Chapter 167 Meeting with Elizabeth, a small Issue with Amarantha
167 Meeting with Elizabeth, a small Issue with Amarantha
The foundation of Veridia Company was not without its challenges. In keeping with true business traditions, many wanted to hinder them, and some even took active actions to find compromising material on them. However, they only saw a clean history for all four merchants, including Adam, as if they were saints. No misdeeds, only honest trade.
Their reputation, which surprised their competitors, was crystal clear and shone like a beacon. The Veridia Company and its top executives were noticed taking active steps to support families affected by the war. Adam, as the CEO of the company, personally gave ten refugees homes and provided them with employment. This act was done quietly, but when the media found out about it, they began writing about it in magazines.
Oh, and although Adam did not share the printing technology of newspapers, he took a monopoly into his own hands. Now, almost all publishing houses were under his supervision, and those who managed to come up with their printing press mostly did not earn significant income.
It was comforting that there was no antimonopoly service in this world, so they could freely control all business sectors without worrying about anything. There was a tax, but given Adam's income, he managed to achieve a small tax amount through document forgery and gray schemes. Of course, this often led to disputes, especially with Elizabeth.
The same office where Adam worked with Elizabeth was now crowded with people. In the center of the room, a long rectangular table was set up, and on one side sat Elizabeth in her beautiful dress with a crown on her head, with an elderly man, the Prime Minister, and security standing behind her.
On the other side was Adam, completely alone, sitting without any security but exuding confidence. This aura was not without reason and derived from the subclass called 'Leader' which he inherited.
"..."
"..."
"..."
It was impossible not to notice the level of tension in the room, considering how everyone remained silent. Neither Adam nor Elizabeth rushed to start the dialogue, and they simply gazed into each other's eyes, as if searching for something. In Elizabeth's case, she wanted to read Adam's emotions, and in the man's case, he was simply doing it for amusement.
However, this awkward silence was interrupted by the Prime Minister, who wiped cold sweat from his forehead and, with a fake cough, greeted Adam, "Mr. Adam, thank you for making time for us. I believe you must understand why we summoned you here."
"Eh? Le-e-et me remember," Adam replied with an obvious falsehood in his voice, raising an eyebrow and pretending to be deeply pondering some question. Then he tilted his head to the side and, with a bewildered expression, asked, "I can't seem to recall why. Please, enlighten me."
A vein popped on the Prime Minister's forehead, and he was barely holding back his irritation. Adam's behavior was filled with cynicism and arrogance, which couldn't help but irritate the elderly man. This feeling was also shared by the Queen's security, who found his behavior too rude, given that he was sitting in front of the Queen herself.
However, not forgetting the rules of etiquette, the Prime Minister decided to play along with Adam, though he didn't want to. Clearing his throat, he clarified his question.
"Mr. Adam, initially, we suspected you of espionage. You understand that the war has made many of us ponder, and considering such sharp and uncharacteristic behavior from the Chaos Empire, we were somewhat disconcerted," the Prime Minister reported with a sorrowful tone, feigning a mournful look. Then he narrowed his eyes at Adam and asked directly, "But I hope we were wrong?"
"Of course," Adam replied without hesitation.
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and clearly showed suspicion on her face. She had long understood the connection between Adam and Veronica, which made her uncomfortable. Essentially, these two women were enemies, and she didn't want to tolerate the presence of someone who could report sensitive information to her enemy. However, simply ejecting Adam would be too difficult, as he had not displayed any suspicious behavior, and it could affect the Queen's reputation.
Adam comfortably settled into his chair and yawned, clearly displaying his attitude toward this question. This slightly annoyed those present. Then, looking at Elizabeth, Adam asked her.
"Your Majesty... what's with all this cat-and-mouse game? It's delightful to see my reflection in your pure, blue eyes, but it's a bit uncomfortable to be scrutinized for so long with such a cold gaze," Adam said, affectionately smiling at her. He leaned over the table and propped his chin with both hands, saying, "If you wish to gaze at me, you could have called me in a more private setting. I wouldn't have refused."
"You!" "Impudent!" "Shameless!" - dissatisfied grunts were heard from the Queen's guards, but they quickly fell silent when they felt his overwhelming aura.
The Prime Minister clenched his fists and shook... one might think he was angry, but his thoughts were somewhat different.
"Damn, I envy that bastard! Not only is he handsome, but he can flirt with the Queen herself! I've loved her since childhood..." he complained in his thoughts.
Well, everyone has their thoughts on what hurts.
At the same time, Elizabeth sighed and began the conversation, apparently deciding to end the silent cat-and-mouse game.
"Adam, speak plainly. What do you want?" she asked, interlocking her fingers: "Your actions completely contradict the initial impression. If you want wealth, why not simply work for me?"
"Your Majesty, it seems there has been a slight misunderstanding between us. Allow me to correct it," Adam said in a soft voice, devoid of any emotions. He gave a faint smile and closed his eyes, saying, "I'm not very interested in wealth. My finances are enough to live a hundred years without denying myself anything. However, the question was different... my goal is something grander."
"Something grander?"
Elizabeth asked a direct question but received only a faint smile from Adam in response. For some unknown reason, she felt a pang in her heart and irritation, but this irritation was caused by something else.
"Why is he hiding something from me?" she wondered, but then she was surprised by her thoughts: "Why should I even be concerned about what he's doing? This is nonsense."
It was complicated for her as well. Although they were sitting very close to each other, the psychological distance was increasing. This irritated Elizabeth, who didn't understand the reason.
"Either way, Your Majesty, no matter what I do, I won't harm you," Adam sincerely said, getting up from his seat. He walked over to the door and, before opening it, turned his head and said over his shoulder, "You're a good friend of my wife. Have a good day!"
The door closed with a thud, leaving Elizabeth in the room with the Prime Minister and the security team. She fell silent and closed her eyes, for some reason feeling discomfort in her chest. This feeling annoyed her.
"'My wife,' huh?"
***
While Adam walked to the room where the portal was located, his tattoos suddenly began to glow, and black energy started to flow out of them, forming the complete shape of a dragon. It was Dereris, who was in her childlike form.
"Finally, freedom! Damn, being in your body is pure hell. There's too little energy here," she complained, unable to fully form her body.
"Stop complaining. It's better than nothing for now. Besides, my body is developing, don't you know that?" Adam replied, brushing off the clingy Dereris, who was circling him.
"What the hell are you talking about? By that logic, I should just dream and dream of a comfortable bed!"
Usually, Dereris resides in a space she calls the "Dragon's Lair," but according to her, it's more like living next to a dump where there's always a stench. Such a description even slightly offended Adam because, in essence, the comfort of that space depends directly on his strength. In simpler terms, they almost called it a dump.
Most of the time, she slept, trying to regain her adult form as quickly as possible, but the results were meager.
"By my calculations, at this rate, it will take me a hundred years to become an adult, damn it!" she complained, poking Adam in the face with her tail, and he swatted it away like a fly. "You lazy bum, go level up instead of wasting time on this damn management! Who in the world would spend time on something as useless as a city?"
"It's not useless at all. For dragons, only the presence of magic matters, and demons have a bunch of factors that determine how their level will develop. And I have an even more sophisticated way, got it?" Adam replied, activating the portal. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "Although if you can find me women with a high level whom I can seduce..."
"Well, you know, it's not that bad. You're already quite talented," Dereris said in a monotonous tone.
"There you go."
Such conversations were typical for them. Adam entered the portal with a smile, and a small flying dragon followed him. While he went through the teleportation process, he brought up the level panel.
[Level 38: (150/675)]
"Not much..." he thought.
***
As soon as he passed through the portal and appeared in his estate's room, Amarantha rushed to greet him. She leaped into his arms, and when Adam picked her up, she wrapped her legs around his waist.
"I'm home," Adam said with a smile.
"Welcome home, dear. I've prepared lunch for you," she said in a tender tone, pressing her lips to his neck.
Adam sighed heavily and looked at Elyra, who was watching with the gaze of that girl with pink hair and small horns. He sighed.
During lunch, Amarantha fed him with a spoon, paying him all sorts of attention. The other girls just grinned, seeing the helpless expression on Adam's face, who couldn't resist this pleasure. At night, Amarantha pressed her entire body against him and wouldn't let go, and in the morning, he was held in a death grip.
The reason for all this was her pregnancy.