At the secret location where Alina was kept.
Lillian, her Royal Maid, was looking at veiled with a horrid expression as if she had seen a ghost. She wasn't alone as another 6'2 feet tall, long silver hair hunter with a wizened face, giving off a scholarly yet distant aura, was also frowning darkly.
Herman was the famous butler of the Silver Ice Hunter Clan. Even the Ice Lord and Ice Queen respectfully called him Uncle, and he was also Alina's godfather, and she called him Grandpa.
Herman was probably closer to Alina than her own parents as she was brought up by him from the time she was a baby and also didn't know her parents existed or the truth about herself and her noble identity.
However, after she got captured by Dream Shatter, she became extremely distant from Herman as well, who came to take her back but ended up with her.
It was also Herman's own choice as he didn't retaliate since Dream Shatter seemed to know the Ice Lord and even treated him like an elder. He also didn't have any intention of harming Alina at all.
Dream Shatter was even taking them back to the Blood Continent when he suddenly changed his mind halfway there and returned, and from that point on, Herman, Lillian, and Alina lost all contact with the outside world as they were caged in this lavish prison.
They were allowed to do anything here except for escape attempts.
Things became even more complicated when Herman found their race's fabled Blood Ancestor was here, and she even told him to stop Alina from doing anything funny as they were not in any kind of danger and could leave with her once she was done with her own business here.
This news was nothing but good for both Herman and Lillian, and they didn't need to worry about anything anymore.
However, Alina seemed to disagree with their thought process as she summoned them today and told them about her plan to escape this place.
If the Blood Ancestor hadn't instructed Herman not to try it, he would've agreed with her in a heartbeat, but now, he couldn't be more disagree with her more. Even Lillian was the same.
"Little Aly, I want you to think about the consequences of your actions and how they will inflict on your entire clan, your parents, and yourself. The Silver Ice Clan is still treading on thin ice, and the four other clans want nothing more than to eradicate us at any given opportunity.
"If you haven't had the support of the Ancestor, do you think they would've left our clan alone after they found out the relation you had with that thief?" Herman sternly berated as he didn't care about Alina's status and treated her as his own daughter.
He considered it his duty to correct her ways, but everything seemed to go south whenever he mentioned that thief.
Truth be told, Herman never thought that the mortal boy from a backwater city who worked as a dishwasher would turn out to be the nightmare of all the races, his own worst nightmare, in fact.
He only thought that he was just a nobody with a kind heart who took care of Alina, even going as far as to sell his house and live in the slums so that he could buy precious medicine for her.
That's right, Herman knew all about Ace. He had to when he found Alina living with a human boy.
However, he only thought this much about Ace when he found that he was just a pitiful mortal who needed the warmth of family, and he found it in Alina. She was also alone, abandoned by her only family, according to her mindset at that time.
So, both of them quickly forge a bond like family.
But Alina was destined with a great burden, and her world was greatly different from a pitiful human boy, and Herman made sure it would remain the same.
He took her away without letting her meet with him while leaving enough money which could last him a lifetime. That was enough in Herman's eye to repay the boy's kindness.
He also thought she would forget about Ace in a few years and also when she found out about her true origin.
Yet, not only did she not forget about him, she seemed to yearn to meet him again, and she worked very hard to make sure she would succeed as well. In the end, she even succeeded in sneaking away from the Blood Continent.
But Herman wasn't worried at that time since he only thought she would probably leave once she found that he had moved on and their worlds were too different from each other.
It was common knowledge that a moral would marry in the human continent around the age of 17 or 18, so this might be the best outcome, and Alina's obsession would've ended if that boy had his own family.
Even if he didn't, Herman was sure the hidden message he left for Ace would make him fearful of Alina, and he won't dare to treat her the same way as he did in his childhood.
Even then, if he hadn't learned how to distinguish between mortal and noble, Herman was planning to make sure he would teach him this time around.
However, even in Herman's wildest imagination, he didn't think that the once pitiful boy would end up becoming the menace known as the Sky Stealer, and now because of him, Alina was in her current situation.
Truthfully, if he had known things would've turned out this way, he would've ended him right there and then, even if Alina had hated him her entire life.
But alas, there wasn't any medicine for regret, and now, he not only has to live with this huge regret, he even has to make sure that thief would never approach Alina again.
Furthermore, secretly, Herman was fully supported by the strategy of drawing the thief out by any means possible and then getting rid of him for good.
He didn't even have to do anything as the demons were hellbent on capturing him while the humans wanted his secret, and he also guessed that the Blood Ancestor was here because of that exact reason as well.
With so many terrifying figures aiming for him, he won't dare to show his face, which would also end in their favor since it would mean he didn't care about Alina's life or death anyway, and he was now nothing but a vile thief as everyone described him to be.
But Alina's stubbornness was on a whole different level as she was now instant on escaping, and he could easily guess the reason behind it. She probably wanted to warn him about the Blood Ancestor's involvement after she found out.
Even if there was the slightest chance he would come, she didn't want it to happen at all.
But Herman was determined never to let that happen as it would literally destroy the silver ice hunter clan if the Blood Ancestor became furious, not to mention Alina would lose everything as well. He didn't believe for a second Alina didn't know that.
Yet, Alina replied with a determined look in her icy eyes, "I'll deal with consequences on my own. Just for once, listen to me and help me out just this once!"
Herman shook his head without hesitation as he rejected, "I would not let you destroy your future for a thief who probably didn't even care about you!"
Alina's eyes trembled as her aura spiked slightly, and she refuted sharply, "He is what he is because I abandoned him that day! You make me abandon him! If you have just let me take him with me, things would never have escalated to this point!
"If he hates me and doesn't care about me, it's because I abandoned him in that city which got destroyed, and he probably would've been dead if he hadn't become what he is right now!"
Tears suddenly surfaced in his eyes as her cold expression crumbled, leaving behind nothing but pain, regret, longing, and sadness… it was like she couldn't help her suppressed emotions any longer as she trembled like a weak little girl. She no longer looks as aloof or strong as before anymore.
"Just let me meet with him one more time, and if he doesn't want to see me, I'll never show my face anymore. But at least let me apologize to him for abandoning him when he has given up so much despite knowing I was nothing but a stranger.
"Yet, I seemed always to cause him pain and suffering, and now, it seemed like I'm helping those bastards to kill him. If he hates me or abandons me, I won't even care since I deserve it…"
She sobbed as she muttered. Both Herman and Lillian's expressions were filled with bewilderment because they had never seen the Ice Sword Fairy in this pitiful state, not to mention crying in front of others.
"Clap… clap… clap…"
At this moment, sounds of clapping rang within the silent hall, which made the three instantly alarmed since they didn't feel any presence or were too absorbed in their emotions that the intrusion escaped their senses.
When they looked in the direction of clapping, they saw a tall masked woman standing at the door while clapping gracefully.
When she saw everyone looking at her, a melodious voice rang, filled with sinister intent, "Forgive me, I couldn't help myself when I saw the door was opened and hearing that pitiful story, I'm so touched.
"Let me introduce myself. I am the Third Imperial Demon Princess, Leona!"
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