Ellie stormed to Luca’s door, raising her hand to knock, but then hesitated.
“What if he hits me for disturbing him?” Ellie thought nervously. Luca’s cold and indifferent attitude earlier had left a significant emotional scar on her. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he might do anything.
Just as she was caught in her hesitation, the door suddenly creaked open, startling Ellie.
“What are you doing standing out here?” Luca furrowed his brows, looking at the noblewoman standing with her arms crossed. He wondered if she had lost her mind—why was she wandering around in front of a man’s door at this hour?
Was she not afraid of him losing control? Or did she not know that men are ruled more by their instincts than their reasoning?
Then it hit him—this woman wasn’t afraid.
“I… I…” Ellie stammered for a moment, then suddenly bit her lip as if making up her mind about something. With a quick movement, she ducked under Luca’s arm and rushed into the room.
With a loud slam, she pushed the door shut behind her.
“I… I’m afraid of the dark. I want to sleep here tonight!” she said, tugging at her collar to reveal her fair collarbone. She looked up at him, biting her lip and giving him a seductive glance.
Luca: …
For a moment, he couldn’t tell who the real beast was.
Luca paused, carefully choosing his words, then said slowly, “Miss Ellie, self-reliance is important, some things you could solve by yourself.”
“Ah?” Ellie didn’t understand, staring at him blankly. A few seconds later, her face suddenly turned as red as a lobster.
“You bastard! How dare you think of me like that?!” she fumed, glaring at Luca, her anger boiling. What did he think she was? A slut?
Seeing Ellie blocking the door as if she were afraid he might escape, Luca’s lips twitched. For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond. If you’re not like that, then why did you barge into my room and act so forward?
As a thought struck him, he suddenly became wary of her. “You’re not trying to extort me, are you?”
After all, how many women would sneak into someone’s room at night? She couldn’t possibly be testing him, right? The problem was, how many men could withstand such a test? This was like a lamb walking into a tiger’s den!
The more Luca thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Fortunately, he was clever enough to have anticipated it. Without hesitation, he quickly tightened his grip on his wallet and put some distance between himself and Ellie.
His gaze turned cold, sharp as a blade, and he said, “I saved you once, and this is how you repay me? Betraying my kindness!”
Seeing Luca’s righteous indignation, Ellie’s lips twitched twice. A mix of anger and amusement rose within her. She, a marquis’s daughter with a fortune of her own, had no need to extort him for money!
Then, as she thought about how she had made the first move and was now treated like a dangerous snake, a sense of grievance and bitterness filled her heart. Was this how Luca saw her?
She couldn’t help but think—after all, the line of suitors who had pursued her could stretch all the way from Western Sea to Seaway City!
As she looked at Ellie, whose expression had grown dark, Luca realized his reaction had been a bit too extreme. He sighed and asked, “What exactly do you want? Just tell me.”
“I want to go to Sea of Mist.” Ellie pulled her collar tighter and slumped down onto the bed, feeling that life truly was as bitter as a song.
“I don’t care if you want to go to Sea of Mist to die, but why are you lying on my bed?” Luca furrowed his brow, annoyed by her complete lack of boundaries.
“What’s wrong with you…” Ellie suddenly sat up on the bed, glaring at the handsome young man in front of her. Just as she was about to scold him for being petty, she suddenly realized something in his words.
Her eyes lit up. “So, that means you’re agreeing to take me?”
“If you’re the one dying, not me, why would I say no?” Luca muttered, reaching out to pull her off the bed without a second thought. “If you want to go, go. I don’t care. Now get out. Don’t disturb my rest.”
Surprisingly, Ellie wasn’t upset by his rude behavior. Instead, she was so excited that she kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you! I knew you’d say yes!”
Feeling the dampness on his face, Luca froze for a moment, then rubbed his face, sighing. “Can’t you just speak properly? Why do you have to take advantage of me like this?” He paused, then added, “Alright, go rest. Tomorrow, we…”
He was about to finish his sentence when he opened the door, but the words caught in his throat.
Standing outside the door, arms crossed, was Sophia, her face devoid of expression.
Behind her stood Isaac, Gavin, and the others. They all looked at him, and there was a trace of pity in their eyes—as if they could already see his miserable fate unfolding before them.
“Uh, Sophia, when did you get here?” Seeing the icy glare on Sophia’s face, Luca felt a sudden wave of guilt, even though he hadn’t done anything wrong. But for some reason, he felt guilty anyway.
Sophia’s voice was flat and unamused as she asked, “Oh, sorry, did I interrupt something?” She then ignored Luca, who was about to offer a defense, and shifted her gaze to Ellie, whose face was now flushed red.
She spoke coldly, “Miss Ellie, it is not becoming of a proper noblewoman to visit an unmarried man’s room at night. I believe you need to pay more attention to your conduct.”
Ellie, who had been slightly shy, seemed to sense something upon hearing this. She raised her eyes and glanced over Sophia, unconsciously furrowing her brow. Then, her gaze shifted downward, and a slight smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth.
Ellie didn’t say anything, but took a step forward, subtly puffing out her chest and raising her head in a proud, almost defiant manner.
In that moment, everyone around them could feel the vast disparity between the two women, as though there were an insurmountable chasm between them!
Sophia’s chest rose and fell more sharply, and she instinctively gritted her teeth.
The temperature in the room seemed to plummet. Everyone could sense a chilling aura, and they couldn’t help but shiver.
Realizing that the situation was about to escalate, Luca quickly stepped between the two women, clearing his throat. “Miss Ellie came to see me about the Sea of Mist, nothing more. Please, everyone, go back to your rest.”
He turned to Ellie, then added, “Now that we’ve finished, Miss Ellie, you may leave.”
“I had a wonderful time talking with you tonight. Thank you, Luca,” Ellie said with a bright smile, completely ignoring everyone else. She walked past Sophia with a light, almost carefree step.
Luca felt the coldness around him intensify, the chill creeping down his spine. He couldn’t help but curse Ellie in his mind, this damn woman—she was truly repaying his kindness with ingratitude!
Isaac, Gavin, and the others exchanged uneasy glances. They all sensed impending danger, and one by one, they spoke up, “Well, if Luca doesn’t need us, we’ll be on our way.”
And just like that, they scattered, rushing out of the room as if something malevolent were after them. The sound of doors slamming echoed in the hall.
In the blink of an eye, Luca and Sophia were the only ones left in the corridor.
Luca, silently lamenting the lack of loyalty in the others, turned to Sophia with a forced smile. “Senior, do you have time? Would you like to come in and sit for a while?”
Sophia stared at him for a long moment, before nonchalantly responding, “No, I find it unpleasant.”
Without another word, she turned and left for her room, leaving Luca standing there with a bitter smile on his face.
…
The next morning, Luca and the others woke up early to prepare for their departure.
“Lord Luca, the ship for returning to Seaway City is ready,” Merrick reported as he approached.
Luca glanced at Ellie, who was clutching the hem of her skirt behind him, and waved his hand. “You don’t need to go back for now. Go take care of your own business.”
Since he had already agreed to her request the day before, there was no reason to back out now. Although it would bring some extra trouble, the items Ellie had with her might be useful in the Sea of Mist, so they wouldn’t be a burden.
If she ended up dying there, it would be nothing more than bad luck. He had already warned her and wasn’t interested in wasting more breath.
“Yay!” Ellie waved her fist in excitement, her face glowing with joy. Finally, she was going to the Sea of Mist!
After bidding farewell to the people on the island, the group made their way to the dock.
Luca then led the fleet along the prearranged course, heading directly west toward the Sea of Mist.
As the two ships sailed farther away across the sea, disappearing from view, the people on Snake Island began to disperse and return to their various tasks.
What no one noticed, however, was a middle-aged merchant standing on the dock. He looked unremarkable, with an octopus tattoo on his neck. He watched the ships disappear into the distance for quite some time.
When the ships were no longer visible, the merchant lowered the brim of his hat and turned.
Heading toward a nearby inn on the island.
He climbed to the second floor and knocked on a door.
The door opened silently. Once the merchant entered, it slowly closed again, making no sound—an eerily quiet process.
Inside the room, the darkness was oppressive, and a raspy, sharp voice broke the silence. The voice was harsh and unsettling, as though the vocal cords had been damaged or were still developing.
“Are you sure?” the voice asked.
The merchant nodded. “The earlier sensation was correct. I smelled the scent of the Exiles on her. The young lady is undoubtedly from the Barnes family. As for the boy…” He hesitated before shaking his head. “I can’t figure him out. At his age, to have killed two Superclass powerhouses… He’s not just any genius.”
“Then don’t worry about him,” the raspy voice replied again. Then there was the sound of something being dragged across the floor, accompanied by the chilling scrape of what sounded like scales rubbing against the ground.
Suddenly, a face emerged from the darkness. It was covered in greenish fish scales, with fin-like ears and a body covered in tightly packed scales, resembling a demon from hell.
The creature’s eerie pale golden eyes locked onto the merchant. It bared its sharp, fang-like teeth and said, “A mere mortal, no matter how talented, will only live for a century at most. In the blink of an eye, they turn to dust.”
The creature’s voice dropped, growing more ominous. “What matters now is bringing the girl with the Barnes bloodline to the Sea Master.”
“Only then can we return to our homeland!”