The long night was coming to an end, and dawn was breaking.
In the Estate, Roman and Lady Catherine were still lost in sweet dreams, while on the other side, Grand Duke Kelden and her party, who had traveled far to the Holy City, were already nearing its gates.
They certainly hadn’t come by horse or traveled by land—they had arrived riding Griffins.
Standing atop the powerful back of a Griffin, Luo Xiya’s night-dark hair fluttered in the wind, the light of the stars and moon shining upon her head, reflecting a sacred glow.
After traveling nearly the whole night, she didn’t seem the least bit travel-worn.
Her clothes remained spotless, and her delicate, pretty face showed no trace of fatigue.
“We’re almost there,” Veronica said softly from the side.
“Mm…”
Hearing Luo Xiya’s indifferent tone, Veronica frowned slightly and glanced over, displeased.
This allowed her to notice the real reason Luo Xiya had been unusually quiet the entire journey.
Under Veronica’s gaze, Luo Xiya kept her head lowered, staring at something held close to her heart: a strand of Silver Strand, which appeared especially striking in the moonlight.
At this moment, Luo Xiya’s sea-blue eyes held a depth of emotion Veronica had never seen before.
She gently caressed the strand in her hand, occasionally lowering her head to inhale its lingering fragrance.
The sight made Veronica frown even more.
Unable to hold back, she reminded her, “Don’t let your mind wander when riding a Griffin.”
“I know.”
Only then did Luo Xiya reluctantly tuck the strand back into her pocket.
Since meeting Luo Xiya yesterday, Veronica felt more and more that her once lively and spirited Daughter had changed quite a bit during this time.
For instance, she spoke less, her abilities had grown stronger, and her temperament had become much more composed.
This ought to be something to be happy about, if not for Roman’s existence.
In Veronica’s eyes, if her Daughter matured quickly because of Roman, that was indeed a good thing.
But if Luo Xiya’s feelings for Roman became an obsession, causing her to lose her previous sense of reason, then Veronica would have to reconsider.
In other words, Luo Xiya’s doting attitude toward Roman, from the perspective of this world, was unhealthy—or rather, abnormal.
In the eyes of most Nobility, a wastrel who liked to toy with all sorts of men wouldn’t be criticized much, but someone who was deeply devoted to one man would be looked down upon, even despised.
So when Veronica thought of how Luo Xiya had repeatedly talked back to her because of that boy called Roman, she couldn’t help but feel a splitting headache.
As she recalled, Luo Xiya had never shown any interest in men before.
Although she had always introduced potential matches to her on the surface, it was really just a formality.
She had thought Luo Xiya simply didn’t like men—until Luo Xiya handed her a heart-stopping piece of gossip.
“Daughter…”
After a while, Veronica spoke with deep meaning.
“Mother, I’m here.”
Luo Xiya, clever as ever, seemed to guess what her Honored Mother wanted to discuss, and replied with a soft sigh.
Veronica hesitated for a moment, then decided to approach the topic from the side.
“I heard Roman was originally bought by you as a Slave.”
“Are you asking what you already know?”
Luo Xiya’s elegant brows knitted, her tone suddenly unhappy.
Seeing this attitude, Veronica forced herself to remain calm and said, “I remember you didn’t use to like men.”
“That’s your misunderstanding.”
This time, it was Luo Xiya who spoke with deep meaning.
“It’s not that I don’t like men—I just don’t like boring, tedious people, including those self-important Misses. In my eyes, they’re no different from those men.”
“It just so happens that the ones you introduced me to were all that type. That’s just survivor bias, not me disliking or discriminating against men.”
Now Veronica understood: Luo Xiya didn’t dislike men—she simply disliked everyone.
“What about Roman, then?”
“Though everyone is unique, in my heart, only he is irreplaceable, truly one of a kind,” Luo Xiya replied seriously.
“Is that so?”
Veronica recalled that morning when she first met Roman—a fleeting glimpse by chance.
She’d seen his bare body with her own eyes, and the leverage Luo Xiya held in her hand.
Thinking again of Roman’s blend of innocence and allure, his gentle features, his exquisite face, every smile and frown carrying his own unique charm.
Back then, Veronica had mostly felt shock and anger.
But now, recalling it, she realized Luo Xiya’s words were not empty.
Is this what they call the Hero’s Beauty Barrier?
Veronica couldn’t help but find it a bit amusing. Her once stern expression began to soften.
So, in the end, is Luo Xiya just at that age?
Meeting a beauty like Roman, so rare and precious, had unleashed all the hidden hormones in her at once.
With her worldview limited by this world, Veronica still attributed Luo Xiya’s feelings for Roman to this reason.
“So, are you certain you want to be with him in the future?”
Feeling she had grasped Luo Xiya’s emotions, Veronica wanted to have a proper discussion.
“Yes.”
Luo Xiya answered without the slightest hesitation.
“I can accept you being together, and even if you have children in the future, I won’t stand in your way.”
“Ah?”
In Veronica’s expectations, Luo Xiya should be overjoyed at this, grateful for her understanding and tolerance, and at least a bit more obedient in the future.
Who would have thought Luo Xiya would eye her suspiciously and ask, “You’re not finished, are you?”
Exposed, Veronica didn’t bother with pretense and spoke directly: “You can’t marry him.”
The night sky fell silent once more after Veronica said this.
After a long moment, Veronica finally heard Luo Xiya give a perfunctory “oh.”
She could tell her Daughter was just brushing her off, not taking her words to heart at all.
Veronica immediately spoke earnestly, “He’s just a Slave. If you truly marry him, your reputation in the Noble Class will plummet. Those people you look down on will despise you from the bottom of their hearts, and it will affect your future prospects.”
“I already said, I’ve never cared about them,” Luo Xiya replied coolly.
After Luo Xiya’s cold words, the two fell into a chilly silence.
After a while, Luo Xiya continued, “I know, in your heart, you think my feelings for Roman are nothing more than this.”
“But only I know, that’s not true.”
“I used to doubt myself, wondering if I only liked his looks, not the person he is.”
“But later, I realized—I can’t stand seeing him suffer, can’t bear anyone disrespecting him, and I absolutely can’t accept any trash trying to lay their hands on him.”
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