An uneasy look crossed Kelson's face. He glanced at his father, stammering for a long while without managing to say a word.
He wasn't someone with deep schemes. Or rather, Aldos had too much authority over him—he simply didn't dare lie.
"Anser, please enjoy some of Waterdeep's delicacies." Aldos rose to his feet. "I'll be right back. Don't worry, I'll make sure you get an explanation."
With that, he ordered his men to escort Kelson away, leaving the old steward behind to entertain Anser and the others.
"Young Lord Kelson may not be very bright," the old steward forced out a smile, "but he would never do something like... forcing himself on someone against her will."
"Let's hope so." Anser lowered his head and idly turned his teacup.
Stoll and the others sat with stern expressions. They knew exactly why they had come. There was no need to act overly aggressive, but they absolutely had to apply enough pressure.
The reception hall fell into an uncomfortable silence.
Anser felt the matter would soon be resolved, but just to be safe, he still sent Gwyneth a Message every so often.
'Fell in love at first sight... protective custody...'
He considered every possibility he could think of, yet none of them seemed worth House Wyndrivver risking everything.
Nearly an hour passed.
Aldos returned to the reception hall and dismissed every servant except the steward.
"My apologies, Anser. House Wyndrivver has produced a disgrace..." Aldos began grimly.
When the Sahuagin disaster struck Silver Scale Bay, Waterdeep's Noble Merchant Alliance had evacuated together. Multiple noble houses had participated.
They hadn't rescued everyone, nor had they possessed the resources to save large numbers of commoners. But when Gwyneth arrived leading a group of moon elves and asked for help, they had agreed.
Gwyneth was breathtakingly beautiful. Her skin seemed to glow as though she were the moon's favored daughter. Even Anser had been stunned the first time he saw her.
Kelson had fallen for Gwyneth, but he had never dared keep her by force.
The one who truly wanted to win Gwyneth over was Rezo Cassalanter, a direct descendant of House Cassalanter. He ordered his lackey Kelson to pressure her by offering an astronomical payment of twenty thousand gold pieces per person, hoping to persuade her to stay.
Gwyneth ended up remaining at Kelson's villa, where she was forced to deal with Rezo's constant visits under the pretense of studying together.
Meanwhile, most of the moon elves were taken by Rezo to a winery outside the city under the guise of employment. They could only occasionally meet with Gwyneth, leaving her too worried to leave on her own.
Kelson was nothing more than a pathetic simp—a complete tool. No wonder, despite already being in his twenties, he had never been entrusted with any of the family's businesses.
"Anser, Lady Gwyneth has not been harmed. I've already sent a carriage to bring her here, and she should arrive shortly. The other moon elves are outside the city. I've sent Kelson to bring them back as well. We should have results soon."
Aldos spoke calmly, doing his best to reassure Anser.
Anser silently cursed the melodrama. Kelson was truly a bizarre specimen. Even Anser felt embarrassed on his behalf, let alone Aldos.
Even so, he caught the uncertainty in Aldos's tone.
"Can you tell me about House Cassalanter?"
Aldos remained silent for a moment before speaking slowly.
"House Cassalanter was once one of Waterdeep's oldest, wealthiest, and most influential noble families..."
As it happened, Anser actually knew of the family.
If House Wyndrivver could be described as "new money" and "landed gentry," then House Cassalanter was genuine old nobility—one of the former Masked Lords.
The Cassalanter estate stood just next door on Diamond Street, and neither its size nor its luxury could be compared to House Wyndrivver's manor.
The family's most infamous deed was making a contract with Asmodeus, Lord of the Nine Hells, over two centuries ago in order to save the family's fortunes.
Later, when the family fell to its lowest point, they offered ninety-nine souls and 999,999 gold dragons within a single year, successfully buying back the souls of their twin children.
But their insatiable greed eventually brought punishment from the Open Lord, Laeral Silverhand, and the Lords of Waterdeep. It took them many years to recover.
Even so, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. House Cassalanter remained one of Waterdeep's giants, controlling more than thirty percent of the city's banking industry. Their wealth was staggering, and they were notorious for their arrogance.
The Cassalanters believed firmly in the superiority of bloodlines and were especially fond of marrying gifted individuals. Their family was enormous and filled with talented descendants, making internal competition especially fierce.
Anser mulled it over and still didn't feel reassured.
What if they refused to release them?
Even Liam, who belonged to the good-aligned camp, had behaved like that. House Cassalanter would likely be even worse.
A family bold enough to make deals with devils would undoubtedly excel at exploiting laws and loopholes. What if they produced a stack of employment contracts riddled with traps just to make things difficult for him?
With that thought, he abruptly stood.
"We'll pick up Gwyneth first, then head straight for the estate outside the city. Mr. Aldos, please have someone guide us."
"Very well."
Aldos turned to make the arrangements.
As soon as Anser and the others returned to the Dragonfly, the steward arrived with a servant who knew the route.
The servant boarded the ship, returning Anser's gifts untouched. Aldos himself never appeared again.
Anser sneered inwardly.
Aldos's attitude was obvious. He didn't want to offend House Cassalanter, so he had merely assigned an insignificant servant to act as their guide.
He was trying to avoid offending either side, yet in the end, he would satisfy neither.
That personality... he really was just like his youngest son.
"Move out. Prepare for combat."
His patience had finally run out.
"Yes, sir!"
A fierce fire ignited in Stoll and the others' eyes.
Others might fear Waterdeep, but they didn't. Even Adolf had developed an inexplicable confidence in Anser.
The servant's scalp went numb, his legs trembling violently.
"J-just... follow Singing Dolphin Street south... then t-turn onto Delzorin Street at the second intersection..."
The Dragonfly shot into the sky.
Instead of following the servant's directions, however, it flew directly southeast.
It was an airship, not a carriage. Following the roads would have been idiotic.
Anser raised his telescope and swept his gaze along the entire length of Delzorin Street, but found neither Gwyneth nor the Margaster family's carriage.
The Dragonfly climbed higher, giving him an increasingly broad view.
Almost immediately, he spotted a disturbance at the far end of Delzorin Street.
Looking through the telescope, he quickly found the slender figure dressed in moon-white robes.
"So Lord Aldos's words don't carry much weight after all," he said flatly.
Lin Qiancheng accelerated the Dragonfly, covering several kilometers in just a few minutes before bringing it to a hover above the villa.
Anser removed his formal combat attire and changed into the Robe of Stars. Once he transformed, he wouldn't have to worry about ruining his clothes.
"Qiancheng, keep the ship ready for extraction. The rest of us, move!"
He cast Feather Fall, Jump, and Longstrider on everyone else before leaping from the hatch.
Stoll, Makaria, Giant Tail, and Adolf jumped after him.
Everyone outside the villa had already noticed the Dragonfly.
The members of House Wyndrivver quietly breathed sighs of relief and retreated several steps with their leader.
Gwyneth looked up into the sky.
The wind tossed her hair into disarray, mirroring her emotions. She even regretted informing Anser about this. Waterdeep's situation was far more complicated than she had imagined.
The wind howled.
A mysterious six-winged figure descended from the heavens. Vast dragon wings blotted out the sunlight, casting an enormous shadow over the ground.
Anser hovered several dozen centimeters above the earth and extended a hand toward her.
"Come on."
"W-What? Anser?!"
Gwyneth's eyes widened, her face filled with utter shock and disbelief.
She had imagined countless possibilities.
This one had never crossed her mind.
They had only been apart for a little over two months.
How could someone possibly undergo such an enormous transformation in so little time?
"Put her down! She's Young Master Rezo Cassalanter's woman!"
The people blocking the way quickly recovered from their shock. They could tell Anser was someone they couldn't afford to provoke, yet they couldn't simply stand aside either, so they could only steel themselves and shout the warning.
"Break their legs."
Hearing something so utterly absurd, Anser finally lost the last of his patience.
Grinning viciously, Stoll and the others drew their swords and charged.
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