Chapter Thirty-Five: The Wealthy Are Always a Bit Oblivious

"Mayuna, what's wrong?" Ruby finally finished shopping and walked over. Seeing Mayuna confronting a stranger, she couldn't help but ask.

"This little brat!" Mayuna recounted the entire incident, furious.

"Is that so? I'm sorry, Lady Eve. May I take these with me?" Ruby listened without commenting, then, under Mayuna's astonished gaze, approached Eve, apologized sincerely, and pointed to the coins on the ground.

"Eh? Um, um..." Eve didn't expect Ruby to apologize. She had thrown money at people before—some would instantly bow and snatch the money, others would walk away stiff-necked. It was her first time seeing someone apologize on another's behalf, so she could only nod blankly.

"Lady Eve, do you have any more? If you call out a few more times, will you give us a bit more?" Ruby, satisfied, had Dragon collect the coins from the ground, then asked Eve, as if still unsated.

"I... I didn’t bring much money today, only a few hundred thousand left. If you want it..." Eve’s cheeks flushed red as she prepared to hand over all her money to Ruby, but was quickly silenced by Ceylan covering her mouth.

"Heh, though tossing money is this foolish young lady’s hobby, you shouldn’t treat our family as a cash cow." Ceylan clearly saw Ruby as a greedy little man—such people were everywhere. Still, she was curious how a man like him could have such a lovely companion.

"You, come here! We’re going home!" Mayuna’s face turned purple with rage. She didn’t know where the strength came from as she grabbed Ruby by the collar and dragged her away furiously.

"Ceylan, why did you stop me?"

"Miss, although our family isn’t short on money, we can’t just hand it over to a scoundrel. How can someone get money for doing nothing?"

"No, that’s not it! It’s my first time meeting such an interesting person! So genuine, so unpretentious, completely different from those seductive foxes outside! He comes right out and asks for my money!"

Eve was truly fascinated by someone like Ruby. Because of her special status, she was always the center of attention among nobles. Money was secondary; what people really sought was the secret of the spatial teleportation array she possessed. Men and women alike tried desperately to get close to her.

Everyone knew how to interact with the wealthy: never show your true intentions. Thus, the people around Eve constantly expressed, "I don’t need your money," or "I can’t stand your wealth." But humans are rebellious by nature, and Eve, with more money than she could ever spend, longed to meet someone who befriended her solely for her wealth—to see if they could truly spend it all. Now, she’d finally found such a person. How could she not be excited?

"Miss, you really ought to change your mind," Ceylan remarked.

---

"Mayuna, are you angry?" Ruby followed Mayuna home, not noticing anything amiss until she saw the young Archmage slam herself onto the sofa in silence.

"I never thought you’d stoop for a few coins. Did you really abandon all dignity for money?" Mayuna was dizzy with anger. Ruby was hers—someone she cared about, the only Archmage on the continent! What he’d done was truly humiliating.

"So, you can’t accept what I did?"

"Hmph!"

"Mayuna, have you ever seen dozens of people risk their lives fighting over a bag of biscuits?" Ruby sat beside Mayuna, his calm tone sending a chill through her.

"What?"

"In the apocalypse on Earth, food became the rarest commodity. People killed for a scrap of bread; even cannibalism truly happened. In those times, dignity was just a laughable word."

"Maybe I still haven’t left that era behind. I don’t see anything wrong with calling someone 'my lady' if it means I can afford to go to school."

"I’m sorry... I didn’t realize you’d been through so much..." Mayuna opened her mouth but trailed off. Ruby’s words, though brief, revealed a harsh and bitter world. She had forgotten about his past—Dragon had told her his experiences were grave, but she’d always willfully ignored it.

"It’s nothing. If you dislike it, I won’t do it again."

"No, I’m still angry! You already got your tuition, so why ask her for more money? Are you planning to pay me back and then cut ties with me?"

Snap!

Ruby’s finger flicked Mayuna’s forehead hard, leaving a very obvious, man-made bump on the Archmage’s brow.

"What are you—ah! How dare you hit me—ah! Not even my father—ah!" Mayuna tried to resist, but how could she win against Ruby’s strength? Powerless, she took three more flicks, tears welling in her eyes from the pain.

"Mayuna, do you really think once the money’s repaid, our connection will be over? Are you just going to ignore the time we’ve spent together?"

"W-what do you mean?" Mayuna could feel her heart racing as she stammered.

"People are creatures of emotion. Our relationship is no longer about money. Besides, even if I did pay you back, would you really let me go? I can’t beat you, so in the end, you’ll always have the final say."

Ruby gently tapped Mayuna’s reddened forehead, flashing her a fleeting smile.

"You... you smiled?" Mayuna stared at Ruby as if she’d seen a ghost. He’d actually smiled. After all this time together, it was the first time she’d ever seen it—it felt almost like a dream.

"Did I?" Ruby touched his own lips, puzzled, finding nothing unusual.

"Then why did you still ask her for money?"

"For your tuition."

"Oh... eh!?"

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PS: I love pink-haired girls the most, yes.
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