"Richard, you need far more things than I do. You should use every single one of your Spirit Souls to support your future success," the Red Star Empress said, trying to refuse Richard's kindness.

When she was drunk, she had said that she was touched because Richard had saved her from imprisonment in the Holy Light Kingdom.

And indeed, she was touched.

It was a woman's natural disposition to feel moved when she was saved in a critical moment.

However, the Red Star Empress knew that this was something that should not be allowed to grow further. She did not want that feeling of gratitude to deepen.

If it did, then when she was drunk again and lost control of herself, she might truly end up intensely seducing Richard. As someone who was supposed to be Richard's senior, the Red Star Empress found that deeply shameful.

"Sister Maya, you can rest assured. I truly lack nothing. On the contrary, I have too much. What is the point of having it if it is not used to help the people close to me? And I don't have many people who are close to me," Richard replied.

Just as the Red Star Empress was about to speak, Richard continued, "Sister Maya, I have already set aside Spirit Souls for you to buy something. You must accept it. When can you go shopping? But given your strength, I think we need to go to the Boundless City. Only there can you find something that truly suits you."

The Red Star Empress, "…"

She was suddenly made to feel as if Richard wanted to go on a date with her—traveling to another city and shopping together. Wasn't this exactly what a man did when he wanted to win a woman's heart?

The Red Star Empress could not help but look at Richard as if trying to read his thoughts.

She wondered what was going through his mind.

Was this purely a matter of repaying her kindness?

Or did he actually have romantic intentions?

At her age, the Red Star Empress was not lacking in experience.

She was the one who had started everything. Even if it had been because she was drunk, it had still begun.

Richard was already an adult—he might have been influenced.

Perhaps in his eyes, she was no longer just a respected senior, but also a senior he admired.

All of this was possible. Even though she was much older, even a widow, the undeniable fact was that she was an exceptionally beautiful woman.

A beautiful woman could cause nations to go to war. Naturally, she could also change the heart of a young man.

Come to think of it, hadn't Richard even asked her yesterday whether she wanted to be with him?

And she had casually replied that she would accept his love if he confessed to her.

Was Richard trying to confess now?

At this point, the Red Star Empress no longer knew how to respond.

She felt uncomfortable rejecting Richard outright.

After all, on the surface, it really did look like he was merely repaying a favor.

On the other hand, Richard kept looking at her with expectant eyes.

Naturally, his thoughts were quite different.

Sitting alone with her like this, it was difficult for him not to be captivated.

The widow of a king—she was indeed a mature woman full of charm.

His heart kept urging him to draw closer to this woman and claim her.

He simply lacked the courage to say everything outright.

Based on his observations, if he acted boldly, he might succeed.

The Red Star Empress might pretend to refuse, but as long as he did not retreat, she would surely yield.

As he stared at her, the Red Star Empress also tried to look back into his eyes.

She wanted to read his thoughts, but more often than not, she avoided his gaze when their eyes met.

Unfortunately, just as Richard was waiting, an interruption suddenly occurred.

Prince Alex suddenly entered the house.

"Mother, Uncle Dasmond has come to visit," the prince said.

Richard could not have been more surprised when he heard that.

Dasmond?

He had just been talking about him with William Anderson—a man he had never even met. Why was he coming to the Red Star Empress's residence?

Richard looked at the Red Star Empress and saw her frown slightly, clearly uncomfortable upon hearing the man's arrival.

She then stood up and walked toward the door.

The door was pushed open from outside, revealing a man who appeared to be around the same age as the Red Star Empress.

He had a sturdy build, brown hair, and a handsome face that closely resembled the late king.

When he saw the Red Star Empress, he immediately smiled.

Naturally, his gaze swept inside.

When he saw Richard, his brows furrowed slightly.

Still, his focus quickly returned to the Red Star Empress.

"Dasmond, is there something you need? Why are you here?" the Red Star Empress asked, her expression making it seem as though she wanted to deal with him quickly.

"Ehmm…" The man cleared his throat.

"Maya, could we talk somewhere else for a moment?" he said.

The Red Star Empress frowned more deeply upon hearing that.

"Why not here?" she replied.

"It's not suitable to say it here… Just for a moment. We don't need to go far—even the courtyard will do," the man said.

The Red Star Empress hesitated, but refusing to speak in her own courtyard felt excessive.

She then nodded, signaling him to go outside, and followed him.

Both Richard and Prince Alex frowned at the same time.

More importantly, once they reached the courtyard, Dasmond actually used his Aether to form a barrier that blocked sound and even the Sixth Sense, preventing anyone from observing them unless they looked directly without any obstruction.

Even with waves, Richard could not monitor them.

Fortunately, he had the Spectra Eye.

He activated it in his left eye, and the walls of the house instantly vanished from his vision, revealing what was happening in the courtyard.

What he saw was that when Dasmond spoke again, he was wearing a smile that was clearly more flirtatious.

Even though Richard could not hear what was being said, he had no doubt that Dasmond was actually flirting with the Red Star Empress.

His brother's wife? And he was doing this after his brother had died?

Richard had not expected this man to harbor such desires.

Of course, by the rules, there was nothing wrong with him marrying the Red Star Empress, since she was a widow.

The Red Star Empress looked displeased and on the verge of anger, but suddenly Richard saw Dasmond take something out.

It was merely a coin—a coin made of copper.

There were no symbols or engravings on it at all.

Richard did not sense anything special about it either. If it were thrown onto the street, no one would bother picking it up.

Yet the Red Star Empress immediately stared sharply at the coin, her expression lighting up as her hand almost reached out to take it.

However, she restrained herself.

On the other side, Dasmond seemed eager to give it to her.

The Red Star Empress shook her head, clearly refusing.

And Dasmond kept trying to present it to her as a gift.

Richard felt the need to help the Red Star Empress. He stood up and walked straight out of the house.

"How much do you want to sell it for? I'll pay," he said confidently, leaving both Dasmond and the Red Star Empress stunned.

After all, they should not have been observable.

But the Red Star Empress remembered that Richard had once robbed the Spectra Eye from her younger brother.

With the amount of Spirit Souls he possessed, he truly could use the Spectra Eye freely.

Dasmond became displeased at being interrupted by Richard.

"Boy, do you think I lack money?" he said.

Richard naturally knew that he did not. After all, the man was even planning to buy a Hidden World from Master Alex.

That was over a hundred million—an amount even the financially strained Holy Star Kingdom did not possess.

Richard guessed that he must have obtained some extraordinary fortune.

"You have to sell it to me if you want Sister Maya to get it. If it comes from me, she won't refuse," Richard replied with a faint smile.

This time, Dasmond was truly shocked.

Naturally, the Red Star Empress was also shocked.

Saying something like that in the current situation inevitably made things awkward and could easily cause misunderstandings for Dasmond.

"Richard…" The Red Star Empress wanted to say something, but Richard spoke first.

"Don't worry, Sister Maya. I have too much money. I need to spend some of it on you as well. Is this the coin you really want? But is there only one of it, or are there others like it? If there are similar coins and he won't sell them to you, we can buy them elsewhere. No matter the price, I'll buy it for you."

"Boy, you…" Dasmond looked thoroughly irritated by Richard's words.

'So it's not the only one…' Dasmond's anger only made Richard smile.

That coin was most likely an artifact of the same type as the Ignis Volt Core, used to unleash special attacks.

The Red Star Empress wanted it badly, probably because it suited her power type perfectly.

"Duke Dasmond, will you sell it or not?" Richard asked.

"I already told you, I don't lack money," Dasmond replied, glaring at Richard.

Right after he said that, the Red Star Empress suddenly added, "Dasmond, if you don't want to sell it, then there's nothing more to discuss. Please leave."

"What?" Dasmond looked utterly stunned.

On the other hand, the Red Star Empress seemed to have gained a new burden in her heart.

Naturally, compared to accepting Dasmond's kindness, she would much rather accept Richard's.

However, she also wanted to avoid accepting Richard's kindness.

Still, with Dasmond present, she was forced to go along with Richard to drive Dasmond away.

Dasmond began looking back and forth between Richard and the Red Star Empress.

He naturally knew they were close—after all, the Red Star Empress had taken care of Richard several times when he was still young.

But in this situation, where he was pursuing the Red Star Empress and Richard suddenly appeared to interfere, it was difficult for him not to speculate and suspect that there was something more between them.

Even so, he did not dare to draw conclusions outright. It was possible that Richard was simply helping the Red Star Empress—helping her obtain what she wanted and driving him away.

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