"Have you still not found her?" "Not yet, Your Highness. When we interrogated her subordinates, they only said she was tossed inside the mouth of a Hellfire Bal-Boa and was never seen again." "Hahaha!" a beautiful young lady with two small horns on her head laughed out loud. "That arrogant b*tch finally got what she deserves. She always looks down on people as if they're insects. And where is she now? Hahaha! That b*tch has become monster poop by now." Her spade-like tail rose, like a scorpion tail ready to strike. The wings behind her back unfurled, showing her true form as a succubus of the Velmoria Royal Family. She and Princess Aracelle were always compared to each other because they were the top beauties of Gomorra. But even she had to admit that the Princess of House Pavereth was more attractive than she was, fueling her inferiority complex. "You may leave," Princess Valentia said. "Yes, Your Highness," the man bowed before leaving the room. The young lady then glanced at the 115-inch TV in front of her and pushed the play button. She was watching the recording of the battles of the Hero Party, observing their fighting style with a smile on her face. As her gaze locked onto Roland, the strongest among them, the smile on her face widened. "He's not bad for a human," Princess Valentia muttered as she licked her lips. She then shifted her attention to Derek, and a chuckle escaped her lips. "Easy prey." That was her opinion of the Swordsman, whom she believed would easily fall into her charm if she decided to mess with him. When her gaze landed on Joshua, she couldn't help but arch an eyebrow. At a single glance, she could tell that she and the Sage were two peas in a pod. "Hard pass." Princess Valentia smirked. "As for the girls… Zorren wants them, especially that Sorceress." The Skavari Prince had approached her and asked her if she wished to collaborate with him to capture the members of the Hero Party. After Princess Aracelle went missing, Prince Zorren decided to play it safe and look for collaborators to assist him in his plans to capture Wanderers. He wanted to brainwash the members of the Hero Party and use them to infiltrate the enemy ranks, destroying them from within. This would then earn him a lot of merit, giving the Skavari Kingdom the leverage when the negotiations to split up the continent finally took place. The deal was really simple. Prince Zorren gets all the ladies, while Princess Valentia gets all the men. One of the Wanderers the Prince had brainwashed had already infiltrated the city where the Heroes were stationed, quietly keeping a close watch on their every move. Prince Zorren wanted to speed things up because of the information he received—the lady he had his eyes on, Erica, already had a fiancé. Frankly, the prince didn't care if Erica was a maiden or not. The Skavari only looked for women who had strong magical powers. They were ideal wives because of their race's method that allowed the children born by these powerful women to inherit their powers as well. Prince Zorren had the power to conjure purple flames, and he believed that once he impregnated Erica, he would have a child that had both of their powers, surpassing their parents. To his frustration, the Hero Party had been holed up in Livia City for days, not conducting any raids, and leaving him with nothing but growing impatience. His territory and Princess Valentia's territory were right next to each other, so he decided to ask her if she was interested in joining forces to capture the pillars of the younger generation of Pangea. Princess Valentia, who had also become a fan of Roland, readily accepted this proposal. For her, capturing the young man would allow her to gain a new plaything who was totally her type. "Then there's also this Zion brat." Princess Valentia switched to a different recording and observed the young man who had defeated her rival, Princess Aracelle. "Well, he's not half bad. But Roland is still more good-looking." However, when the teenage boy looked directly at the camera, the Succubus Princess suddenly felt a shudder run down her spine. It was as if the teenager on the TV screen was looking directly at her soul, making her feel apprehensive all of a sudden. 'As expected of the person who defeated that b*tch Aracelle,' Princess Valentia thought. 'He's not simple!' One of the things that Princess Valentia prided herself on was her uncanny intuition. The moment her eyes met with Zion's, she instinctively understood this wasn't a person she should mess with. 'Fortunately, we're only targeting the Hero Party.' Princess Valentia turned off the TV as she tried to calm her wildly beating heart. 'To think I will feel this way after only seeing a recording. If I saw him in real life, I might not be able to stop myself from fleeing as fast as I can.' As the Vanguard sent by the Velmoria Royal Family, she, too, wished to gain honor and glory for her people. She, alongside Prince Zorren, Prince Xylen, Princess Aracelle, and the other members of the Royal Families of Gomorra, were rivals and competitors. They might be cooperating right now, but once the Wanderers were all defeated and enslaved by their combined armies, chances were they'd be hostile against each other again. If it weren't beneficial for both sides, they wouldn't be cooperating at all. 'Now that b*tch is out of the picture, I can finally enjoy this invasion,' Princess Valentia mused. 'I can't wait to see how House Pavareth will react once they discover their arrogant princess had died a pitiful death.' It was truly a pity that they couldn't send news back to Gomorra at this point in time. If it were possible, Princess Valentia wouldn't hesitate to spread the news and watch as the House Pavareth fell into chaos. Both their factions had never really gotten along with each other, so she was more than happy to make their rivals feel anger and despair. While the Succubus Princess was imagining her glorious future, Princess Aracelle stood in front of the mirror. But in front of her was not her own reflection. Instead, she found herself staring at a mature woman who met her gaze with a gentle smile. "I didn't think I would get the opportunity to see one of my nieces," the beautiful woman said. "You truly belong to House Pavareth. Your mere arrogance is worthy of our bloodline." "It is also a pleasure to finally meet you, Aunt," Princess Aracelle replied. "You are very famous, and your life story has been a rather entertaining pastime." "I'm sure you're right," the beautiful woman smiled. "House Pavareth dislikes it when their noble bloodline is mixed with the blood of the other races. Being born a half-blood certainly made my younger years a very… troublesome experience." Princess Aracelle smiled faintly. "Let's not beat around the bush, Aunt. Do you plan to make me a prisoner or a hostage you can use to bargain with House Pavareth? I'm sure you still carry a grudge… You plan to use me to take advantage of the situation, don't you?" "The men of hundreds of years ago will agree with your statement," the woman replied. "But things have changed now. Of course, you're not wrong. I do still carry a grudge. But this is not directed to you or the members of the young generation of House Pavareth. "I am only interested in tearing the flesh and blood of those old fogeys who made my life miserable back in Gomorra. Let's just say… being sent to Solterra to become cannon fodder isn't what I signed up for." "Then, what do you plan to do with me?" Princess Aracelle asked. "Right now, I am like a bird trapped in a cage, all under your mercy. Please, let's be honest with each other and speak only the truth." "What I plan to do with you?" the woman asked back in a teasing tone. "Nothing. I just asked my daughter to bring you here so I can see you. And now that I have seen a kin of mine, you are free to do what you want. "So, what do you want? Do you want to return to the Cygni Continent? Or would you rather stay here, where it's safe, and wait until the war has been concluded?" "Very funny, Aunt," Princess Aracelle replied. "I want to return to the Cygni Continent. I have duties I need to fulfill." "Duties." The woman smirked. "Duties to House Pavareth, or duties towards Zion Leventis? Let me tell you something funny, niece of mine. It's best that you find a way to hide that string on your pinky finger. "Although ordinary people can't see it, the Elderly women of our clan can. If they discover that you have chosen to discard your birth feather and have given it to a human, they will go all out to kill him. "You already know how desperately they refuse to let their bloodline mix with other races and give birth to Half-Bloods like me. Are you sure that this is what you really want to happen?" The expression of Princess Aracelle faltered a bit as she looked at the "Half-Blood" of their family. She had said many foul words about the woman in front of her because she was the shame of their bloodline. But when she was reminded that she was following the same path as her predecessor, she finally understood that she would be looked down upon by her family as well. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮 Seeing her reaction, the woman in the mirror smiled. "Worry not, niece of mine," the woman stated. "Since we have been brought together by fate, allow me to give you a gift that will solve your problem. The woman then tossed a silver pill to Princess Aracelle, which the latter caught by reflex. "Drink that, and the only one who will be able to see that string of promise will be you and your chosen one. But let me tell you something that you should remember—the man you chose isn't an ordinary person. "Do not treat him as such, and do not compare him with others. He is fundamentally different from the rest of the Wanderers of this world. While he is no longer a brick, it will take a lot of effort to break past his defenses. "So if you are only doing this half-heartedly, I suggest that you snap that string now before it's too late." Princess Aracelle shook her head. "I didn't do this half-heartedly." "Well, just remember that if you are exiled from your house, you can live here in my domain," the woman stated. "Since my daughter is also your distant cousin and your ages are rather close, I'm sure both of you will be good friends." The woman then pressed her hands together. "You can go back to the Cygni Continent. I have already informed my daughter about your decision." "Thank you, Aunt," Princess Aracelle nodded. "I didn't think that a day would come when a member of House Pavareth would thank me," the woman smirked. "Go, and don't regret the decision you have made." Without another word, the woman in the mirror disappeared. Princess Aracelle looked at her reflection in the mirror and sighed. She had already cast the dice, and whether her gamble would pay off or not, only time would be able to tell.