Rise of the Lustful Evil Monarch (Re)

Chapter 618: The Prince of Ice (1)

Third Person’s POV

Her conservative purple academy robes concealed most of her body, yet they couldn’t completely hide her naturally voluptuous and graceful figure.

Her exquisite facial features remained perfectly serene as she continued reading, occasionally turning another page with elegant fingers while her long dark eyelashes fluttered gently.

She seemed completely immersed in the contents of her book.

Ethan’s gaze naturally drifted toward the violet crystal badge fastened neatly upon her robes.

It was identical to the one attached to his own chest, making her another member of the academy’s elite forty.

Sensing someone’s gaze upon her, the young woman slowly lifted her head from the book.

Her beautiful blue eyes first rested upon Ethan before calmly noticing the unfamiliar purple badge decorating his chest.

Surprisingly, not even the slightest ripple appeared upon her cold face, and she neither looked surprised nor curious.

Instead, her gaze quietly shifted toward Princess Arlene.

"Greetings, Princess."

Her calm voice echoed softly throughout the spacious hallway.

Arlene merely gave a small nod in acknowledgment before gesturing for Ethan to continue walking deeper into the palace, making it obvious that she had no intention of engaging in conversation with the young woman.

However, she soon noticed that Ethan hadn’t moved.

His crimson eyes weren’t focused upon the black-haired young woman.

Instead, they had shifted toward the shadows stretching behind her.

Confusion immediately surfaced within Arlene’s eyes, and she instinctively followed Ethan’s gaze, wondering what had captured his attention.

Before she even had the chance to ask—

Clap... Clap... Clap...

The slow sound of someone applauding echoed throughout the silent hallway.

A figure leisurely stepped out from the shadows behind the black-haired young woman.

It was a handsome young man of medium height dressed in elegant academy robes.

A faint smile rested upon his face, and his eyes carried unmistakable admiration as they settled directly upon Ethan, as though he had finally met someone he had been looking forward to seeing.

"Well... well... well..."

The young man’s smile widened slightly.

"Look who we have here..."

He looked Ethan up and down before continuing in a seemingly friendly tone.

"It is none other than our newest senior, the latest member of the elite forty."

Ethan’s crimson eyes remained calm as he silently observed the young man before him instead of responding to his seemingly friendly greeting.

There was an indescribable familiarity between the young man’s features and those of Princess Arlene, and although his smile appeared warm on the surface, Ethan could clearly sense a hidden layer of ridicule beneath it, as the young man’s gaze travelled to Arlene and back to him.

Rather than reacting to his words, Ethan’s gaze instinctively dropped towards the badge attached to the young man’s robes.

Unlike the violet crystal badge resting upon Ethan’s own and the tall black haired woman’s chest, the young man wore a sapphire-blue badge identical to the one Princess Arlene possessed, indicating that he was an Elemental Sea Mage.

Ethan quietly noted that detail before shifting his attention back to the young man’s face.

His powdered blue hair closely resembled Arlene’s, while his cloudy blue eyes carried almost the same shade as hers.

Standing quietly beside him, the tall black-haired woman possessed a different shade of striking blue eyes, yet the outline of her face and the shape of her eyebrows faintly reminded Ethan of Shixea.

The resemblance was subtle, but it was enough.

Several scattered clues immediately connected together inside Ethan’s mind.

’Blue hair... the same eye color as Arlene... and that woman resembles Shixea.’

A single name surfaced almost instantly.

’Erius.’

However, Ethan wasn’t someone who liked reaching conclusions solely based upon appearances.

Without allowing the slightest change to appear upon his face, his soul sense quietly spread outward like an invisible ripple before gently enveloping Arlene.

She remained completely unaware of it.

Being an entire realm below Ethan and lacking his extraordinary perception of souls, she couldn’t possibly notice such a subtle probe.

The instant her eyes settled upon the handsome young man, Ethan sensed a violent surge of emotions erupting within her heart.

There was a mix of shock and anger in them, and she made absolutely no effort to conceal them.

Her expression darkened visibly as she looked at him, almost as though she were staring at someone she deeply despised.

That reaction alone was enough.

Ethan withdrew his soul sense without anyone realizing what he had done.

His earlier suspicion had now become certainty.

’So this really is Erius.’

Just as Ethan was about to answer the young man’s greeting in his own way, the entire High Moon Palace suddenly trembled violently.

BOOOOM!

A deafening rumble echoed from somewhere beneath the academy.

The stone floor lurched unexpectedly beneath everyone’s feet, causing the enormous pillars supporting the palace to shake slightly.

Dust drifted from the high ceiling while the magical lamps hanging throughout the corridor swayed back and forth.

The sudden earthquake caught everyone by surprise.

Even the calm black-haired young woman instinctively steadied herself by placing one hand against the nearby wall.

Erius’ smile disappeared immediately as surprise flashed across his face.

Arlene was even less prepared, as the violent tremor caused her footing to slip.

A brief cry escaped her lips as her balance completely disappeared, and her body tilted backwards.

Seeing this, Ethan reacted almost instinctively.

His left arm wrapped firmly around her slender waist before she could fall.

At the same time, he instantly circulated ice mana through the pathways of his legs.

The soles of his boots emitted faint blue light as streams of condensed ice mana spread downward and fused with the frozen stone beneath his feet.

Within an instant, his footing became as stable as if he had become one with the ground itself.

Despite the increasingly violent tremors shaking the surroundings, his body didn’t sway even a little.

Meanwhile, Arlene’s heart had been filled with panic only moments earlier, as never before had she experienced such a terrifying earthquake in her whole life.

The sudden loss of balance and control had momentarily blanked her mind.