Last Gun Alchemist

”Cough! Cough! Cough!”

Sasha coughed several times as she straightened her body.

She adjusted her posture, then stepped away from Veda, who had been holding her by the waist after she nearly fell.

”You can let me go now, Young Lord of Ash.”

Her voice was calm.

She even sounded as though nothing unusual had happened.

”Oh.”

Veda blinked.

Only then did he realize how long he had been holding her.

His hands quickly loosened around her waist, and he stepped back to give her some space.

”I’m sorry for the inconvenience.”

He lowered his head slightly, his voice carrying a hint of nervousness.

Sasha looked at him for a moment before smoothing out her clothes. Her face had regained some of its usual composure, but the colour in her cheeks had not completely faded.

Cyrus, who had been watching the two of them, narrowed his eyes.

”Why are you two acting so stiff? I remember you dancing together during our welcome ball party.”

He looked from Sasha to Veda, clearly amused by their reactions.

”And?”

Sasha turned towards him.

Her scarlet eyes narrowed, and the look she gave her stepbrother was enough to tell him that she was not interested in hearing whatever he planned to say next.

Cyrus immediately raised his hands.

”Don’t worry about it.”

He answered quickly.

He had already experienced enough of Sasha’s temper for one day.

There was no need to invite another chase when he had only just managed to escape the previous one.

”Hahaha.”

Veda laughed lightly as he watched the two Burnwick siblings exchange words.

Their relationship was certainly entertaining.

Cyrus seemed to enjoy provoking Sasha, while Sasha had little trouble making it clear that she would return the favour whenever the opportunity arose.

It was a lively relationship between step-siblings.

At least, that was how it appeared to Veda.

”Why are you laughing?”

Sasha turned her glare towards him.

Veda’s laughter stopped.

”It’s my bad.”

He raised both hands in surrender, showing that he had no intention of taking Cyrus’s side.

Sasha stared at him for another moment before her expression softened slightly.

”But, Sasha...”

Veda called her name.

He had something he wanted to say.

The words were already in his mind, yet when he finally had the chance to speak to her, his confidence began to slip away.

His mouth opened.

Then he stopped.

Sasha tilted her head.

”Yes, Young Lord of Ash?”

She looked at him curiously.

Veda glanced at her.

He had intended to say something important, but the words refused to come out as confidently as he wanted.

His fingers moved towards the back of his head.

”Never mind.”

He scratched it with an awkward smile.

Sasha watched him for a second longer.

Then she let out a quiet breath.

”Humph.”

She turned away from Veda and looked towards the group of Burnwick ladies who had followed her and Cyrus.

The girls were standing a short distance away.

Their eyes were shining with curiosity, and several of them seemed eager to ask questions about what they had just witnessed.

They had followed Sasha because of Cyrus’s earlier revelations. Now, after seeing Veda catch her, their curiosity had only grown.

Sasha knew those expressions.

She had seen them enough times to understand that the girls would not forget what had happened anytime soon.

”Let’s go, girls.”

She spoke calmly.

The ladies immediately moved closer to her.

Before leaving, however, Sasha turned her head towards Cyrus.

”I will get you back for this.”

She raised her right hand and pointed her index and middle fingers at him, making a clear gesture that she was watching his every move.

Cyrus felt a chill run down his spine.

He recognized that look very well.

Sasha might have been calm at the moment, but that did not mean she had forgiven him. If anything, her quiet warning was more concerning than another angry shout.

Still, he had no intention of showing fear in front of her.

Not now.

He had finally managed to get his revenge for all the troublesome situations Sasha had put him through during the first semester.

After everything she had done to him, he considered this little scheme a well-deserved return.

He would deal with the consequences later.

For now, he was satisfied.

”We really did well, my partner.”

Cyrus turned to his right with a pleased smile.

He expected Ezra to be standing there, ready to share in the success of their little scheme.

Instead, he found empty space.

Ezra was already walking away.

Cyrus’s smile disappeared.

”Ezra.”

He quickly reached out and caught the back of Ezra’s black-and-gold suit jacket.

Ezra stopped walking.

He turned his head slightly, looking at the hand holding his jacket before shifting his gaze towards Cyrus.

”Why would you just leave like that?”

Cyrus sounded genuinely surprised.

He had expected Ezra to remain with him, especially after the two of them had worked together to bring about the situation with Sasha and Veda. Leaving without a word was hardly what he had expected from his partner.

Ezra looked at him with his usual plain expression.

He did not appear troubled by Cyrus’s complaint.

”So, you two planned this meeting?”

Veda’s voice interrupted them.

He looked between Ezra and Cyrus, his eyes widening slightly as he began to understand what had happened.

The timing had been too convenient.

Ezra had been standing with them earlier, but the moment he left Veda’s side, Sasha had nearly fallen into Veda’s arms. Cyrus had also appeared at just the right moment, and his behaviour had seemed far too deliberate to be a coincidence.

Veda glanced at Ezra again.

Then he looked at Cyrus.

”No wonder the moment Ezra left my side, the next thing I saw was Sasha almost falling down.”

He sounded amazed.

The two boys had worked together to create the situation. One had moved away at the right time, while the other had made sure Sasha was distracted long enough for everything to unfold.

Veda had not expected them to go that far.

Ezra, however, did not seem bothered by the discovery.

”You should pay us for the service, Young Lord.”

His tone was plain.

Cyrus turned towards him at once.

”Weren’t you the one who was leaving just now?”

He pointed an accusing finger at Ezra.

The expression on his face suggested that Ezra had committed some kind of betrayal by attempting to walk away before the matter was settled.

”If anyone should be paid, then it should only be me. Otherwise, I’ll give you, at most, twenty percent of the profit.”

Cyrus leaned against Ezra’s shoulder with a smirk.

He had no intention of giving up the credit so easily. After all, he had been the one who teased Sasha, drew the girls’ attention, and provoked her into chasing him through the hall.

Ezra had helped, but Cyrus believed he deserved the greater share.

Veda stared at them.

He had expected the two to explain their actions, but instead, they were talking about payment as though they had completed a business transaction.

”Why are you guys even talking about payment?”

He cut into their conversation.

”I’m more confused about why you would even pull something like this in the first place.”

His gaze moved between them.

He still remembered Sasha’s expression when Cyrus had revealed her past words. She had been embarrassed enough to chase him, and the entire situation had nearly ended with her falling to the floor.

Fortunately, Veda had caught her.

But that did not explain why Cyrus had decided to arrange everything in the first place.

Cyrus looked at him.

”Because you like my stepsister, and I think she likes you too.”

He said it with a straight face.

There was no hesitation in his voice, nor did he seem to think the statement required any further explanation.

”But for some reason, both of you haven’t kissed and started dating already.”

Veda’s eyes widened slightly.

For a moment, he did not know how to respond.

Cyrus, meanwhile, wore the same relaxed expression as before, as though he had merely pointed out something obvious.

”Plus, I did it to annoy her.”

A mischievous smirk returned to his face.

He was pleased with how well his plan had worked. Sasha had reacted exactly as he expected, and Veda had ended up catching her before she fell.

As far as Cyrus was concerned, the scheme had achieved its purpose.

Veda remained quiet for a moment.

Then he repeated the word that had caught his attention.

”Like?”

His voice carried a hint of disbelief.

That single word seemed to trouble him more than anything else Cyrus had said.

Ezra glanced at him.

”I didn’t know the Young Lord already had a lady he liked.”

His expression remained unchanged.

His black eyes rested on Veda’s lingering expression, studying him for a moment before he continued.

”But what’s more surprising, is the fact that I didn’t know you were the type to act shy when it came to expressing your feelings towards the person you like.”

Ezra spoke calmly.

As he finished, he reached up and removed Cyrus’s arm from his shoulder.

Cyrus did not seem particularly bothered.

His attention was already back on Veda, whose expression had grown more difficult to read.

”No, it’s not that I’m shy or anything.”

Veda answered in a calm voice.

He placed his right hand against the left side of his chest.

His expression softened, and his gaze lowered slightly as he tried to explain himself.

”I just feel like I haven’t achieved anything yet to be worthy of her.”

His voice was quieter now.

Veda was not denying his feelings.

He simply felt that he had not accomplished enough to stand beside the person he liked.

The thought had stayed with him, making it difficult for him to take the next step even when he had the chance.

Cyrus watched him for a moment.

Then he waved his right hand dismissively.

”I know Sasha doesn’t care about those ideologies.”

His tone was direct.

”She’ll even be the one cheering for you all the way.”

He spoke as though the matter were simple.

To Cyrus, there was little reason for Veda to keep holding himself back.

Sasha was not the sort of person who would judge someone solely by what they had achieved, and Cyrus believed she would support Veda if he chose to pursue her.

”So don’t be afraid, Young Lord of Ash.”

Cyrus leaned closer.

”Go and ask my sister out on a date or something. Get closer to her, because there’s something you don’t know.”

Veda looked at him.

Cyrus lowered his voice.

”Apart from you, Sasha already has a crush on someone.”

He whispered the words into Veda’s ear.

Veda’s eyes flinched slightly.

The revelation caught him off guard. He had been trying to gather the courage to express his own feelings, yet now he had to consider the possibility that Sasha was interested in someone else.

Cyrus noticed his reaction.

However, he did not leave him to dwell on it for long.

”But she’s been more focused on you lately.”

He continued speaking.

”Still, the major problem is, the person my step-sister has a crush on is Young Lord Deveni Bergwyn. And that guy already has a fiancée, who we all know happens to be the First Princess of the Kingdom.”

Cyrus paused.

He allowed the information to settle in Veda’s mind before continuing.

”But then again...”

His expression changed slightly, becoming more serious.

”Some of Sasha’s relatives on her mother’s side, along with some of the Burnwick adults, are working on making her Young Lord Deveni’s second fiancée.”

Veda listened without interrupting.

Cyrus glanced at Ezra before continuing his explanation.

”And I was lucky enough to hear that Young Lord Deveni mentioned his interest in Vera.”

His eyes lingered on Ezra, waiting to see whether the information would provoke any reaction.

After all, Deveni Bergwyn was already engaged to the First Princess.

One of the Flowers of the Kingdom.

The fact that Sasha’s relatives were considering arranging a second engagement for her was one matter, but Deveni’s interest in Vera added another complication.

Cyrus had brought it up deliberately.

He wanted to see what Ezra would do with the information, or at least whether the boy would show any sign of surprise.

But Ezra merely looked at him.

His expression remained as plain as ever.

There was no obvious reaction on his face, and his black eyes revealed nothing that Cyrus could easily interpret.

Cyrus could only look at him for a moment longer before the sound of the announcer’s voice interrupted their conversation.

”Welcoming Her Royal Majesty, the Queen of Britannia... Her Majesty, Althea Aethelmont!”

The announcer’s voice rang through the Grand Royal Hall.

”Along with her children, the Second Prince, Daniel Aethelmont; the Third Prince, Aldric Aethelmont; the Second Princess, Victoria Aethelmont; the Third Princess, Stella Aethelmont; the Fourth Prince, Charles Aethelmont; and the Fifth Prince, Tristin Aethelmont!”

The announcement carried across the hall, reaching every corner of the gathering.

The conversations stopped.

Guests who had been talking with their friends turned towards the main entrance.

Those holding drinks lowered their hands, while the servants moving between the tables paused their work.

The music ceased.

The Royal Family had arrived.

”Everyone, please stand and stop what you’re doing as we welcome Her Royal Majesty and her family!”

The announcer raised his voice once more.

His words travelled through the hall, leaving no room for confusion about what the guests were expected to do.

Nobles and Non-Nobles alike stopped whatever they were doing. The musicians fell silent, and the servants lowered their heads respectfully.

The atmosphere changed in an instant.

The Queen of Britannia was not an ordinary guest. Her presence commanded the attention of everyone in the hall, regardless of their status or family name.

As Queen Althea and her children entered, the guests bowed their heads.

”Greetings to Her Majesty the Queen.”

The voices of the high-status Noblemen and women rang out in greeting.

Those of lower status greeted the Queen and her children together, showing their respect as the Royal Family made its way inside.

Queen Althea was accompanied by the Four Heads of the different Royal Alchemist Branches, who led her into the hall.

The other leaders were not present for the party.

With the Royal Family’s arrival, the attention of the entire gathering remained fixed on the entrance until the Queen and her children had made their way to the high table.

Queen Althea took her seat.

It was at the top floor of the Grand Royal Hall.

The Dukes, Duchesses, Counts, Countesses and other important figures attending the party were seated at the same high table, where the Royal Family could oversee the gathering.

Once the Queen had settled into her seat, the hall gradually returned to its usual atmosphere.

Conversations resumed in quieter voices. Guests began moving again, and the servants returned to their duties.

The music had yet to resume when a different sound suddenly rang through the hall.

Ping!

Then another.

Ping! Ping! Ping!

A series of notifications appeared on the phones of the guests.

The sound was not limited to those inside the Grand Royal Hall. Devices belonging to people outside also received the same notification.

The Royal Guards received it.

The Royal Servants received it.

The different broadcasting groups, both inside and outside the Palace, received it as well.

Everywhere, screens lit up as the same notification appeared.

For a brief moment, people looked down at their devices, their expressions changing as they read what had arrived.

Then a young Nobleman let out a small laugh.

”Haha...”

He looked at his screen, the corners of his mouth lifting.

”It now begins.”