"Is this really the right way to keep an eye on people secretly, miss?"
'....' The figure hidden behind the curtain flinched upon hearing the sudden words directed at her. Prompted to remove the curtains, she revealed herself and, with a closed demeanor, bowed. "Apologies, Young Master. I was about to reveal myself."
'Heh, reveal yourself?' Damien smirked at the black-robed woman, who appeared to be an assassin. Her entire body, except for her eyes, was covered in black cloth, with two daggers resting on her waist. Ignoring her approach, Damien focused on his task. "How amusing that Lady Vandiana herself did not come to meet me."
His smile was not for this woman who was caught but for the dear Villainess who had escaped this place safely.
Vandiana Panthera, also called the queen of the underground mafia, possessed 75% control over all the illegal activities inside Cramphian City and 40% inside Country A—there was a reason for her to be the final boss or major Villainess.
And if Damien had invited the son of heaven, shouldn't he also have invited that woman?
So, he definitely invited her as a plan B.
Naturally, the story should be like this: Edward, detecting the threat due to his powers, escaped this place, leaving behind Gabriel, who, with his men, attacked high society people. Unaware of Vandiana's presence, he barged into the hall room, opened fire, and got his head crushed at the hands of the queen.
Of course, this was a backup in case things didn't go Damien's way due to the son of heaven's luck favoring him.
And even if everything went perfectly, his actions—provoking her by siding with the Blakes, where 25% of the underground mafia was still under Gabriel's control—and the letter sent to her would definitely ignite her interest in him—a letter containing very personal secret details.
So, either way, Damien was securing two women.
One was Emilia, who would soon inevitably receive the gift of her uncle's head. The other was Vandiana, who would show interest in him due to his removing an obstacle like Gabriel without her even lifting a finger.
Though there were several variables—like Vandiana herself not seriously wanting Gabriel removed, or she would have crushed him long ago, and Emilia not necessarily falling in love with him just because he killed someone.
But he had ignited a flame that would soon grow into a fire.
"Here, the Queen has left this letter for you," the woman narrowed her gaze as she observed the man in front of her from top to bottom, analyzing and trying to see through his power levels to understand how he had noticed her presence even with her stealth technique hiding her well.
Yet, she appeared unable to detect any power level, clearly meaning the man in front of her had not even initiated Body Refinement.
"Is it a love letter she talked about previously?" Damien smiled and stated confidently, causing the woman's eyes to tremble as she glanced towards the letter. For a split second, she even doubted if it was indeed a love letter.
'A love letter?' Emilia, suddenly hearing those words, was pulled out of her thoughts from what Damien had told her earlier about how he would not give Gabriel an easy death. Looking towards the letter in the robed woman's hand, Emilia's fingers instinctively clenched her dress.
Not that she understood why, but it didn't feel right seeing someone giving him a love letter.
'How cute,' Damien thought, holding unconscious Amelia in princess carry. He glanced at both Emilia and the woman, whose gazes were fixed on the letter.
It wasn't a love letter, but it was enough to ignite internal conflicts—one doubting her own master and the other doubting herself.
"Young Master, I don't think... Please, just take it," the woman mumbled while looking at the letter, but then, composing herself, offered it to Damien, who took it with a smile.
"I will take my leave then," the woman said, turning to leave. But she halted before glancing back at him for a few moments, unable to hold her curiosity, and inquired, "How did you notice me?"
There was no loss for her in asking, prompting her to inquire while looking at the man whose eyes first settled on the letter, now looked at her with a raised eyebrow.
"Sorry, but I bet even Emilia noticed you?" Damien stated in an obvious tone, glancing towards Emilia, who was taken aback, unable to understand what he was going on about.
After all, even now, if she turned her eyes away from the woman, she couldn't feel her presence.
Indeed, Emilia had initially felt it, taking it as her mind playing tricks, but now, after focusing on the woman, she was bewildered by how her senses couldn't register the woman's presence in front of her. Prompting her to turn towards Damien, she said, "No, I didn't notice—"
But before Emilia could finish saying how she didn't feel the woman's presence, Damien smiled and nudged his elbow on Emilia, adding, "Obviously you definitely noticed, Emilia. After all, how could that thin curtain hide those G-cups without forming a bump?"
'!?!'
"Wh-what?" Emilia stammered, caught off guard by Damien's sudden remark.
"Shameless!" The woman appeared suddenly flushed, her steps sliding back before halting. She glared at him with a blushed face due to embarrassment, instinctively covering her chest while blinking at the man who appeared nonchalant and obvious.
"Mind your words, lady," Damien's demeanor changed, replaced by a firm tone with coldness shrouding his facial expression. He looked intensely at the woman, who again appeared taken aback. He further added, "You were the one who asked for the reason and now act like this. I will not appreciate this kind of behavior."
'?!'
"I-I apologize, Young Master." Suddenly, the woman's words made her realize it was indeed she who had inquired first. Now, after hearing the answer, she acted as if Damien's intentions were to objectify her.
'Sigh, women,' Damien thought, grinning as he looked at the woman staring downward, amused at how easy it was to play with someone's mind. Even though he was at fault for saying those words, it appeared as if she was at fault.
And of course, this wasn't the end. If Damien's thinking was correct, he would hear exactly what he expected from her.
'He is a d-devil,' Emilia thought, standing beside him. She had noticed the grin on Damien's face, her pupils trembling as she realized how that handsome face was playing with the woman's mind.
"I will take my leave," the woman said, feeling her behavior might be unacceptable to Lady Vandiana. She slowly turned into mist—a stealth technique—with her lips parting under her clothes to clarify something to these people. Her eyes coldly looked at the man before adding, "It's 34DD to be exact, Sir Damien."
With those words, she disappeared.
"Oh, my bad, it seems I need physical experience," Damien smiled, seeing the woman vanish. His eyes narrowed, glancing beside him at Emilia, who appeared shocked. He teased, "How about after our marriage, you help me out, Emilia—"
Suddenly, hearing such vulgar words from him, Emilia swung her hand to slap him, but like before, he tilted his head and dodged, causing her to stumble forward from the recoil. She cried, "How dare you—kyaaah~!!"
"Let's move faster, shall we?" Damien swiftly twisted Amelia in his arms and placed her on his right shoulder, grabbing Emilia's waist with his other hand before lifting her up in the same manner and placing her on his shoulder.
"Kyaaah~! Leave me, you evil lecherous monster!"
That innocent woman could only cry as the man, carrying two beauties on his shoulders, disappeared down the long hallway, her cries fading away. Ahem.