Chapter 178 – Floor 18: Part 3

Lily stared at this strange man with mixed emotions.

Disbelief and shock were chief among them; she could hardly believe that Sanctuary Retort had listened to her prayers! The deity who her family worshipped had sent a Champion to protect her!

There were legends of Champions responding to the prayers of the faithful; the priests would recount them sometimes during their sermons, but she had never honestly thought that she was worthy of them.

But why did Sanctuary Retort send this man!?

Mathew was currently shovelling food into his mouth with a gusto that was normally reserved for those who were starved beyond reason. He had flecks of egg in his long beard, and he would occasionally cough loudly, sending a spray of half-chewed bacon, eggs and toast across the table as he nearly choked. Washing the food down with orange juice, he would barely pause before picking up his fork again.

His explanation of why he was here was concise. After seeing that no one was enthused about his presence, he had merely shrugged his shoulders in dismissal and began to devour everything in sight.

Lily was quickly finding him to be one of the most disgusting and obnoxious people she had ever met. If it weren’t for the fact that she had told no one about her prayers to Sanctuary Retort, she would have thought this was a cruel prank by Ridley White to torment her.

But Mathew knew all about her, at least regarding her request for protection from Ridley White and the dissolution of their bridal contract. He had assured them that he would convince the royal family to stop and that there would be no repercussions to the Bartlett family.

Mathew finally finished his meal when there was no food left in sight. With a loud, satisfied belch, he set down his fork and stood up.

“Ah, that was excellent. Alright, I need a shower!” Mathew paused and looked down at his ragged clothing. He snapped his fingers as if he had just had a sudden thought.

“And a set of clothes. Probably could do with a shave and a haircut as well. You!” Mathew suddenly shouted and pointed at Lily’s eldest brother. The young man started slightly at the noise and nervously dropped the knife he was still clutching in his hand.

“We’re about the same size, I guess. Pick something out and have it sent to my room. Food! Check! Shower! Soon! Then a nap, and I’ll be all set. When is this guy supposed to show up, anyway?” Mathew asked Lily. His quick movements, combined with leaping from topic to topic, had put Lily on the backfoot.

It took her a second to gather her thoughts and understand what Mathew was saying.

“This evening. At dusk.” Lily responded, and Mathew nodded at the words.

“Good, plenty of time. Alright!” Mathew clapped his hands loudly.

“Let’s go!”

After Mathew had been escorted from the room by two servants who watched the strange and potentially dangerous man with wariness, Lily’s family rounded on her and began to bombard her with questions.

Unprepared for the onslaught, she could only stammer and mumble before he father interrupted them.

“Enough! Lily, explain to me what happened last night.” Roger requested.

“I went to the chapel to pray, but no one went with me, and I don’t think anyone noticed that I had left my room.” Lily replied. Her father thought for a moment before continuing.

“What did you pray for? Be specific; we must understand the situation if we are to be correct in our response.”

“I asked Sanctuary Retort to send me a Champion. I wanted them to save me from Ridley White, and that I didn’t want to become a concubine.” Lily admitted. Her father frowned, not from her prayer but from the fact that she had asked for a Champion.

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It was becoming more than likely that this Mathew was a Champion sent to them by the god of Sanctuary Retort. Roger just couldn’t fathom how such a person could be the representative of a god.

“I don’t believe that he is a Champion. It’s far more probable that the royal family or one of our competitors learned of Lily’s request for a Champion, and this is all a ruse to ruin us!” Lily’s eldest brother, Robert, spoke up angrily.

“That isn’t possible; no one was with me in the Chaple!” Lily responded, and Robert snorted dismissively.

“There could have been spies outside the windows, sister. Did you think of that?” He replied, and Lily paled. The windows had been open, and she vividly recalled the smell of the flowers entering the chapel and mixing them with the scent of the wood inside.

She placed a hand over her mouth in shock. How could she have been so stupid?!

“That still doesn’t explain his abilities. He walked through my bodyguards like they weren’t even there! Only Champions possess such talents and power.” Roger countered.

“Not only the Champions. The royal family has connections with many foreign domains; perhaps they requested their aid for this farce.” Lily’s mother added.

“For what purpose? Our business is thriving, but we are nothing compared to some of our competitors.” Roger responded. The bickering continued for a moment before Lily spoke up.

“Does it matter? If he is an imposter, the end result is the same. I will be concubine to Ridley, and our family will be an embarrassment to our peers. If he is real, I don’t believe that such a man as Mathew can compete with Ridley or his guards.” Lily said, her voice despondent and full of despair.

Her parents tried to comfort her, but there was little to be said.

Lily didn’t see Mathew for the rest of the day, although she heard the occasional shout of excitement from the direction of the guest rooms and a few of their house staff rushing around carrying clothing, towels or food for him.

A barber came in the afternoon and spent a few hours with the strange man, but he didn’t leave until the sun began its descent to the horizon. Lily watched the sun nervously, knowing that as soon as night arrived, so too would Ridley White.

Her fate was sealed, and Lily knew that even the ‘Champion’ who was currently resting upstairs, wouldn’t be able to change his mind. She would be a concubine, consigned to the harem wing of the palace like a prisoner.

Lily was standing near her bedroom window, staring out over the ocean as the last shred of sunlight faded. Artificial lights from the city below winked on, powered by large buoys that generated electricity from the ocean waves.

She barely heard someone open the door and walk in.

“Are you ready?” Her father asked, his tone subdued and barely suppressing his sadness and guilt. His daughter was making a sacrifice for their family, and he was ashamed that he had no choice but to let her.

“Yes.” Lily said softly.

The pair walked through the corridors of the mansion in silence. Everyone had left early to avoid exposing them to Ridley White's ire. His unpredictable nature meant that this meeting could go in any direction, and they didn’t want to risk offending him.

Descending the stairs, they passed through the newly installed front doors and down to the driveway where Lily’s entire family met them. They were all dressed in their finest clothing, their muted expressions contrasting with the bright colours they wore. This was supposed to be a celebration, at least that was how it would be told to everyone, but Lily’s family knew it was anything but.

Taking her place beside her father and mother, she waited for Ridley White’s arrival. It didn’t take long.

A procession of black automobiles pulled into the driveway. Sleek and perfectly clean, one of the large vehicles bore the flag of the royal family. Stopping in front of the Bartlett house, a dozen guards dressed in black suits climbed out of the vehicles and took positions around the marked car in the center.

After securing the perimeter, one of the guards opened the car's rear door, and Ridley White climbed out.

A young man in his early twenties, he was somewhat handsome, although his lifestyle had left marks on him. He had bags under his eyes, and he was incredibly pale. He wore a suit with the jacket open and the shirt unbuttoned at the neck. Even with his relaxed outfit, Lily could see his stomach straining across the silk.

Ridley had a sneer on his face, someone self-assured that everything belonged to them already, and he was merely going through the motions. He openly leered at Lily’s mother and younger sister before focusing on Lily herself.

She could feel his eyes rake over her body, and she had to stifle a shudder of disgust. She had heard what happened to anyone who offended him, and she didn’t want to do anything that would endanger her family.

Ridley sauntered toward them arrogantly. His head tilted back in a way that made him look down his nose at Lily and her family, and he sniffed as if something smelled bad. He snapped his fingers and gestured toward her.

“Well? Come here. I don’t want to spend another minute longer than necessary in this pig sty. I want you home and bedded as soon as possible.” Ridley ordered expectantly.

“My..my lord. There are things to do first, contracts to sign…” Roger stammered, his normally calm demeanour utterly absent in the face of the walking disaster that was Ridley White.

Ridley snapped his fingers again and gestured to one of his guards, who promptly walked forward and punched her father in the face. As Roger collapsed onto the ground, several of the other guards drew their guns from holsters hidden beneath their jackets and pointed them at Lily’s brother and mother.

“Now.” Ridley demanded. Lily nodded quickly and was about to step forward when a voice interrupted her.

“Well, well, well, aren’t you a little bastard. Normally, I don’t like the places the gods send me, but this time, I think I’m going to enjoy being here.”