The carriage ca to a stop, and a person stepped down. Those who saw him instantly recognized who he was: Grand Duke Rivas, the most influential figure in the northwestern region of the Doria Empire. He was on his way to the imperial family after receiving information from Emperor Durand that he had concluded his business with Irene. However, he halted his journey when he sensed a familiar presence—Eleine’s presence—coming from Aldrian’s group.
Another carriage behind his own ca to a stop, and two people stepped down from it.
"Is there a problem, my friend?" one of them asked.
"I think I sense an acquaintance. I’m going to et her," Grand Duke Rivas replied before quickly approaching Aldrian’s group. His attire and reputation imdiately drew the attention of those nearby, including Aldrian’s group.
Eleine, sensing soone approaching them, turned toward the source of the commotion and widened her eyes. Seeing Grand Duke Rivas drawing closer made her heart nearly leap out of her chest.
"Why is the Grand Duke here?!" she thought, panic setting in. She wanted to hide, but it was impossible now that he was so close.
Aldrian also watched as Grand Duke Rivas approached.
"Oh, Grand Duke Rivas. To think we’d et in this place," he thought. He then stepped forward, positioning himself in front of Eleine to shield her.
"Relax, Eleine. You don’t have to say anything. Let handle this," Aldrian said through a voice transmission, reassuring her.
Hearing Aldrian’s reassurance, Eleine felt a sense of security and tried to steady herself. However, she still used Aldrian’s body to shield her face from the approaching Grand Duke Rivas.
When Grand Duke Rivas was about ten ters away from Aldrian, he stopped and narrowed his eyes at Aldrian. His gaze briefly shifted to Eleine, standing behind Aldrian. He was certain it was her—the sa Eleine he had seen in Ilyon Town, accompanied by Xin Haotian at the ti.
His attention then returned to Aldrian, a handso young man with black hair and blue eyes that felt strangely familiar to him.
He couldn’t sense any cultivation from Aldrian, yet he was certain this young man was the person he had been searching for—the one who had piqued his daughter’s interest.
"Are you the one nad Aldrian?" Grand Duke Rivas asked.
"What if I am?" Aldrian replied, his tone calm and composed.
Grand Duke Rivas narrowed his eyes at Aldrian’s response. There was no fear or nervousness in his voice, only unwavering confidence. It was impossible that Aldrian didn’t recognize his status and authority, given his attire and deanor.
Before the Grand Duke could speak again, a voice suddenly resounded from behind him.
"How dare you respond to Grand Duke Rivas in such a nonchalant tone?! He asked politely, yet you answered as if it ant nothing!"
Aldrian turned toward the source of the voice and saw a handso blonde-haired man whose face was twisted in anger, glaring at him as though he had committed an unforgivable act.
"Who is this clown? Dalwin Loraz? Ah, the young master of the Loraz family," Aldrian thought after having read Dalwin’s information using his Eyes of the Heaven.
Seeing Aldrian’s nonchalant gaze fixed on him, Dalwin felt deeply humiliated. He wanted to continue shouting, but Grand Duke Rivas raised his hand, signaling him to stop. Reluctantly, Dalwin complied, snorting as he glared at Aldrian.
"You’re lucky that Grand Duke Rivas is magnanimous. Otherwise, I’d punish you in his stead," Dalwin said, his tone dripping with disdain.
Aldrian, however, paid him no mind. Instead, his attention shifted to another figure following closely behind Grand Duke Rivas. This man seed close to the Grand Duke, and Aldrian instantly understood why after reading his information.
"Dian Loraz, ah, he is Duke Loraz," Aldrian thought, recalling information from the Thunderous Shadow Pavilion. The Loraz family was one of the families that supported the Rivas family. Grand Duke Rivas and Duke Loraz had a strong relationship due to their past, which made the two families close—sothing Aldrian didn’t find surprising.
"Do you know this person, Giovan?" Duke Loraz asked.
The Grand Duke was silent for a mont before he responded.
"He is the one I ntioned to you—the one who saved Irene, the one who redirected the flow of the war in the Rivas Grand Duchy. Aldrian."
Aldrian’s answer confird his guess that this young man was indeed the one he had been searching for. However, reality didn’t match his expectations. Although the man was handso, he was far too young! He appeared much younger than Irene and was still in his teens.
But Grand Duke Rivas did not underestimate Aldrian because of his youthful appearance. The stories from nurous witnesses had already made him sothing of a legend to the people of Ilyon and Falanis. Even his soldiers and knights regarded him as a hero. The Grand Duke did not want to take any wrong steps when it ca to this young man.
Duke Loraz and Dalwin widened their eyes and looked at Aldrian again. This was the man who had saved Irene from the Lust Devil? The hero who had saved many lives during the war and liberated the northern territories of the Rivas Grand Duchy? The one who had brought down Sazim Fortress?
A cold sweat trickled down Dalwin’s forehead as he realized he had just shouted at this young man. His mind went blank for a mont—this man was far too young to have accomplished all that! He had imagined that the person responsible for such feats would be an older man with high cultivation. But in front of him stood a teenager, and Dalwin couldn’t sense any cultivation from him.
"How is that possible? This young man, still in his teens, is the one who did all of that?!" Dalwin thought.
Aldrian maintained a calm expression as he looked at them, but he was genuinely impressed by the Grand Duke’s temperant. He had answered rather rudely, yet the Grand Duke remained calm, assessing him without judgnt. Aldrian inwardly nodded, acknowledging his grandfather’s character. Deciding to be more polite, after all, this man was his grandfather, and he would have to face him in the future openly.
"It’s truly an honor for the esteed Grand Duke Rivas to know . What business does your Excellency have with to stop here? There are already many bystanders looking our way because of it."
Grand Duke Rivas, aware of the attention they had attracted, responded to Aldrian.
"I wish to speak with you. Can you follow for a mont? There’s a quiet place nearby where we can talk."
Aldrian did not respond imdiately. Instead, he glanced back at Eleine and the others.
"It looks like we’ll have to postpone our departure for a while," he said before looking back at Grand Duke Rivas and nodding.
Grand Duke Rivas then turned and walked in the opposite direction, leaving his carriages behind. They headed toward one of the finest restaurants in the city, which was quite close by, so they didn’t need to use the carriage.
Upon entering the restaurant, they reserved three private rooms—one for Eleine and the others, one for Aldrian and Grand Duke Rivas, and the last for Duke Loraz.
Inside the private room for Aldrian and Grand Duke Rivas, the atmosphere was quite awkward. A feast lay in front of them, yet neither had touched it. The Grand Duke frowned at Aldrian, but Aldrian remained calm, showing no concern for the presence of such a high-ranking noble as he casually sipped his tea.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, Grand Duke Rivas finally decided to break the tension.
"Aldrian, where are you from?"
"I’m just a vagabond cultivator, so I don’t have a fixed place. I really can’t answer that question."
Grand Duke Rivas fell silent for a mont, assessing whether Aldrian’s words were true. However, Aldrian gave no reaction, leaving him uncertain about the truth of his answer.
"Do you know that soone from my family is in your group?" Grand Duke Rivas asked again.
"Yes, I know."
"How co she’s with you? Did you et her by coincidence?"
"I t her inside the Everlasting Silent Forest, and we got out together. We’ve been moving together ever since."
Grand Duke Rivas nodded. There was nothing wrong with Aldrian’s answer, and it made sense. Irene had ntioned that she was separated from Eleine when she was trapped inside that forbidden zone. Perhaps Aldrian had t Eleine while they were both trapped there. Although it made sense, Grand Duke Rivas still found it strange that Eleine was following this young man instead of returning to the Rivas family.
He set that aside for now and asked his next question, his face turning solemn.
"Do you know my daughter—no, the correct question is, are you acquainted with my daughter, Irene Rivas?"
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