Just as Elrik retreated into the sea of people gathered at the ceremony site, another person gracefully strode toward Valerius.
This person was a slender and stunningly beautiful woman with a heart-shaped face and hair that was a cascade of golden, flowing down her back like waves, each strand shimmering under the sun, held together by an intricate silver clasp.
Not to mention, adoring her pretty face were lips, small and cherry-like, an attractive aquiline nose, and a pair of deep, mesmerizing blue eyes that were framed by long, curling blonde eyelashes, making her look all the more breathtaking.
She also had curves in all the right places and a height that most girls would envy.
She was adorned in a flowing white gown with silver embroidery, indicating that she was of royal origins and a pair of delicate shoes that made no sound as she moved across the ceremony site.
The gown she wore had a high slit which showcased her long, slender legs that were as soft and milky as mutton fat jade, attracting lustful gazes.
She seemed to be ignorant of the eyes upon her as her own pair of captivating blue orbs, which seemed to hold the beauty of the entire world in them, remained glued to Valerius
"Brother Val."
Walking up to Valerius, she called out to him in a melodious and soft tone, using a nickname that he hadn't heard in ages.
Whispers spread among the onlookers.
Many youths were filled with jealousy and disbelief.
She was none other than Princess Lysandra of the Everglade family.
This renowned family was one of the five pillars of Serph's esteemed wizard community, and they boasted blood ties that stretched all the way to the esteemed royal family presiding over the kingdom from the grand capital.
Why would someone of her stature approach the "loser" of the Khaleji family and interact with him?
They reasoned that it must be because of his pretty face. After all, apart from his breathtaking visage, what other attributes did Valerius hold that could possibly capture the undivided attention of a princess who hailed from the pinnacle of Serph's wizard community?
'What's this bitch doing here?'
Valerius observed Lysandra carefully.
Lysandra looked nothing short of ethereal, like a celestial being, perhaps an angel, who had been cast down from the heavens above, gracing the mortal realm with her divine presence.
Many in the crowd, particularly the young men, stood awestruck by her angelic appearance.
But if these young men knew what kind of person she truly was, Valerius was certain they would be left utterly disgusted and devastated.
Falling for Lysandra, the princess of Everglade, is like wearing a thousand green hats!
This was the common belief of all the readers of the Great Conquer novel.
Lysandra was the very first villainess of the "Great Conquer" novel!
Lysandra was portrayed as a licentious woman who wanted to ensnare the protagonist into her harem as a male concubine in the novel.
The protagonist, however, was a man with principles. He was an upright and modest individual. So how could he accept marrying a loose woman, who had a harem of dozens of men?
The very idea of being relegated to the role of a mere servant whose sole duty would be to offer her sexual pleasure in bed or anywhere she liked disgusted him.
As a result, he vehemently refused her advances.
But this only brought additional troubles his way.
When Lysandra's gentle persuasions didn't yield results, she lured the poor protagonist into a trap to drug and ahem… eat him inside out.
She trapped him in the brothel house owned by her family and drugged him with an all-powerful aphrodisiac to make 'things' easier. She wanted to eat his 'meat' even if he wasn't willing or fully conscious.
But the protagonist's repulsion for her was so strong that, despite being under the potent effect of the aphrodisiac and feeling as if his entire body was burning with unquenchable desire, he neither touched her nor wronged any other women who were in the brothel at that time.
Instead, relying on his wits and running, he escaped the brothel without losing his honor.
After that, he rushed out of the wizard community and jumped into the coldest pond in the Silver Moon Forest desperate to quell the overwhelming effects of the drug.
It was winter when the attack on the protagonist's chastity took place, so the pond was extra cold.
To the protagonist, immersing himself in the icy pond felt like being bitten by a thousand ants, but he endured the excruciating pain with gritted teeth and unparalleled willpower as it helped counteract the scorching lust the drug induced in his body.
He bathed in it for 6 hours to fight off its effect, and when he finally left the icy, cold pond, his skin was marred with frostbites, and he was so exhausted, that he collapsed beside the pond.
And he would've died if he hadn't been helped.
The threat Lysandra's insatiable desires posed to the protagonist's life made many readers of the novel who were fans of the protagonist detest her.
Of course, due to her stunning beauty as depicted in the novel, she had her fair share of admirers — though it might be more apt to call them simps.
Valerius though was an avid hater of her. He harbored no fondness for this treacherous temptress!
'I don't like this slut one bit! Let's find out what she wants and send her on her way.'
"What?" Valerius said questioned. His gaze was piercing and sharp and his eyes were brimming with an intense coldness that seemed out of place in the warm surroundings.
"You truly shouldn't have done that." she said, "Now, thanks to your impulsiveness, it's too late for you to withdraw from that imprudent bet you made with Elrik."
Lysandra wasn't bullshitting.
For a Khaleji, retracting his words, especially when those words had witnesses, was an act seen as deeply dishonorable by the entire family.
The punishment for such a transgression was severe.
It usually resulted in exile from the community.
If Valerius lost the bet, he would have to honor his part of the agreement or risk being punished!
Valerius raised an eyebrow. 'She is chiding me in public. Clearly, she doesn't mind ruining my reputation. So how dare she act like she cares about me!'
"And who are you to tell me what I should or shouldn't do?" Valerius retorted.
"I am your friend. If not me, who else would care about your affairs?" she replied.
Valerius scoffed, "A friend, you say? A true friend wouldn't be harboring indecent desires for me."
To make sense of it, one must know their shared past.
They were childhood friends, who grew up laughing and playing together.
When Valerius J. Khaleji was deemed talentless at the age of 13, he was shunned by his so-called friends and family. In the most difficult period of his life, Lysandra was the only one who stuck with him, further strengthening their friendship.
To him, she was his one and only genuine friend, but in the end, even she betrayed him!
Two years ago, she approached the House of Khaleji with a marriage proposal that was extremely humiliating for Valerius.
She wanted him to give up his surname and marry into her family not as her husband but as her male concubine. The lavish benefits she presented in exchange for this union were so enticing that the Khaleji household seriously contemplated her proposal.
Valerius felt betrayed.
He saw her as a friend, but she only wanted to enslave and fuck him!
In the Everglade family, men and women were equal; it was legal for them to both have a harem. And no one dared to interfere with their internal affairs as they were one of the five great families of the wizard community.
But, societal acceptance didn't necessarily translate to personal approval.
Although she was so beautiful and her status was so grand that some men would be okay with compromising their self-worth to become a part of her harem, Valerius was not among such men. He would never agree to such a disgraceful and immoral relationship!
He believed that if he gave in to her demands, he would be miserable for life. After all, although he was weak and powerless, he still had pride. He could never stand seeing another man share intimate moments with his woman, but she was demanding just that.
Thus, determined to safeguard his dignity, he firmly refused to marry her and went as far as to threaten to take his own life if the House of Khaleji and Everglade pursued this matter any longer.
In the end, they didn't get married, and that was the last time they talked.
Two years have passed since then.
What did she hope to get by approaching him after so long?
"Brother Val, how can you confuse my sincerity for indecency? I truly like you!" Lysandra exclaimed, tears brimming in her eyes, making her look even more enchanting.
Honestly, no one had anticipated seeing her at the ceremony site since she was already a wizard and blessed with both talent and a powerful background. She didn't need to go through the trouble of awakening her spirit veins.
Then why was she here?
It was because her infatuation with Valerius hadn't died down even though she had followed her mother's advice and tasted dozens of men. He was the white moonlight in her heart, and she wanted to get him at all costs!
'This bitch skin is too thick!' Valerius had to bite back a laugh.
Two years ago, after she failed to get him, numerous men had entered the Everglade family as her male concubines. According to rumors, many of these men bore an eerie resemblance to him, and she had been intimate with all of them.
So, how dare she stand here and claim to have feelings for him? Does she have no shame?!
'She is a slut with a skewed perception of reality. Someone really needs to beat some senses into her.'
However, he refrained from acting out on his thoughts as he couldn't afford to offend the Everglade family.
Instead, he calmed down and gave her a solid reply.
"But I don't like you."
When the transmigrated soul took over the original Valerius' body, he inherited his memories and emotions. Basically, he was a part of him now, so he could feel his immense hatred for her burning furiously in his heart.
This woman had played him for a fool. She won his trust only to shatter it in the cruelest way possible. How could he not hate her to death?
But this intense hatred stemmed from something much more than her betrayal.
Because Valerius J. Khaleji refused her marriage proposal, which could've greatly benefited the Khalejis, he was punished.
He was locked in the basement for five days without food or water and nearly died of thirst and hunger.
Since then, he vowed to never forgive Lysandra. If he ever got the chance, he would even things out with her. Sadly, he died before that due to depression, allowing the transmigrated Valerius to take over his body.
The transmigrated Valerius wasn't an ungrateful person. Since he got a second chance at life in Valerius's body, he promised to take revenge for him. This way, he would be repaying whatever he owed the original for using his body and living a life free of regret.
Plus, he didn't like Lysandra.
Thus, it was like a win-win situation for him!
'I will not let her ruin innocent lives. I must protect the protagonist and the youths who resemble me from this wretched wench.'
In his mind, Valerius swore to never forgive her for what she had done to the original!
"What's there not to like about me?" She asked.
Valerius rolled his eyes. Lysandra was a deeply racist and lustful woman who treated men and women as commodities. There was nothing likable about her.
"What's there to like about you? You're no better than cousin Elrik. You both are hypocrites," Valerius said.
Lysandra felt humiliated. Her face turned crimson with anger.
"How dare you! I am ignoring you from now on!"
She said as she stormed off to God knows where.
'Victory!'
Seeing her back fading from his sight, Valerius internally sighed in relief, glad that he had managed to annoy another troublesome character into leaving him be.
Whispers filled the air as onlookers discussed the scene they had just witnessed.
To them, Valerius was in the wrong for having angered such a beautiful and high-status woman.
In their eyes, someone of Valerius's reputation should be grateful if a woman of her status showed any interest in him, rather than rejecting her so rudely.
"He truly knows no gratitude," one onlooker remarked.
"With an attitude like that, it's no wonder he's in the position he's in," another said, shaking their head.
"Beauty and status, she has it all. He's definitely missing out," chimed in a third.
However, Valerius thought differently.
To him, it wasn't a loss at all.
No matter how good-looking a woman was, if you know she has the habit of sucking and riding small and big, filthy and grimy sausages left and right like a street whore, her attractiveness would decrease to the same level as a stinky pile of shit in your eyes, alright?
It was the same for Valerius.
For an upright person from modern Earth like him, who had never gotten into trouble with the law, accepting such disgusting behavior was simply impossible.
'Even if she was the only woman left in this world, I still wouldn't want to do it with her. God knows what kind of STDs she's carrying,' he thought as a shiver ran down his spine.