Even though Celitia said so, neither Charlotte nor the shop owner wanted to leave the workshop.

Charlotte wanted to see exactly how Celitia planned to adjust the authentication magic, while the jewelry store owner was a thousand times uneasy.

However, under Sophia's stern gaze, the two had no choice but to submit, obediently walking out and closing the workshop door.

By now, Charlotte felt somewhat aggrieved. Wasn't Sophia being far too indulgent toward that fallen noble of unknown origin?!

She was the one who was Sophia's friend, so why could that person receive special treatment from the princess, protecting her at every turn?

Thinking of this, waves of jealousy rose in Charlotte's heart, and her resentment toward Celitia reached a new height.

Meanwhile, Sophia's attention was completely focused outside the store door, where she found that more and more people were coming to watch the excitement.

"How is it? Are there results yet?"

Someone called out loudly, not worried about making the situation worse.

"Bring the thing out and let us all witness it!"

"That's right! Let everyone see!"

"I heard that the losing party has to kneel on the spot and apologize with kowtows!"

After these shouts, even the windows of nearby houses opened, with many residents crowding at the windows, all craning their necks to look this way.

Sophia had never imagined that what she considered a trivial matter would escalate to this point, making her somewhat regretful.

"What kneeling and apologizing? There's no such thing."

Sophia tried to disperse the watching crowd. "It's just a small disagreement that will be resolved quickly. Everyone, don't watch anymore; go about your own business."

The princess's words had some persuasive power. After hearing her explanation, the spectators showed disappointed expressions and seemed about to scatter.

"Hmph, that person actively made a bet with me. If she damages the device or wrongfully accuses me, she will have to kneel and apologize to us in front of everyone!"

Charlotte's sharp voice rang out, immediately pulling back the crowd that was about to disperse.

"Hey, Charlotte!"

Sophia turned to glare at her, lowering her voice. "Creating such a scene isn't good for the reputation of your Williams family either!"

"Her kneeling to apologize—how could that affect me or my family? Besides, she was the one who initiated the provocation. If I don't dare to accept, wouldn't that make it seem like I'm afraid of her?!"

Charlotte was very confident, not believing there was any possibility of her losing.

"Sophia, as a friend, I think I should advise you to stay away from that kind of person who speaks thoughtlessly and has no sense of shame. Don't let her get close to you!"

Sophia felt utterly powerless.

Charlotte's father was a minister in the king's cabinet, and her family was also very prominent, being local magnates. Sophia truly didn't understand why she was competing so intensely with Celitia.

Moreover, hadn't Charlotte considered at all that she herself might lose the bet?

"Fine... as you wish." Sophia muttered softly, giving up her intention to mediate.

"It's quite lively here. What's happening?"

A smiling voice came over. Two people, one after another, squeezed through the crowd, walked to Sophia, and looked around curiously.

"Colton? Why are you here?"

Sophia immediately recognized the person walking in front, knowing this dean typically loved to watch excitement, and couldn't help feeling resigned.

"Ah, it's Princess Sophia," Colton said with a smile. "I was just saying, Your Highness becoming the center of attention is perfectly normal."

"Colton, don't say such things. This matter doesn't have much to do with me."

Sophia retorted, her gaze falling on the elderly man behind Colton, growing increasingly surprised.

"You are... Mr. Meilan? You've actually come to Cassia?"

A few years ago, the palace had invited this renowned authentication master as a guest, and Sophia had been quite impressed by Meilan.

Meilan loved to travel around and had chosen to retire to his remote hometown in his old age. Sophia hadn't expected to meet him again in the capital.

"I invited Meilan over. I've been researching some interesting topics lately and asked him to discuss them with me."

Colton explained with a smile. "Today we had some free time, so I brought him out for a stroll. Unexpectedly, we happened to meet Your Highness... So, what interesting excitement is happening?"

Can't you stop being so fond of joining the excitement at your age?

Staring at Colton's face that showed no signs of aging, Sophia silently criticized, while trying to brush him off:

"Nothing much, just a small disagreement—"

Before Sophia could finish, Charlotte's voice rang out loudly, drowning her words:

"A woman is being presumptuous, insisting that the Helms magic diamond is fake, even though that gemstone passed Master Meilan's authentication magic! She even claimed Master Meilan's formula has issues and wants to adjust it herself. Hmph, I'd like to see what she can actually come up with!"

Meilan, who had been listening patiently for a while, finally reacted, showing some surprise on his face, seeming to have developed an interest:

"Oh? That's quite interesting. Where is this young lady now? Would you mind if I went to see?"

Hearing Meilan's words, Charlotte felt even more confident in her victory, pointing proudly toward the inside of the store:

"She's in the workshop inside the store. Please come with me; you must expose this arrogant liar's deceit in person!"

"Young lady, please be patient." Meilan made a non-committal sound. "The world is developing, and magic is progressing. What was applicable before may not necessarily still apply now. Without seeing it with my own eyes, I cannot jump to conclusions."

"This—"

Not expecting Meilan to say such things, Charlotte awkwardly fell silent, her face alternating between red and white.

In front of a true expert, Charlotte didn't dare to continue speaking and could only quietly lead the way inside.

At this moment, Celitia was in the workshop, making final adjustments to the magic formula.

Due to her intense focus, she was completely unaware that the workshop door had opened from the outside, with several observers now behind her.

"The final step... adding magic flow verification..."

Celitia muttered to herself, her hands extremely steady, methodically adjusting the intricate and complex formula.

Only when she finally completed the modifications did she let out a long breath, wiping the fine beads of sweat from her forehead.

Though adjusting formulas didn't consume physical strength, it was quite mentally draining. After returning from her highly focused work, Celitia felt dizzy from exhaustion.

Anyway, she should inform the people waiting outside, not keeping them waiting too long...

Standing up from the chair, Celitia took a step to the side, only to feel her legs weaken, her whole body uncontrollably falling forward.

This is bad—

However, contrary to Celitia's expectation, she didn't fall onto the cold floor but instead fell into a warm, soft embrace.