"Come, sit here, Marquess," Billie said as she entered the room, which bore a striking resemblance to a study or an office, characterized by the arrangement of a desk and a sofa positioned in the center.
She took a seat and then tapped the spot beside her, gesturing towards Avendial.
"...by the way, are you an Evolver?"
As he moved towards the sofa where Billie sat, Avendial decided it was prudent to confirm his suspicion—this woman seemed powerful enough to be one.
"What? Of course not! How could I be?" Billie suddenly replied, her expression shifting at Marquess' comment.
A flicker of hope ignited in her eyes as he prepared to sit beside her.
However, she couldn't ignore the contemptuous look from her sister, which prompted her to smile.
"...."
Avendial halted midway as he noticed that Aecilia was clearly in a less-than-pleasant mood. Initially, he had decided to ignore it, given that this woman was an Evolver; however, after confirmation, her worth diminished in an instant.
He opted to settle himself onto a solitary sofa instead.
"Eh?"
Billie remained confused, staring at him.
It dawned on her that he had judged her solely based on her status as an Evolver; and when the result turned out negative, he chose to distance himself.
With her lips twitching in frustration, she looked at the man, now fully grasping why they referred to him as a businessman.
He had decisively appraised her worth far too swiftly.
"Then why are you so strong?"
Avendial, sitting comfortably while adjusting his wristwatch with the blue dial and loosening the cuffs of his white shirt, peered back toward Aecilia, who had just taken her place with elegantly crossed legs.
Her eyes were closed, hands resting calmly on her chest, decidedly detached from the ongoing conversation between her cousin and Avendial.
"I'm built different," Billie said, folding her arms and tilting her head upward, sneaking a glance at the man who had hastily judged her, not hesitating for even a moment to change his decision about sitting next to her due to her perceived lack of value.
"...."
Avendial listened to her words, still unconvinced.
After all, he had personally witnessed the speed of her punches and the sharp sound of the air they displaced, granting him a hint that such feats were hard to accomplish with just the human body—though not entirely impossible.
Within that moment, he pondered the possibility of believing her claim, since he couldn't fully comprehend any other explanation.
"It's a Sertsul family secret, but we have our ways to increase our physical strength, though not to the level of those superhumans," Aecilia finally spoke, slowly opening her eyes to reveal her golden pupils.
Her gaze met Avendial's, not holding back as she shared the family's secret.
This secret technique has enabled the creation of an assassin group known as the Night Crawlers, as normal humans generally struggle to achieve commendable ratings in assassination as they did.
'!?!'
"Sister!? That's a secret for a reason!" Billie exclaimed, her heart racing at Aecilia's revelation of such a deep secret to an outsider—particularly someone who belonged to another noble family.
.
"Is this information legitimate?"
Avendial inquired as he glanced at the tablet in front of him a few moments ago when he intended to ask for a favor. At that moment, one of the sovereigns of Aecilia entered the room, delivering crucial news about the Diego family—information unearthed from the tangled history of the Ravan family.
The Sertsul family had dedicated two to three days to this investigation, particularly focused on Lin Diego, a feat that required significant effort, especially considering the noble rank of the duchy involved.
Now, the findings laid before Avendial revealed that the daughter of the Ravan family, who was pregnant, had made the decision to flee her homeland, abandoning her title.
She had arrived in City A, choosing to live with a common businessman from the Diego family.
Among all the details that narrowed Avendial's eyes, one stood out: an awakened individual with physical abilities, serving as a bodyguard to that woman.
"Yes, it took a long time, but it's likely accurate," Aecilia confirmed, seated beside Avendial.
She glanced towards Billie, who was sitting distantly on the sofa, her head bowed as she clasped her hands in despair, seemingly trapped in five stages of grief.
The situation had escalated when Billie questioned why Aecilia showed preferential treatment to Marquess, citing him as family.
When Billie argued why Aecilia didn't treat her similarly, Aecilia's joking responses had inadvertently hurt her feelings.
Given the emotional weight of the moment, Billie appeared crushed, wallowing in her disappointment.
"An Empyreal..." Avendial mused, his focus shifting back to the information on the tablet.
One of the two Empyreals employed by the Ravan family was now in City A, acting as a bodyguard for Lin Diego's mother.
This realization flooded Avendial's mind with memories of his past life, particularly of two Empyreals who had once worked with the Ravan family—one of whom had been killed during a battle involving the Diego faction at the hands of one of Avendial's subordinates.
He remembered one of the Empyreals from the Ravan family's side who had sought revenge for his brother's death. This prompted Avendial to connect the dots: the Empyreal now in City A was likely that same brother, possessing the physical abilities that Avendial essentially needed, especially to help Leo boost his strength.
"Aecilia, reach out to the Diego family and inform them that I wish to bid against them," Avendial instructed, his gaze fixed on the screen.
"What? But if they discover your presence, then..." Aecilia narrowed her eyes as the implications sank in.
If the news of Marquess being alone reached the ears of the faction supporting Prince Orion, they would undoubtedly try to target the Marquess openly.
"Let them do it.", Avendial contemplated how this situation could serve as bait to draw the Empyreal out into the open, presenting him with a rare opportunity to remove the strongest protector of Lin Diego's mother.
It was evident that this scenario extended beyond mere bodyguard duties; it suggested a deeper connection, perhaps a setup where that Empyreal had been ordered to keep an eye on Lin's mother, possibly at the behest of the current heir, also known as her brother.
For Avendial, the prospect of seizing an opportunity that had practically landed in his lap was too enticing to ignore.
This compelled him to give Aecilia a direct order and prepare to act as bait himself.
He felt increasingly confident that he would be an effective lure for the Empyreal.
Unlike the typical behavior of noble families, their subordinates often remained oblivious to the intricacies of civil affairs.
Therefore, if he is correct, the Empyreal—currently residing in the free city and only aware of the aphrodisiac event orchestrated by Prince Orion against Marquess Croceaus—might mistakenly believe that targeting the Marquess when he is this vulnerable would impress his superiors.
Due to this particular misunderstanding and a lack of awareness about how the aristocracy functioned, it was likely that the Empyre would indeed target Avendial upon seeing him in the open.
The end result would provide Avendial with enough evidence to target the Ravan family and simultaneously arrange a strength booster for Leo, manipulate Aria, or perhaps he will also be able to gain some hidden benefit from all this.