Chapter 187: Anna Is Very Anxious
“……”
Hearing Armand’s words, the author looked at him, then glanced nervously at his own booth not far away, and finally looked back at Armand with an awkward expression.
“Haha, ha… O-of course not! Y-you don’t look corrupt at all! You, um, look super just and noble from head to toe…”
As a writer, being good with words is the most basic skill. But in a situation like this, even the best talker would be speechless.
He could only hope this Royal Knight Commander wouldn’t hold a grudge. If he upset someone with that level of status, he was definitely in big trouble.
What he said earlier, about the commander possibly being a villain, was just idle talk. He only said that because darker, more twisted stories tend to have a bigger audience. He thought Armand was just some regular reader passing by, maybe someone interested in those kinds of edgy characters. He even hoped to use this to get more male readers. But who would've thought the very first person he ran into would be such a big deal!
“Haha, look how scared you are.”
Seeing how the author didn’t even dare to breathe loudly, Armand laughed.
Because he usually only interacts with people he knows well, he rarely sees strangers act so nervous around him. This reaction was kind of fresh to him, so he decided to tease the guy a little.
But seeing how terrified the man looked, Armand figured it was time to stop messing around.
“Relax, I was joking. I don’t take novel stories that seriously.”
“Ughhh… I’m so relieved... Haaah... You’re really a good man…”
“You don’t think I’m corrupt?”
“Ahhh—I was wrong, Commander! I was totally wrong…”
“Alright, alright. I’m not the petty type. I actually need to get along with you writers.”
Sometimes, a single novel can really change how people view certain things. Just like now, with how popular ‘The Maid’s Knight’ had become, many women had started seeing knights in a more positive light. That kind of boost was great for the public image of the Knight Order.
Even though Armand said earlier that he didn’t mind the idea of a villainous commander in fiction, if such a story started damaging the Knight Order’s reputation, then he’d definitely want to “have a chat” with the writer.
But right now, his goal was simple: build a good relationship with writers and keep the Knight Order’s good image going strong. After all, public opinion is more important than anything.
With that in mind, Armand smiled and reached out his hand to the author.
“Meeting like this must be fate. Let’s be friends. Just call me Armand.”
“Uwah…!”
Even though this writer was currently a rising star, he knew the truth. He was just a regular guy who wrote stories.
But Armand? He was the Commander of the Royal Knights! Someone that powerful reaching out and wanting to be his friend? That felt like winning the lottery!
“Uh—my name is Clund Slen. It’s an honor to be your friend!”
“Clund Slen? Wait, are you the author known as Mr. Lenz?”
“Wha—?!”
The author had been holding back his excitement so he wouldn’t embarrass himself as he nervously shook Armand’s hand. But before he could say more about himself, a woman’s voice suddenly called out “Lenz”, his pen name, from nearby.
Startled, he instinctively flinched and stepped back.
He had purposely worn sunglasses and hidden in the shade because he didn’t want to be recognized. After all, his main readers were women, and they could be very intense. He had no idea how to deal with them.
Now that he’d been recognized so suddenly, his heart sank .He started panicking, wondering how on earth he was going to handle them.
“It really is you, Mr. Lenz—ah no, Big Lenz!” The girl lowered her voice on purpose, as if she was afraid others would hear. “I saw you at the last book signing event!”
“Ah… haha, you don’t need to call me ‘Big Lenz,’ I’m not used to being called that… Um, thank you for liking my work…”
Although he really wanted to run away, the author knew he still had to make a living and please his “customers.” So he forced a polite smile and turned to face the girl beside him. A short-haired girl with hair like soft cotton candy.
“…Anna?”
On the other side, Armand had already recognized the voice, it was familiar. When he looked closer, his guess was confirmed, it was Liliana, the owner of the clothing shop who often dealt with Evelia.
Right now, she was wearing a wide sunhat, holding a cup of fruit juice in one hand and a bag full of novels in the other. When she started speaking, she let go of the bag, which fell to the ground with a thump. No one knew how she had even carried it this far.
“Ah! Mr. Armand?!” Anna looked surprised, clearly not expecting to see Armand in a place like this.
Then she narrowed her eyes at him and pouted slightly.
“Ugh, I should be calling you Commander, right? Seriously, you never told me you were the commander. I only found out because Carle let it slip. Why so secretive?”
“I wasn’t trying to hide it. You never asked, so I didn’t go out of my way to mention it.”
“Now you’re blaming me? You’re just like Carle... Ugh, whatever. Let’s drop it. So are you here with Miss Evelia today? I don’t see her around.”
“I’m just resting in the shade here. She went over there to buy a copy of that novel.”
“Hmm…”
Anna stood on her toes and looked toward the booth for ‘The Maid’s Knight’, trying to spot a certain girl with bright pink hair.
“Miss Evelia reads that kind of girly novel? That’s kind of surprising.”
“Why is that strange? I thought most women liked that type of story.” Armand said as he also looked toward the booth with her.
Since he was taller, he quickly spotted Evelia standing in line to pay. Evelia seemed to notice his gaze and turned around, giving him a small wave. Armand waved back.
“Ugh, this two... I could get diabetes from this sweetness…”
Anna muttered, but right after saying that, she took a huge sip of her juice, like she wanted to drink in all the sweetness.
“Not all women like that kind of story, though. Everyone has their own taste. I’m just surprised because, how should I put it… I always felt like Miss Evelia doesn’t really have a proper understanding of love.”
“Understanding of love?”
That phrase caught Armand’s attention.
“Yeah, like her idea of love and relationships between men and women seems a little off.”
Armand stayed quiet for a moment, glancing at Anna. He thought to himself, Yeah, she might be right. Evelia didn’t fully understand emotions to begin with, so it’s no surprise that her idea of love might also be a bit shaky.
“Anyway, Mr. Armand, how far has your relationship gone?” As she said that, Anna reached out and grabbed the author who was trying to escape. She shoved a novel and a pen into his hands.
“Huh?” Armand also helped hold the author in place. “What do you mean by ‘relationship’?”
“I mean your relationship with Miss Evelia, of course!”
But just one signature wasn’t enough. Anna had bought a whole bag of his books. All of them needed autographs.
“Relationship?” Armand blinked, then gave a small laugh. “That’s not happening.”
“—Huh??” Anna let out a dramatic sound of shock. “You and Miss Evelia aren’t in a romantic relationship? You’re not together?”
“Of course not. There’s no way we’re like that.”
“What are you two doing then?! You’re going to drive me crazy!!”