Prince Jason shook his head. He believed that Luke’s identity as a hunter also wasn’t known to the little sister who diligently studied at the institute. Luke probably wanted to increase his abilities quietly. If the "future lady of the Setter family" knew her brother wanted more power, she might have asked the Setter family to help.

In his eyes, Luke was a prideful person, much like himself. Thus, Luke would prefer to train in secret. His statement about "walking away like your brother" was a big bait to confirm Ellie’s ignorance. And it worked...

The little girl’s immediate question about what he meant confirmed his suspicion. He didn’t realize...he was overthinking the whole matter!

"Younger sister" and "brother"—those weren’t true! Ellie wasn’t even aware of such a connection. It was the prince who had jumped to conclusions, not only he claimed she had a brother but also misunderstood and caused confusion.

"Oh, my mistake. I meant to say that making me displeased by pretending to be close to the Jarlon family is useless. You’d be better off walking away from me like your “partner” does," Prince Jason quickly changed his words, still watching Ellie closely. This time, Ellie didn’t feign shock but instead exhaled as if relieved that her secret was safe.

And this was all an act...

"Huh, it seems Your Highness misunderstands again. My brother walks away because he sees no benefit in talking to you. As for who Ellie is close to, what does that have to do with you?"

Aman interjected immediately. At first, he was confused by the prince’s words, but when Jason corrected himself to "partner," Aman understood whom he referred to.

"Hmph...why wouldn’t it matter? Soon...she’ll become my younger sister."

"What are you talking about, Your Highness?"

"Why? Did I say something wrong? Soon, Young Lord Owen will give his future wife another city, making her a princess of Ares. That would make her my younger sister, right? As her brother, wouldn’t I have the right to choose her friends?" The prince laughed contentedly, but everyone else’s expressions soured.

"Your Highness..." Vida was the most shocked of them all. Even Ellie couldn’t help but feel sorry for her.

The nonsensical talk from this annoying man about Ellie becoming his “younger sister,” which was impossible, made her want to vomit, but his statement about “choosing her friends” was essentially an announcement that Duchess Vida was unworthy of association.

These words, coming from the person she liked the most, must have hurt Duchess Vida deeply.

“Your Highness, why do you speak so harshly? What fault does Duchess Vida have? She is an exceptional woman, highly capable, and well-mannered. Why do you act as if she is someone unworthy of association!?” Aria could no longer remain silent. She had tried to wait and see the outcome, but seeing Duchess Vida distress with those words, she had to speak up.

There were many people watching, all aware of how poorly the prince treated Duchess Vida. They were waiting for something fun, and when they saw the prince attacked with harsh words, it provided them plenty of fun things to gossip. This situation caused Duchess Vida considerable embarrassment...

“Heh, heh, heh. As a son of the Setter family, this is truly an eye-opening experience. I didn’t think the prince would regard his fiancée like this, especially since he was the one who proposed the engagement. For such an accomplished lady, if the royal family hadn’t hurriedly arranged the engagement, many would be vying for the Jarlon family,” Aman sneered. He wasn’t particularly fond of the Jarlon family but saw an opportunity to tarnish the arrogant prince’s reputation.

The prince dared to be so condescending, using annoying words, forcing them into a mission together inevitably and claiming Ellie would become his sister!

Ellie was meant to be only his elder brother’s partner. She shouldn’t have any other status. The notion of her becoming a princess was out of the question, Aman couldn’t let this happen!!

“It seems that once you get what you want, you don’t cherish it, Your Highness. Now I know who my sister-in-law should associate with and who she should avoid,”

Aman laughed, turning to talk to Ellie with a mocking seriousness. Despite this, the prince’s expression remained unchanged, a smirk still on his lips.

The prince didn’t fear being targeted by the Jarlon family or even Vida wanting to break the engagement. That’s because he didn’t desire the power of those nobles or wish to marry someone solely because of their influential family. In the end, the major families were only interested in seizing benefits from the kingdom.

He shrugged indifferently. His action had always been clear; it was obvious from the beginning. How else would people know he didn’t want anything to do with the Jarlon family and that he didn’t like Duchess Vida? It was all by his own design.

However...he found the verbal sparring with Aman more engaging. If Aman hadn’t interrupted, he would have let the matter drop. But since Aman had thrown a challenge, he wasn’t going to miss the chance to sharpen his tongue!

“Heh, heh, heh. It seems the Second Young Lord has misunderstood. I’m not a frivolous person like that. Quite the opposite...if there’s something I truly desire, I will do whatever it takes to get it. And once it’s mine, I won’t discard it lightly. Instead, I will cherish it dearly.”Jason stared into eyes that reminded him of the hunter Luke he had met before, as if trying to convey his full meaning. However, others didn’t understand the prince’s message. They only saw the prince giving Ellie a sweet, intense look. This action made everyone feel a chill, as if the God of Disaster was about to descend upon the institute and the kingdom...