A Loose Tongue

Marco had not lied; he really had not meant to do it. At first, he had planned to wait for the attendant to announce him, but the moment he reached the corridor, he heard soft, girlish laughter from inside. As mentioned before, Marco was deeply infatuated with Isabella—almost to the point of obsession.

So when he heard the laughter, he instinctively assumed that Isabella felt the same way about him. He thought she was delighted by his arrival, and in a rush of excitement, he could not help pushing open the door...

But who would have thought that things were not as he had imagined? They had merely been having intimate girl talk, yet his rash intrusion had not only enraged Loris, but also angered Isabella.

Thinking of this, Marco was filled with regret. Still, his impulsiveness had not been entirely without gain. At the very least, Marco had learned the true strength of Isabella's close friend. This only strengthened his resolve to pursue Isabella. After all, if he could establish ties with someone as powerful as Loris through Isabella, it would be of tremendous help to his career.

The only problem was Solam. Thinking of this, Marco hated Solam even more. It was bad enough that he had such a beautiful woman by his side—she was also incredibly powerful.

"Looks like I really should help Groot get what he wants."

If he wanted to steal someone from Solam, this was the only method Marco could think of. If Loris left Solam's service for love, that would be perfectly understandable, wouldn't it? Of course, it would be even better if Solam died in Emmanuel's savage lands.

Thinking of Loris's strength made Marco's heart burn. He had never cared much about Groot pursuing Loris before; he had merely wanted an excuse.