bookpub Chapter 599 In Ravenna's Eyes
Chapter 599 In Ravenna's Eyes
Though Ansel had placed her on par with Seraphina, the magnanimous Miss Ravenna didn't mind too much. Given her character, she would consider it beneath her to compete with Seraphina.
Ansel's words held truth as well: "To defeat fate, everything can be sacrificed." The demonic barrier that had plunged Ansel into extreme evil and the abyss had been broken by her. His heart had grown more complete, making it far more difficult for future challengers to sway him or evoke feelings of "love".
Lacking Seraphina's rare single-mindedness and the deep bond she shared with Ansel, huh, how could anyone hope to tame him?
The thought that she might have inadvertently locked the door while taming Ansel made even the seldom-arrogant Miss Ravenna feel a surge of pride.
To say she didn't mind women constantly flocking to Ansel would be a lie. Though Ravenna wasn't overly concerned with such matters, love without a hint of possessiveness cannot truly be called love.
However, as long as they weren't as "special" as she was, she could turn a blind eye. After all... dealing with this troublesome brat alone had brought her a bittersweet happiness, especially without Seraphina's help to share the burden.
Moreover, Ansel had a peculiar principle—he lost interest in women who were completely infatuated with him and would even discard them.
Typically, men prefer women who are obedient and adoring, and Ansel, with his insecurities, should crave such devotion even more to satisfy his need for security.
So why did he detest... those who were overly infatuated with him?
This thought flitted through Ravenna's mind but didn't linger. After all, such a principle wasn't entirely strange. Putting herself in his shoes... if she were surrounded by a group of women who couldn't wait to fawn over her day and night, it would indeed be intolerable.
"So, are you planning to take on commissions and... give yourself a break?"
To avoid being treated like rare animals by onlookers, Ravenna cast a cognitive concealment spell on the three of them(two people and one cat), even though Ansel hadn't requested it. Miss scholar, her mood lifted by Ansel's recent declaration, casually remarked while watching the bustling street, "You really seem to enjoy being an adventurer."
"Hmm... Do I?"
Ansel tilted his head slightly. "There's nothing else to do, really. I just see it as passing the time."
"You've been so focused on this that you've neglected other matters, and yet you claim it's just passing time? Fine... your subordinates are everywhere, so it doesn't matter if you don't manage things. But..."
Ravenna hesitated for a moment before softly asking, "What about Fate?"
"It's not like Fate is me, constantly opposing me." Ansel smiled. "But turning a trivial detail into a lever to shift my entire plan... such things can indeed happen. However, I foresee these possibilities and won't allow it to interfere at will. I will quash them at the first sign."
If anyone else had casually claimed, "I can handle wherever Fate tries to meddle," Ravenna would have thought them a fool. But coming from Ansel, it was a different matter entirely.
Recalling the past in the Imperial Capital, Miss Scholar still shivered slightly at Ansel's then-cruelty.
Just a little more, a tiny little more, and everything between her and Ansel would have been over.
He was just one step away from completely dominating the second heroine, devouring Flamelle, attaining the power of a sixth-stage deity, ruling the empire, and reigning supreme.
She later understood that every decision she made was influenced by Fate to prevent Ansel from achieving this. Even with Fate pushing everything to the extreme in the most reasonable manner, it only barely outmatched Ansel.
It was essentially a gamble, wagering on whether Ansel retained any bit of warmth and humanity.
Forcing Fate to "gamble"—only Ansel could achieve such a feat.
With this realization, Ravenna felt a bit more at ease.
She still worried about the burdens Ansel carried.
Unlike the carefree Seraphina, who probably hadn't noticed any change in Ansel, Ravenna believed she shared an unparalleled understanding with him, though she still couldn't truly delve into his heart, only glimpsing a portion of it.
Ravenna's hand, silently holding Ansel's, tightened slightly.
Merely reading those memories or hearing his account could never truly convey the depth of that despair.
"Your intentions have little to do with whether she feels imprisoned."
Ravenna pouted. "Shall we greet them? If so, I'll lift the spell."
"No need. Let's go back. They're hard at work, aren't they?"
"I only see an employer making endless whimsical demands and an employee forced to fulfill her baffling fantasies."
Ansel gently flicked Ravenna's forehead. "Don't speak so poorly of Seri."
"I'm not criticizing her." Ravenna looked slightly agitated. "I'm just saying she's not cut out for this."
"If it's Seri, she'd surely retort, 'Doing good deeds isn't about suitability.'"
"Which is exactly why she's not suited."
As they conversed, they walked past Seraphina and Marlina.
But at that moment, Seraphina suddenly stopped, sniffed the air, and turned around with a deeply suspicious look.
"...That nose of hers." Ravenna's eyelid twitched. "Ansel, is she truly human?"
"A genuine human."
"I doubt a normal human has such keen senses... Well, as long as you like her."
Sniffing the air, Seraphina walked back a few steps, scratching her head in puzzlement as the scent faded.
"What is it, Miss Fenrir?"
"Nothing, I just thought I caught Ansel's scent. Maybe I miss him too much."
Seraphina didn't dwell on it and continued enthusiastically describing her sunbathing plan to Marlina: "We can schedule it so that during the best sunlight hours each day, they can take turns..."
"Miss Fenrir, let's set that plan aside for now. I have a comprehensive strategy that can truly transform the lower district."
Seraphina was initially taken aback, then delighted: "Really? Tell me all about it!"
Previously, it was Milo's secretary, disguised as Milo, who had lured Seraphina into the lower district. He was unaware of Seraphina and Ansel's relationship, so he managed to control Seraphina with his schemes.
However, Milo is now completely loyal to Ansel, and releasing Seraphina would be a simple matter of a word.
But things are never that simple. Marlina could see at a glance that this time... Seraphina would not leave so easily.
The lower district of Dispute Fortress was too vast, and the suffering here too stark. Her sense of responsibility compelled her to stay until she saw real change, until the lives of all the common people truly improved.
Thus, the goal was to genuinely improve the district.
Not with the temporary fixes that would deceive Seri, but with the profound transformations Mr.Ansel envisioned—true, lasting change to their lives.
Seri's journey and Mr. Ansel's vision, I will do everything in my power to protect and realize. Starting from... now.
Meanwhile, Bryce Palmer, assisting the Duke of Firmament in taking another stronghold, upon learning that his wife had been brutally tortured and left barely alive—
Did not immediately return.
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