Mike, already used to her antics, nodded with a smile.
However, when he turned around, he was almost knocked to the ground by Sterling.
"Holy shit! Holy shit! Mike, what's going on between you and the evil witch? Damn!"
Rafael raised his chin, resting his arm on Mike's shoulder, his expression arrogant. "Stop jumping around like a monkey."
"You!" Sterling clenched his fist, sticking out his middle finger.
Mike was quite surprised this kind of swearing already existed even in this era. But he shouldn't be too surprise since this world was somehow actually quite modern in some cases.
Rafael reached out to grab the middle finger, planning to twist it, but Sterling quickly jumped back.
Mike shook his head.
Rafael, on the other hand, stuck out his tongue. "Give me ten coppers and I'll tell you an exclusive piece of gossip." That was directed at Sterling.
Sterling's expression shifted, his excitement calming. "Why don't you just open a robbery shop and start stealing in broad daylight?"
Rafael shrugged. "Are you sure you don't want to pay up? This is literally the hottest exclusive gossip you'll ever hear. Only I know about it. And it's a matter between Mike and the evil witch. You sure you don't want to know?"
Sterling showed a brief moment of struggle. Clearly, he was curious about the gossip. But when he thought of giving up a whole ten copper coins, it didn't seem worth it. Still, he trusted Rafael when it came to all kinds of gossip, whether it was His Majesty sleeping with his steward, their neighbors nextdoor accidentally hooking up and having sex on the rooftop, or the cook and gardener smashing each other in the kitchen, Rafael knew everything.
Finally, he gritted his teeth. "Five coppers!"
"Nine."
"Six."
"Eight."
They stared at each other for a split second before Rafael stuck out his palm.
Sterling shot him a glare. "It better be worth it."
Rafael chuckled as the cold coins landed in his palm. He counted the seven with his eyes before grinning and shoving them into his pocket.
"Milk, my good brother."
"You're a dog."
"Hahaha, alright, here comes the gossip."
All this happened within a minute, and Mike was thoroughly speechless. He didn't know whether to praise Rafael's business-mindedness. Turns out, his curiosity could actually earn him money.
Not only that, Rafael was good at building suspense, so much so that even Mike held his breath, as if he weren't the main character of Rafael's tale.
Finally, Rafael dropped the bomb.
"They kissed."
Sterling froze for a moment before his eyes widened, as if they were about to pop out. Even the cold Wayne's eyes darted over, staring at Mike for confirmation.
"Holy moly!" Sterling shouted. "Th–They what?"
Rafael waved his hand, his expression calm, but his eyes were lit with amusement as he watched Sterling's reaction.
"They kissed. Not once, but many times already."
Mike almost rolled his eyes.
Meanwhile, Rafael continued, "Not only that, I've suffered from too much PDA from these two. If they're not standing too close, they're whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears. My single heart has never felt lonelier. Watching them kiss so deeply, like honeymooners, is the cruelest punishment for a singleton like me!"
Sterling swallowed, finding it hard to believe.
"Mike... is he telling the truth?"
It was really hard to imagine that their quiet roommate would be entangled with the evil witch after just a few days of guarding her.
And Rafael... he couldn't be lying, could he?
Mike hesitated for a split second before finally nodding.
"Ahhhhh!" Like a wild boar set loose, Sterling screamed, his high-pitched voice like that of a maiden gifted her favorite dress, except it was just over gossip.
He jumped around, then grabbed Mike's hands. "Brother, how did you do it? How did you fucking do it? Share some secrets, will you? I want to charm Princess Elvina next!"
"You dare!" Rafael shouted from across the room, and the two began arguing over who was more charming, spitting saliva at each other's faces.
Mike was completely speechless.
How were they fighting over a princess who probably didn't even remember their names?
Finally, after they calmed down a bit, under the guise of learning "seduction tricks," the two bombarded Mike with questions.
Mike sighed and waved his hand. "No tricks. Just be yourself."
"Uhhh? Just be myself?" Rafael rubbed his jaw. "I fear that won't work. I'm too ordinary when I'm myself."
Sterling gave a thumbs-up. "Good that you're self-aware. You're very mediocre."
Before Rafael could fire back, the usually quiet Wayne spoke up, his voice colder than usual. "What right do you have to kiss the princess?"
"Uh…?" The three of them exchanged glances, then looked at Wayne.
His expression was unusually pale, and his eyes were colder than ice.
Mike didn't know why, but he felt uncomfortable.
Rafael subconsciously spoke up. "The princess took the initia—"
He didn't finish, as Wayne's glare promptly silenced him.
Wayne sneered. "You mean the princess took the initiative to kiss a middle guard like you? With nothing to show for yourself?" He scoffed. "How absurd."
Clutching the hilt of his sword, his gaze flicked past the three of them. "Stop spreading baseless rumors. You're only making yourself more unremarkable. Know your place."
With that, he walked over to stand in front of Elvida, assuming his post.
The three were quiet for a few seconds before Rafael rolled his eyes, grumbling in a low voice.
"Why does he always talk like that? Always acting so noble, like a damn peacock. Isn't he just jealous you got close to the princess while his high-and-mighty self couldn't even hold a conversation with her? What a pretentious bastard."
Mike finally recalled something.
Indeed, this young man was a high-elf guard.
But for some reason, he had been demoted to a middle-grade guard and was now one of the few assigned to protect the princess.
His status was probably the only reason he could speak and act however he pleased.