The Conflict Escalates. (Continued)

Thinking about it doesn't mean you'll actually do it.

Just as Vise knew that most of the Banshees who survived the battlefield harbored a special affection for the Lord and the Queen—in this respect, the Banshees were very open.

As long as they don't do anything really outrageous, it'll be fine.

Vise truly never imagined that one day she would be on a blind date with Her Highness the Princess.

What frightened her even more was...

Why would Her Highness the Princess go on a blind date?!

According to Yelai, she brought herself with Maria's consent, meaning that Maria agreed to the arranged meeting before coming to her...

The relationship between the Lord and His Highness the Queen...

The thought sent a chill down Vise.

She felt as if she knew something she shouldn't have known, and she seemed somewhat dazed and confused.

But Maria didn't understand any of this; she simply blinked and nodded slightly.

The Banshees's reaction... she must have recognized him.

But why is she so nervous?

Are you worried about what you might do?

Maria blinked, pondered for a moment, then gently extended her slender fingers and quietly touched the back of the other person's hand, which was resting on the dark brown solid wood table.

The slightly cool touch made Vise shiver involuntarily.

"It's fine."

Maria spoke softly, her cool fingers tracing the back of the other person's hand to show that she was not someone to be approached.

But the Banshees Vise stood frozen in place.

A moment later, she felt as if she had been electrocuted, and all the muscles in her body tensed up.

Their gazes toward Maria were filled with fear and astonishment.

No... no...

Your Highness...

What... what are you doing?!

No!

I don't want to be sent by the Lord to teach singing to those tone-deaf guys!

Those people had absolutely no talent for singing; their singing was nothing short of torture for the ears!

The more Vise thought about it, the more her heart pounded.

She knew she should withdraw her hand at that moment, and then bow to Maria to show respect and gratitude for her kindness.

But the cool touch felt like someone was gently teasing her heart with a feather. Even though it was just a finger tracing across the back of her hand, she felt her whole body go numb and weak, and her vision became somewhat unfocused.

The unique scent of incense was like a catalyst for certain emotions; just smelling it made her heart beat a little faster.

It was at this moment that Vise finally fully understood the earnest words spoken by the head maid of the banshee Banshees named Mila.

For Banshees, her very existence is a deadly temptation...

Think about it carefully.

Maria is inherently strong, hitting all of Sarkaz's good areas.

Maria was introverted and didn't express herself often... which is very similar to the Banshees.

Maria is beautiful, with a cool and aloof aura... Banshees all like this type.

Maria has a distinguished background... Rumor has it that she has even had many close encounters with the current Demon King.

In this situation...

Are there really Banshees who can refuse Maria?

Especially considering how gentle Maria's treatment was.

Vise suddenly felt that the fact that she could still maintain her rationality was due to the effectiveness of her usual loyalty.

This loyalty held her thoughts firmly in check, preventing her from truly betraying her lord.

Even so, her face turned bright red.

Fortunately, Maria did not continue.

After seeing that the other person had almost returned to normal, she nodded slightly and withdrew her hand.

The ensuing conversation proceeded smoothly; after a few casual chats, the discussion concluded.

Yelai felt a little sorry... After all, in her opinion, both Vise and Maria were very good people, and they would definitely be very happy if they could be together.

I wonder if Vise has been working herself to the bone these past few days. She keeps feeling like when these two are talking, it's Maria searching for Vise.

Make the atmosphere like a meeting with the leader.

Seeing that neither of them said much, she could only wonder to herself if the Banshees had such strange customs before temporarily moving on from the topic.

As darkness fell, Maria prepared to retreat.

"It's getting late, it's time for me to leave..."

Maria rose, put her three-cornered hat back on her head, and remained calm.

Yelai wanted Maria to stay for dinner, but Vise immediately stood up.

"If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us anytime..."

Her face was flushed with excitement, and her eyes revealed a hint of joy.

This attitude, however, only made Yelai, who was standing to the side, even more puzzled.

Only after Maria left did Vise let out a long sigh before walking up to her, tilting her head back, and asking a question.

"What's wrong with you?"

"This..."

Vise lowered her head, looking at her best friend, who was only slightly taller than her waist but was already a mother of a grown woman, and couldn't help but rub her temples.

"It's hard for me to explain..."

Is it her who makes you unhappy?

Yelai, however, hadn't quite grasped the meaning of the name Maria to the Banshees.

In her opinion, Maria should be someone Vise would like, right?

In fact, in her opinion, Maria was probably the type that all the Banshees preferred, right?

Why would Vise behave this way... well... Yelai couldn't quite explain how he felt about Vise at that moment.

She sensed that Vise showed very obvious curiosity, resistance, and hesitation towards Maria.

These feelings are fine individually, but when they're put together... is it satisfactory or unsatisfactory?

"It's difficult for me to talk to you about these things, Yelai."

Vise gave a wry smile, rubbing her temples. Even the typically aloof demeanor of Banshees now betrayed a helpless bitterness. "But... we're friends, right?"

At this point, Vise's tone shifted, becoming serious.

Meanwhile, Yelai, though puzzled, nodded earnestly.

"Of course."

"Can you promise me... that you won't tell anyone about what happened between her and me today?"

Vise's tone was very humble, even tinged with a hint of fear.

Let's put other things aside for now.

If others found out that I had a 'secret rendezvous' with the princess today, my life would be over.

Because she needed to keep this a secret, she couldn't explain it too clearly to Yelai and could only get the answer from him.

This was even more incomprehensible to Yelai.

But seeing the other person's determined gaze, she only pondered for a few moments before her eyes hardened and she nodded firmly.

"I don't know why, but I'll keep it a secret."

That would be best.

Vise sighed, suddenly feeling a heavy weight on her shoulders.

In reality, she knew that if things were really clarified, the Lord would definitely not blame her; at most, he would give her a symbolic punishment—after all, before the announcement, Maria was still the rightful queen of the Banshees, and she had to accept punishment for her mistakes.

But she had a strange feeling that things might not be that simple.

I'll go back later...

Should we report this to our superiors?

Vise was confused.

Meanwhile, Yelai's adorable and lively daughter Yelina, blinked in place.

"Hmm... she's leaving already? I haven't even asked her about the child yet..."

Yelina is still responsible.

When she realized that Maria was having trouble with her relationship with her child, she decided to help her. Unfortunately, with an elder speaking up, she had no say in the matter.

Even at the very end, she felt a pang of regret that she hadn't been able to find out exactly what had happened to Maria and her child.

But when she came to her senses with a sigh, she found that Aunt Vise was staring at her with her beautiful blue eyes, like a fish with its eyes wide open in death.

"It's kind of creepy..." Yelina muttered to herself, then shook her head again.

Vise, however, forced a smile that was more painful than tears, and spoke in a trembling voice.

"Yelina... what... what did you just say?"

Maria blinked as she left Yelai's dessert shop.

Faced with a city that had clearly become prosperous, she wandered around in the darkness for a while before feeling somewhat lost.

She knew the roads very well, and some of the old shops hadn't disappeared... The scene was almost identical to what it used to be, but now it made Maria feel even more lost.

This is not the world she knows anymore...

With a soft sigh, Maria pondered for a moment, but then decided she didn't know where to go.

Just as Maria was considering whether to just find someone to spend the night with...

Not far away, chaos suddenly erupted within a large encampment.

The sharp cry was still quite a distance away, but Maria's excellent physical condition made up for it.

Just moments later, she heard the sound of an argument erupting from the other side.

It sounds like a woman and a man are arguing, and judging from their tone... it doesn't seem like a family matter.

Maria blinked, pondered for a moment, then turned and disappeared into the darkness...

"Get out, Jeddon!"

Inside the tent, the dim light illuminated the surroundings.

The woman in white, covered in blood, stood before the Swarm burly Sarkaz mercenaries, her face cold and her tone filled with impatience.

"I've already said, without orders or permission, no one is allowed to enter!"

Although she was facing a group of vicious mercenaries, the girl showed no fear whatsoever.

She stared coldly at the crowd, the thin scalpel in her hand looking utterly ridiculous.

But it reflected an amazing light in the lamplight.

In front of her stood about seven or eight mercenaries, who also seemed somewhat hesitant.