" Excellent, let's return to the market, I'm sure we'll find plenty of dresses for you"
Arthur quickly jumped off the couch and onto his feet displaying an enthusiasm that did not match the occasion, Esme could only give him a look of curiosity, why was he more excited to buy her clothes than she was?
"You sound a little too excited. Are you planning to buy clothes for yourself as well?"
It was unfortunate that Arthur did not get the opportunity to answer her questions as a sudden knock came from the door, causing him to pause for a moment.
Once again, Arthur never got the opportunity to answer, the door clicked open, and the person, or rather persons who knocked let themselves in without even asking.
"Pardon the intrusion, I've never been the type to wait you see"
A round portly man announced as he entered, followed by two familiar figures. The man was being followed by the two same men who had rudely let themselves into the house last time, and Arthur could now see where they got such rude behavior.
"My dear wife, is entering someone else's home without their express permission, something normal in this kingdom?"
He turned to Esme, His voice carried an almost humorous tone but it was far from it, the anger was clear as day to her, she simply shook her head. This was the first time she's ever had someone just enter her home without permission.
Even back in the palace, her sisters were never so rude as to enter her room without permission, although in hindsight, that was probably because they never wanted to set foot in her bedroom to begin with.
"Come on now, I apologized, haven't I? Let bygones be bygones"
Bulat expressed, his face showing a small smile. He spoke as if he were an old friend who simply made a minor mistake, something that had instantly rubbed Arthur the wrong way.
"I'm sure you already know, but my name is Bulat. It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr Bright"
The loan shark quickly glossed over the rudeness he just displayed and offered a contrasting polite gesture however his arrival had already rubbed Arthur the wrong way.
A sense of tension settled into the room, Arthur had a clear and unamused frown on his face.
This was the second time someone had displayed such clear signs of disrespect, and he did not appreciate it. Esme couldn't see that his posture had suddenly changed from relaxed and become tense, he was ready to act.
"I can't say, I feel the same, I'm tempted to kick you out right this instant"
He spoke with obvious anger in his voice. However, he restrained himself from attacking the man, mostly because he'd rather not scare his wife by showing such a barbaric side of himself.
Their relationship was still quite new, he could not display such a lack of self-control, otherwise he might scare her.
Esme, on the other hand, was hoping he did not attack Bulat for completely different reasons. From the moment she saw the two familiar men, her stomach churned in distress, One of them she remembered was called Charlie.
She bit the inner part of her lower lip, both in distress over the situation and in hopes that Arthur did not attack them. What they did was indeed some that would warrant being attacked.
Guests must always announce their arrival, if they don't that means they're thieves.
She reached to her neck, hoping to find her necklace and use it to ease the tension in the pits of her stomach, but unfortunately, it was not there, forcing her to clench her teeth in both frustration and as an attempt to calm down.
If what Catherine had said about Bulat was true, then the man before them had ties to nobility, even if it was just a Baron, it would be a bad idea to attack Bulat as that would probably get Arthur arrested.
As an Explorer, he probably could resist arrest. However, doing so would come with much greater consequences, even as an Explorer, he couldn't face an entire kingdom by himself.
Sure, it was possible for Arthur to use his money to bribe his way out of the issue, but Esme was not sure he had the kind of money needed for that.
Plus, to Esme, at least, Bulat was acting the way he was right now because he knew any retaliation from Arthur would benefit him.
"Haha! Come now, Mr Bright, that's not how you treat guests"
Bulat chuckled as he spoke, stepping forward and deciding to take a seat. The small smile that had been on his face had changed into one that showed a sense of confidence, almost smug.
"Husband, I will prepare some tea."
Esme announced as she attempted to flee to the kitchen, she gave Arthur a look of worry, however his attention was on the three men and one of them had decided to make himself comfortable on one of his couches.
"That would be lovely, my dear. Please go ahead"
"My husband, would you like some tea?"
She asked and waited for his response. Esme knew if she went into the kitchen after Bulat had the last word, which was essentially him commanding her to do something, it would be disrespectful to Arthur.
No man may command another's wife. This was another point that convinced Esme that Bulat was purposely trying to provoke Arthur into doing something. It was unfortunate that she could not stay and listen to their conversation since she was a woman.
"Yes, of course. They are guests, after all"
Arthur answered as he too decided to take his own seat, sitting back down on the same couch he had been resting on earlier.
Esme disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the men to talk, and the first one to speak was Arthur.
"What can I do for you, Mr Bulat?"
His form had leaned forward as he sat. In contrast, however, Bulat leaned back, resting himself in the backrest of the couch, with Charlie and Mike standing behind him.
Anyone who walked in would easily assume that Bulat was the person with the most power in the room.
"You're new to the neighborhood, aren't you? It's a custom to greet new neighbors. So I came to offer my greetings and perhaps have a constructive talk with you, Mr Bright."
His voice carried the still calm of a lake and his attitude was as cool as a cucumber, The man was filled with a level of confidence that he shouldn't have.
Of course Bulat was not an idiot, He did not gain the current status he has as the Boss of the slum by being a fool. He understood fully that what he was doing was provoking Arthur.
However, to properly measure Arthur as a person, this level of provocation was necessary.
What he needed to know was what kind of person Arthur was. Was he volatile and easy to anger? If he is then provoking him to do something stupid would be the way to go, which meant Bulat wouldn't have to spend money to get rid of Arthur.
Was he the calm and collected type? If so, then he would need more information on Arthur, and it would be much more difficult to get rid of him.
"What kind of constructive discussion?"
Arthur let his anger recede and simmer beneath the surface, leaving him with the curious question of where this man found the confidence to provoke him so blatantly.
Arthur wondered if it was because of the people Bulat had set up to watch him. Looking at it that way made the situation a little bit more amusing.
"The kind where both of us can benefit without having to be at odds with each other"
Another option was finding out if Arthur was the greedy type, As an Explorer Arthur already has money, however, it doesn't matter as greed always demands more.
As much as Bulat would hate having to give someone money, especially the type of money that would satisfy someone who already has wealth, it was undeniable that having an Explorer in your pocket would be a boon that would help him expand his business beyond just the region of the capital closest to the slums.
Not only that, but if Arthur is greedy, then that presents an opportunity to frame him and either force him to flee the capital or have him arrested. Of course, provoking him would achieve a similar result.
"Heh! My wife, is not the type to be happy with me for working with criminals like yourself"
The chuckle that came out of his mouth before he spoke was enough to tell Bulat that Arthur held zero intention of working with or cooperating with him.
"Please, I'm no criminal. I am a businessman, but regardless of that, why does the opinion of a woman matter? This is an issue to be discussed by men."
Bulat countered, his words contained genuine curiosity. It made no sense why a woman's opinion mattered in this discussion.
"I am the sort who likes to please his wife. And from what we've heard about you, she definitely would not be pleased with me working with you."
Hearing such words, Bulat paused. It wasn't confusion that marred his face, nor was it astonishment. Instead, he felt a sense of disappointment.
"You'd let a woman interfere in matters that do not concern her?"
Genuine curiosity showed on his face once again as he asked that question. However this time there was a twinge of disapproval in his tone.
"Everything that happens in this house concerns her. She has as much input in the matter as I do"
Bulat went from disappointment to surprise before he settled back to the initial disappointment.
It made no sense to him as to why a man would let a woman be involved in matters that should only concern men.
"Hah, only boys seek help from the bosom of a woman. I didn't think an Explorer of all people would have such a weak mindset"
He accused, further letting himself get comfortable on the couch. His initial disappointment has begun to fade and is slowly being replaced by a sense of confidence he did not have before.
"Call it what you like, I'm not so shallow as to the point that I concern myself with the opinions of irrelevant men"
Bulat scowled. His provocations did not seem to work as well as before. Earlier, Arthur seemed to be ready to attack him, but now he was calm as a still pond.
"No man of influence is irrelevant, and even if they were, word of your wife being the one who wears trousers in the relationship would destroy any respect people had for you"
Bulat pushed, his words meant to elicit a reaction out of Arthur. However, it was still useless. The man was still unfazed. In fact, there was no tension anymore, their talk was akin to slightly heated banter amongst friends with no threat of either of them doing anything.
This forced the loan shark that trying to threaten the reputation Arthur had as an explorer would be useless, not to mention that he had recently moved into the neighborhood he didn't have much of a reputation to begin with.
"Was that a threat? If so, please try a better one. But if we're doing threats, I've got one of those too"
Arthur's gaze locked directly onto Bulat's own. His steel grey eyes conveyed a silent message that forced Bulat to avert his eyes and take a glance at the table that separated them.
Meeting Arthur's gaze at the moment was like staring at a beast. The light in his eyes had vanished and was replaced by cold steel that promised a gruesome fate should Arthur ever be tested.
He bit the inner part of his bottom in frustration and a small bit of wrath bubbled up from the pits of his stomach, this was the first time in his life as an adult that he was threatened so clearly, the first time since childhood that he believed his life to be in danger.
It reminded him of those days as a slumrat with nothing to his name, no money, no power, and the punching bag of everyone around.
He didn't like it. In fact, he hated it with a passion. Had it been anyone else, the gun hidden under his clothes would have been fired right now.
He grit his teeth and continued with his carefree attitude, making it a point to never reveal that he genuinely feared Arthur at that moment.
"I'll take my leave now, I'm no longer in the mood for tea."
He announced, standing up from the couch, his eyes looking at Arthur with a cold stare that simmered with hidden anger.
It wasn't every day that Bulat experienced such frustration. The last time he felt this frustration was when Blue Crystal was introduced. Back then, he was frustrated because he didn't think of such an idea himself
"That's a shame, but you weren't welcome anyway, so it works out well for all of us."
Arthur responded, letting his body settle more comfortably on the couch. He had no plans to lead Bulat out the door, as it is customary to do.
"Also for next time, be careful of how you enter my home. I slay monsters for a living, and I'd rather it stay that way."
"Indeed I will be, but one shouldn't throw threats so willy nilly"
He advised as he walked to the door. He sounded unfazed. However, it was clear to him now that his apprehensions about not wanting to use too much money to get rid of Arthur were misguided
Without so much as a word, Bulat and his men made for the exit. There was no need to stay any longer; he had already seen what he wanted to see.