The moment the two guards finished looking me over, amused smiles slowly spread across their faces. Their eyes lingered on my plain clothes for a few more seconds before they looked at one another, unable to hold back their laughter.
"You?" one of them said between chuckles. "Do you actually think our young miss would meet with the likes of you?"
The other guard smirked as he casually rested his spear against his shoulder.
"You'd better scram while we're still being polite," he said dismissively. "Trust me, that'll be better for you."
Their mocking laughter echoed outside the estate gate, yet my expression remained unchanged.
"I really did come here to meet Leslie," I replied calmly. "She was the one who invited me."
Instead of believing me, the two guards laughed even harder than before, as though I had just told them the funniest joke they had heard all day.
One of the guards took a step forward, the amusement on his face disappearing as he lowered the tip of his spear until it hovered just inches from my chest.
"This is your last warning," he said in a cold voice. "Leave."
I remained where I was, my gaze calmly sweeping over the two men.
Neither of them possessed an energy core. They were nothing more than ordinary guards entrusted with watching the estate entrance. If I truly wanted to force my way inside, it wouldn't take more than a second to deal with both of them.
For a brief moment, I weighed my options.
Should I simply knock them aside and enter the estate...
...or would it be wiser to wait and avoid creating unnecessary trouble?
Just as I was considering what to do, another voice suddenly called out from inside the estate.
"What is happening here?"
All three of us instinctively turned toward the source of the voice.
A middle-aged man was making his way toward the entrance from inside the estate. He wore a neat servant's uniform, and although his appearance was unremarkable, the faint fluctuations of energy surrounding him immediately told me he was a Low-Level Controller.
The moment the two gate guards noticed him, they immediately straightened their backs and saluted respectfully.
"Sir."
The man stopped just inside the gate, his gaze shifting between the guards and me before a slight frown formed on his face.
"What's going on here?"
One of the guards immediately pointed his spear in my direction.
"Sir, this man claims he came here to meet the young miss."
"The young miss?"
A trace of surprise briefly crossed the man's face.
After giving me another scrutinizing look, he unlocked the gate and stepped outside. Standing before me, he slowly examined me from head to toe, carefully taking in every detail of my appearance before speaking.
"What business do you have with the young miss?" the man asked, his tone calm but carrying an unmistakable authority.
"She invited me here today," I replied truthfully. "She said her father wanted to meet me."
The man's expression changed almost instantly.
"...You're here to meet the Lord?"
I gave a small nod.
"Yes."
He didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he silently studied me. His gaze slowly swept over my ordinary clothes before settling on my face. A moment later, I felt his senses probe my body, clearly attempting to determine whether I was a Controller.
Unable to detect an energy core, the seriousness in his expression gradually gave way to suspicion.
"I've served the Hartwell family for many years," he said slowly. "As the person responsible for overseeing the estate guards, even I rarely have the opportunity to meet the Patriarch."
His eyes narrowed as they locked onto mine.
"So tell me..." His voice gradually turned cold. "How dare you come here and lie to us?"
"I'm not lying," I replied calmly. "If you don't believe me, you can simply confirm it with Leslie."
The moment her name left my mouth, the man's expression darkened.
"You dare?"
His voice rose sharply, causing even the two gate guards to tense.
"You dare address our young miss by her name so casually?"
The two guards immediately tightened their grip on their spears, glaring at me as though I had committed a grave offense.
Seeing their reactions, I quietly let out a sigh.
From their perspective, their suspicion was understandable. An ordinary young man dressed in simple clothes had appeared at the entrance of the Hartwell estate, claiming that the young miss had personally invited him to meet the head of the family. No matter how I looked at it, it was a story that would be difficult for anyone to believe.
The man took another step toward me, his expression growing increasingly stern.
"Get lost."
There was no trace of courtesy left in his voice.
"If you insist on staying here any longer," he warned coldly, a faint pressure spreading from his body, "then don't blame us for what happens next."
I remained silent, calmly meeting his gaze.
If I truly wanted to, defeating everyone standing before me and entering the estate wouldn't be difficult. However, doing so would only expose the fact that I was a Controller, something I had deliberately kept hidden ever since arriving in Astravia. There was no reason to reveal my strength over something as trivial as this.
After thinking it over for a few moments, I quietly let out a breath before turning around.
...Forget it.
If today's meeting wasn't possible, Leslie could always arrange another meeting another day.
With that thought in mind, I simply walked away from the entrance of the Hartwell estate without looking back.
---
Just a few moments after Arthur had left, another voice echoed from inside the estate.
"Open the gate."
The two gate guards and the man in charge immediately turned toward the source of the voice.
Walking toward the entrance was Leslie, accompanied by her personal guard. Dressed in an elegant light-blue dress, she carried herself with the quiet grace expected of a noble lady.
The moment the three men recognized her, they immediately bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Young Miss."
One of the guards hurriedly unlocked the iron gate and pulled it open.
Leslie acknowledged their greetings with a small nod before stepping outside the estate. However, instead of heading anywhere, she simply stopped near the entrance and quietly waited, her gaze occasionally drifting toward the street beyond the estate gate. Her personal guard remained silently at her side, standing a respectful distance behind her.
By that time, Arthur had already walked a fair distance away from the estate. Unaware of what was happening behind him, he leisurely scanned the streets of the Central District, searching for a passing horse carriage.
Meanwhile, seeing Leslie remain standing outside the estate without any intention of going back inside, the man in charge couldn't help but ask cautiously,
"Young Miss... are you waiting for someone?"
Leslie simply gave a small nod, her gaze still directed toward the street ahead. She offered no further explanation.
Standing quietly behind her, her personal guard hesitated for a moment before respectfully speaking.
"My Lady, it would not be appropriate for someone of your status to remain outside the estate waiting for another person. If others were to see this, it could easily become the subject of unnecessary gossip."
Hearing those words, the two gate guards instinctively exchanged uneasy glances with the man in charge.
If the personal guard himself was concerned about Leslie waiting outside, then whoever she was waiting for had to be someone she considered important.