Chapter 50: Do You Have Someone You Like?

Abel felt a dull ache still throbbing in his head.

He had handed the mess left behind by the women to Elfi to clean up. 

Though the maid was young, she had trained for years in the Marquis mansion and was far better equipped to handle a scene like that than he was.

Rubbing his temples, he walked toward the inner courtyard.

He crossed the corridor, pushed open a door, and stepped into the private study of the Marquis mansion.

Julius sat in a chair by the window, a glass of wine in hand as he gazed at the night scenery outside.

At the sound of the door opening, he turned his head and offered a gentle smile.

“You’re here?”

“Big brother.” Abel walked over and sat down across from him.

Julius picked up the wine bottle and poured a glass for each of them.

“Drink up,” he said. “You’ve probably needed this lately.”

Abel gave a bitter smile and drained the glass in one gulp.

The wine slid down his throat with a faint spiciness and a rich, lingering aftertaste. 

It was top-quality elven wine—one of his brother’s prized collections, he remembered.

“Things been rough lately?” 

Julius asked, his tone as casual as if they were discussing the weather.

Abel nodded, still rubbing his temples. 

“Once those women get together, the headaches never stop.”

Julius chuckled but didn’t press the topic. He simply refilled Abel’s glass.

“What are you going to do about it?” he asked.

Abel spread his hands. 

“Do about what?”

Julius held his glass and looked straight at him, his voice deceptively light.

“I mean, which one is my adorable sister-in-law?”

Abel froze for a second, then shook his head. “None of them. I don’t have that kind of feelings for any of them.”

“Oh?” 

Julius raised an eyebrow. 

“Not even Elfi?”

Abel fell silent.

He thought of the maid he had grown up with, of the way her eyes sparkled every time she looked at him, of the “childhood promise” she had mentioned…

“Elfi is a good girl,” he said at last. “But she’s not right for me.”

Julius studied him, a hint of amusement flickering in his eyes.

“So you already have someone in your heart?”

Abel was taken aback.

He hadn’t expected his brother to be so sharp.

After a long pause, he nodded.

A certain image surfaced in his mind—silver hair like a waterfall woven from moonlight, silver eyes with what looked like spinning stars deep inside them, and that soft, floating remark: “We’ll meet again.”

Too bad he didn’t even know her name.

He didn’t know where she was now, either.

“Who is she?” 

Julius couldn’t help pressing, his gaze bright with curiosity.

Abel shook his head with a wry smile. “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“I don’t know her name, her identity, or where she is.” 

Abel lifted his glass and took another sip. 

“I only saw her once, at a banquet in the royal palace. We danced one dance, and then she disappeared.”

Julius looked at him, his expression turning a little complicated.

“That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

“Then you…” Julius chose his words carefully. 

“Like her?”

Abel stayed quiet for a long time.

Like her?

He wasn’t sure.

But after the silver-haired girl left, he really had felt an emptiness inside. 

These past few days, while tangled up with the group of women, he would occasionally recall that face and that smile.

“Maybe,” he finally said. 

“I don’t know.”

Julius didn’t press further.

He simply refilled Abel’s glass, then leaned back in his chair and gazed out at the night scenery again.

Moonlight poured through the window and danced across his golden hair.

“How do you plan to deal with those women next?” he asked.

Abel rubbed the bridge of his nose. 

“Just keep an eye on them for me, big brother. Don’t let them start fighting. I’m planning to… leave in a few days.”

“Leave? Where to?”

“Sky City,” Abel answered honestly. 

“My synchronization with Sutis is almost complete. It’s time to deal with the root cause.”

Julius’s expression grew serious. “Do you have a chance of winning?”

Abel nodded. 

“I do. I found a way to handle the Goddess of Vengeance in some ruins during my travels.”

That was a lie.

His knowledge came from his memories of the game in his previous life. 

That was something he could never explain to anyone.

Julius watched him in silence for a moment.

“Make sure you come back alive,” he said. His voice was soft, but the words were solemn.

“Mm.”

“Once you defeat that Goddess of Vengeance, will everything really be over?”

“In theory, yes.”

Julius nodded and clinked his glass against Abel’s.

“Since you have a winning chance,” he said, “you should start thinking about the trouble that will come after you return.”

Abel blinked. 

“What trouble?”

Julius smiled, the expression carrying a touch of mischief.

“Those women. You think they’ll just let you go because you ‘saved the world’?”

Abel: “…”

He really hadn’t considered that.

What would happen to those women after he defeated the Goddess of Vengeance?

Would Prim obediently return to the royal capital and be a princess? 

Would Aiko go back to the Church and continue as Saintess? 

What about Ingrid… wait, he still didn’t know what her situation would be by then.

And Aruma—that crazy woman whose mind was full of nothing but having babies…

Abel’s head started hurting again.

“Big brother,” he said, showing a rare pleading look, “what should I do?”

Julius looked at him with gentle, profound eyes.

“Since you’re not interested in any of them,” he said, “just leave it to me.”

“Huh?”

“I’ll handle it properly.” 

Julius smiled. 

“I’ll make sure you’re completely free of their entanglement.”

Abel looked at him, warmth blooming in his chest.

“Big brother really thinks of everything for me,” he said. “Unlike those women, who only think about themselves.”

Julius shook his head and said nothing.

Moonlight spilled across his face, outlining his gentle features.

In those blue eyes, something seemed to hide—something Abel couldn’t quite read.

“By the way, big brother,” Abel remembered something. 

“Help me tell Elfi that I’ll be gone for a while. Don’t say anything to the others. Just let them wait here in the Marquis mansion.”

“Got it.” 

Julius nodded. 

“Don’t worry.”

Abel stood up, walked to the door, then turned back.

“Thank you, big brother.”

Julius smiled and waved at him.

The door closed.

Only Julius remained in the study.

He sat by the window, staring at the closed door with a complicated look in his eyes.

“Sky City, huh…” he murmured softly.

Moonlight cast a long shadow behind him.

The outline of that shadow seemed a little blurred… and not quite like him.

Late into the night.

Steam filled the bathhouse of the Marquis mansion.

Abel soaked in the warm water, eyes closed, letting out a long breath.

Finally, a moment of peace.

The women’s arguments, tears, schemes, and self-sacrificial acts were all temporarily shut outside the door.

He leaned against the edge of the pool, letting the hot water envelop his tired body, his mind replaying the conversation with his brother earlier.

“You already have someone in your heart?”

That person…

Silver hair, silver eyes, features that looked strikingly similar to Miss Euphelia.

But the age didn’t match! Who exactly was she?

Why had she appeared at the banquet?

Why had she danced with him once and then vanished?

Why… did he still care so much after she left?

Would they meet again?

Abel opened his eyes and gazed into the rising steam, letting out a soft sigh.

Forget it. No point overthinking.

She had said they would meet again.

He’d just take her at her word!

He closed his eyes again and let himself fully relax.

At the same time, just outside the bathhouse.

A sneaky figure crept along the wall, inching closer.

Mephir bit her lip, cheeks burning, heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst from her chest.

No, no, Mephir, what are you thinking?!

But her feet refused to listen.

The lovesick longing inside her surged like a flood! She couldn’t hold it back anymore! If this continued she would lose her mind!

She wanted to be held by him, wanted to be kissed by him, wanted to be pressed down beneath him, wanted…

In short, her mind was flooded with nothing but filthy thoughts.

She reached the bathhouse door, stretched out her hand, and prepared to push it open—

Yet on the other side, another hand grabbed the doorknob at the exact same moment. 

Mephir looked up in shock and met a pair of crimson eyes.

“What are you trying to do?” they said in unison.