Rise of the Lustful Evil Monarch (Re)

Third Person's POV

He meant the kind which one would typically see in a loyal servant or sycophant of the Duke of this city.

"Are you surprised, Miss?" Ethan asked with a faint smirk.

"The man you have been so desperate to find is already standing before you."

The veiled woman slowly regained her composure and steadied her breath as she processed the revelation.

Despite her differing motives from the rest of the city's frantic searchers, the sheer audacity of his revealing himself stunned her.

The fact that affected her the most was his clear young age, which seemed too much considering his feats, which she had heard about on this day.

She knew full well he could have easily ignored her threats and vanished with his cloaked companion, yet he chose to unveil himself right before her eyes.

What startled her the most was that he had clearly heard her speaking about capturing him with her three miserable lackeys, and still, he had revealed himself.

His godly appearance and natural charisma weren't lost on her, although she was mentally disciplined and strong enough to remain unaffected by it.

Still, she had to admit that he was too pleasing to the eye.

He seemed flawless in every visible aspect, save for the line of arrogance hidden beneath his confident tone.

Yet, considering the rumors of his battle with the dark knight at the Imperial Blade Hall, she could understand where that confidence came from.

In response to his bold words and charming smile, she finally spoke with soft composure,

"And yet, you revealed yourself, Mister Eryndor Sangrial."

The name brought an amused gleam to Ethan's eyes.

He had already guessed she had traced his false identity by linking his time at the Adventurer Guild to the destructive events at the Imperial Guild Hall.

Still, both were far too astute to speak openly about her probing or his retaliatory mental attack.

Suddenly, Ethan asked with genuine curiosity,

"How did you track my identity from the Adventurer Guild, Miss?

If I recall correctly, I never revealed who I was during the fight at the Blade Hall earlier this evening."

Her brows arched slightly in response to his unexpected question and intrigued tone.

Yet, despite her initial surprise, she chose to answer with honesty.

Her gaze remained sharp and unwavering while being laced with the poise of someone who had already laid the groundwork for a long-term plan.

And this plan of hers had been quietly taking shape within the recesses of her mind for quite some time.

"To speak the truth, within the sphere of knowledge I currently possess, only I am aware of your true identity for now. However," she added, a faint sigh escaping her lips,

"I am certain that by tomorrow, the entire adventurer and bounty hunters of this city and perhaps even the Vord family themselves will know about it."

She paused for a moment while her eyes glinted knowingly.

"As for how I found you... I believe you can deduce that on your own."

He tilted his head and was visibly intrigued.

Her words stirred a wave of surprise within him, and after ruminating over them for a brief moment, a spark of realization ignited in his mind.

He instantly concluded that the presence of Virelle, even under her veil, must have been the key that connected all the subtle clues she had used to piece together the truth.

But what puzzled him more was the intent behind the woman's words. Why did it seem like she was warning him?

"Oh?" he said with a knowing smile, a hint of amusement in his tone.

"It seems, Miss, that you hold quite a bit of influence. May I ask—why are you warning me instead of acting on your so-called desire to capture me as quickly as possible and deliver me to your young master and the Duke himself?"

He asked it all directly and his curiosity was genuine and unguarded as the dark elf silently watched the entire exchange unfold beside him.

Her keen eyes flicked between them while her mind quietly whirred with plans of her own and many of which were now adapting and shifting in response to what she was witnessing.

Despite having lived in this city for the past few years, she had never once heard of such a woman existing within the Duke's decadent household—be it among the women of his harem, his kin, his daughters, or even among his high-ranking servants.

Yet this one… she was different.

She carried herself unlike any other and in the dark elf's sharp assessment, she and this man were operating on the same wavelength.

The veiled woman folded her arms lightly under her full chest as her tone remained cool yet composed while she answered,

"Well, that's exactly what I wanted to discuss with you tonight.

You see, I can arrange a safe passage for you out of the city tomorrow morning before those greedy hounds sniff out your trail and close in."

She took a step closer and lowered her voice just slightly.

"In return, I would like you to meet me again, but this time at the Abyssal Sanctum, once you arrive there."

This time, Ethan's surprise was genuine.

His composure cracked just slightly, and his eyes widened as he asked,

"How do you know that my woman and I plan to go to the Abyssal Sanctum?"

His voice carried real amazement now and was tinged with a slight bit of wariness.

"And for the record," he added with a calm yet assertive tone,

"I won't be needing your help in escaping this city. I will manage that myself."

He then offered a slight shrug.

"As for meeting you in the Abyssal Sanctum… well, that will depend on the timing and the circumstances we find ourselves in when that moment comes."

She nodded slowly in sync with the rhythm of his intermittent sentences before responding with a composed certainty,

"A young, charming, and powerful vampire couple..."