But Ryan didn't dare take the initiative to approach Evelyn."I wouldn't mind making her my wife, that's true."

  "Then Mentor, why don't you make a move! Such a beautiful woman, if you wait a few more years, some other wizard might snatch her away!" Derrick shouted anxiously, his voice so loud that passersby turned to look.

  Ryan really wanted to raise his hand and cast a Paralysis Spell on him. This wasn't helping, it was clearly sabotaging him!

  "You're trying to push Mentor into a trap!" Ryan muttered under his breath while quickly scanning the spot where Evelyn had just been standing.

  Fortunately, her figure had already disappeared, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

  But the next moment, Derrick's eyes suddenly widened."Mentor! Behind you…"

  Ryan felt a jolt in his chest, instantly realizing what was happening. He reached out, grabbing Derrick by the back of his collar, ready to run.

  Before he could take a step, a cold, pulling force gripped the back of his neck. Evelyn's fingers, as if coated with a thin layer of ice, clutched his magical robe's collar tightly.

  Thus, a comical scene unfolded at the city gate: Evelyn holding Ryan by the back collar, Ryan holding Derrick by the collar, the three frozen in a straight line like magical puppets strung together, drawing curious stares from the surrounding passersby.

  Ryan reluctantly released Derrick, slowly turned around, and forced a stiff smile onto his face."Evelyn, what a coincidence, we meet again."

  "You recognize me?" Evelyn's voice came through the veil, tinged with a hint of doubt.

  The veil not only concealed her face but also blocked mental probing.

  "Even if you turned to ashes, I could still recognize you!" Ryan hurriedly tried to recover, his tone exaggerated."Your figure, sculpted like crystal ice, I'd only need one glance to remember it for a lifetime."

  As he spoke, he subtly observed Evelyn's reaction. Though he couldn't see her eyes beneath the veil, he could feel the gradually cooling magical aura emanating from her. Clearly, his flattery had no effect.

  While Ryan pondered how to extricate himself, an untimely voice suddenly exploded:"Mentor's Lady, please accept my bow!"

  Accompanied by crisp knocking sounds, Derrick thudded to the ground, his forehead hitting the stone slabs hard, drawing more attention from the surrounding passersby.

  The guards at the city gate had assumed there was a conflict but relaxed when they realized it was just acquaintances meeting, only occasionally stealing glances at Evelyn's graceful figure outlined by her long robe.

  Ryan's head ached as he looked at the suddenly kneeling apprentice. When this boy had inexplicably become his disciple, he had been like this, and now he was inexplicably calling someone Mentor's Lady. How did he end up with such a trouble-prone apprentice?

  What was even worse, he could clearly feel the magical energy around Evelyn starting to stir, clearly approaching the edge of eruption.

  "Evelyn, ignore him!" Ryan quickly pointed at Derrick, shaking his head helplessly."This boy is just an idiot. A few days ago, he got hit by a magical beast and scrambled his brain, he can't speak coherently."

  "Mentor! How can you say that about me in front of Mentor's Lady?" Derrick looked up aggrievedly. He wasn't shouting Mentor's Lady randomly; anyone could tell from Ryan's flattering tone that he had feelings for this woman.

  "If you dare call me Mentor's Lady again, I'll destroy your magical core, " Evelyn said, her voice cold as an icicle, her surrounding temperature suddenly dropping several degrees.

  Derrick shivered, quickly covering his mouth, too afraid even to lift his head.

  This Mentor's Lady is way too fierce. It seems Mentor still hasn't won her over.

  Derrick hurriedly got up from the ground, holding his throbbing forehead and retreating behind Ryan. At times like this, staying quiet was the best way to stay alive.

  "You've run away twice already. Do you still plan to hide this time?" Evelyn's voice came through the veil.

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  "Good heavens! Mentor, you really are a heartless cad who abandons after starting!" Derrick couldn't help but mutter under his breath. No wonder Mentor ran the moment he saw her, so there was this hidden story!

  Hearing this, Evelyn's brows instantly furrowed beneath the veil. A shard of ice magic began forming in her palm, aimed straight at Derrick's chest.

  Ryan reacted even faster, raising his hand and delivering a crisp slap to Derrick's face.

  Derrick flew through the air like a ragdoll, tracing a graceful arc before crashing heavily onto the grass at the city gate.

  Ryan sighed inwardly. Apprentice, don't blame Mentor for being harsh. If she had struck you, it wouldn't just be a swollen face. Your magical core might have been shattered by the ice.

  "Evelyn, don't listen to his nonsense!" Ryan quickly turned around, forcing a flattering smile."This boy was hit by a magical beast a few days ago. His mind's scrambled, and he talks nonsense. Don't take it to heart."

  "Follow me." Evelyn didn't fall for it. She grabbed Ryan by the collar of his magical robe, ignoring his struggles, and started dragging him toward the royal capital.

  The surrounding passersby stopped to watch this strange scene. No one expected that such a cold and graceful woman would haul a young mage along in this manner.

  ……

  At the top-floor private room of the Tavern in the heart of the royal capital.

  "You, go wait outside." Evelyn pointed at Derrick, who had limped after them.

  Derrick, holding his badly swollen cheek, looked at Ryan with grievance. Seeing that Mentor could only nod helplessly, he slowly exited the room, thoughtfully closing the door behind him.

  Evelyn removed the veil from her head, revealing a stunning face that could captivate anyone. Yet beneath this beauty was a piercing chill that seemed to lower the temperature of the entire room.

  "Now, you can tell me why that Stockings ended up on my leg, can't you?" Evelyn said directly.

  She raised her hand, and a glowing Binding Rope of Magic instantly wrapped around Ryan's wrist.

  Ryan's mind raced. Being confronted directly like this, how could he explain without being frozen into an ice sculpture?

  He could have broken free and escaped through the window at any moment. But he knew clearly that running away once wouldn't solve anything forever. He and Evelyn would meet again eventually.

  The Third-tier Adept Mage magical aura he usually released was only a disguise to mislead outsiders.

  If he fully suppressed his aura, Evelyn, at her current magical level, would not be able to discern his true magic power.

  He did this to avoid unnecessary trouble. He didn't want others to know that this seemingly young boy actually possessed such a terrifying level of magic.

  After all, in this magical world, geniuses often attract envy and assassination attempts.

  "Well… this… this is…" Ryan stammered, eyes shifting nervously."It's a long story. Actually, there's been a huge misunderstanding…"

  "Since you're willing to explain, take your time." Evelyn sat at the table, watching Ryan."I have plenty of time."

  "If you really want me to explain… then I…" Ryan continued to beat around the bush, reluctant to get to the point. He simply could not think of a reasonable excuse.

  For some reason, every time she interacted with Ryan, even in a scene like this, she found it… amusing.

  "So, that means I…" Ryan was still racking his brain to come up with an excuse.

  "Three!" Evelyn suddenly spoke. Her icy voice sounded like a death knell counting down, making Ryan's heart tighten violently.

  He could clearly see the magical energy at Evelyn's fingertips growing denser, and the temperature in the room dropping a few more degrees.

  "Two!"

  By the second count, cold sweat had completely soaked Ryan's back.

  He knew Evelyn was never one to joke. If he didn't come up with a satisfactory reason, he might really be frozen into an ice sculpture.

  "One!"

  Just as Evelyn was about to say"one, " Ryan took a deep breath and, speaking at lightning speed, shouted:"Evelyn! Actually, I noticed the icy aura around you is extremely sharp, so I specially sewed that pair of warming Silk Stockings to help disperse the cold around you!"

  As soon as the words left his mouth, their eyes met in the air. Evelyn's gaze carried a hint of scrutiny, while Ryan's was full of tension, even his breathing slowed slightly.

  Evelyn's constitution was extremely rare in the magical world. It greatly enhanced the power of her ice magic, but it also meant she had been wrapped in bone-chilling cold since childhood.

  She couldn't help recalling the Clockwork Doll, the little girl with the cold expression on the front face. Wasn't that exactly how she herself had looked, constantly surrounded by icy chill?

  Evelyn felt an inexplicable stir in her heart, and the magical energy at her fingertips weakened slightly."Perhaps I could try to restrain my ice aura a bit in the future."

  Ryan had no idea what Evelyn was thinking. His mind flashed with images of his past lives' gruesome deaths, pierced through the heart by an ultimate ice sword, blasted in the head by ice shard magic, frozen and shattered into pieces. The more he thought about it, the more terrified he became, and cold sweat ran down his cheeks.

  The atmosphere in the room instantly grew slightly tense.

  Seeing Evelyn deep in thought, Ryan said, "Have you ever heard of magical resonance? The magical veins in the feet are also connected. I wasn't afraid of your magic fading too quickly, so I specially sewed a pair of Silk Stockings for you. This way, you can stay warm."

  Evelyn replied, "Though my constitution is cold, and if you truly care for me, why only make a pair of Silk Stockings? Why not sew a few more clothes? Could it be that you have some improper thoughts?"

  As she spoke, a faint curve appeared at the corner of her lips. She wanted to see how far he could go with his excuses.

  Ryan was completely stunned. He never expected Evelyn to ask such a sharp question.

  Seeing him start to stammer again, the amusement in Evelyn's eyes deepened.

  She had thought this Ryan would just run away, yet his reaction in the moment was surprisingly quick, he just always got stuck at the key point.

  Just as Evelyn prepared to press him further, Ryan suddenly brightened, his face showing a shy expression. He stammered, "Evelyn, does that mean…"

  "Mean what?" Evelyn's curiosity was piqued by his fidgeting demeanor.

  It was the first time she had seen Ryan act this way. Usually he was either smirking playfully or sweating nervously. She had never seen him look this shy before.