Their romance storyline only begins on the second playthrough?

Chapter 25 I'm Here to Kidnap Your Daughter

Compared to the residential neighborhoods, the Duke's Palace is located at the northernmost point of Phillips, and also has hundreds of acres of open space.

Under a clear blue sky, the sunlight shines on this land, making everything appear golden and magnificent.

The most dazzling feature, of course, is the long stream that is about two hundred meters away from the mansion.

The long stream separates the mansion from the residential area, with only an arched bridge in the center for passage, which now shines like it's sprinkled with gold in the sunlight.

The moment Rhodes and his companions stepped onto the bridge, it signified their entry into the Duke's territory.

However, they did not show any emotion and remained indifferent.

Because they were being followed the whole way.

From the moment they got off the train until they reached this point, a person followed them for ten minutes. The shadow that had been following them stopped on the outskirts after they crossed the arched bridge.

Even now, when Rhodes turns his head to look back, he can still see that shadow under the tree.

Ok……

Wearing a black cloak and with a petite figure, what else could she be but a witch?

However, Rhodes did not intend to hunt her down.

Killing a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl who's impossible to track down would be pointless.

Most importantly, now that he's entering the Duke's mansion, he absolutely cannot reveal his goals and intentions.

He dared not say he could deal with the witches hiding in the Duke's mansion.

His current identity is nothing more than a guest preparing to participate in a coming-of-age ceremony.

Rhodes' eyes were fixed on him:

"Killing her now won't help; it's a waste of time."

"Lilith, once you enter the Duke's mansion, do not reveal your strength."

"Furthermore, your identity has been changed to a second-year student at Stasen Holy Academy, my friend, and you've been promoted to the second level. Understand?"

"Hmm." Lilith nodded slightly, her lips moving slightly.

"Let's go." With that, Rhodes formally crossed the arched bridge and entered the Duke's territory.

At that moment, the cloaked witch standing in the shade of a tree in the distance slightly raised her eyes, gazed at Rhodes, and nodded.

She pressed her finger to her ear and covered her mouth with her other hand, whispering as if giving a heads-up.

"Lord Cangwen, Lady Cecilia's prey has entered your mission territory. What should we do? This area's missions are your responsibility..."

The young girl was clearly unfamiliar with being followed; even her tip-offs were limited to this level.

But this is to be expected, since even among witches, there are huge differences in their level of mischief;

Some people are forced into this situation by life, while others fall into depravity due to greed; of course, it's impossible to generalize.

zizi——

The sound was interrupted, but a curious voice still reached the girl's ears:

"Oh? It's Mr. Rhodes?"

"Yes, he was accompanied by Princess Felicity, and... a blue-haired woman whose identity is unknown."

"I'm looking at it."

"Um?"

The cloaked witch looked up at the enormous clock tower located in the center of the city behind her—

She couldn't see the figure, but she was sure Lord Cangwen must be there.

And that is indeed the case.

The Plague Demoness was currently dozens of meters in the air, her toes resting on the tip of the clock tower, her eyes blinking slightly.

She had jet-black hair like Cecilia, but her eyes were a deep blue like the ocean, and when she smiled, sharp teeth appeared.

"If he comes by himself, then I'll just have to try it... I'm sorry, little Leah, I really want to try it." She gently licked the edge of her lips with her tongue, then hummed a cheerful tune—

"The only sheep was skinned, two lambs were tied together and burned alive, screaming in agony, and three lambs... had their heads crushed in agony, tears streaming down their faces."

"Rhodes, why did you come to the Duke's mansion? You'll die!"

……

...

slam-la-

"Please have some tea." The purple-haired maid, Daphne, was pouring tea for Rhodes and the others. She bowed slightly, then left the room and closed the door behind her.

Rod didn't pay any attention.

The interior of the Duke's mansion was indeed luxurious.

At least the fabric and cotton of the soft red and gold sofa that Rhodes was sitting on were the same as the sofa he had at the college.

Moreover, against the corner of the wall are rows of bookshelves that look quite tall, surrounding the central glass lamp.

Of course, none of that matters; what matters is the person opposite them—

She wore a heavy dress typical of medieval noblewomen, and her long, jet-black hair was slightly curled. Even though she was over forty, one could still see the remarkable figure she had in her youth.

This is the mistress of this estate—the Duchess of Sanders.

She smiled kindly:

"Your Majesty Rhodes, it is a pleasure to have you attend Ivina's coming-of-age ceremony."

It goes without saying how terrifying the surname 【Rod Chivenlance】is.

The reason why the nation with the smallest territory among the twelve divine nations, with a population of only one percent of the world's population, enjoys the same respect as the other eleven nations, is simply because of the terrifying nature of the God of Souls.

The divine seed of the God of Souls is the rarest and most disgusting divine seed in the world.

Almost all fifth-tier hero-level and above [Soul Seeds] can directly see into the enemy's thoughts, sense the enemy's actions, and relay the perception to their teammates.

It's equivalent to the ability of "foresight".

Rhodes is the eldest son of this god's favored family and Melanie's future emperor.

In fact, he was far more noble than the second princess beside him;

Rhodes shook his head. "That was just a side matter... Actually, I came to discuss something with His Excellency the Duke. Could you tell me what it is?"

"I'm very sorry, but the master is currently in the capital preparing some special gifts for Ivina's coming-of-age ceremony..."

"Is that so?" Rhodes was slightly taken aback, but quickly replied, "It's alright, at least the Duchess is here, that's enough."

Rhodes's attitude was strange; at least Duchess Sanders could tell that Rhodes's motives were impure...

Her eyes revealed a mature look as she fell into thought.

It would be understandable if Rhodes, a big shot, accompanied Princess Felicity to Ivina's coming-of-age ceremony because of his lover.

But the problem is that's not what he wanted to do...

"you……"

Rhodes opened the envelope in his pocket and handed it to the Duchess.

The Duchess's gaze was uncertain; after receiving the envelope, her eyes momentarily glazed over.

After a long silence, she slowly handed the envelope to Rhodes;

"Your Majesty Rhodes, you..."

"Yes, I'm here to take her away, to take Ivina out of the Duke's mansion."