Chapter 498: Chapter 497- Reach

Seeing Borodicus Clark here was no surprise. Of course, the host of the event would be present.

With a polite smile, Adrian extended his hand and shook Clark’s as he said, “I am honoured to be invited by you, Sir Borodicus.”

Clark chuckled. “I invited you during the celebration as well. I suppose I was hoping to steal a bit of time from one of the most promising runesmiths of this era.”

Adrian smiled sheepishly. “I was caught up in some urgent work and couldn’t make the time.”

Letting go of Adrian’s hand, Clark replied, “Nothing to worry about. After all, what you are curious about will come to light today.”

Adrian nodded. “You are right about my curiosity. Seeing your past creations and reading your research papers made me realize you have truly reached a league above the rest in this field.”

“But it won’t be long before someone succeeds me,” Clark said, his words carrying no hidden intent.

He glanced around and muttered, “Perhaps that person is here among us… or perhaps,” he added, turning his gaze back to Adrian, “I am standing right in front of them.”

Adrian lowered his eyes slightly and smiled politely. “I will leave that judgment to you.”

Borodicus grinned. That response, that unwavering demeanor. It spoke of one thing alone. Confidence. Confidence in himself, in his skills, and in the future that awaited him.

Clark patted Adrian’s shoulder and said in a lowered voice, “I hope you find my work to be yet another contribution, possibly my last bid for public welfare.”

Tapping his shoulder once more, Borodicus walked past him.

The brown-haired man chuckled inwardly. ’Was that an attempt to convince me or something?’

Adrian trusted nothing more than runes.

Once he saw the work for himself, he would know whether those runes were truly meant to uplift society or if they were nothing more than a recipe for destruction.

And when he reached that conclusion, as a responsible citizen, it would be his right to either remain silent or voice his protest.

But for now, he had no intention of forming a preconceived perception of the man. He would patiently wait and observe the tool of revolution with an unbiased gaze.

Yes, he had been warned before that whatever Clark has made under the pretext of empowering the unawakened ones. But people could be misunderstood.

“You appear thoughtful?” a voice came from his left.

Adrian turned to find his lovely fiancée approaching him, holding two glasses of what looked like fruit juice.

Seeing Ruby in a dark red gown that reached her calves, her hair neatly braided into a bun, was a stark contrast to how he had seen her the previous night.

A smile naturally formed on his lips.

She stopped a few steps away and offered a wry smile. “Do I not look good?”

Adrian shook his head. “You can look good in anything. I’m just amused by how the world sees you, compared to what I saw last night.”

Ruby’s cheeks warmed in embarrassment as she stepped closer and bumped her shoulder into his chest, nearly spilling the drink as she complained, “You were supposed to forget about that.”

“Not happening,” Adrian replied, taking the glass from her hands. “That was my weekly dose of sweetness.” Leaning closer, he whispered, “Which means after a week, I’ll need a pajama-wearing Ruby back on my bed again.”

His arm slipped around her waist as he added softly, “But maybe this time, when we’re alone, I won’t just be looking.”

Ruby looked at him, her eyes already seeming drunk. Her heart raced against her chest.

This was probably the first time Adrian had flirted with her so openly, and she was completely unprepared.

“Nothing you have to say?” Adrian asked softly. “Or are you imagining things that might happen between us?”

Ruby bit her lower lip. “You know, Ariana and Anna always tease me for being shy around you. Even now, I know they must be watching. That’s the only reason my knees haven’t given out yet.” She said it all in a single breath.

Adrian chuckled, the sound of his laughter drawing a few curious glances from those nearby.

He pulled her closer by the waist and slowly swayed from side to side, as if they were in the middle of a waltz, as if this very floor was their stage alone.

Seeing a charming man holding such a beautiful woman was a sight for sore eyes.

If there had ever been rumors of Adrian entering a political marriage with Ruby, they would vanish the moment anyone saw them like this, as if they had never existed.

The chemistry between them was just so harmonious and beautiful that no one could call it fake.

The way Ruby shyly smiled at him. The way he lovingly held her, gaze back at her. It was just a scene out of a romance novel.

Soon, Annabelle and Ariana joined them as well, the former carrying a tray filled with food.

“Oh my dear Ruby, how did you manage to hold yourself together for this long?” Ariana asked, her concern clearly fake.

Ruby shot her a silent glare while standing closer to Adrian, one of his hands still resting on her waist.

“Did you find someone familiar, Bella?” Adrian asked, making the girl hum in surprise.

“Ah…” Annabelle closed one eye as Adrian wiped the cream off the side of her lips. Then she replied, “Yes, someone from Umbral.” After blinking once, she added with mild disbelief, “Darling, despite being so engaged in conversation with others, were you watching us the whole time?”

Adrian shrugged. “I’ve gotten into the habit of keeping an eye on my surroundings for some time now. All thanks to Miss Warden,” he said, gesturing toward Ariana.

His hand left Ruby’s waist, drawing a flicker of disappointment from the redhead, only for relief to wash over her when his arm settled back where it belonged.

Ariana nodded in agreement. “A pretty useful trait for a warrior.” She glanced around before adding, “Still, how long are they planning to keep us waiting? We could’ve used this time to catch up on some sleep.”

They hadn’t slept a wink last night because of Annabelle’s plan of just getting wasted by eating junk and talking nonsense. While the planner herself got a few hours of sleep, the participants were still managing somehow.

The people who have come here got themselves a chance to introduce themselves to each other, form connections and advertise their products.

Then there were nobles who wanted to hire highly skilled runesmiths for their houses. What could be a better place than this?

Every skilled runesmith had united here to witness the miracle.

So yes, they didn’t appear annoyed or impatient.

Just then, someone called out, “Professor?”

Adrian and the others turned towards the source of voice. And there stood a few individuals.

The first person whose face Adrian saw was a smiling young man and the Protagonist of this story, Allen.

Then came the princess, who called them out.

And then, on the side was Olivia—someone whose presence disturbed Annabelle more than it did when Sarah appeared before her.

And Olivia could sense the hostility too, making the girl take a cautious step back.

Adrian’s brows elevated, “What are you three doing here?”

Sylvie was about to say something when suddenly, “The event is about to begin. Please take your seats.”

Someone came to notify them. Then, a woman came to their side and said, “Sir Lockwood, please come with me.”

Adrian hummed, “What about my companions?”

The woman nodded, “Of course, they are welcome too.”

Sylvie was also invited given she was the Princess of a nation so surely she would have a seat in the VIP area.

Soon, the seven of them were guided through the crowd to a place from where the stage was clearly visible.

“Waah…so many people.” Olivia muttered as she looked down at the open ground and found more than a thousand people had gathered already.

Adrian sighed…seeing such a big crowd always reminds him of the incident that happened a few months ago during the contest.

His heart felt slightly heavy at the thought.

Just then, he felt his hand being wrapped in warmth.

Glancing to his left, he found Ariana was looking back at him with a knowing look.

Adrian sighed and relaxed.

Holding her hand, his posture eased in his seat and focused on the event.

Not so long after, someone appeared on the stage.

It was a young man who came to address the audience,

“Ladies and Gentlemen, please maintain silence when Sir Clark takes the stage. Please wait until you are allowed to speak. Thank you.”

Adrian hummed, ’Alright, then. Let’s see what the most brilliant runesmith in the world has to offer.’

The show was about to start.

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A/N:- Thanks for reading. If you have been enjoying the story so far, please leave a comment. It helps.

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