"Annan Reeves."
The way Olin addressed him gave Annan a bad feeling.
"Sorry, I lied just now. I was dizzy after coming through the Portal and thought you were enemies, so I said my surname was Montreal," Annan explained before Olin could lose her temper.
Olin looked down at Annan. He blinked his innocent black eyes.
"...What are you doing here?" Olin changed the subject.
"I came to see you."
The knights' expressions shifted again.
"What do you want with me?" Irritation crept into Olin's voice.
Annan looked up at her in surprise. "You don't remember your promise?"
A promise!?
The knights exchanged glances, looking as though they had stumbled onto a secret.
"What promise?" Olin frowned.
Annan said nothing. He just looked at the knights around them.
"We'll leave you to it!"
The female knight took the hint and led her reluctant companions away. Their voices drifted back on the wind:
"I can't believe Olin Eldest Sister likes that type..."
"A fierce heart beneath a gentle touch..."
"I can already picture Olin Eldest Sister holding that boy in her arms..."
Their remarks fed Olin's anger. "If you can't tell me what promise—"
"I've scraped together four hundred thousand Gold Narls." Even as Annan spoke, he glanced around warily.
How long had it been?
Olin could not help asking, "What have you been doing?"
"You don't know?" The Mage Tower's Fall was already showing in the Imperial Capital. "Come to think of it, they didn't recognize me either."
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"Let's go home first." Annan picked up Lily from beside his feet and looked at the space behind Olin.
"Walk there yourself!"
Twenty minutes later, Olin returned to the Montreal Manor, leading her Warhorse.
"Master Annan is back!"
The servants greeted Annan as warmly