"That's how you treat your guests? And here I trusted you."
Aeren's words were calm but sharp enough to cut through the air cleanly. His gaze locked onto Gayle, who froze completely, his expression flickering with confusion.
Aeren could see it clearly—the man had no idea what he had done wrong. Yet that ignorance only deepened Aeren's disappointment intensely. The promise Gayle had made earlier now felt completely hollow, utterly meaningless.
Aeren stepped closer, closing the distance between them until his presence pressed against Gayle's composure. His black eyes were emotionless, his voice quiet but heavy with undeniable authority.
"Answer me, Gayle. I allowed a peasant like you to serve me, and this is how you repay that trust? You disappoint me."
Gayle's lips parted, words failing him completely for a long moment. He could see something—something genuinely dangerous—in Aeren's eyes, but he didn't understand why Aeren's anger was directed at him instead of the knights who had blocked the way.
He had brought countless customers here before, nobles and merchants alike, and never once had the guards stopped them. Why now? What was fundamentally different this time?
Gathering himself, he turned toward the knights still standing firm at the door. "A moment, my lords," he said carefully and respectfully. "I'll clear this misunderstanding."
Aeren tilted his head slightly, watching him with detachment. His expression didn't change, but his words carried a soft, utterly unsettling edge.
"Sure. Go ahead." He paused meaningfully, then added quietly, "But if they don't accept your words… I wonder what you'll imagine in your final moments."
The tone was casual—almost kind—but the meaning was completely unmistakable. Aeren wasn't threatening in rage; he was stating a fact, a truth as inevitable as gravity itself.
The words sank into Gayle's mind like ice water. His breath caught for an instant, and his pulse quickened noticeably. He understood the message perfectly.
"This will be resolved, my lord," Gayle said quickly, forcing a confident smile. "You have nothing to worry about. I will not disappoint you."
Without waiting for a reply, he turned and hurried toward the knights, leaving Aeren behind.
Aeren watched him go in complete silence, his expression calm again—no anger, no interest, only quiet observation.
Gayle stood before the two knights guarding the entrance. He recognised both of them immediately; they were always stationed here. Over time, through his numerous visits, which brought in many noble customers to the boutique, he had grown familiar with nearly everyone who worked in or around the shop. That familiarity gave him certain confidence—enough to believe that a few friendly words would resolve this easily.
"Hey, gentlemen, how's it going?" Gayle greeted with a casual tone, a faint smile easing onto his face.
The knights glanced toward him. One of them raised an eyebrow in recognition. "Oh, it's you, Gayle," the knight said. His gaze shifted toward Aeren, who stood a short distance behind, watching in complete silence. "So, that young man's your customer, huh?" He nodded in Aeren's direction.
"Yeah," Gayle replied, trying to sound composed though irritation flickered visibly in his voice. "Why'd you stop him from entering? He's my client, and I bring all my clients here. You know that. He's got quite a bit of gold to spend, and now he's blaming me for your mistake."
The knights exchanged a meaningful glance. Gayle's frustration was genuine; he wasn't just performing for Aeren anymore. The tension between keeping his customer happy and maintaining his relationship with the guards was weighing heavily on him.
"Calm down, Gayle," one of the knights said, lifting a hand slightly. "You can bring him in. But understand—there are a few VIPs inside right now. Important people. You'll have to control your client and make sure he doesn't cause trouble."
Gayle frowned, deeply confused. "Cause trouble? He's just here to buy clothes."
The knight shook his head slowly. His tone turned serious, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "I'm letting you in because I trust your judgment, Gayle. I know you've got a good eye for people. But don't betray that trust. If anything goes wrong, you'll be the one held responsible."
Gayle felt a chill settle in his gut. The knight wasn't joking at all. Whatever "VIP" was inside carried enough weight to make even the guards nervous and cautious.
He forced a small smile, bowing his head respectfully. "Understood. You won't have any problems from me or my client."
The knights nodded once and stepped aside.
Gayle exhaled quietly in relief, then turned back toward Aeren, who was still watching him with that same unreadable expression—cold, patient, and somehow infinitely distant, as though the world around him barely existed at all.
"Sir, all done. We can enter now," Gayle answered Aeren as he looked toward him. Aeren looked at him, and he had heard the entire conversation between them, but Aeren did not intervene or interrupt their discussion.
"Hmm, I never thought you were able to do it," Aeren casually spoke as he started walking toward the gate. When he reached the entrance, this time, he was not blocked by the knights. Aeren entered the showroom of clothes.
Aeren could see that the place looked like a palace, but not at the same level as a true royal palace. However, as for clothes, this was a completely different level of palace—a design that made people feel attracted to this place, wanting to live in this palace-like sanctuary. As Aeren walked all over the place looking for his specific size when his eye caught a woman whom he could recognise. As he looked at her, he started walking toward her, but before he could step forward, Gayle stopped him and blocked his way.
Aeren was startled by his sudden reaction as he looked down toward Gayle. "What are you doing?" Aeren questioned, his gaze fixed downward. Aeren felt restricted every moment after meeting Gayle, and his irritation started to increase with every restriction he felt from the man.
"No, sir. You can't trouble with this. It's too dangerous for both of us," Gayle provided with politeness and understanding, also warning him indirectly about the situation—that he wouldn't be able to handle her if anything happened between them. Gayle wanted to help him and did not want to break his promise to his friends, those who trusted him.
"What do you mean, you peasant? How can I be in danger?" Aeren questioned him again as he looked directly into his eyes. Aeren's gaze showed no apparent action, but Gayle still felt profound fear lingering within him.
"My ap—" Gayle was about to apologise when another voice cut through, "Aeren?"
Gayle was stunned by a woman who spoke first before Aeren could reach toward her. In that moment, he shivered violently after hearing his name spoken aloud, though he did not recognise Aeren personally, he did feel deep fear toward him and toward that woman. He had no power to turn around and see. He was terrified that if he did, then he would not be able to see tomorrow, because he could recognise the voice—and the voice belonged to a princess of this empire, meaning his death sentence would come the next moment he moved.
Aeren could see him freeze completely, unable to even look at Aeren's eye. Aeren ignored him completely and turned toward Olivia, his fiancée. Aeren started walking toward her and closed the distance between them. "I had never thought that I would be able to see you here, Olivia," Aeren answered as she was visibly shocked to see Aeren around here, with someone unknown, without any apparent fear. He carried himself as though he had come to a playing ground and forgotten entirely that he might get into danger, given that his name is now known—he is the prince of the rival empire.
"Aeren, why are you alone?" Olivia ignored his greeting and questioned him with concern evident on her face. Though she did not know much about Aeren, she was his fiancée, and he had not done anything wrong that might make her hate him, so she had accepted the proposal of marriage without much hesitation. She felt instinctively that Aeren was perfect for her.
"Worry not, no one knows me here," Aeren casually replied to her with a genuine smile on his face.