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

"We are very sorry, please forgive us this time."

Shiloh gave a standard bow, which made the coachman hesitate slightly.

Judging from his posture, Shiloh had clearly received standard aristocratic etiquette training, but his attire was too common, suggesting that he was probably a fallen nobleman wandering around with his wife.

As a coachman who could become the deputy city lord, he had developed a keen eye for detail from years of driving passengers around.

In imperial law, the status of nobles was sacred and inviolable. Even if the other party was a noble family that had fallen on hard times, that status still remained.

He was just a lowly stableman, and since the other party had already apologized, it wouldn't be good to be aggressive any further.

So the coachman put away his whip, a smile appeared on his old face, and he nodded, saying, "Haha, since you've said so, sir, and there's no loss to be had, let's do it this way."

"Thank you, thank you."

Shiloh bowed again, watching the coachman, who clearly felt a secret satisfaction, board the carriage. His expression was calm, revealing neither joy nor sorrow.

"How could he do this? This is a side street; according to imperial law, riding horses at high speed is clearly not allowed!"

Aria couldn't understand how a mere stable boy could disregard imperial law to such an extent, even nearly hitting someone without showing any remorse, and instead trying to cause trouble for the victim.

If it weren't for Shiloh, the little girl who crashed into the carriage would definitely not have survived!

"Oh, young ladies, you're from out of town, you don't know this."

The middle-aged woman still looked shaken, but when she realized the coachman hadn't made things difficult for them, she knew it was thanks to Shilo, and her gratitude deepened.

"The city lord came from the capital a few years ago, and it's thanks to that that we didn't..."

The middle-aged woman didn't say much, but from the way her fingers naturally traced her neck, both Shiloh and Arya understood what she meant. They exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat horrified.

"The city lord is diligent and hardworking, and everyone sees that. However, he has no way to deal with that person. You could say he's like a local tyrant..."

"Incidents like today's have already killed three people this month, and that's considered a small number..."

The middle-aged woman spoke while sighing, but when she saw the carriage suddenly heading this way again, her expression changed. She quickly thanked Xi Luo and then hurriedly turned and ran away.

As the carriage drew near, Shiloh still held Arya's wrist tightly, signaling her not to get agitated, before smiling and asking, "Brother, is there anything else?"

The coachman didn't speak, but turned to the carriage behind him and said, "The adults inside have some questions for you two."

Upon hearing this, Shiloh and Arya looked in confusion at the carriage window with the curtains drawn, and then with a "whoosh," a familiar face appeared inside.

"Where are you from from?"

Inside the carriage, Elvis, with an arrogant and indifferent expression, looked at the two faces and asked a question.

Just as Shiloh rushed to save the person, he was slightly outside the effective range of the prayer, which gave Elvis a sense of familiarity. He felt as if he had seen this person somewhere before, which made him feel a little disgusted.

"Well, to be honest, we are wandering nobles. Because our family has fallen on hard times, we have no choice but to wander around and take on adventure missions to make a living. We came here because we heard that the water city of Hifiel has beautiful scenery and great views."

Arya bowed slightly, somewhat surprised by Shiloh's acting skills, as if he really was a down-on-his-luck, wandering nobleman.

Logically, there was nothing wrong with this argument. Elvis snorted and said sarcastically, "A mere commoner, blind to the powerful, died in the accident. But you, a nobleman, lowered yourself to save him. How foolish! Heh, no wonder your family fell into decline. There's a reason for it."

From Elvis's perspective, Shiloh and Arya are both ordinary-looking people, and Arya, who is constantly praying, is even less likely to be recognized by him.

Perhaps it was during the Quiet Church that Elvis's resentment remained, stemming from his repeated defeats at the hands of Shiloh, which left him feeling like a clown and kicked out of the action team he was in with Arya.

Upon seeing such a foolish, wandering nobleman, the thought arose in his mind that he wanted to use his noble status as a member of the imperial capital to "play the role of a teacher."

"The person next to you, he must also be a nobleman, right? What's your relationship with him?"

Elvis looked at Shiloh with indifferent eyes and asked.

Xi Luo opened her mouth, but before she could answer, the wrist she was holding was suddenly pulled away, and then a warm little hand with slender, perfectly shaped fingers was placed in her palm.

This signal immediately prompted Shiloh to blurt out without hesitation, "She is my wife."

"Ah."

Arya nodded visibly, her voice trembling slightly.

Standing next to her, Shiloh could even see Arya's delicate little ears, which were completely dyed red, behind the ends of her flaxen hair.

With a slight smile, Shiloh struggled to suppress the urge to laugh out loud, and nodded apologetically to Elvis, saying, "I'm sorry, my wife is a bit reserved in terms of personality."

Seeing Aria's "timid" appearance, Elvis shook his head, having lost all interest in continuing his "teaching," and sneered, "Lacking even the most basic manners, a timid woman like this has absolutely nothing to offer. However, she's quite suitable for a low-ranking noble like you, hahaha—"

Accompanied by Elvis's long laughter, the carriage sped off into the distance.

Meanwhile, as Shiro gazed in the direction where the carriage had disappeared, he was barely able to contain his inner rage.

Hehe, if that's how you put it, then it wouldn't be right for you not to wear that green hat!

Chapter 67 Arya: Rising into the Belly~ (Two Chapters Combined)

"Are you okay?"

"I ask in a low voice with a worried expression," said Shiloh.

Arya calmly raised her head, naturally understanding what Shilo was asking. She sighed softly and said, "It's alright. Elvis was just a choice my family made for me... Maybe I still had a sliver of hope for him before, but now..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the faint helplessness on Arya's face was evident.

Upon hearing this, Xi Luo blinked, and then a gentle smile appeared on her face.

He squeezed Aria's soft little hand, which was still in his palm, and chuckled softly, "Please don't mind what Elvis said. Back when I was still at the academy, he was such a foul-mouthed person. Even if you couldn't be bothered with him, he would still bother you like a buzzing fly."

He said you were timid, but I saw your gentleness and courage.

Arya found Shiloh's analogy somewhat amusing, and a smile curved her lips, but she was then stunned by what he said next.

Shilo gently took Aria's small hand, gazing directly into her pale golden eyes without any hesitation, and said, "You're both nobles, but just now, when Aria saw that little girl, she instinctively rushed over to save her, didn't she?"

After saying that, Shiloh pointed to his injured shoulder and smiled, "Ah, of course. If Arya hadn't arrived in time and pulled me back, I'm afraid my injury would be even more serious now."

When Shiloh went to save the little girl, he only had time to pull her into his arms, but he couldn't eliminate the momentum of the speeding car.

Just as he was about to crash half his body into the carriage, it was Arya, who arrived shortly after, who reached out and pulled him back, thus sparing him only a minor shoulder injury.

Shiloh raised his hand and gently smoothed Arya's soft, delicate hair. He said earnestly, "You are the eldest daughter of the Wayne family. You didn't have to lower yourself in front of that stable boy and Elvis... Even if it was for the mission, you could have just run away."

"But you're worried that if we leave, they'll take their anger out on the little girl and her mother, right?"

Xi Luo's dark eyes were as deep and boundless as the night sky. When she heard his soft voice narrating his inner thoughts, Aria felt her heart begin to race again, and her fair face gradually flushed. Then she pursed her lips and nodded.

From childhood to adulthood, apart from her mother, most people in the family only cared about whether she had fulfilled her duties as the eldest daughter of the Wayne family, and there were also many criticisms of her mild-mannered and timid personality.

At that moment, it was as if Xiluo could see right through her soul, and every word he spoke made her heart tremble... and even stir her emotions.

She wanted to hear more...

As if she had seen through his thoughts, Xi Luo smiled slightly, and gently placed the hand that was tidying her hair on her cheek, as if she were caressing her lover's face.

"So, the real Miss Arya is very gentle and brave. She just worries that others will get hurt because of her, which is why she appears 'cowardly' to others. But it doesn't matter what others think."

"I don't dislike Miss Arya's personality; in fact, I quite like it. Such a gentle Miss Arya shouldn't be in pain, so I will always support you."

The touch of Shiro's fingertips on her cheek made Aria's pale golden eyes almost melt into water.

This was the first time in her life that she had such a bold and intimate encounter with a man, and the man wasn't even her fiancé... This sense of transgression made Arya uneasy, but the warm, sun-like aura emanating from Shilo made the girl crave even more.

Hearing these words that were almost a confession—of course, Arya thought that with a girl like Cecilia around, Shilo probably wouldn't really be interested in her, but the flutter in her heart drove her to gently open her arms and take half a step forward.

Feeling Arya's arms wrapped around his lower back, a smile appeared in Shiloh's dark eyes. He then wrapped his arms around her back, one hand on her soft, warm waist, the other stroking the girl's head, whispering in her ear:

"Alia is actually very unwilling about the family's arrangements, isn't she? You're just worried that the family's reputation will be damaged because of you, and that your father and mother will be criticized because of it... If only you could find a way to not hurt the people you care about, and still be able to carry out your own will."

Upon hearing this, Aria, who was in his arms, trembled slightly, then slowly raised her head, her tearful eyes filled with confusion, and murmured, "Does such a method really exist?"

Shiloh's smile was as gentle as ever. After wiping away the tears from Arya's eyes with his fingertips, he nodded firmly and said, "Trust me, it will happen."

Arya was taken aback by his words, swallowed hard, and couldn't help but reach out and clutch Silo's shirt, her voice trembling as she asked, "You mean... you'll help me?"

To be honest, after witnessing Elvis's series of disgraceful acts at the church, Arya's impression of this family-arranged fiancé plummeted to zero.

Not to mention that she had just seen Elvis sitting in the carriage of the infamous deputy city lord of the city of Hifiel, and he had been talking to her and Shiloh about so many so-called noble ideas, which had already made Aria feel disgusted.

If someone like this, who can't distinguish right from wrong and has no moral compass, were to actually marry according to the family's arrangements, Aria felt she'd rather be dead.

Fortunately, there's still Shiloh.

Arya is actually an intuitive person. For example, when she saw the bright moon when she was a child, that vague, unfounded, yet incredibly strong intuition told her that she should become a believer of the moon goddess.

As it turns out, Arya's "power of thought" was correct. After embracing the moon goddess, her extraordinary talent in the moonlight element awakened, and from then on, she was far ahead of the rest on the path of the extraordinary.

Similarly, in Arya's eyes, Shiloh at this moment felt very similar to the feeling that white moon had given her before. Her intuition told her not to give up this opportunity and to trust him.

When she saw Shiro nod affirmatively, Arya was overwhelmed with joy, and her fair face was completely wet with tears streaming down her face.

"Thank you... thank you so much..."

Arya has truly had enough of all the compromises she's made over the years.

Shiloh didn't speak, but quietly comforted Arya, who was venting her emotions, with a hint of pity in her eyes.

Although Shiloh's feelings for Arya were not pure, he also felt affection for this pure-hearted girl.

To be honest, according to the original storyline, she and Elvis shouldn't be here.

This situation is clearly due to the fact that one has altered the timeline, causing a change in fate.

The effects of the butterfly's flapping wings have already appeared, and the role of the original plot will only become smaller and smaller. We must quickly squeeze out all the benefits of the original plot that has not yet been changed after the Sifil Water City incident ends.

After helping Aria calm down, the introverted girl felt a little embarrassed for the first time, revealing her unease in front of someone other than her mother.

However, Shiloh's expression remained unchanged, which gradually put her mind at ease.

"Sorry, let's hurry to that bar."

Arya tugged at Shiloh's sleeve, her pale golden eyes filled with apology for having delayed him for so long because of her.

Shiloh nodded, his eyes still warm, which gave Aria a strong sense of support, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.

After turning two corners, the two arrived at a somewhat secluded bar and then pushed open the door to enter.

creak-

Although the exterior looked a bit dilapidated, the interior was very clean and tidy. In addition to the smell of wine, there was also a faint floral fragrance in the shop, probably because deodorizing perfume had been sprayed to eliminate the lingering odors from the night.

Hearing the wind chimes at the shop entrance, the bartender stopped what he was doing, looked outside, and called out, "What would you like to drink?"

Shiloh took Aria's little hand and sat on a high stool. He took the order form from the bartender, gestured on it with his fingers, and finally ordered a cocktail called "Drunken Sun," saying, "I heard on the way here that the specialties here are very good, so I'll order this one."

The bartender nodded, then looked at Aria and asked with some confusion, "Isn't this young lady going to order?"

Upon hearing this, Xi Luo raised his hand and smiled, "My wife doesn't like alcohol. She only came with me this time because she didn't want to spoil my fun."

The bartender gave a knowing "Oh," then, seeing Aria shyly lower her head, remarked with a sigh, "You two have such a wonderful relationship. I met a girl like that before, but alas...sigh—"

The bartender was preparing the bartending tools, shaking his head with a regretful expression; he seemed to be someone with a story to tell.

At this moment, Aria, who appeared to be lowering her head in embarrassment, had a faint moonlight in her eyes.

The bar was small and had few customers during the day, so the moment they entered and sat down, Aria and Shiloh had a clear view of them.

While ordering, Shiloh's seemingly unintentional gesture was actually a subtle way of telling Aria who the target was.

The special drink, 【Hypnotic Sun】, corresponds to the person in the dark green suit sitting in the southeast corner!

Aria silently used [Moonlight Firefly], and the moonlight glow visible only to her traced a light trajectory in the air before attaching itself to the target.

After all this was done, [Drunken Sun] was also finished.

Shiloh picked up the cocktail glass, swirled it gently, inhaled the aroma, and then drank it all in one gulp.

"A very good special blend."

"You flatter me."

After placing the common currency on the counter, Shiloh and Arya left together.

The instant they left the bar, Arya's expression suddenly changed, and she pulled Shiloh to a corner.

The next moment, the bar door was pushed open and then slowly closed a few moments later.

Xi Luomo narrowed his eyes slightly, knowing that the vampire had been found.

Vampires who are sent into the Empire to carry out missions are, regardless of their strength, extremely cautious in their actions.

The two remained embracing until Arya looked up and nodded. Only then did Shiloh breathe a sigh of relief, walk out of the alley, hail a carriage, and head to the Church of Tranquility.

Inside the bar, a vampire in a dark green suit sat in the shadows, his pale face showing some confusion.

It's clear that these two people are travelers from out of town, and their behavior doesn't seem to be problematic.

However, I have a strange sense of crisis...