Chapter 977: Coasts
Leonel smiled lightly.
He had been monitoring the butler with his Internal Sight ever since he entered the estate. Initially, he had been rushing after Leonel, but after he realized he couldn't catch up, he had changed directions and shot off toward where this girl had been lying in wait.
If Leonel had to make a guess at what happened, he had probably entered a wing of the estate that the butler didn't dare to enter. As such, the butler had no choice but to change tactics and go and seek help from this cute girl.
It was very likely that this was the young woman the Dove family had prepared to field Leonel. And, clearly, she wasn't very happy that Leonel had ignored her while going straight off to her brother and father instead.
It was rare that the Young Miss got a chance to do something important, so it felt like Leonel had snatched away her chance. The result was the poor butler chasing around someone he couldn't catch up to for the second time that day.
"You are Prince Leonel?" Though it was a question, it almost came out like a demand.
"You could say so." Leonel chuckled. "And you are?"
"I am Avery Dove, the Young Miss of the Dove family! We were meant to have a meeting today, but why is it that you seem to be leaving already?"
Leonel looked this girl up and down, suddenly realizing something. He had mostly met all of the noble young men and women during the war with Terrain. But, back then, Avery was just 14 or 15 years old—far too young to participate. It was no wonder this was the first time Leonel was meeting her.
"I see, so it's Young Miss Dove. It's a pleasure to meet you. I wasn't aware that you were waiting for me, my apologies. How about this? Your father said that there are six prime store fronts for me to choose from, would you mind being my guide?"
Avery, who was fully prepared to be a young lioness, was caught off guard by Leonel's suggestion. She had felt that she would need to be more hardnosed because she was a young woman, but especially so because she had this face of hers to overcome.
"Ah… Yes, yes I can!"
Avery didn't know the details, but she knew everything about White City. The moment Leonel mentioned those store fronts, she already knew exactly which ones he was referring to and even exactly how to get there from the estate. It could be said that she was well prepared.
Though she hadn't spoken to her father or brother about this matter, she didn't think that the Prince would lie about this, nor would he have to. She had already been briefed that there might be trouble when Leonel returned so thinking quick on her feet, she assumed that this was a compromise.
Around a corner not far away, Tyrron, who had been prepared to step in to do something, chose to pause instead. Compared to the niceties that Leonel had given him before, this was worth far more. He suddenly found it very difficult to even think of tricking Leonel, let alone doing it.
He shook his head. He felt ridiculous today. He had actually done something as embarrassing as blush. Now this.
Not long later, Leonel was escorted out of the mansion under the lead of Avery.
…
Along the way, Avery found herself relaxing even to the point she began to laugh and giggle at the things Leonel said from time to time. She almost forgot that she was meant to be on official business, representing her Dove family.
"… You really have seen a lot of things. My father won't let me off of Earth, I've always wanted to see what the greater universe looks like."
Avery had a slight longing in her gaze as she looked up toward the sky. But, unfortunately, there was nothing but an expanse of blue to see.
Leonel smiled. "I never would have thought that the stoic Grand Prime Minister Dove would actually be so overprotective. It seems that all fathers have a soft spot for their little girls."
Avery pouted. "I don't want him to have a soft spot. He should treat me like he does Tyrron but he doesn't take me seriously."
"Who knows? Maybe Tyrron wishes your father treated him more like he does you."
"Definitely not." Avery shook her head, her black hair sprinkling about. "My big brother is a workaholic. He's been like that even since he was a kid. If it has nothing to do with self-improvement, he wants nothing to do with it…"
Leonel's brows raised but he didn't refute Avery. Who was he to correct her views on her family members? She definitely knew them far better than he did.
"… It's only a coincidence that Tyrron is even here right now. If it wasn't for father calling him back, he'd probably be on the coasts with everyone else."
"On the coasts?" Leonel asked.
"Oh, right. You just came back so you might not know. Most of the young nobles aren't near the Imperial Capital anymore, they've gone off to the coasts to hunt the oceanic beasts. There've been a lot of them trying to come on land as of late. Not only is their meat really good for strengthening bodies, but their Beast Crystals sometimes go for exorbitant prices depending on their level."
"I see…" Leonel's lip curled into a smile.
"Ah, we're here. This is the first prime store front. We were planning on holding auctions for these in the coming few months, but since father said you can have your pick, feel free."
The location was indeed perfect. The shop was on a prominent street corner and had a body that wrapped around its edges. No matter what direction you were coming or going from, it would be impossible not to spot this storefront.
On top of that, the surrounding ambience was perfect. The smell in the air made one feel relaxed, there was a hint of nature with a park being nearby but not too close that it would ruin the metropolitan atmosphere, and there was even a bank not too far away in case one ran out of money to spend.
Leonel nodded when he saw all of this. "No need to go check out the other ones, I don't need more than one storefront anyway. I'll take this."