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

"Pfft! Hah~ you—"

Arya looked embarrassed and annoyed, and wanted to say something more, but she was startled by Shilo's movement of bowing his head again. She quickly pressed against his chest and said urgently, "I know! I know! I-I believe you, okay?!"

It wasn't that Arya resisted kissing Shiloh; the two consecutive kisses made Arya deeply realize Shiloh's possessiveness and affection for her.

When Arya realized that she didn't dislike his possessiveness at all, she finally understood her own feelings—she had truly fallen in love with Shilo.

It sounds incredible, but when you like someone, you like them. Even if you rationally feel that this feeling comes too fast, liking someone is something that is created by the emotion of that moment.

Even Arya herself knew when she had fallen for Shiloh.

When he rescued the little girl and showed a gentle smile, Aria felt that he was just like the bright moon from her childhood.

So, having accepted the call of fate, Arya chose to believe in the moon goddess back then. This time, what reason would she have not to fall in love with Shiloh?

"But...but I'm so scared..."

With trembling shoulders, Aria voiced her deepest concerns.

"Although you are the heir of the Wells family, if you really choose me, you will face the wrath of the entire Wayne family! That will definitely bring you a lot of trouble!"

"I...I believe you, but..."

Arya didn't continue speaking, but the hand on Shiloh's shoulder tightened silently.

She was afraid, and she was angry.

She was angry at herself for not being stronger, and for having to put most of the pressure on Shiloh even when it came to pursuing her own love.

Even though she verbally expressed her belief in him, objectively speaking, Aria still saw no hope of getting her family to approve of the relationship.

"But as long as I remain the eldest daughter of the Wayne family, no one in the family will ever agree to this..."

Arya's voice grew softer and softer, and the marks her pearly teeth left on her lips grew deeper and deeper.

"Don't worry, I have a way."

Sylvanas stroked Arya's silky flaxen hair, a glint of light flashing in her dark eyes, and said softly, "But I need you to confirm one thing."

Under Arya's questioning gaze, Shiloh said something that made her somewhat uneasy: "After that, you will no longer be the young lady of the Wayne family. Not even a noblewoman. Do you accept such a price?"

"If that's all there is to it, I accept it."

Arya stared at Shiloh, knowing there was a hidden meaning in his words.

Shiloh raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment, then suddenly chuckled: "To put it another way, if Miss Arya is unwilling to give up her noble status to be with me, the Wayne family might be in danger, you know?"

Hearing this, Aria frowned, gave a playful punch, and said coquettishly, "What exactly do you want? Tell me now!"

Shiloh smiled, leaned close to Arya's ear, and said something that shocked her.

"Your cousin, Crow Wayne, was involved in the illegal slave trade. And he was one of the big buyers."

Chapter 69 "Why are you still here?" (Part 2)

The storyline concerning the illegal slave trade is actually one of the main storylines of the game.

However, this main storyline is the story experienced by another protagonist, and Xiluo didn't really like that protagonist's character design, so he didn't personally experience the relevant plot, but only carefully read through the plot design.

However, the main storyline of the original game only went up to the capture of Crow Wayne. The subsequent related plot would gradually reveal who the mastermind was, but in order to leave enough suspense, it was all put into the DLC.

According to the production plan, Shiro's studio intends to release the base game first to recoup funds, and then prepare for the DLC.

However, just one day before the official release, Shiloh reincarnated, so that's all the information we have about this main storyline.

Fortunately, it's enough.

Arya's beautiful eyes widened as she stared at Shiloh in disbelief, as if trying to process what he had just said.

Xiluo smiled slightly, stroking the girl's hair. His tone was gentle, and his words sounded more like a stepping stone for Aria to descend than a threat.

"This is something I just thought of. The illegal slavery case has actually been secretly investigated by the Empire, but unfortunately the mastermind behind the case has considerable power, and we haven't been able to find any clues."

"And coincidentally, Stuart, the deputy city lord of Hifiel Water City, has been involved in related affairs. So, by investigating him, it is very likely that we can find evidence of his dealings with Crow."

As Xi Luo spoke, the look in his dark eyes became inexplicably playful.

Lifting a strand of Aria's hair, Shiloh inhaled its fragrance and said, "If this information were made public, Grand Duke Wayne would probably be in a real bind. As the Grand Duke of Finance, his greatest asset is the Emperor's trust. But if his family members were exposed for their involvement in this major case, I'm afraid... hehehe."

Shiloh didn't continue, but Arya, as the eldest daughter of the family, naturally understood the meaning behind it.

The heart of an emperor is the most unpredictable. Although he was a high-ranking official in charge of finances, to put it bluntly, Aria's father was just a steward for the emperor.

Even in an ordinary noble family, if they discover that the steward's son has stolen treasures from the manor, even if only the son is punished, they will certainly have doubts about the steward's loyalty or ability.

This is absolutely unacceptable to the entire Wayne family.

Arya frowned, more furious at her cousin's actions than at the loss of family interests.

"How could this happen... Kro, how could he dare to hide this from his family and do such a thing?!"

Arya had no doubt about what Shiloh said.

After all, from the beginning, Arya knew that Shiloh's intelligence network was ridiculously accurate, and it was best not to doubt the information he possessed, because doing so would only make her look no different from a fool like Elvis.

"So, Miss Arya, it's time to make a choice."

“Once I obtain the relevant evidence, I will make a deal with Grand Duke Wayne. I will not make it public, and he will only need to expel his daughter from the Wayne family. Of course, I will fully consider your wishes.”

Pinching the smooth, bouncy little face, Shiloh said with a smile, "However, if you don't agree to give up your noble status, the Wayne family might be in trouble, you know?"

Hearing the "threat" in Shiro's words, Arya snapped out of her anger, blinked, and suddenly burst out laughing, her shoulders trembling slightly.

giggle~

Silvery laughter echoed throughout the quiet room, greatly easing the previously serious atmosphere.

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm threatening you right now, can't you at least show some common sense?"

Shiloh feigned displeasure and grabbed Arya's smooth shoulder, then made her look up into his eyes.

Arya suppressed a laugh, her pretty face turning bright red, but she couldn't stop smiling. With a trembling voice and a barely suppressed expression, she said, "Th-th-I'm so scared! Could you please not do this, Mr. Shiloh? I'll listen to anything you say... Pfft—"

Before she could finish speaking, Arya couldn't help but laugh, then headbutted Shiloh in the chest, laughing so hard she was shaking.

Hearing what Shiloh said, although the plan sounded a bit off, at least it gave Arya hope for freedom.

After her laughter subsided, Arya slowly raised her head from Shiloh's embrace, her pale golden eyes becoming serious once more.

“However, not only Crowe, I also want to know if anyone else in the family was involved in this.”

Shiloh raised an eyebrow, looking at Arya with some surprise.

“These family parasites must be eradicated. Many members of our family work in the imperial government, and if these people become corrupted… the consequences will be unimaginable.”

Arya bit her lip, recalling the description the woman on the street had given of Stuart's disregard for human life. She slowly clenched her fist, a sharp glint in her eyes that Shilo had never seen before.

"The Stuarts of Hifiel Water City must not become a common phenomenon in the territories of other towns!"

Seeing the sharp light in Arya's eyes, Shiloh took her small hand in his arms with some relief, gazed into the girl's eyes, and said, "As I said, you are a gentle and brave girl, Arya."

"Before the purification operation begins, let's take a look at what crimes this deputy city lord is hiding."

Evening, at the Stewart residence.

The magnificent mansion was brightly lit, and through the thin curtains that fluttered in the breeze, one could see the silhouettes of many graceful women dancing.

"I never expected that such a small place as Hifiel Water City would have so many beautiful women."

Elvis, sitting high in the main seat, had a flushed face. After taking a sip of his drink, he looked at the alluring women dancing below the stage, his heart filled with passion.

"Haha, for them to receive a compliment from you is undoubtedly the highest honor."

Sitting next to Elvis, Stewart stroked his beard and smiled, quickly echoing his sentiment.

Although Elvis did not respond, the smug look in his eyes clearly showed that he was very pleased with the compliments.

To be honest, after entering the city of Hifiel, Elvis felt that everything was so unsatisfactory.

Back in the capital, Elvis was able to use his status to look down on and bully some nobles who were not as good as him.

He thought that everyone he met after leaving the capital would be extremely respectful to him, but he never expected that even the bishop of the Quiet Church in a small city would dare to disregard his will and actually dare to kick him out!

The thought of this brought back memories of Shiloh's repulsive face.

Damn it, damn it!

If it weren't for this bastard—!

Elvis gripped his wine glass tightly, tugged at his collar in frustration, and his eyes were filled with anger.

If it weren't for Shiloh, Arya wouldn't have suddenly changed her attitude and become distant from him.

Now that they've been left together for so long, could it be that something has really happened?

Thinking of this, Elvis felt extremely uneasy and wanted to communicate with Arya via terminal.

Just as he took out the terminal, an inconspicuous little object in the corner flickered and then quickly switched to automatic recording mode.

In an empty guest room of the mansion, Shiloh, who had turned off empathic manipulation, immediately poked Arya's waist and said, "That guy is about to call, you know?"

Still caught up in the novelty of operating the miniature surveillance magic machine, Aria snapped out of her daze, nonchalantly pulled out her terminal, and said, "I guess it's fine if I don't answer?"

After saying that, Arya was about to block Elvis, but was stopped by Shiloh.

"Not necessarily. In fact, we can create the illusion that he is not present."

"Ok?"

“Think about it, once Elvis makes that call, Stewart will definitely ask about you. And that idiot will probably spill the beans about our search for demons. Stewart is someone who colludes with demons, and it wouldn’t be good if we alerted them.”

Upon hearing this, Aria felt that what Shilo said made a lot of sense, so she frowned and asked, "Oh right, so what should we do?"

"Hmm... let's keep him calm for now, pretend we're taking a walk and enjoying the scenery. I'll also have Cecilia and the others ready to make their move at any time."

Arya nodded upon hearing this, and with her fingertips traced the radiance of moonlight, enveloping them in a soundproof shield before connecting the terminal.

But to the girl's surprise, as soon as the call was connected, Xi Luo revealed a triumphant smile, as if the big bad wolf could no longer hide his wolf tail. He suddenly leaned in and then covered her cherry lips with his.

"Hmm~"

Caught off guard, Aria let out a cry of surprise, which immediately alerted Elvis on the other end of the terminal.

"Aria? Aria?!"

At the dinner table, Elvis called out urgently, but received no response.

The signal on the other end of the terminal didn't seem to be very good. Apart from the initial distorted sound—it seemed like someone had been startled—there was a constant hissing interference, and nothing could be heard clearly.

"Damn it! This small place is really bad, even the signal is so bad!"

Alvis, who had been drinking, slammed his terminal around in frustration, his voice unconsciously rising slightly: "Aria?! Are you listening? Hello?!"

After that sound, a low conversation seemed to come from the other end of the terminal, before Arya's calm voice reappeared.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

Just that one sentence made Elvis feel a lump in his throat, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged as he almost crushed the wine glass.

Recalling the similar conversation he had just heard, Elvis realized a very ominous possibility. His expression darkened, and he asked, "Are there other people with you right now?"

On the other end of the terminal, hearing the questioning tone, Aria narrowed her pale golden eyes, thinking that it was just as Shilo had said, Elvis's manners and upbringing did not seem like that of someone who had received noble training.

Who's around me is none of your business, is it?

Upon hearing this, a surge of anger welled up in Elvis's mind, causing him to slam his wine glass down and roar in a deep voice, "I am your fiancé!"

Upon hearing this, Aria's fair face instantly showed disgust. Her so-called fiancé was nothing more than an arrangement by her family. Elvis's behavior was just like the idiom "a dog relying on its master's power," which was disgusting.

Just as Aria couldn't think of a suitable retort, Shilo, who had just finished sending a message, came over, whispered a plan in her ear, and made the girl's eyes light up instantly.

"Hehe, if you're not satisfied with my approach, you're welcome to initiate a [duel]."

As a human empire established to fight against the demons of the abyss, the martial spirit of the Odrecia Empire continues to this day.

Two people of equal rank and status, who both possess a strong will, can challenge each other to a duel to the death.

Of course, this rule has changed a lot in the present day, ten thousand years later. It is now more often seen as a challenge to prove oneself, and generally, life-or-death battles are not allowed.

However, when the conditions are similar, the one who refuses or loses will be very embarrassed.

The usually mild-mannered Aria's sudden aggression startled Elvis, instantly weakening his momentum and softening his tone: "Aria, that's not what I meant, calm down..."

Hearing Elvis's sudden loss of composure, Arya and Shiloh exchanged a smile, a playful expression in their eyes.

Arya thought to herself, "Shiro really is a bad guy, he's corrupted me into this state too... But, it feels pretty good."

Arya was truly fed up with this life of being forced to accept things she didn't like. After experiencing the forbidden taste for the first time, she couldn't stop herself from doing it.