"Rebecca, what are the qualities you like to see in your future husband?"
"Grandfather, I think It's too early for me to answer this question."
"Indeed, you are still too young. But, humor me. Tell me the qualities that you want your husband to have."
"Well, first, he must be stronger than me," Rebecca stated.
"Second, he must be good looking."
"Third, he must be someone with ambition. I don't like mediocrity."
"There is one last condition," Rebecca said. "He must be in a position of power."
—------
That was the scene that appeared inside Rebecca's head after she reunited with the Half-Elf who had risen to heights she could never hope to imagine within the short time that they had parted ways with each other.
Many years ago, she really thought that she was too good for a dirty Shepherd, who spent his days herding goats and sheep in the countryside.
To this day, whenever the Disciples of the Misty Sect talked about William Von Ainsworth, they would remember her.
The person that broke their engagement, and wondered if she regretted her decision back then.
Truth be told, Rebecca was a bit regretful, but she didn't fully regret her decision.
No one knew what the future would hold. When she decided to break the engagement with William, she had already thought of the possibility of him surpassing her in the future.
Even so, she was still firm in her decision.
If she were to be given the opportunity to return to the past, she would make the same decision.
After all, she understood more than anyone else that the Half-Elf had faced challenges that surpassed even her wildest dreams, in order to reach the rank and position he now had.
The young lady with long, light-brown hair, and green eyes, held William's gaze, whose eyes were of the same color as hers.
However, a second later, his gaze moved downwards, looking at her chest, making Rebecca remember the words that the Half-Elf had said to describe his ideal lover.
—------
"First, she must be Cup C," William stated in an arrogant manner. "I will not accept anything smaller than that."
"Second, she must have a good head on her shoulders."
"Third, she must be loyal."
"Lastly, she must be a beauty that can bring the downfall of a nation. Only this kind of lady is deserving of my love and affection."
—------
She didn't meet the first, and she couldn't say that she met the second requirement either.
As for Loyalty? She was willing to devote her life to someone that had earned her trust. Right now, she hadn't found that person, but she firmly believed that once she had chosen someone to love, she would be loyal without a doubt.
As for the last condition of being a beauty that could bring the downfall of a nation?
Rebecca was a beauty, but her beauty didn't reach Princess Sidonie's, Titania's, Nisha's, Celine's, Princess Aila's, or even Erinys' standards.
Among William's wives, and lovers, these women had the beauty that could topple nations.
Of course, his other wives and lovers were extremely beautiful women. The Eight Deadly Sins, and the Eight Heavenly Virtues, were all beautiful in their own right, and any man in the world would fight to have one of them as their lover.
Belle, Wendy, Estelle, Ashe, Lilith, Acedia, and the rest… there were simply too many to list.
In short, William didn't have a shortage of women in his harem, which could be said to be the dream of all the men in the world of Hestia.
"It's been a while," William said softly. "Have you been well?"
"Yes," Rebecca replied. "Life has been full of ups and downs, but we must continue to move forward, in order to grow as individuals."
After Nisha had brought Rebecca to William's side, the veiled-beauty didn't stay for long and returned to the Floor of Asgard. However, before she went, she dragged Theo, who had the look of "this is some juicy gossip material", away.
Nisha knew that the two needed some alone time together. She had investigated William's background and had made sure to memorize the faces, and names of the people that were close to him.
Among those that struck an impression to her was Rebecca.
She was William's ex-fiance, and the girl who decided to break the marriage agreement because she found him lacking.
Nisha couldn't help but giggle after reading this piece of information, and made sure to always keep an eye out for William's Ex-Fiance, whom no one had seen for the past hundreds of chapters.
An awkward silence descended between the two after that brief exchange.
This silence lasted for a full five minutes before Rebecca took the initiative to restart the conversation.
"The reason why I came to the Floor of Asgard is to represent the collective decision of the Elders of the Misty Sect," Rebecca said. "All of us will participate in the Grand Alliance, and wish to have stronger ties with the Ainsworth Family."
William chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest.
"I am honored to have the Misty Sect join the Alliance," William replied. "But, I'm curious. Who was the one that made you say the last part of your declaration?"
"My Master, Lady Eleanor," Rebecca stated with a bitter smile. "She wanted to know if you still hold a grudge over what had happened several years ago."
The Half-Elf smiled and nodded his head in understanding.
"You know, back then, when I first heard that my Gramps had already planned for my future marriage partner, I felt that the old man was in too much of a hurry," William said as he looked at the sheeps and goats grazing in the distance.
He couldn't possibly tell Rebecca that he had been aware of their engagement since he was a baby because the old coot, James, would often brag to him that he had nabbed him a beauty before he could even learn to walk.
"I too was surprised when I learned that I already had a marriage partner," Rebecca commented. "I believe I was six years old when my grandfather told me about it. As a child, I didn't really understand what having a marriage partner was. Because of this, I felt that someone was deciding my own future for me, which made me hate the idea as I grew older."
"You don't like someone manipulating your life for you, right?"
"Yes. This is why I decided to break the marriage agreement. If I were to fall in love, I wanted to fall in love on my own terms, and not because my grandfather agreed to marry me to someone whose face I hadn't even seen once."
William once again nodded his head in understanding. In truth, he also hated the idea of someone forcing him to marry someone he didn't like. So, for him, Rebecca breaking the marriage agreement wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
"You looked so cute back then," WIlliam said softly. "Dressed up like a doll, and acting like the noble you are."
The Half-Elf paused before glancing at the lady by his side.
"Now, you have grown into a beauty," William commented. "I'm sure that there are many in the Misty Sect that are hoping to become your lover."
Suddenly, Rebecca chuckled, which made the Half-Elf wonder if he said something very funny.
"Everyone in the Misty Sect is too afraid to approach me," Rebecca replied. "They think that if they were to really make me their lover, you would return and bury them in nightsoil. Even my Guardian, Her Excellency, Meredith, refused to accompany me on this journey, knowing that I would be meeting with you."
The Half-Elf lightly scratched his cheek after hearing Rebecca's words.
There had been a time when he had been very reckless and did things that were not appropriate. However, he didn't regret his decision back then.
The circumstances had forced him to do what he did, which gave the Guardian of the Misty Sect a trauma that still haunted it to this day.
"Let's not talk about that incident anymore," William smiled as he faced his Ex-Fiance with an inquiring gaze. "It's all in the past."
Rebecca nodded. "I agree."
The young lady then took out something from her storage ring and handed it to the Half-Elf who took it with a curious expression.
"This is?" William asked.
Rebecca sighed before answering William's question.
"That is the letter that your Familiar, Elliot, left me," Rebecca answered. "He said that I should give it to you after your battle with Ahriman and the Heir of Darkness was finished."
The young lady gave a bitter smile before bowing her head lightly in apology. "I'm sorry. I am only able to give this to you now because many things happened within the Misty Sect when the Demons attacked.
"Some of our Elders had been injured, and we were forced to close off the territories around the sect with the power of her Excellency, Meredith. Then, your battle against the Holy Order of Light reached our ears, which prompted me to wait until the outcome had been decided before I came to see you."
The Half-Elf's expression became solemn as he broke the seal on the letter, so that he could read it.
He had only come to learn recently from Chloee that Elliot had the power of Clairvoyance after they returned from the Tower of Babylon.
With that said, the Familiar might have already foreseen his death, and might have written the letter as a last will to tell William the things that he wanted to pass to him after his death.