Lisa and Reever were sitting on the bed, curiously waiting for Ning to explain why he had done something so dangerous just to get to them.
"Right, so here's the thing," Ning said. "I have already been kicked out of the palace."
"What? Why?" Lisa asked in a loud voice.
"Well, the old man, what was his name? Tim? He said that I am not worthy of being a princess' bodyguard. So, he offered me some rewards and sent me on my way."
"He can't do that. I employed you," Lisa said.
"Well, apparently not when it comes to security. You don't seem to have a say on who guards you," Ning said.
Lisa didn't say anything. She too knew that this was true, and also for the better. The guards, maids, and servants that worked in the royal family had to go through an extensive background check to make sure they aren't a threat to the royal family.
So, someone like Ning, who was brought in by them would not be able to stay around at all.
"What if I tell them about your skills? Maybe they will let you stay," Lisa said. Then she thought of something and asked, "Do you even want to stay? You want to wander the world, right?"
"It's fine. I want to stay, or at least protect you guys until the throne is passed to one of you three," Ning said. "Although, I'm curious. Will they even pass the throne to a girl? Imma be honest, your father doesn't exactly seem like the person who cares a lot about women, or he wouldn't marry 10 of them."
"I'm not saying he's sexist or anything, just that he might favor a son more than a daughter," Ning said.
Lisa stayed quiet as she gathered her thoughts and said, "I don't know if he would choose me. We… don't exactly have a close relationship. Actually, none of us do. Father has always kept to himself and only rarely talks to us."
"Mother said he used to be a happier person, but… apparently, he changed after grandfather's death," Lisa said with a sad face.
"Grandfather? Do you mean Emperor Kron? The man that fended off the beast?" Ning asked.
"Yes. Grandfather died of the injury he sustained in battle, and for some reason that changed father," Lisa said.
Ning listened to her speak and nodded. "What's the age difference between you and your other two brothers who inherited the hair?" Ning asked.
"Age difference? Umm, the Second brother is 4 years older than me, and 5th brother is just 10 weeks younger than me," Lisa said.
'Hmm, given this world's date system, that's a small enough gap that giving up the throne based off on who is older wouldn't really make sense,' Ning thought.
"Brother Ning, you took such danger just to come to ask some questions?" Reever asked with a confused face.
"Ah right, I got distracted. Sorry," Ning said. "So, as I said. I was let go from the palace, so I can't be around you guys to protect you."
"Thus, I have come to give you something that will protect the two of you even without me," Ning said as he brought out something from his storage.
He brought out two rings, both made up of gold and had a small, white diamond at the center.
The ring looked quite expensive, given the materials it was made out of. "Here, wear this from now on. This is your wedding ring starting today," Ning said.
The two of them took the rings and looked at them. "Brother Ning, is this… real diamond?" Reever asked.
"Of course," Ning said.
"Oh my god! Aren't they near impossible to make? How did you make these?" Reever asked.
"Make?" Ning was surprised that that was the first thing Reever's head went to. 'Right, he thinks I invoked this.
"Don't worry about how I acquired it. Just wear it from now on," Ning said.
"Uhh… okay," Reever said and wore the ring on his middle finger. Lisa did the same as well.
"Um, can you guys swap those to your ring fingers? People need to think that's your wedding ring, okay?" Ning said.
"Okay," they said with a weird face and swapped their rings around.
"What's so special about these rings, Brother Ning?" Reever asked as he admired it closely.
"These rings are going to protect you, while I am not around," Ning said with a smug face. He was proud of what he had come up with along with the system.
"Eh? These rings will protect us? How?" Reever asked. Lisa looked at him curiously as well.
"Listen up and be amazed," Ning said. "When you are ever in danger, the gem on the ring will change color to let you know."
"If there is someone within a 10-meter radius of you, the diamond will turn Red. If someone is using Aether arts within a 15-meter radius of you, the diamond will turn Blue if they are invoking, or Green if they are enchanting."
"If someone is using a firearm, or any ranged attack on you, the diamond will turn bright orange. If you are in the presence of poison, the ring will turn purple."
"The ring will also pulse on your finger to let you know something is happening, so you can see it. It will also pulse fast to let you know if either of you is in danger."
"I will also know if either of your rings changes colors or pulses."
"And most important of all, whenever you are in danger, actual physical danger, the rings will create a physical barrier around you and make you invisible."
"If that happens, just keep quiet and hide," Ning finished speaking. He waited for them to speak, but both of the husband and wife remained dumbfounded, with no words coming out of their mouth.
Finally, Reever asked, "Brother Ning, are you pulling our legs? There is no way these rings can possibly do so many things at once."
Ning scratched his head and said, "It's that hard to believe huh? Here, let me show you."
