You've found the Gusha-hime Knight, so put your hair up in a bun!

Caught off guard, Aaron's defenses were shattered by Shiloh's intimidating gaze. He swayed violently and then collapsed to his knees with a thud.

wow——

This scene caused an uproar among the crowd. They never expected that Shiloh would simply glance at him and frighten the renowned "Hero of Destiny" Aaron to his knees.

Ruby and Moen, who were hiding in the crowd watching the spectacle, stared wide-eyed at the scene before them in disbelief.

Although Aaron himself might seem a bit arrogant, his teammates knew that he had the right to be so.

Unexpectedly, the powerful Aaron was so easily frightened by a single glance from Shilo that he knelt down, which made Moen even more interested in Shilo.

"Hmm, [Stairway to the Stars]... If I remember correctly, before going to his territory, Shilo was still in the stage of not having recovered his body... In other words, in just over a month and less than two months, he advanced from [Stairway to the Dust] to [Stairway to the Stars]?"

After pondering for a while, Moen couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement, unable to understand why Shilo had such a terrifying speed of advancement, even though he was only a superhuman of the [Azure Flame Rank] before he lost his talent.

"Hmm... hmm... why is this happening? This abnormally fast promotion speed... oh dear, it's so worrying..."

Moen tapped his chin, his sky-blue eyes filled with curious stars, and his lips unconsciously pursed into an adorable "ω" shape.

Ruby, who overheard Moen's mutterings, blushed secretly and quietly looked away.

Ruby naturally knew and had a deep understanding of why Shiloh was able to advance so quickly.

Being knocked unconscious ten or more times in one night, and still having a belly full of unabsorbed dragon breath bullets when waking up the next day—that's a pretty impressive feat, isn't it?

After Shiro briefly unleashed his Eye of Intimidation, Natalia, who was holding his arm, blinked slightly and looked thoughtfully at his profile.

Was that feeling just now... an illusion?

Natalia pursed her lips, somewhat uncertain.

She could tell that Shiloh had just used some kind of eye technique, but at the moment of its release, she seemed to sense the vampire power that shared the same origin as her.

But when Natalia tried to confirm it further, the feeling disappeared, which puzzled her.

If Shiloh possesses the powers of a vampire, it can only mean that he has made a pact with some damned, philandering vampire. However, in that case, his appearance and aura should change drastically.

Natalia tightened her grip on Shiloh's arm slightly, her crimson eyes shifting between light and shadow.

She considered Xi Luo her beloved, so naturally she wouldn't have any complaints about him.

It's just that the protective instinct inherent in vampire blood makes Natalia want to breathe on the possible philandering vampire.

"Auntie, what's wrong?"

Noticing Natalia's unusual behavior, Shiloh suddenly remembered that although she was a half-vampire, she might also have the instinctive food-guarding tendencies of vampire nobles. So, keeping his expression unchanged, he asked in a low voice.

"Um...it's nothing."

Natalia shook her head and gave Shiloh a gentle smile.

After sensing that Natalia probably hadn't noticed anything, Shiloh nodded, thinking that it was fortunate that the Yin-Yang Dual Meridians were able to consume Vera's [Blood Pact of Love], otherwise it would have been quite bad if she had noticed anything.

On the other side, Aaron, who found himself kneeling on the ground after regaining consciousness, had trembling pupils, clenched his fists, and felt the anger in his chest about to burst out at any moment!

But a sliver of reason remained in Aaron's mind, telling him that if he were to erupt at this moment, all the power he had painstakingly built up over so long would be destroyed...

This is not simply a matter of being hostile to the Wells family; the occasion they are currently in is the birthday banquet of Her Highness the Grand Princess of the Odrecia Empire.

Anyone who dares to make a move at the birthday banquet of this infamous princess would likely have a hard time saving Aaron even if he had ten lives.

But it's different with Shiloh. Given his relationship with Zeno, even if he used force to kick Aaron out, Zeno wouldn't say anything. He might even happily step in and help him.

Aaron wasn't stupid. Realizing this, he knew that staying any longer would only make him look foolish. So he forcibly suppressed the humiliation of kneeling, bowed, and took his leave: "I failed to fulfill my duties, it was my fault... I will take my leave now, and hope Your Highness will forgive me."

After saying that, Aaron raised his head, looking for Ruby and Moen, wanting to take them with him.

But Ruby disappeared, clearly not wanting to talk to him. Moen saw Aaron's gaze, blinked, gave a polite and elegant smile, and waved goodbye to him.

Seeing this, Aaron felt as if he had a mouthful of blood in his chest and wanted to vomit. His face turned terribly ashen, but in the end, he could only slink away.

Just after Aaron left, some noble ladies who knew him gathered around Moen and said, "Hey, is this your captain? He seems so useless. He knelt down after being glared at by Lord Shiloh."

Moen chewed on the small cake in his mouth, swallowed it, and then explained, "Hmm, actually you can't look at it that way. Aaron is still very capable, it's just that Shiloh is a little more powerful."

As a teammate, Moen had watched Aaron fight many times and generally admired him. At least among those of the same rank, Aaron was definitely in the top tier.

As for Shiloh, there are almost no real combat records, but judging from the magical skills and other abilities he has shown, Moen is certain that he is probably one of those who have few rivals of the same level.

The connection between strong individuals is rarely wrong, after all, she herself is like that.

Hearing Moen's rational statement, the noble ladies exchanged glances and teased, "Hey—I'm telling you, you wouldn't happen to have a crush on that Aaron, would you?"

"Hmm? Me?"

Moen blinked his big, bright eyes and tilted his head, saying, "If ten is a perfect score, how many points would you give him based on a man's sexual desires in love?"

The girls exchanged glances again and said in unison, "Below five points!"

Moen shrugged and said, "Hmm, I'm a girl with normal tastes too. Aaron may be a powerful warrior, but he's not exactly a charming man. So, there's no way I could be interested in him."

Chapter 191 The Ball

"That's true~"

"However, if Moen were to find a partner, who would he choose?"

Although the noble ladies appeared to be asking questions, they already had the answers in their hearts.

As her best friend of several years, Moen could naturally guess what they were thinking, so she shrugged helplessly and said, "Stop overthinking it. I don't have that intention right now, and I'm not close to Mr. Shiloh..."

Although Moen explained it very casually, the noble ladies who were really into shipping the couple couldn't let her have her way. They quickly surrounded her and teased, "Nonsense, nonsense~ We haven't even said who it is yet, how come you've already mentioned Lord Shiro?"

"Hey, hey, little Moen has a crush on her, right? Right?"

The lively and charming noble ladies surrounded Moen, letting out excited, sharp gasps that drew frequent glances from the surrounding guests.

Moen covered her forehead, feeling incredibly embarrassed. Unable to bear it any longer, she used a silencing spell to cover her friends' mouths.

"Stop spreading rumors, okay? Have you forgotten what the relationship is between Mr. Xiluo and Her Highness the First Princess? If you keep spreading rumors, you might get beaten up!"

Moen lowered his voice, raised a finger, and a threatening look appeared on his face.

Upon hearing Moen's words, the girls realized that this was the First Princess's birthday banquet, and that she and Xi Luo would most likely become marriage partners.

Recalling the First Princess's formidable reputation, the girls turned pale with fright and quickly nodded, signaling themselves to shut up.

Seeing this, Mo En released them from their restraints and sighed, "Don't you know me? I hardly ever went out when I was little, and I've been going out to gain experience ever since I grew up. How could I possibly have any connection with Mr. Xi Luo? Really, stop eating nonsense~ If you really can't, have some sunflower seeds, here."

After explaining, Mo En casually grabbed a handful of melon seeds and put them into her girlfriends' hands one by one.

Upon hearing this, the noble ladies exchanged glances, their eyes filled with regret.

"Alas, what a pity. Little Moen is the granddaughter of the Dean of the Magic Academy. Logically speaking, she and Lord Shiloh should have been childhood sweethearts."

"That's right, that's right, it's all because little Moen is a homebody."

Moen twitched his lips, picked up a melon seed and took a bite, then said speechlessly, "Mr. Shiloh has quite a few lovers around him, and the thought of them fighting over him is just too much trouble... Anyway, if it were me, I definitely wouldn't choose to be with him."

"Whoa? We can't pretend we didn't hear that!"

Hearing Moen's words, the noble ladies became interested and asked, "What if you really end up with Mr. Shiloh in the future?"

"Huh? That's impossible—"

"Just in case, I mean just in case!"

Moen rubbed his temples, feeling that if he didn't say something, they probably wouldn't give up.

After thinking for a moment, Moen said, "How about this, if I end up with Xiluo in the future, I'll treat you to the most expensive afternoon tea club in the capital for a week straight, how about that?"

With Moen making this promise, the noble ladies nodded in satisfaction and let her go.

Moen breathed a sigh of relief. Although she was quite certain that she would never become one of Shiloh's lovers, this act of planting a flag still made her a little uneasy.

clang--

The bell rang, and all the guests gathered.

No one cared about Aaron's expulsion, and the ball officially began with the entrance music.

The ball is a social event for guests, so Zeno will only appear at the very end.

Natalia, who was holding Shiloh's arm, looked up expectantly, her mature and beautiful eyes sparkling with a certain brilliance.

"Auntie, shall we dance a song together?"

Xi Luo understood her aunt's idea, so she bowed and extended an invitation to her.

Natalia's heart raced slightly, but she forced a calm and elegant expression, and with a gentle smile, she placed her hand in Shiloh's palm.

Although Natalia was quite open with Shiro in private, she was also quite relaxed.

But this was a public place. Even if Natalia didn't care about the gazes of the other noblewomen who had once harbored some unspeakable thoughts about Shiloh and were now kept out by her, she still had to care about Serme's opinion.

After all, it's really too immoral for a son to be cheated on by his friend.

Natalia maintained the demeanor of an elder, calmly taking steps to dance, placing her delicate hand on Shiloh's shoulder, and swaying gently.

But a moment later, Natalia's blush deepened, and beads of sweat appeared on her fair forehead.

The hand that Shiloh placed on her waist and gently stroked her was making Natalia feel quite "uncomfortable".

"What a... naughty child..."

As Natalia spun around, she leaned close to Shiloh's ear and whispered a coquettish remark.

"Haha, there's something even worse, Auntie."

After chuckling twice, Shiloh hugged Natalia's waist tightly, spun her around several times quickly, and then very swiftly touched her lips lightly.

!! ?

Natalia's shoulders trembled, and her pupils contracted. She never expected that Shilo would be so bold as to steal a kiss in this kind of situation!

Although Shiloh's movements were very swift and well-integrated with the dance moves, it looked as if he had only made a quick approach without doing anything else.

However, Natalia could not rule out the possibility that someone might have noticed this, and the thrill of betrayal gradually intensified, gripping her heart tightly.

Natalia's flushed face was so delicate it looked like it was about to drip water. Seeing her aunt's flustered yet expectant expression, Shiloh smiled slightly, thinking to himself that it seemed her aunt actually quite liked this sense of taboo.

Or is it that mature women like my aunt actually enjoy this sense of transgression and taboo?

The image of another mature woman with a gourd-shaped figure, Serene, flashed through Shiloh's mind. Just thinking about the delicious expression on her face after he stole her first kiss made Shiloh feel a surge of heat.

"Huh?!"

His aunt's exclamation brought Xi Luo back to reality, only then realizing that his aunt's condition seemed somewhat dangerous due to his unconscious caress.

However, the dance moves performed by Shiloh and Natalia were quite difficult, so their blushing and sweating could also be explained as a result of strenuous exercise.

"Can we continue, Auntie?"

Shiloh slowed his movements and asked in a low voice.

After a moment's thought, Natalia realized that her current state in front of Shilo was somewhat inappropriate, and dared not continue. She had no choice but to stop temporarily, resume her normal dance moves, and then quickly adjust her expression.

Chapter 192 "Please help me become human!" (3k)

After the dance ended, Natalia clutched her pounding heart, wiped the fine sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, and gave Shiloh a reproachful look, biting her lip.

Xi Luo knew that her behavior just now was a bit too provocative for her aunt, with whom she had just begun to establish a relationship, so she didn't continue. She simply said in a low voice, "I will visit you in person in a while," and then prepared to leave the dance floor.

However, Natalia reached out and placed her hand on Shiloh's chest, stopping him.

"Auntie needs to rest for a while, but you probably won't be finished so soon, right?"

The aunt's eyes held a hint of a smile; she didn't think that Xi Luo's lovers wouldn't want to take this opportunity to come up and dance with him.

Perhaps afraid that others would notice something, Natalia finished speaking briefly and then left the dance floor with a polite and elegant smile.

It just so happens that it's time for her to do some preparations.

Although Shiloh concealed it well, Natalia's understanding of him and her intelligence network told her that tonight's birthday party was not as simple as it seemed.

However, Xi Luo didn't intend to deliberately hide anything. It's just that her aunt wasn't part of their plan to begin with, so there's really no need to tell her now. Besides, the other party can probably figure out some clues, and that's enough.

Xi Luo let out a soft breath. Now that Aaron had been driven out of here, not only to weaken the influence of the original destiny, but also because those who participated in the battle tonight would be able to gain some merit, and Xi Luo did not want to aid the enemy.

The net has been set up; all that's needed is to wait for the prey to take the bait.

As Shiloh stood in the center of the dance floor, wondering which lady would come up to dance with him next, a passionate and domineering fragrance wafted from behind him.

The aura was so distinctive that Xi Luo's eyes widened in surprise. He turned around and asked, "Shouldn't you still be behind us? How come you're here now—"

Before Xiluo could finish speaking, Zeno tugged at his arm, then wrapped his arm around his waist, pulling him into a half-hug embrace.

Zeno was tall and slender. Because he had been fighting on the front lines for many years, he had developed a pair of incredibly flexible and long legs. When he put on ball gowns, he was almost the same size as Shiloh.