"It's already noon, Vivian," the butler retorted dryly.
"What's the difference? The sun's out, and I just woke up—so it's morning for ~."
Her response only elicited another sigh from Sebas, his shoulders slumping in defeat. He then shifted his attention back to Anastasia… who was now glaring at the carefree female adventurer with an intensity that could almost pierce through steel.
A stark contrast to her previous hesitation toward the woman. It was as if sothing had suddenly stirred within the redheaded noblewoman…!
"…L-Lady Ana? What's wrong?" Sebas inquired, confused by her sudden shift in deanor.
The redheaded mistress rely grumbled under her breath, clearly annoyed—not at Sebas, of course, but... at the audacious woman before her.
A woman who had shown little regard for rank, propriety… or boundaries.
It wasn't just the way this female adventurer carried herself so carelessly, but... it was the way she acted around him—
The way she was so brazen toward him—
To be so familiar with him.
And Anastasia wasn't sure why it irked her so much...
She shouldn't care... and yet—! The image of Vivi pressing herself against Sebas from before—so shalessly... so naturally... kept replaying in her mind, an unshakable irritation settling in her chest.
On the other hand, the 'him' in question was still puzzled by his mistress's rather strange deanor toward the Sonic Thief.
'Does she really despise her...?' he thought, wondering if Vivian had truly struck a nerve with Anastasia.
However, Anastasia slowly took a deep breath... carefully composing herself.
Then, she took a step forward—her gaze locked onto the woman sitting casually on the cloth bed... a darkened expression that betrayed her apparent dislike toward her supposed 'guest of honor.'
"Miss... Vivian," Anastasia called, her tone steady but laced with an unmistakable edge.
The female adventurer tilted her head at the sudden address, her lips curling into a playful smirk.
"Hmm? What is it, oh Lord Anastasia?" she mused, her tone light... almost mocking.
Anastasia chose to ignore the lack of respect coming from her... as she'd already expected from soone so brazen...
She crossed her arms, her gaze locking onto the adventurer with a piercing stare.
"Tell the truth—what exactly was your purpose in coming to my domain?"
"Huh...?" Vivian blinked, looking genuinely confused. "Uh... didn't you all expect my arrival in the first place?"
"We did… but only because Sir Sebas predicted it."
At the ntion of his na, Vivian's expression shifted. Her eyes flicked toward the butler, amusent dancing within them.
"Oh~? Sebastian did?" she drawled, her smile turning mischievous. "I knew it… You do miss after all, don't you?"
Sebas rely let out a quiet sigh, his expression unreadable at her attempt at teasing.
"Don't flatter yourself, Vivian."
"Ah~, but I did really miss you though~."
"Do you, now?"
"Of course—"
"ENOUGH!"
Anastasia's voice rang sharp, cutting through their exchange. The redheaded noblewoman's eyes burned fiercer by the second as she glared at the smirking adventurer.
"Miss Vivian..." Her voice was low—carrying a dangerous edge. "As the lord of this region, I'm admonishing you for your misdeeds within my domain."
"Oho~? Misdeeds, you say?" Vivian humd, tilting her head as if entertained by Anastasia's thinly veiled hostility toward her.
"Yes... Not only did you trample on my hospitality... but you even attempted to harm one of my people—my butler, Sebas!"
When his na was spoken, Sebas raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised by his mistress's concern for him.
Then Anastasia continued, the intensity—the authority—behind her voice unwavering—!
"So tell —was your visit to the Garden of Hell really just about hunting monsters? Or did you have another reason?"
"Hmmm~?" Vivian's smirk remained, though her eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of sothing unreadable behind them. "Are you perhaps doubting , my lord?"
Anastasia t her gaze without hesitation. "I am… because I know for a fact that you are not just an S-Rank adventurer—" she paused, her grip tightening at her sides, her next words laced with unwavering certainty, "—but also an assassin...!"
Silence. The mont those words left Anastasia's lips, the air inside the tent seed to freeze.
And then… sothing shifted. The smile on Vivian's lips remained, but there was sothing darker beneath it.
Then... pressure—!
"—!"
Anastasia stiffened as a suffocating presence filled the space, pressing down on her like an unseen force!
It wasn't just mana—it was sharper, more instinctive—!
A predator's bloodlust.
"My… where did you find out about that, oh Lord Anastasia?" Vivian's voice was soft—yet it cut through the air like a blade...!
Her narrowed eyes glead in the dim light of the tent… and her smirk deepened—widened—into sothing feral...!
"—!"
Anastasia felt her breath hitch, eyes widening, her body instinctively tensing against the overwhelming aura as she took a step back.
A creeping sense of fear and dread slithered into her chest—!
The pressure was suffocating—thick, heavy, as if invisible hands had wrapped around her throat—
But then another wave of pressure burst forth—! Crashing against Vivian's presence like a storm!
The suffocating bloodlust vanished in an instant, erased by sothing even greater...!
It was not the sa dreadful pressure that crawled beneath her skin... but instead, it felt... pleasant.
It felt warm... protective.
And Anastasia quickly realized to whom this overwhelming aura belonged as she turned toward him—
Sebas.
His eyes narrowed dangerously as he took a single step forward, his re presence silencing the room.
"Don't try anything funny, Vivian." His voice was calm, yet... the weight behind it was undeniable.
Vivian's almost feral grin remained, but her attention now shifted entirely to the butler.
"Oho~?" she humd, tilting her head, amusent flickering in her eyes. "How scary~."
For a long mont, neither of them moved—but their auras clashed in the air—! Creating an invisible tension so thick that even Anastasia could feel it...!
But then—just as quickly as it appeared—Vivian's aura faded.
"Ahaha~, alright, sorry for that, my lord~," the female adventurer chid, acting as if she had not just threatened the very lord of the region herself.
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