A few minutes later, Muiyan Faye returned to the hall alone, with Chaosbringer nowhere to be seen in tow.
Her expression was unreadable, though the slight downward curl of her lips and the furrow just above her brow made it clear—whatever had happened outside hadn’t gone smoothly.
She adjusted the cuff of her sleeve as if brushing off lingering annoyance, drawing no attention to herself as she slipped back into the buzzing flow of guests and chatter.
Leo, however, had been watching the exit door like a hawk as the moment he spotted her, he moved.
"Who is that guy?" he asked bluntly, intercepting her with a calm but firm tone. "What did he want? I’m supposed to know him aren’t I?"
However, despite his bombardment of questions and demanding tone, Faye didn’t flinch at all.
She simply exhaled through her nose and gave him a familiar look—one Leo had come to associate with half-truths and withheld information.
"Now’s not the time for you to know who he is," she replied softly, but her words carried weight. "I took care of him. And I think… when you’re ready, you’ll see him again."
Leo’s eyes narrowed, frustration quietly simmering beneath his neutral exterior.
"At Least tell me his name, and what my connection was with him," he demanded.
But Faye only shrugged and stepped past him.
"Like I said, Leo, all in good time—" she said, remaining adamant on her decision, as she left Leo frustrated.
Without another word, Leo turned towards the exit door that Faye had just come back from and moved to chase after Chaosbringer, only to be stopped by Faye’s arm.
"The team’s heading into their private lounge," she said, her tone now clipped with command. "And you have to be there too. Fans paid a pretty penny for that private interaction."
"I don’t care about that."
"Your contract does."
Faye said with authority, as she did not wait for his reply and just grabbed him by the arm and steered him firmly back toward the hallway where the rest of the Rodova team was already filtering into the exclusive meet-and-greet room.
—---------
Inside the private lounge, the atmosphere was different. More intimate. More rehearsed.
Su Yang was already charming a group of fans near the center, his smile easy, his voice animated, while Minerva sat on one of the plush sofas with two young nobles hanging onto her every word.
Yu Shen stood by the corner, engaged in what looked like a sincere conversation with a dignitary’s daughter.
And Leo?
Leo sat quietly near the back, one leg crossed over the other, sipping from a glass he hadn’t touched since entering.
His eyes were distant, his thoughts elsewhere—trapped between past echoes and the memory of a man kneeling before him, calling him "Lord."
As Serina watched painfully from a few feet away.
She tried to ease into his orbit with the same soft grace as before, flashing polite smiles to the other guests, sharing a few light jokes with nearby fans.
However, eventually as she slipped closer to Leo and leaned down with a playful expression.
"I don’t suppose I could get your autograph, Mr. Skyshard?"
Leo looked up, met her eyes for the briefest second, then turned away.
"Sure, grab me a paper and pen, " he said flatly, seemingly uninterested.
It wasn’t cruel.
But it was distant.
And Serina knew what distance meant.
She laughed softly—more to mask her bruised pride than anything else—and excused herself, blending back into the crowd with a serene smile plastered across her face as she did not bother him anymore through the day.
’He’s not in the mood. Pushing won’t work right now…’ she thought, her mind already shifting gears.
She’d have to be smarter. More tactical.
Leo wasn’t a man who could be won with flattery or seduction—not tonight at least.
—--------
Later that evening, within the plush confines of the Alcazar Clan’s private hotel suite, the serene smile Serina had worn all day had completely faded.
"What do you mean you don’t have his private cell number?" her father thundered, slamming his palm against the marble table, as the sound echoed like a gunshot.
*THAM*
Serina flinched instinctively, her breath hitching as her father’s fury surged.
"What did you even accomplish from this meeting then?! I spent a fortune to get you into that private room and now you’re telling me you achieved nothing of significance?!" he barked, voice sharp and cutting.
Serina stood stiffly with her hands clasped behind her back, head bowed low in contrition, as her throat felt tight with unshed tears.
"Father, please understand. Leo Skyshard…. He isn’t like other men you know.
Approaching him requires patience and subtlety.
He’s too cold, distant. If I push too hard, he’ll shut me out completely." Serina said, desperately making her case, as the older man huffed in disbelief.
Damien began pacing all around the room to cool off his anger, however, it didn’t seem to work, as even after a few seconds had passed, his furious breathing did not seem to tone down.
"Useless," he spat, turning sharply. "You had one job to do. Just one. And you failed."
He said, accusing Serina of being worthless, as a streak of tears began flooding down Serina’s eyes.
"How will you make this right, Serina? Do you even have a plan? Or do you not have that either!" Damien said furiously, as although he did not expect Serina to actually have a plan, surprisingly she did.
"I can make it right…Trust me father, I can" Serina said, her voice trembling as she forced herself to meet his gaze.
"There was a man… someone who approached Leo and called him ’Lord.’ Someone from his past. The moment he appeared, Leo’s entire demeanor shifted."
She narrated, as Damien Alcazar stopped pacing.
The fury in his eyes dulled slightly as he listened, his head tilting in consideration.
"I think," Serina continued, "if we can identify that man and learn who he really is, we might finally gain insight into Leo’s real self. His past. His values. What he guards most. Which can give us an opening into understanding his true nature and how to get to his heart–"
Serina proposed, as she held her breath, watching nervously as her father carefully lowered himself into the armchair, steepling his fingers in thought.
"So you’re betting everything… on this mystery man?" he asked, his anger now a blade sheathed in ice.
As Serina nodded once, her expression unwavering despite the weight behind his words.
She believed in this lead.
Because in that brief encounter, she had seen something rare—an opening. A crack in Leo’s otherwise impenetrable wall.
"If that man was part of the event," Damien muttered, "then he’ll be in the records. Leave it to me. I’ll pull the right strings."
There was a pause.
Then, his voice dropped into a warning tone—soft, yet sharp as a dagger.
"Very well. We’ll do it your way. But pray you’re right, my daughter… Because if you’re wrong, it won’t just be your position within the clan that collapses—it’ll be your future."
Serina bowed her head deeply, the chill of those words settling into her spine like frost.
"I understand," she replied meekly.
Because if she failed… the price wouldn’t just be her pride.
It would be her freedom.
For if she failed, her fate would be sealed—not with chains, but with a wedding band to a vulgar noble twice her age, where dreams of spending a lifetime with a gentleman like Leo Skyshard would wither in silence.