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“…If you’re not planning on elaborating, Your Highness, then I suppose I’ll have to respond in kind.”

I let out a sigh, as if disappointed by her lack of forthrightness, and began to subtly channel my mana.

My insides were churning, but I maintained a calm facade.

This was a battle of nerves.

In a direct confrontation, Diana would crush me without breaking a sweat.

But if she had truly come to kill me, she wouldn’t bother with such theatrics.

She would have simply unleashed her ‘Authority’ and ended me on the spot.

Therefore,

‘She wants to talk.’

That was the only logical conclusion.

Diana wasn’t here to kill me.

She wanted something from me, some piece of information.

And I had a sinking suspicion I knew exactly what that information was.

‘…My true identity?’

It was a strong possibility.

The mark etched on my neck, a circle with a cross at its center, was the symbol of the Arsene bloodline.

I had been diligently concealing it with Darkness magic, ensuring it remained hidden from view.

However,

‘Diana might have information about the last descendant of Arsene.’

There was already a spy planted in the Imperial Academy by the Demon Realm.

And if anyone knew about the Arsene family, it would be the Demon King’s daughter.

They were, after all, the ones who had assassinated her father, the previous Demon King.

‘I did take precautions, though.’

I wouldn’t have stepped foot in the Demon Realm without a contingency plan.

I had taken steps to safeguard my secret, to prevent anyone from discovering my true heritage.

First, I had concealed the Arsene mark, ensuring it remained hidden from view.

Second, I had faith that Peltz wouldn’t reveal my departure to the Demon Realm.

From his perspective, my presence here would be a death sentence.

He wouldn’t risk exposing his failure to protect the young heir of House Arsene, especially not to the Six Great Families.

Peltz was a man of considerable influence, even if his power didn’t quite match up.

Third,

‘Adel had been concealing his abilities even before I possessed this body.’

When I first opened my eyes in this world, I noticed the thick layer of makeup on my hands.

It was Adel’s way of hiding his calluses, a testament to his hidden talents.

His true nature, his unique traits and abilities, had only come to light after the knights attacked me.

That’s why the servants hadn’t reported my abilities to the Six Great Families, allowing me to escape.

And it was highly likely that Peltz, even after discovering my abilities, had kept that information under wraps.

Unnecessary information only invited unwanted attention.

Even if he had described my abilities while recounting my supposed death, no one would have bothered recording the details of a dead child.

Besides, the existence of the Arsene bloodline was something the Six Great Families would want to keep buried.

And finally, the most crucial aspect of my plan,

‘On the surface, I am under the protection of House Bares.’

The fact that I had been trapped in Crete’s secret realm had ironically become my greatest shield.

Therefore, the only clues Diana had to work with were…

‘…My name and appearance.’

My appearance was already somewhat known in the Human Realm.

It wouldn’t be surprising if spies had relayed this information to Diana.

However, my status was a viscount, so I belonged under the Duke Leon family.

While the Arsene family had once held significant sway, their influence had waned after they were betrayed and stripped of their power.

This actually worked in my favor.

House Leon maintained tight security.

Infiltrating their ranks would be a formidable task, even for the most skilled spies.

After all, even the servants in the Arsene mansion had been revealed to be spies planted by Duke Leon himself.

Therefore, Diana couldn’t be certain of my true lineage.

She was merely suspicious, her doubts fueled by the similarities in name and appearance.

Even my appearance had changed considerably.

My once-frail body, through rigorous training and proper nourishment, had transformed into something far more robust.

But some features remained unchanged.

My name and my fundamental appearance were still points of vulnerability.

‘…It would have been ideal to fabricate a new name as well.’

But if I had lied to Crete, if I had uttered a single word other than ‘Adel’ in his presence, he would have seen through my deception.

The Lord of Pride possessed an uncanny ability to detect lies.

In any case, I hadn’t been exposed yet.

The safeguards I had put in place were effectively obscuring the evidence, casting doubt on any suspicions Diana might harbor.

I had to navigate this encounter carefully.

One wrong word could solidify her suspicions, pushing her closer to the truth.

With renewed determination, I forced a smile.

“So, tell me, Your Highness, to what do I owe the pleasure? Staring at each other for too long might make my face flush.”

“Oh my, have you perhaps grown tired of Rene and fallen for me instead?”

“Haha, that’s impossible. How could I ever abandon Lady Rene?”

“Right? To be honest, she’s the reason I sought you out.”

“Lady Rene… you say?”

Could it be that I had misjudged the situation?

“If this concerns Lady Rene…”

“Oh, are you interested now?”

Diana’s question hung in the air.

I nodded slowly, a knot of anxiety tightening in my chest.

Had Rene somehow discovered my true identity?

“You see, Rene has been rather… tight-lipped lately.”

“…Is that so?”

Step.

Before I could inquire further, Diana took a step closer.

She gazed at me, her beautiful face a mask of serenity, her presence both alluring and terrifying.

Closer.

Her soft breaths, the steady thump of her heart, filled my ears.

She was so close now that I could feel the warmth of her breath against my ear.

“I wonder why she’s being so secretive. She seems quite curious about you, Escort. What could you be hiding…?”

Diana’s finger, tipped with a sharp nail, traced a line down my cheek.

Before I could react to the sharp sting, her eyes, glowing with an unnatural light, locked onto mine.

“Who are you?”

Diana’s voice, usually light and playful, was laced with a chilling intensity.

I needed to create distance, to escape the range of her Authority before it took hold.

But it was too late.

An invisible force, emanating from her very being, bound me in place.

‘Something’ was holding me captive.

My body, now completely immobilized, refused to obey my commands.

And then, under Diana’s control, my jaw began to slacken, my lips parting involuntarily.

“I…”

My mouth moved, forming words against my will.

Just as I felt myself losing the battle against her overwhelming power,

Grip.

A hand, appearing out of nowhere, shot out and clamped down on Diana’s slender arm.

The pressure on my body vanished instantly, freeing me from her grasp.

I whirled around, my gaze drawn to the newcomer.

“…What do you think you’re doing?”

Rene’s face, contorted in a mask of rage, filled my vision.

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