Katarina's gaze followed the pink teddy bear with a fervent focus, as if she was both simultaneously angry and covetous towards it. He could see her struggling, trying to restrain herself from coming towards him and taking the bear out of his hands.
It was only now that he realized that her gaze wasn't actually a hostile glare, but a passionate aggression to something cute!
"Do you want this bear?" he asked, gesturing the enchanting pink toy towards her.
Her eyes widened for a second, before she immediately took a step back and shook her head. "What?! No, I do–don't want that thing! It's not cute at all!"
Michael would have believed her vehement rejection, if not for the red blush warming her cheeks. And even as she turned away from the toy, its beguiling rainbow eyes seemed to attract the corner of her eyes all the same. Something about this toy riveted her and besotted her into becoming a younger, less mature version of herself.
No way… is she secretly a softie?
Michael had been treating Katarina as some kind of hardened, taciturn warrior that was more akin to a soldier than a princess.
When he first met her, he was aghast at her Nascent Spirit realm power. Her ancient mien made him think that she was beyond the pleasures of the world, living the ascetic life and focused entirely on her own cultivation.
After all, Katarina was very young for someone that had reached a stage that most would take decades to achieve. She must have spent her whole life devoted to growing her Diva.
But now, seeing her vulnerable and visceral reaction to something cute made him rethink his whole perception of her.
Despite her demigodhood, she was more human than anyone here!
Truth be told, it kind of made him excited.
"Oh, so you don't want this teddy bear? That's good. This was supposed to be Lyra's gift anyway," he said, nonchalantly returning the teddy bear back in his shadow.
Katarina lurched forward, her hands subconsciously reaching for the teddy bear before she slapped her own hands. "Yeah. That's fine!" Michael inwardly smiled. He now felt incredibly thankful that he met Lyra. Because without that girl's audacious demands, he would have never been able to completely upend the power dynamics between him and Katarina. Seeing her vulnerable side like this subverted all the natural fear and intimidation that came with being a Nascent Spirit realm cultivator.
He now held all the cards. Not only that, but her strange, furtive obsession with the teddy bear successfully made her forget about his real identity!
He took back the teddy bear lodged halfway in his shadow. "Oh, what's that? Are you saying something?"
Secretly, he pressed the button on the toy's back, triggering a pre-recorded message.
{I'm so happy to be your friend! Let's be together forever!}
A cute childish voice echoed out of the toy and directly pierced into Katarina's heart, staggering her.
She squirmed in place, holding her mouth with both hands as she tried not to squeal. That toy was so cute!
No amount of rigorous training and hardships could have ever prepared her for a situation like this. She was taught how to successfully dismantle an entire castle's defense systems deep in the night without anyone ever knowing, but they never told her how to resist a harmless, talking, pink toy.
"Well, I love you too, little guy. But I can't be your friend forever. Sorry, but it looks like you're going to have to stay in my shadows till we find you a suitable partner."
Katarina's eyes widened, indignant. How could he stomach sending something so cute and adorable fettered in a cold, lifeless subspace?! It was a crime against humanity!
Michael looked up at Katarina, ostentatiously realizing something. "Oh, maybe you'd like to be his friend."
Once again, he offered the toy in her direction.
"No… no, I can't," she refused, fully turning away her body. She wouldn't be able to resist otherwise.
He pushed the teddy bear closer towards her. "It's fine. You can take him if you want."
She quickly turned around and slapped the teddy bear from his hands. It crashed into the ground and rolled down a small hill into a muddy puddle below.
This gained a few audible gasps from the Elves watching them.
Michael quietly retrieved the teddy bear, cleaning its fuzzy skin of dirt and grime. Unfortunately, there was now a permanent brown mark on its forehead after it splashed into the mud.
He shrugged. "Okay, if you don't want it then fine."
Katarina remained with her back turned against him, her expression obscured.
"We have to find the Antique…," she muttered under her breath.
…
…
…
"Ahem…"
The silence was only broken once Lady Farren cleared her throat. She cast a furtive glance at Michael, not knowing what to do.
"She's right. That's what we were here for in the first place. We need to find the Antique. Katarina?"
The Nascent Spirit cultivator was currently downcast, preoccupied with her own thoughts. Her wistful gaze was still focused on the now dirtied pink teddy bear.
Then, she shook her head, ridding herself of that tantalizing object.
"It's about this Dragonborn..."
She began to tell Lady Farren about what they heard from Bastiene, as well as their very motive in finding him: the Antique.
"Do you know him?" Michael asked.
Lady Farren nodded, giving an exasperated sigh. "Yes, I'm familiar with Romeo Flameheart."
"What does he want with the Elves? With the resources that Draconians had, I'm sure that you could have negotiated Darkwood from them in exchange for what he wanted."
She shook her head. "What he wants… is me. He has been after my hand for quite some time, but I am not interested in him."
Michael was flabbergasted. He didn't think that Lyra's words were actually true! The Draconian Romeo Flameheart was actually a lovelorn fool!
"But if it's important to you, then I shall request a meeting with him," Lady Farren promised.
They finally made some headway to finding the second Antique!
But somehow, only he was in a jubilant mood.
Katarina sulked by herself, her eyes unfocused, not even realizing what had happened.