Chapter 61: Are You Asking Me Out?

“So that’s what this is about…”

Xisi poked the girl’s cheek.

“Why did you try to scare your sister?”

“I wasn’t trying to scare her…”

Ni Wei turned her head, dodging Xisi’s finger.

“I just wanted to… make you feel a little guilty, that’s all.”

“Wait, why would I feel guilty toward you?”

Ni Wei’s answer left Xisi torn between laughter and tears.

“Hmph… You never even gave me an answer about my feelings, and yet you went off to sleep with another woman!”

“Hold on, didn’t you say earlier that you already knew the answer?” Xisi looked utterly bewildered.
“And what do you mean, I slept with another woman? Who? I don’t even know what you’re talking about!”

“You did, I saw it!”

Ni Wei shot up from the bed in a panic.

“This morning, I… I saw your fiancée walking out of your room! She even told me not to wake you, said you didn’t get enough rest last night. So you tell me—what were you two doing last night?!”

“Ah… well…”

Xisi’s brain spun at top speed.

“What if I told you we went out and fought the Demon Race last night? Would you believe me?”

“Do you think I’m a child?!”

Ni Wei’s face puffed up into a bun again.

“I’m being serious here…”

“Huh?!”

“Young Master Xisi, the doctor is here.”

Just then, La Fei Na returned with the doctor. The moment she stepped through the door, she saw the energetic Ni Wei chatting away with Xisi.

“Huh? Ni Wei? You’re already fine?”

“Ah? I…”

Ni Wei looked at Xisi in a panic.

Xisi shot her a fierce glare in return, then turned to the doctor and said, “I tried a new magic I just learned and managed to heal her already. You can head back—sorry for making you come all the way out here.”

“It’s what we should do, Young Master Xisi. You’re too kind.”

Seeing that the girl really didn’t seem to be in any bad shape, the doctor gave a slight bow to Xisi, then left the Twin Maids’ room.

“Young Master Xisi, is Ni Wei really…”

“Don’t worry, she’s fine now.”

“That’s right, sister. See, I’m totally fine.”

With that, Ni Wei swung her arms a couple of times, not forgetting to flash La Fei Na a smile.

“You silly girl, honestly…”

“Hey, sister, you’re so unfair. I’m the victim here, you know?”

“If you hadn’t locked yourself in your room, would Young Master Xisi have had to break the door down?”

“Sister, I—”

“Enough. Stop talking.”

La Fei Na pressed a finger to Ni Wei’s lips.

“You haven’t eaten all day. Come out and get some food.”

“Mmm…”

After “disciplining” Ni Wei, La Fei Na walked over to Xisi.

“I’m truly sorry for all the trouble, Young Master Xisi.”

“It’s nothing. Go take her to eat.”

With that said, Xisi prepared to head back to his own room, but before leaving, he turned and shot Ni Wei another glare—a clear warning.

The girl naturally returned a fierce look of her own.

The moment he stepped back into his room, Xisi was startled by the emotionless girl who had appeared in his room without a sound.

“Young Master Xisi.”

“Whoa! Li Nuo Er? How many times have I told you not to just show up in my room whenever you want?”

Xisi pressed a hand to his chest as he spoke.

“My apologies, Young Master Xisi. I had just returned from outside when I sensed a strange scent coming from your room, so I came to check.”

“A strange scent?”

She must mean Ai Lin.

“Ah… someone stayed over last night. It was someone I know. Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Stare~”

Li Nuo Er looked straight into Xisi’s eyes, as if interrogating him.

“Hey, what? It really was just an acquaintance.”

Li Nuo Er averted her gaze.
“I smelled the scent of a woman, but that’s not what I mean… There’s a very faint trace of Dark Element left in the room. Did you notice it, Young Master Xisi?”

“Huh? You can even catch that?”

Xisi rubbed his chin, looking at the emotionless girl with approval.

“More to the point, if I couldn’t even notice something like that, what right would I have to serve as the Blackstone Family’s Shadow Guard?”

Li Nuo Er rarely fired a question back at Xisi.

“So, Young Master Xisi, would you care to explain what’s going on?”

“Why do I have to explain it?”

“Because you noticed it yourself, didn’t you?” Li Nuo Er sniffed the air.
“You detected the unusual Dark Element in your room, yet you didn’t summon me. Was it because you didn’t want to, Young Master Xisi?”

“Well… actually, this Dark Element was also left by an acquaintance of mine…”

“R-right. So there wasn’t any real danger last night. It was just… uh… a gathering of acquaintances, nothing more.”

“Yes, I do feel it’s somewhat familiar. I believe I’ve sensed it somewhere before as well.”

“Really?”

Li Nuo Er raised her head, eyeing Xisi with suspicion.

“Would I lie to you?”

“Very well. I trust you, Young Master Xisi.”

“Good…”

“Why does it feel like Young Master Xisi just let out a sigh of relief?”

“It’s your imagination!”

Desperate to escape the pressure his Shadow Guard was putting on him, Xisi quickly changed the subject.

“Anyway, why are you back? Any problems at the factory?”

“No. Just a moment ago, the people from the Church of Light all withdrew from the factory for some reason, so I came back to report to you.”

“They withdrew?”

Xisi furrowed his brow.

Could they have been sent to the front lines?

Considering that their Domain was indeed fairly close to the front, it was very possible that the Church of Light had simply sent the stationed personnel to support the forces there.

Wait a second!

That would mean Feng Aotian had gone to the front lines too?

What if she ran into Ai Lin?

But soon, Xisi relaxed again.

Never mind how much of her power Feng Aotian had awakened, or whether she’d even be strong enough to get close to Ai Lin.

Even Ai Lin herself—who in the original story had always wanted to break off their engagement—didn’t seem to have any intention of doing so anymore.

Ah! In that case, Feng Aotian would have no reason to try and win her over at all.

Seeing that Xisi remained silent for a long time, Li Nuo Er spoke up.

“Young Master Xisi?”

“Ah… nothing. Forget about them.”

Xisi reached out and ruffled the emotionless girl’s head.
“You’ve worked hard all this time. Take a good rest for the next few days.”

“Yes.”

The next morning, after breakfast, Xisi immediately had La Fei Na prepare a carriage for his trip to the Royal Capital.

“Young Master Xisi, why are you leaving in such a hurry?”

La Fei Na handed Xisi a suitcase full of luggage and asked with concern.

“Well, there have been too many changes around here lately. A lot has happened even since Florin left. I’d feel safer going to check things out in person.”

Xisi stepped onto the carriage and took the suitcase.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”

“Mhm.”

“While I’m away, the estate is in your hands.”

“Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I… I can’t handle that, can I?”

“Why not? Didn’t you manage the estate just fine last time I was away? Do a good job. I trust you.”

“Yes, Young Master Xisi.”

Under the girl’s gaze, Xisi once again embarked on his journey to the Royal Capital.

Two days later, as he walked through the Royal Capital’s gates once more, he couldn’t help but feel a bit emotional.

Come to think of it, wasn’t the first time he’d seen Ai Lin in years right here?

And his first reaction back then had been to run away, hadn’t it?

Xisi chuckled and shook his head, then made his way to the Duke’s Mansion of the Blackstone Family in the Royal Capital.

After listening to Xisi’s full account, the Blackstone Duke let out two hearty laughs.

“So in the end, you basically handed the Church of Light a pile of stones and taught them how to forge swords while you were at it?”

“I heard about this from Florin already, but hearing it again is still amusing. You’re truly my son. I knew you wouldn’t just let the Church of Light push you around. Well done.”

“You flatter me, Father.”

“As for the family assets, Florin mentioned that to me as well. I have no objections to you using the money to support the Kingdom Knights, since your fiancée is serving there as Vice Captain, after all. Your engagement was arranged since childhood. I used to worry that the two of you might not get along once you grew up, but it seems you two are getting along quite well.”

“Mainly because Ai Lin is a good person. I actually—”

“Eh~ doesn’t matter, doesn’t matter. As long as the two of you aren’t thinking about calling off the engagement, that’s enough for me.”

Just as I thought. His father wouldn’t easily allow him to break off the engagement.

Good thing Ai Lin had vetoed that proposal of his, or he wouldn’t know how to explain it to his father.

“Then… Father, would you consider increasing my authority to access family assets in the future? There’s no telling when the Knights will pay off the bill for those weapons, and I’m running a bit tight on funds right now…”

Xisi asked tentatively.

“And with my relationship with Ai Lin, I can’t very well be hounding the Knights for money all day, can I?”

The Blackstone Duke smiled.

“You little rascal. You always know how to find an excuse.”

“No rush, no rush. I’ll think about it. It’s not like you’re in a hurry to leave, right?”

Xisi felt a surge of joy inside.

He didn’t refuse outright—that meant there was a chance!

“Alright, go amuse yourself. I need to get back to work.”

“Yes.”

After stepping out of the Blackstone Duke’s room, Florin, who had been waiting outside for some time, immediately approached.

“Young Master Xisi, how did it go? Did the Old Master agree?”

“He said he needs to think about it. I think there’s a good chance.”

“That’s good to hear.”

Florin nodded.
“In that case, I’ll head back to the Domain first.”

“What’s the rush? There’s nothing urgent right now. All those Church of Light people seem to have been sent to the front lines to support the Knights, so there’s nothing to do in the Domain anyway. You work hard all the time—why not take this opportunity to stay in the Royal Capital and enjoy yourself for a few days?”

“Then… I’ll gladly accept your offer?”

“Go on, go on.”

With Xisi’s permission, Florin sashayed back to her room, clearly planning to hit the Commercial Street for some serious shopping.

“Ah, I might as well take a stroll too.”

Since waiting around wouldn’t do any good, Xisi left the Duke’s Mansion and wandered out onto the Royal Capital’s streets.

Before long, he noticed the crowd on the main street beginning to gather toward the city gates.

“I heard the Knights won another battle.”

“The Kingdom Knights are returning in triumph?”

“That’s right. I knew our Knights were invincible!”

Hearing the chatter around him, Xisi’s eyes lit up.

Doesn’t that mean…

With that thought, Xisi quickly merged into the crowd and made his way toward the Royal Capital’s gates.

When he arrived, he saw the Kingdom Knights slowly marching in, with the crowd parting to the sides to automatically clear a path.

Captain Leonard rode at the very front on horseback, with Ai Lin following behind him, that same cold expression on her face as always.

Xisi watched his fiancée, a faint, happy smile gradually spreading across his face.

It seemed Lilith was right—this war was just a pretext for the Demon King to summon his daughter home.

Just as Xisi was watching Ai Lin, she seemed to sense something and began scanning the crowd with her eyes, quickly locking onto Xisi’s position.

The moment she spotted Xisi, a hint of delight appeared on Ai Lin’s cold face. She rode up beside Leonard, exchanged a few words with him, then turned her horse and trotted over in Xisi’s direction.

Somehow… this scene feels a little familiar?

“What are you doing here?”

Ai Lin hopped off her horse and naturally took Xisi’s hand.

“Didn’t I tell you to wait for me at home? I said I’d come find you the moment I got back.”

“Well, I missed you.”

Xisi smiled, ignoring the stares from the onlookers.

“I figured you’d have to report to the Royal Capital first before heading back to see me, and that would waste another two days. So I came here to wait for you instead.”

“Hmph. Smooth talker.”

Ai Lin’s fingers lightly tapped Xisi’s lips.

“I’m serious. I’ve got plenty of time. You said yourself that even on leave you have to be on standby, so it makes sense for me to put in more effort.”

“Oh? Not satisfied?”

“No, no.”

After a few more exchanges of banter, Xisi turned serious and lowered his voice.

“So? The battle didn’t actually happen, did it?”

Ai Lin glanced around them.

“Hm? How did you know?”

With that, she grabbed Xisi’s hand and led him into a quieter alley.

“We were prepared for a fierce battle, but the Demon Race didn’t seem interested in fighting at all. They just stood on the Border, banging drums and making noise, and after a while, they pulled their troops back on their own.”

Yeah… this was definitely Lilith’s Demon King father pulling a “Beacon of the Border” play.

“Isn’t that a good thing? Maybe they’ve been unable to figure out a counter to the gray iron weapons and didn’t want to keep swallowing their pride, so they dragged their resentful soldiers out to shout and boost morale.”

“I hope that’s the case.”

“Is my wife free today?”

“What? Trying to ask me out?”

Ai Lin smiled with amusement. This time, she didn’t correct his address toward her.