Ruby stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do. She's glad to see Martis and he's clearly overjoyed to see her too, but she's also aware that she's still naked and dripping with water. It felt like a shameful forever before he finally pulled away to look at her face and that's when he realized her current state. The maiden tried to regain a bit of her modesty by covering her breasts with her arms and squeezing her thighs together.

The Ashura King immediately looked away before taking off his cloak and wrapping it around her body.

"I'm—I'm so sorry. I didn't realize that this is a bathroom. I just entered through the window following Falcon Polaris but then the moment I spoke... You were already at my throat. I'm really sorry, Ruby." Martis was really cute as he tried to hide his blushing face behind his hand, making Ruby giggle internally. It was very uncharacteristic of him to be this transparent with his emotions. Seeing his vulnerable side is quite amusing for his pupil.

"Ah, yes. It's okay. I'm really sorry that I punched you in the face. I'm so stiff lately." she apologized as she smiled at him awkwardly. She'll probably bear that in her guilt for a few weeks.

"No, it was the correct response. I would scold you if you've done it too late but it seems that you caught me just as I was approaching you. You really pack some punch, don't you? And, you've gotten a lot stronger too." he said as he ruffled her hair.

"Thanks. I learned from the best." This time, it was Ruby's turn to blush. Martis rarely gives her praises when they were training, so it was surprising how generous he is right now with his approbation.

"Uhmm, so... Can you turn around for a minute while I put something on?"

"Oh, of course." Martis replied as he stepped behind a column and turned around to make her more comfortable.

Ruby began putting on the chiton dress the maids left for her with great difficulty. The outfit needed several folding and draping but, luckily, she could still vaguely remember the order in which they were done due to how frequently she wore it.

Thankfully, she was able to put it on decently. The dark pink fabric elegantly hugged her curves and the cape made her feel fabulous. The pendant rested perfectly on her bosom glowing ever so brilliantly. She also put on the heels Dyrroth had given her before turning back to Martis.

"Uhm, you can come out now."

Martis came out looking on the ground, still ashamed of seeing her body without permission. Ruby can still vividly remember his confession towards her, but she doesn't want to bring that up knowing that it would make their situation more awkward.

"Would you like to join me for lunch? You look exhausted. But if you're really tired, I can send you to a spare room to let you rest first." Ruby offered in an attempt to break the tension in the atmosphere.

Lunchtime had passed long ago and she already had her meal earlier in the sunroom, but Martis doesn't look like he did so she wanted to accompany him. In fact, he doesn't look like he has eaten anything for days which was quite alarming.

"Sure, I'd like to catch up with you about several things. I heard you recently conquered Gomharra and ascended the throne as the queen. Congratulations. As your friend, I'm really proud of you."

"Thanks."

Two compliments in a day! Is he really Martis? Even though he's already declared his affections for her, he never blatantly courted her or anything. No sweet words or flirty remarks, nothing! He's a stiff unromantic man but now he's Mr. Flatterer! Did she hit him too hard?

"Let's go."

To escape the confusion of her muddled mind, Ruby beckoned him outside and led him out to the vast corridor. Her maids, who were obediently waiting outside, gasped in shock when they saw a large man following her outside the bathroom.

Ruby could already guess the scandalous thoughts that run through their minds. She just became queen and now she's already involved in something indecent. She can't tarnish her reputation like this. And if this reaches Dyrroth's ears when he wakes up, then he would most likely rampage. Anyway, it's not like she really did something wrong with Martis.

But it sure as hell doesn't look like that in their eyes, does it?

No matter how hard she racked her brain, no reasonable excuse could really formulate. She can't just tell them that 'He's an acquaintance of mine who happens to climb up my window while I was bathing. But it's okay because we're friends.' What dumdum would believe that?! She cried internally.

Among all of Fenrir's skills, she now wished that she could be as witty as him with lies and excuses. Alas, she's an honest girl (not really) raised by her courteous grandparents so to address their concerns, she decided to be blunt.

"Ahhhh... ahhhh... ahhhh. We're just friends?"

Wow, she really choked on that. Her dignity levels are dropping drastically. The maids obviously didn't buy that but they only lowered their heads and kept their mouths shut. Their previous owners were shameless pigs who were vulgar and rude so perhaps her situation is not something new. But she doesn't want to be likened to that bunch!

Ruby wanted to scream and cry in embarrassment. She was extremely flushed with shame while Martis remained silent beside her.

Pull yourself together, Ruby!

"*Ehem* Prepare a room for Martis and some clothes he can wear too. I think he's the same size as Futhark, but send a tailor to his room later to make some new clothes for him." she said to them as she finally mustered her composure. She's still flustered but she tried to summon her inner Dyrrothness: bossy and goal-oriented.

"Yes, your majesty."

When the maids left, Ruby silently led Martis to the Lotus Hall where she would dine with distinguished guests and close confidants. There is quite a distance from their current location so an awkward silence hung between them. Ruby was thinking about any topic she could bring up to lighten the atmosphere, but her mouth wouldn't open up despite how many times she tried to force herself to say something. It seems that even her body is already ashamed of her that it refuses to comply with her will.

She tried to sneak a glance at him but their eyes briefly met. It appears that he has a lot of things to say too, but at least he has more grace under pressure than her. Martis held a regal atmosphere. He looked dignified even though he must be very exhausted after climbing the tower and infiltrating her secured palace. Come to think of it, how did the wolves not detect his presence yet?

"Martis, I have a question." she began.

"Yes?"

"How did you get in without being spotted by my children? They have senses that are extremely superior compared to humans, but you somehow managed to make it here without being detected." she inquired as she gave him a puzzled look.

"I wouldn't call it 'undetected' but perhaps uncaught. I employed someone to steal something to create a diversion which allowed me to sneak in."

"You employed a thief?"

"Yes, his name is Claude. We met when I stopped by at the tavern to get something to drink. He tried to steal my money so I punched his face. Although he looks cheap, he's not a normal thief. I've heard of him before and decided to employ him. He loves dangerous and challenging missions so it doesn't take much convincing. Plus, he was also planning on stealing something here in the first place." Martis explained, capturing her interest.

"I'll check our treasury later and other valuable artifacts. But if it's not something major, I guess he can have it as a reward for helping you. Oh, by the way, you said you were uncaught so does that mean that someone spotted you?"

"Yes. After Claude distracted most of the guards, I entered a room. There's this peculiar-looking wolf who spotted me and attacked me. We fought for quite some time. But it was a close battle. He was an expert at wielding dual swords so I enjoyed myself for quite some time sparing with a powerful opponent. But then I heard more guards approaching so I had to cheat a little to knock him out. I used a bit of my powers and then bolted immediately to come and find you. That's when Falcon Polaris brought me here."

"It seems that you've had quite an adventure. But, you know that you could have entered through the front door, right? Everyone is using that from the nobles to the beggars who are asking for my help. Even Sorca barged in through the front door, demanding an audience." Ruby pointed out, raising a brow at him.

"..."

Martis was speechless at her words. He couldn't think of any reasonable response to justify his actions because his body and mind are filled with valiant feats and exhilarating adventures due to the previous places he's been to. Additionally, he's also the king of a well-known tribe so he can't exactly flaunt his identity in foreign places. However, he can't deny that Ruby's words were true. He could have saved himself from a lot of stress and struggle if he had just sought an audience with her formally as a king.

He wanted to bang his head against the wall for being so stupid. But to his defense, he really hated Gomharra because of how it treated its people and how arrogant its previous monarch was. So even if he learned that it's under a different regime he still felt hostile towards the place.

"I... I didn't think of that. I... didn't mean to give you trouble. I'll pay for all the furniture I've wrecked and receive any punishment you may have for me."

"Yes, I think it's only fair. The wolves will be furious if I let this one slide just because you're my friend. Sorry, Martis but I think I'll have to deliver the Queen's Justice as the current monarch of this land and the Mother of Wolves."

"I'll receive it with no complaint."

"Either way I appreciate how you went all this way to rescue me. You don't know how much it meant to me. Thank you, Martis."

"You're welcome."

"Ah, but I have to confirm one thing. You said you fought with a peculiar-looking wolf who wielded dual swords expertly. I can think of a few people but if they can be on par with you, then I have someone specific in mind. Is he a black wolf with four legs and two arms? Maybe 6 or 7 feet tall."

"Yes, I think he is."

"Oh, dear. I think you bumped into Fragarax." Ruby sighed as she can already imagine his furious and overprotective face.

"Lady Mother!"

Soon after she said his name, the Centaurial Wolf emerged from the other side of the hall looking rugged and ready for combat. He has a wild and murderous look on his face while both his twin blades are drawn. He looked very intimidating and scary that he suddenly reminded her of Fenrir when he was fighting against Jörmungand.

"You bastard! Get away from my mom!" the wolf screamed as he rushed towards Martis who also drew his own blades from his back.

Soon enough the two are in a fierce collision of metal against metal. Ruby had to step back a little to avoid being caught in their fight. She initially thought of jumping in the middle to stop Fragarax from reaching Martis, but before she could even blink, the wolf was already in front of the Ashura, slashing at his throat.

"Martis! Fragarax! Please stop! You're gonna hurt each other!" She tried shouting over the loud clanging of metals and the snarling of the two against each other. However, they seemed more concerned about killing each other rather than listening to her words.

This can be expected from Martis since she's not her subordinate, but Fragarax is her loyal son. He would go through heaven and hell just to follow her command. It seems that their fight earlier triggered him. Losing is not an option for wolves, plus, he must be thinking that if he failed then this person could have harmed his mother due to his weakness. Thinking that, Ruby could understand why he's so furious.

"What are your intentions against our queen? Why did you suddenly attack her?" Fragarax interrogated whilst delivering fierce strikes against Martis who gritted his teeth due to their utter force.

"I wasn't trying to hurt her. I was trying to rescue her from you! Your brothers kidnapped her from my kingdom! Dyrroth asked me to protect her!" retorted Martis as he parried his attack before delivering his own.

"You? A friend of Lord Dyrroth?"

"Stop! Both of you! Are you trying to kill me!? Why don't you just come up here and stab me? Because it seems that none of you care to listen to me!" Ruby yelled furiously after continuously being neglected by the two.

"Mother, please run and find Skoll and Hrod. They'll keep you safe." Fragarax said as he slashed against Martis.

Ruby gritted her teeth. She can try to summon her scythe to break them apart but she's too afraid of hurting them. The crescent blade of her weapon is extremely sharp and lethal. Terizla made sure that it would easily slice through metals and rocks to fight efficiently against fully armored demons and lava monsters.

Plus, she remembered that she left it with the maids due to how flustered she was because of Martis's sudden appearance.

Ruby became more alarmed as the two began fighting more brutally with the intent to kill. Both of them were sharpened by years of combat and experience. There is no telling who is going to emerge victorious due to how closely skilled they are.

Things are turning worse and worse the more she allows it to happen. Her heart almost sank to the bottom when she saw numerous attacks that could have been lethal if the other was less nimble.

Martis was thrown against the wall which nearly cost his head if he didn't dock in time. Fragarax was cut in the arm that he could have lost if Martis wasn't holding back. If this continues then both of them might seriously get hurt or worse, one of them is going to die. She can't let that happen. They're both precious to her so she will do her best to pull them apart.

She'll try using magic.

Ruby doesn't have her notepad with her made from the Tree of Yggdrasil to make things easier but... Maybe Skadi can help her. She grabbed the glowing pendant from her chest and began uttering a simple prayer.

"Lady Skadi, Giantess of Hunting and Snow, I give you my sincerest praises and admiration. Oh, mighty Goddess, I implore you to lend me your strength. And break apart these two idiots!" Ruby could feel the pendant growing colder which she guessed is a good sign before a bolt of energy suddenly began coursing through her body.

"Hhhggnn!" she exclaimed in surprise though it did not hurt much.

She raised her hand and imagined a wall of ice emerging between the two. Fenrir told her that magic can be shaped by imagination, so she focused her mind on doing that.

"Come on, Frozen Wall!" she chanted.

A frozen wall indeed appeared after she thought of it. But instead of emerging between the two, a large block of ice as big as a bed suddenly popped up above them. It nearly crushed both of them to death if they were not swift enough to avoid it.

Ruby winched as she heard the ice collide against the floor breaking into a million pieces. The sound was so loud that it was almost deafening. Huge chunks flew everywhere but she successfully docked against most of them except for the tiny ones. It hurts but it's not enough to cause serious injuries. She'll probably have a few bruises though but she'll be fine.

"Are you okay, lady mother?" Fragarax asked as he immediately went to her side, disregarding Martis when he heard her yelping.

Ruby bit her lips in the realization of what happened. She successfully used magic with the help of Skadi, but she's still an amateur so she nearly killed her son and her friend instead of stopping them from killing each other. This is really not a great day for her. How much can one person embarrass herself?

Well, at least they stopped fighting so that's a good thing.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine. Are you okay?" Ruby asked back as she looked at him up and down. She finally noticed that he has several cuts on his fur. None of them looked very deep but they might get infected if he doesn't receive any treatment for them.

"I don't matter. You were hit by ice! You could have a concussion or something. Let's get you to the infirmary." Fragarax said with worry even though he's in a much worse condition compared to her.

"Of course you matter! You're my son! I should take you to the infirmary you're the one most injured here." Ruby retorted as she frowned at him. Fragarax's ears flattened like a puppy being scolded.

"Sorry. I got these injuries after fighting with Lord Uncle. I didn't mean to ignore your words, mother. I'm sorry. I'll receive your punishment and reflect on my impertinence." he apologized with a solemn look.

Ruby was glad that he had come back to his senses. His rage-filled eyes returned to their normal calm and collected countenance. He is also not as hostile to Martis as he was earlier, which made her sigh in relief.

"Ah yes, that's quite right... Wait... Did you say Uncle? Who are you talking about? Was Jörmungand here? But you were only fighting with Martis." Ruby asked in puzzlement.

"Well, he said that he was appointed by Lord Stepfather Dyrroth as your temporary protector and he's also your friend. So this man is basically my uncle now, right?" Fragarax answered, making Ruby blink at him in disbelief.

"Lord… Stepfather?" Ruby repeated.

"Or is he also your second mate and our Second Lord Stepfather? The maids were gossiping when I passed by them. I ignored it at first but the two of you seemed friendly."

"No, that's not it. It's not what happened. I'll tell you all the details later. But I never knew that you would address Dyrroth as Lord Stepfather." Ruby said with an awkward smile.

"Does it sound inappropriate?" asked the wolf.

"No, no, it's just... It's just something new. But don't worry about it. I'm sure that Dyrroth will like it."

"And I'm supposed to be an uncle now. Uncle Martis. I don't know if I'm being promoted or demoted." Martis mumbled from the distance but the two were able to hear his words.

"Yeah, you know what? Let's all get lunch. Maybe we're all just hungry!" Ruby suggested.