Karl keenly noticed that her gaze was fixed on him almost the entire time.
Deep in those eyes was an imperceptible... longing, though skillfully hidden behind her elegant smile.
Geralt clearly had little patience for this hypocritical politeness.
He interrupted the Night Queen directly, his tone even but sharp: "If it's just small talk, why not come down while we were chatting, but wait until we're about to leave to invite us?"
The Night Queen was taken aback, not embarrassed, but gently swirled her wine glass and sighed: "Witchers really are so straightforward."
Finally, she dropped her bantering posture, her gaze sweeping between Karl and Geralt, ultimately settling mostly on Karl.
"There is something, of course, that I would like to ask both of you for a favor."
"Lately, a nobleman named Patrick has been coming to our House of the Night to cause trouble." She set down her glass and leaned forward slightly.
"It concerns one of our new sisters, named Blue Eyes. She had a conflict with Patrick before." She glanced at a figure standing silently beside her with light blue eyes.
"I hope you two... especially Mr. Karl, who now has the king's ear."
"Could help mediate? Let this esteemed Patrick restrain himself."
Although she addressed it to both of them, anyone could hear that her main expectations were placed on Karl.
After all, a Witcher's influence was far less than that of a new baron heir highly valued by the king.
However, upon hearing this, Karl's expression remained unchanged, and he became even less interested.
The Night Queen had rambled on for a long time without mentioning any reward, clearly trying to get something for nothing.
Why would he provoke an unknown noble for a vampire he had just met?
Moreover, with the strength of a higher vampire, what powerful person in Vizima couldn't she kill? She certainly wasn't inviting him to do it.
A higher vampire had mastered unknown spells, making it easy for them to cause a human's death without them realizing it.
But the Night Queen hadn't done so, probably because she had concerns or it wasn't urgent.
Geralt was also expressionless, his eyes even more indifferent.
He didn't want to get involved in trouble involving nobility, especially trouble clearly concerning non-human races.
A vampire dealing with a human noble? How pathetic.
A brief silence fell in the drawing-room, only the soft crackle of candles could be heard.
The Night Queen's proposal was like a stone thrown into a deep pool, not even causing a ripple.
Seeing them unmoved, a slight flicker crossed the Night Queen's eyes, and she had to helplessly reveal her hand.
"Three hundred Orens per person, plus optional companionship from our sisters of the House of the Night, provided the other party is willing, with no limit on the number."
After she finished speaking, her red lips curved into a confident smile, as if sure this generous offer, especially the last part, would touch any man's heart.
The sisters of the House of the Night were famous; ordinary people found it hard to get a place, let alone a non-human race with extraordinary charm.
Moreover, only the human ladies in the House of the Night were involved in physical matters, making interaction with the bruxae even more valuable and rare.
However, the response was silence.
Geralt's white brows twitched almost imperceptibly, a flicker of consideration in his cat-like eyes.
The generous Oren reward did appeal to him strongly.
But the company of the sisters... He glanced at Karl beside him. Karl's reaction was much more direct.
He seemed to have heard a boring story, shrugged indifferently, and even deliberately yawned, looking completely uninterested.
He turned to Geralt in a relaxed tone: "Looks like there's nothing else here. I need to go, Geralt."
"Don't forget, there's a lady waiting for me."
Karl's intent was obvious; he wasn't interested in the Night Queen's offer.
He had no shortage of money now, and his partner was Triss.
Even if he wanted to get involved with other women, he should at least respect Triss's opinion.
Geralt nodded, following Karl's lead, using his characteristic low voice to tease with a slight playfulness.
"I understand. With a partner like Triss, I might one day even forget my friend's name."
Hearing this, Karl didn't look back, but raised his right hand high, back facing Geralt.
Then, deftly curling his other fingers, he extended his middle finger, a gesture clear and friendly.
This crude but direct action subtly contrasted with the baron-heir persona he had just inherited.
Geralt looked at the finger, his face still expressionless, but a slight smile flickered in his amber pupils.
Karl's crude and informal communication made him feel more at ease.
Seeing Karl continue walking, he indeed needed to carefully descend the stairs.
The Night Queen's confident smile instantly froze, replaced by slight surprise.
She seemed not to have expected anyone to refuse her terms so bluntly, without even leaving room for negotiation.
She opened her mouth to stop Karl, but Karl's figure quickly disappeared around the corner of the stairs, his steps so fast she had no time to speak.
Hearing the sound of the door opening and closing downstairs, the Night Queen looked away with slight annoyance.
She turned her attention back to the Witcher before her, who hadn't left.
She took a deep breath, trying to maintain her elegance, and began a new round of negotiations with Geralt, but she didn't seem as confident as before.
......
Karl walked quickly through the night streets of Vizima; the cool night breeze slightly dissipated the smell of alcohol and perfume clinging to him.
When he returned to Triss's house in the commercial district, he found it dark and quiet.
"Triss, are you inside?"
He pushed open the bedroom door and called softly, a rich and enchanting scent of roses reaching his nose.
At that moment, a soft, fragrant body suddenly pressed against his back from behind the door, carried on a wave of perfume.
A pair of slender but strong arms wrapped tightly around his waist.
"Hey, were you scared?"
Triss's voice, laced with laughter, sounded in his ear, her warm breath touching his ear.
Karl distinctly felt her body, clad only in thin lingerie, pressed close to him, the soft touch stirring his heart.
Karl was about to answer, but Triss suddenly sniffed.
Her tone instantly took on a dangerous edge: "Well, why do you seem to have a few more perfume scents on you besides alcohol?"