Betrayed, I Met The Demon Lord

Chapter 82 - Guardian

Morning light poured over Marcilla's guild building, filling it with a soft glow.

"Someone seems to be in good spirits today," Marcy observed, raising an eyebrow as she scrubbed the wooden reception counter, clearing away the dust and grime. She looked up, welcoming her daughter, who entered the guild with a distinct bounce in her step.

"A-ah, you think so? I guess I just woke up in a good mood," Anne replied, glancing away with a shy smile and scratching the back of her head.

"Hm... And, when you have no work to boot... The guild is closed for today, you know." Marcy commented.

"Ah... Guess I wanted to help out!" Anne said cheerfully, her eyes beaming.

"Oho...?" Marcy hummed with curiosity, pausing her cleaning to lean on her elbow and watch Anne brush past her toward the guild's storage area.

"Is it a boy?" she asked, a sly smile playing on her lips.

"W-WHAT!? NO!" Anne's eyes widened, her face flushing with embarrassment.

"So, it is a boy," Marcy teased, clearly amused.

"F-FORGET ABOUT THAT...!" Anne stammered, shaking her head. "Anyway... so... um... do you know if Van is coming by? I kinda agreed to meet him, like, nothing serious or anything, just... Show him around."

She looked away, her voice quiet and laced with shyness.

But at the mention of his name, Marcy's face tightened. Her hands stilled, and her expression turned unreadable.

"H-He's just been a lot of help, so—"

"He won't come here again," Marcy interrupted, her tone suddenly firm.

"Ah... h-he... he won't?" Anne's face fell, confusion and a hint of disappointment flickering in her eyes as she looked back at her mother.

Marcy lightly shook her head, her gaze settling on her daughter's confused expression. She sighed, loosening the tension in her shoulders.

"No. He has a home with his father in the capital now, so he doesn't have any reason to come here anymore," she said coolly, resuming her scrubbing.

"... Ah... okay." Anne replied softly, turning to continue her path toward the storage area. "Guess I'll... Just go to him or something later..."

"Anne," Marcy called, hesitating as if her words were caught at the edge of her throat, uncertain whether to cross the boundary.

"Yeah?" Anne glanced back.

"... The boy you're so excited about... is it him?" Marcy asked cautiously.

Anne looked away, her cheeks flushing like a ripe tomato.

Marcy sighed, a faint frown crossing her face as Van's words echoed in her mind. "I'd rather you stayed away from him," she said quietly.

"What..?" Anne whipped around, the color draining from her face.

"I misjudged him," Marcy went on, gripping the cloth tightly as Van's scornful words replayed in her thoughts. "That boy cares about little beyond his own desires. If he seems charming, it's only because he's hiding his true self. Don't fall for it."

Anne's eyes narrowed, disbelief flickering in her gaze as her fists clenched.

"You're a beautiful girl, Anne—a girl most boys would line up to be with. You don't need to settle for someone like him—"

"Van..." Anne interrupted, her voice barely a whisper.

"He's not like that!" she said defiantly, surprising Marcy with her rare outburst.