Chapter 556: Chapter 556 The Gentleman and Lady’s Kiss_1
New dishes appeared on the table; Aiden’s main course was a few grilled lamb ribs, while Deborah’s plate contained seasoned red shrimp.
The two were silent for a moment, and the atmosphere was a bit awkward.
After the waiter had introduced the dishes and left, Aiden spoke up, "Please take back the rules. There’s no point in doing this."
Deborah hesitated, wanting to ask what exactly Aiden had just done.
"If things continue this way, our relationship will become tense. Being honest with each other doesn’t mean we can’t have privacy," Aiden added.
Tony let out a long sigh of relief. Though he had practiced beforehand, he had not used his divine speech many times, and he was unsure if he could produce the desired effect on the spot.
This was Aiden’s contingency plan for the "no lying" rule. If the other party started to probe deeply into critical intelligence, Aiden would signal Tony to use "Concealment" to reduce his presence and make him harder to observe.
"Rule canceled!" Deborah panicked suddenly, blurting out, "I’m sorry! I was not thinking clearly. Please don’t despise me because of this!"
"It’s nothing. I’ve done similar things before. You truly possess the power of authority. I’ve heard you are highly skilled in disguise, could that be the ’Presence’ divine speech of the power of authority?" While responding, Aiden picked up a rib with his fork, casually resting his hand, which held the fork, to one side.
Tony looked at him, exchanged a glance, and reached over to take the rib away.
Even Deborah, who sat at the same table, didn’t notice anything disappearing from Aiden’s fork. In fact, she could still see Tony; his presence had just been erased.
"I’ve received one divine speech from both my father and my mother, the divine nature was a gift from my father," Deborah replied softly.
It sounded like the truth; without the constraints of the rule, Aiden observed Deborah’s expression, having to rely on his experience alone to judge.
Deborah held the power of "Law," which was the final piece Aiden needed to become a "Order" saint.
At this moment, Aiden was certain that Deborah’s presence before him was likely Melissa’s arrangement.
Could it be that Deborah’s fondness for him was also manipulated by Melissa’s hand? As the dominator of "Desire," manipulating someone’s emotions would be effortless, but Aiden did not appreciate such tactics.
Of course, it couldn’t be definitively said that Deborah’s feelings weren’t naturally occurring...
"Mr. Aiden, why won’t you let me know about your heroic deeds? Why... be so modest to this extent?" Deborah asked, puzzled.
"Because those truly aren’t heroic deeds, my main motivation for acting is for myself," Aiden met Deborah’s gaze. "Miss Deborah, forgive my frankness, but I am not the kind of hero you imagine."
"Is this modest talk for the sake of appearance?" Deborah’s expression became tense.
"It’s not talk for the sake of appearance. I truly am not the person you think I am. If we’re speaking of justice, I indeed have my principles, but I’m not the sort of person who would risk my life to carry out justice, I’m not that noble," Aiden spread his hands, "I think I should be honest with you about this. I can’t live up to your expectations."
"So, I am rejected?" Deborah’s face clearly showed her disappointment.
"I’m sorry, I admire your sense of justice, so I don’t want to deceive you," Aiden said calmly. "I have work that I consider important and personal issues that need resolving. I can’t be a superhero out there upholding justice everywhere."
"But your abilities are real and valuable," Deborah tried to persuade him. "Wouldn’t it be... such a waste?"
"Whether it’s a waste or not is for me to decide. How I use my abilities is my own freedom. If you force me, I will be disappointed with you," Aiden said.
"But my feelings for you are sincere. I, I..." Deborah seemed a little flustered but quickly regained her composure, "I apologize, that was a bit inappropriate. To be honest... I never thought I would be rejected."
"Your conditions are indeed hard to refuse," Aiden nodded, "but some things are not meant to be traded. If I were to desire your beauty and target your body, merely agreeing to your terms begrudgingly, would you accept that?"
Deborah thought about it seriously for a moment, and then with some difficulty, she said softly, "Actually, it’s not completely unacceptable..."
"Miss Deborah!?" Aiden was taken aback.
"I’m sorry!" Deborah suddenly came to her senses and waved her hands repeatedly, "That’s definitely, a bit weird."
"Glad you understand," Aiden nodded.
After a moment of silence, Deborah collected her thoughts and said, "But I still don’t want to give up easily, I will continue to persuade you."
"Alright, that’s your prerogative," Aiden smiled with a hint of resignation, "But I too have my own thoughts. To be honest, I have an unconventional request."
"Please tell me."
"I want to receive the ’Divine Words of the Law’," Aiden said earnestly.
"So you wish for me to teach it to you?" Deborah’s eyes widened slightly.
"Yes, of course, I wouldn’t be so shameless as to ask for something for nothing. I can do a favor for you, I’ll do what I can to help," Aiden said.
"This..." Deborah pondered and then said quietly, "What if I say, if you agree to the conditions I mentioned earlier, I would teach you the Divine Words?"
"Are you planning to buy me?" Aiden raised an eyebrow.
"Actually, that kind of feels alright..." Deborah murmured again.
"What?" Aiden’s eyes widened again.
"I didn’t mean that!" Deborah waved her hands again, "Indeed, some things can’t be forced! Alright then, let me... consider it."
"Alright." Aiden finally began to eat the main course on his plate.
They then found some other topics to discuss: the recent situation of the Duboman couple in the Northern Continent, Aiden’s work, and Deborah’s own experiences since coming to the Southern Continent. Before they knew it, an hour had passed, dinner was coming to an end, and the two of them walked out of the restaurant together.
"I will seriously consider what you said," Deborah said.
"I will wait for your reply," Aiden tipped his hat in a gesture of respect.
"Then until we meet again... before we part, may I have a gentleman’s kiss?" Deborah stretched out her hand.
Aiden recalled that in the upper-class society of the Empire, it seemed common to perform a hand-kissing gesture upon meeting and parting.
"Alright." He hesitated for a moment, then took Deborah’s hand and bowed his head to kiss the fingertips.
Just as he raised his head, Deborah suddenly leaned in for an unexpected attack—a fleeting touch with her lips on his cheek, as light as a dragonfly skimming water.
While Aiden was still surprised, Deborah turned and ran toward the hired carriage.
"I still won’t give up," she left him with those words.
