Her palm was slippery, yet strangely warm, distracting him even as he ran.

  "Stop running! If you dare hurt someone in the capital, running will only make it worse!"

  The guards behind them were in full pursuit. The lead guard's aura was calm and formidable, it was a Ninth-tier Adept Mage.

  Such strength was not the top among the capital's guard, but it was more than enough to catch up with ordinary low-tier mages.

  Ryan deliberately ran through alleys dense with buildings, needing to conceal his true power. If he sprinted straight ahead, a Third-tier Adept Mage like him running faster than a Ninth-tier Adept Mage would look suspicious to anyone.

  Boxes stacked in the alley became his tools to hinder the pursuers, and occasionally he would deliberately knock over street stalls to create chaos.

  During the chase, Evelyn silently retracted her ultimate ice sword, letting Ryan pull her along.

  The warmth of her palm lingered, making her thoughts chaotic. If that sword had actually struck, Ryan would likely be lying in a pool of blood right now.

  She had never felt such uncontrollable emotion toward anyone, let alone offered an apology. But the thought of Ryan potentially being hurt pierced her heart like an ice needle.

  After a frantic escape, they finally shook off their pursuers and hid in a remote stone-paved alley. Ryan couldn't tell exactly which part of the capital they were in.

  But he was not worried, the capital was so vast that such a minor conflict would not alert the royal guards.

  Ryan's face still carried a hint of lingering fear."Evelyn, I barely escaped the guards, and I was almost cut down by your sword just now."

  He pointed to his collar, where a fine slash marked the cloth, the trace of the sword's icy energy."If I had been half a second slower, I'd probably have lost this arm."

  Evelyn's eyes flickered as she looked at the mark, her voice unusually flustered."I'm sorry. I didn't expect you to grab my hand so suddenly."

  She rarely apologized, but seeing Ryan's frightened expression made her feel a pang of guilt. She had acted too impulsively.

  Evelyn looked at the slash mark on Ryan's collar, still feeling a lingering shock. If that strike had actually landed, with the sharpness of the ultimate ice sword, he would likely have been cleaved in two.

  Yet he had somehow dodged it, using some unknown technique, which subtly shook her perception of Ryan.

  "Your apology is way too insincere," Ryan said, still holding her hand, his tone soft and whiny like a child who had been wronged, lightly shaking her wrist a couple of times.

  Evelyn was lost in thought, her mind still on that strange movement of his earlier, completely unaware of the subtle kneading sensation coming from her left hand.

  Ryan's fingertips occasionally brushed her palm, warm to the touch, causing her hand to relax slightly without her noticing.

  "So what compensation do you want?"

  From her perspective, the sword strike had been her fault. If Ryan hadn't reacted so quickly, a disaster would have occurred. Some form of compensation was only fair.

  Ryan's eyes lit up as he immediately started scheming in his mind. He had initially thought of teasing her into giving him a kiss, but considering her temperament, she would likely flip out and maybe even swing her sword again.

  So he settled for a safer request, his tone laced with anticipation:"Then how about taking off your veil and smiling? I haven't seen you smile much yet."

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Under the veil, the corner of Evelyn's lips curved into a faint arc, but unfortunately, the veil hid it from Ryan's view.

  She hesitated for a moment, about to lift the ties of the veil, but her fingers froze. Her left hand was still tightly held by Ryan, and at some point, he had begun gently kneading her palm, with a clear sense of taking advantage.

  Only then did she realize: since the moment they had started running, Ryan had never let go of her hand, and the warmth in her palm had been far more distinct than it was now.

  He had been using the excuse of holding hands while escaping to take advantage of her all along!

  "Still not letting go?" Evelyn's tone instantly turned icy, as if a switch had been flipped. The brief trace of apology vanished without a trace, replaced by the familiar high-cold goddess persona Ryan knew so well.

  She could even feel the kneading sensation in her palm stiffen instantly, Ryan clearly hadn't expected her sudden change in mood.

  Ryan let out a dry laugh and reluctantly released her hand, while mentally savoring the memory: Evelyn's hand was truly soft, smooth and tender to the touch.

  Like jelly coated in syrup, yet with subtle bone structure, combining the softness of a young girl with the resilience of someone who had held a sword for years.

  In short: beautiful, soft, and pleasant to touch, making one want to hold it forever.

  "Evelyn, you promised me compensation just now…" Seeing that she didn't bring it up again, Ryan couldn't help but remind her, eyes fixed on her veil with anticipation.

  Evelyn raised an eyebrow, signaling him not to push his luck.

  "Fine, if you won't take it off, then I guess you won't." Ryan immediately adopted a pitiful look, slumping his shoulders like a child whose candy had been snatched, looking utterly dejected.

  But in the next moment, his eyes suddenly brightened, Evelyn actually raised her hand and untied the veil.

  Evelyn lifted her hand to sweep aside a stray lock of hair, and when her fingertips brushed the strand a faint floral scent wafted over.

  Ryan inhaled instinctively and found the fragrance more pleasant than the most expensive perfumes in the capital.

  The few pedestrians in the alley all stopped in their tracks. Men and women, young and old, stood staring at Evelyn in a daze.

  Women smoothed their clothes by reflex, feeling suddenly inferior compared to her flawless beauty.

  The men's eyes lit up, and some even tried to gather mental images of her, but Evelyn's faint ice magic barrier repelled their attempts.

  "I still want to see you smile." Ryan nudged close to Evelyn, excitement in his voice.

  He had come to realize that Evelyn often contradicted her words with her body; she said she would not, yet her actions were honest.

  "I already smiled." Evelyn's voice was flat and calm, which left Ryan momentarily stunned.

  "When did you smile?" he asked, eyes wide. He had been watching her the whole time and had not seen her smile.

  "You smiled before I removed the veil," Evelyn explained lightly.

  "You smiled while wearing the veil? How could I see that?" Ryan protested, refusing to let it go.

  "No fair, give me another smile so I can see it," he teased in a drawn-out tone, a little spoiled, like a child begging for candy.

  Evelyn ignored his coaxing and changed the subject."Why were you so fast when we were running earlier?"

  She still remembered his sprint. The speed did not match what one would expect of a Third tier Adept Mage. Even a Ninth tier Adept Mage might not possess that kind of explosive burst.

  Ryan saw that childish charm would not work and dropped the act. He began to spin a story."Because I learned to use my hips to power my stride."

  He hopped exaggeratedly from foot to foot, doing a silly demonstration."If my hips swing wide enough, I can go faster."

  He was bluffing completely. That nonsense about hips increasing speed was made up on the spot to get him past the question.

  "Speak plainly," Evelyn's gaze chilled, clearly not falling for it.

  "Actually, I learned an ancestral technique. What it is called, I forgot." Ryan scratched his head and feigned vague memory, speaking unclearly."My grandfather said it is a family method. Nothing special, it just gives a temporary speed boost."

  Evelyn did not press further. She knew Ryan would not tell the truth and that more questioning would be useless.

  Besides, she and Ryan were not related, and it felt improper to pry into someone's family secret techniques.

  Whether Ryan was lying or not did not bother her much. With her strength, even if he hid his actual magic level, she could not be overly concerned.

  They walked a few steps along the lane when Ryan remembered the berry skewer. He pulled a slightly melted skewer from his storage space. He had shoved it inside during their escape. The sugar glaze had softened and become sticky.

  "Evelyn, this skewer has melted a bit. Do you still want it?" Ryan asked, though he was certain she would refuse. She was so clean that she would not eat something someone else had stuffed into their pocket.

  Before she could answer, he bit off a large mouthful. The sweet and tart berries mixed with the glaze melted in his mouth and tasted quite good.

  But the next moment he met Evelyn's steady gaze. Her eyes watched him with an inscrutable expression that froze him, and he forgot to chew.

  "If you want to eat it, just eat it. Why ask me?" Evelyn's tone was unreadable.

  Ryan's heart sank. He had moved too quickly and feared he had been rude. Then he thought that even if he had not bitten it, she would likely refuse.

  So he held out the bitten skewer to her, his cheeks puffed with food."No problem. I do not mind. If you want it, you can eat the one I already bit."