Her actions were either unintentional or deliberately intended to seduce Karl.
In short, Triss, who was standing behind, watched Keira with a hint of grievance and slight resentment in her eyes, and she noticed Keira's calculating thoughts.
Karl was hers to meet first, and before she could even make a move, Keira stepped forward—that was absolutely unacceptable!
Immediately, she took a few steps forward and gently grasped Keira's wrist, isolating her from Karl.
"Keira, why don't you go talk to Sir Adric? Since you're acquainted with him, Sir Karl can be left to me."
Keira crossed her arms, her fingers tapping on them, and a suspicious glance darted between the two of them.
She recalled how Triss had used water scrying at home, deliberately guiding her towards the central square along the way.
It seemed she vaguely suspected that Triss's true purpose for the trip was actually this, using shopping with her as a pretext.
She snorted softly, stepped forward again to get closer to Karl, raised an eyebrow, and tapped the back of her hand on his breastplate.
"Sorry, Triss, I'm rejecting your proposal."
"This isn't a secret; there's no need to discuss it separately. I think everyone within earshot can hear clearly."
"Sir Karl, I'm curious, what did you bet with Sir Adric? Can I cash it in for him?"
Karl was surrounded by two sorceresses, and both Triss and the other were expressing their closeness to him with a somewhat ambiguous attitude.
On the surface, he was calm, but in his heart, he had already started thinking.
Wait, had something happened during this time that he didn't know about?
Triss had met him before and had ambiguous contact, so it was understandable that she expressed friendliness.
But Keira hadn't even met him in person; what was going on? Could it be some unique female competitive instinct?
"Sorry, Madam, I'm afraid you can't cash in Sir Adric's bet. It's not just about the money..."
"Then what else is it, Sir Karl?" Keira frowned and glanced at the silent Adric.
"He needs to shout three times in front of everyone that he is a coward."
Karl's expression was emotionless, and he very straightforwardly stated the bet that Adric was unwilling to fulfill.
"What?! Who came up with such a bet?" Keira was startled and asked in surprise.
"The knight's duel was initiated by Sir Adric, I proposed the wager, and he ultimately agreed, which shows he had no objections."
"Hmph! Foolish! Adric, since you proposed a knight's duel, you should have considered the consequences beforehand. Now cash in your bet."
Keira sneered, pointed at Adric, and said indifferently.
Adric clenched his fists, gritted his teeth, and after hesitating for a moment, finally shouted three times.
"I... Adric am a coward!"
"I, Adric of Carriras, am a coward."
...
After shouting those three phrases, Adric looked decadent, as if he had exhausted all his strength, and slumped dejectedly to the ground.
As soon as those three sentences were uttered, he immediately understood what his reputation would be like in the future; he was afraid he would have to hear it everywhere he went.
Look, that's Adric of Carriras, he's a coward!
At that moment, Keira calmly added: "And also, Adric, the connection between you and me ends now."
Hearing this, Adric trembled even more, completely fell back, and stared vacantly at the sky.
As for Adric's agitated reaction, Keira was very indifferent and didn't care at all.
Because for her, a noble whose reputation was tarnished had lost his utmost value.
Besides, the other party was just a minor knight, not even a baron; it wasn't important at all.
He was just a knight, and many new titles appeared every year.
Those nobles who were at least barons and had hereditary fiefs were the ones truly qualified to appear at court.
"Thank you for your fair judgment, Mr. Herald."
"Please, Sir Karl. It was an honor to witness such a divine knightly duel with my own eyes."
"After your identity is verified, we will send someone to notify you in advance about participating in the competition."
Subsequently, Karl took the money pouch belonging to Adric from the herald and simply thanked the judge for his fairness.
He smiled, nodded at Triss, and was ready to leave the scene.
"Wait..."
"Wait, Karl."
Almost simultaneously, Triss and Keira opened their mouths to stop Karl.
Both were stunned, and then looked at each other.
Immediately after, Triss's expression changed slightly, and she took the initiative to question: "Keira, don't you have enough lovers?! What do you want to do!"
For a while, she showed her fangs like a lioness, demonstrating and protecting her partner's rights.
"Hey, Triss, I didn't say anything... I just wanted to discuss the knight's duel with Sir Karl."
"Of course, if Sir Karl doesn't mind, I'd be happy to share something pleasant with him." Keira smiled and cast a charming glance at Karl.
However, Keira's charming glances could only be cast to a dog.
Karl had never looked at Keira from beginning to end, and if he weren't afraid he couldn't defeat her, he would have definitely beaten Keira into a pig's head.
The letter Keira had left after his mother, the only keepsake in the world, was burned after just two glances,
and the humiliation of Alyssa, an extremely disrespectful act, had frozen Keira's image to subzero in his eyes.
Keira's character indeed matched his analysis: vain, greedy for power, playing with intrigues, and focused on personal interests.
"Uh, I think you two might have some conflicts to resolve, so maybe you can talk another time when you're free?" The corners of Karl's lips moved, and he quickly signaled Dalton with a glance.
Receiving the signal, Dalton hastily brought the horse over, and Karl decisively mounted and urged it to turn around.
Suddenly, the two looked stunned, their eyes wide, looking at Karl in disbelief.
Two sorceresses and royal advisors were one after another extending an invitation to keep them company, and the other party seemed unwilling to deal with them?
Especially Triss, a gradual sense of grievance appeared in her eyes, and she thought to herself.
"Oh my, isn't my beauty attractive to him?"
"Then why is he always so cold, not even wanting to exchange a few more words with me?"
"It was the same when we met yesterday; he just gave his name and hurried away."
At the same time, Keira's thoughts were quite close to Triss's, and she was psychologically wavering, doubting her own charm.
"Miss Triss, could you tell me where you live? When you're free..."
"I'm free today. I live on Second Street of the central square, the second building on the corner."
Before Karl could finish speaking, Triss looked impatient and told him the location of her residence.