Chapter 490 - 222: Serious Business

After Daeli left, Sean finally had time to check his phone.

He discovered he had over ten unread messages, all from Elise.

Sean had just started to relax, feeling like he had barely passed Daeli’s test, but this made his heart tighten with anxiety again.

Daeli had been right. She, the older sister, was just the first hurdle. The real challenge was Elvire.

Sean knew exactly how his sister-in-law felt about her brother-in-law. The young woman had often complained about not liking him, and now he had experienced it firsthand—she could twist any topic into a jab at him. This showed just how much of a problem she had with him. In the short term, there was absolutely no way Elvire would accept him in the role of her brother-in-law.

’I have to keep this lie going.’

Sean quickly came to this conclusion.

He didn’t know how long he’d have to keep it a secret, but he absolutely could not reveal his identity now. Otherwise, Elvire really would kill him.

He’d have to wait until they got back, at the very least. He needed the right opportunity.

Sean decided to leave Grev Castle first.

The text messages from Elise explained what she had told Elvire last night, which served to get their stories straight. Elise had used a lot of ambiguous language, leaving him some room for error. From this, he could tell she was a pretty smart woman.

But there was one uncontrollable factor in all this—the Grev Family.

If someone called him "Mr. Sean" and Elvire overheard, it would all be over.

Sure, he could give Viscount Mockray and Howard a heads-up, asking them to call him "Mr. Blake," but what about all the servants?

A Viscount Family had more servants than many companies had employees. He couldn’t possibly tell each and every one of them. Even if he had Howard issue a gag order, it would take time for the command to reach everyone. In that time, things could easily go sideways.

So, the safest method was to avoid meeting anyone from the Grev Family altogether.

Just slip away.

So, Sean sent a text to Howard and quietly left the castle.

Then he texted Elise: "Where are you guys?"

When Elise received Sean’s reply, her anxious heart could finally rest. She wrote back: "Omg, my dear daddy, you finally replied!"

Sean: "Don’t call me that!"

Elise: "/pout, you have no idea how scared I was last night. I thought I’d never see you again..."

Sean: "..."

’Logically, Elise should have been worried about her own death, but the way she put it, it sounded more like she thought *he* was going to die.’

’Weird.’

Sean didn’t waste time on small talk with Elise. He texted: "Butler Azir told me you guys went into the city?"

Elise: "Yeah, Elvire wanted me to go shopping with her."

After being cooped up in the castle for two days, Elvire, who was more used to modern life, wanted to get out for some fresh air.

Sean replied: "Send me your location."

’Time for a chance encounter!’

Elise quickly sent over her location.

They were at a commercial plaza downtown, very close to where he and Elise had gone to find Owl yesterday.

Sean thought for a moment, then, struck by a sudden idea, he turned and walked into a barbershop on the side of the street.

The shop’s lead stylist, Teacher Kevin, walked over and greeted him enthusiastically.

"Welcome."

"Hello, sir. How can I help you?"

"Give me a hairstyle that looks travel-worn and exhausted," Sean said.

Teacher Kevin: "...?"

’Huh?’

’Exhausted?’

’Don’t people usually want to look more energetic?’

He’d been in this business for years and had worked on, if not a thousand heads, then at least eight hundred. Even the former lead stylist, Teacher Tony, didn’t necessarily have more experience than him. What kind of customer hadn’t he seen?

A customer who requested a "negative optimization" of their appearance... he’d truly never seen one of those before.

Sean noticed a makeup kit on the workstation and thought, ’This place is pretty professional. They even offer matching makeup services.’ He then added, "And give me the travel-worn makeup to go with it."

Teacher Kevin: "..."

"Of course."

Although he had never done this kind of styling before, he understood what Sean meant.

A truly excellent hairstylist can replicate any look imaginable on a client.

As long as the money was right, nothing was a problem.

「An hour later.」

Sean emerged from the barbershop.

He was now "completely transformed."

He adjusted his messy bangs in the reflection of the barbershop’s glass window, thoroughly pleased with his new "battle-damaged" look.

’I need to change my clothes, too.’

He hadn’t thrown out the clothes he’d worn from the Inland, and now they were perfect for the occasion.

Once everything was ready, Sean rode a broom to the city center.

He immediately spotted Elvire sitting outside a cafe, holding a hot latte, with Elise seated across from her.

’This has to be, in some small way, a matter of fate.’

’After all, even though I knew where Elvire and Elise were, the two of them weren’t just standing still waiting for me. The commercial plaza is huge, so bumping into them right away has to be the work of destiny. It’s a sign that the Master also wants me to be with my sister-in-law.’

Here, you didn’t need to watch for cars when crossing the street; the cars would watch for you.

Sean walked straight toward the cafe, brushing past Elvire and Elise as if he hadn’t seen them.

He was heading in to buy a coffee, but just as he reached the entrance, he "accidentally" tripped, his left foot stepping on his right—

"Whoa!"

Sean cried out, falling directly toward Elvire.

But Elvire’s reactions were lightning-fast. She shot up from her seat, dodging him and pulling her chair back with her. She sneered inwardly. ’Trying to take advantage of me by deliberately falling? Not a chance!’

Sean face-planted right on the ground, not even touching a single strand of Elvire’s hair.