Luo De immediately withdrew his Dragon Slayer aura.
The Earl of the Red Griffin nodded in satisfaction.
He raised his glass and said loudly, "Letâs toast to Avril and Baron Rod!"
"To the future of the Red Griffin Clan!"
"Cheers!"
The loud voices echoed in the hall.
The red wine shimmered enticingly under the candlelight, and the banquet officially began amidst the clinking of glasses.
...
...
The night breeze gently caressed the balcony of the Red Griffin Castle.
The banquet inside continued, but the frequent socializing left Luo De and Vivian physically and mentally exhausted.
The two quietly slipped out to the balcony, standing shoulder to shoulder by the stone railing, looking out over Griffin City in the night.
The moonlight draped over Vivianâs long dress, making her look like a night elf.
Strands of her golden hair lightly fluttered in the wind, adding a touch of softness to her.
"You performed remarkably tonight."
Luo De admired the night view and said softly,
"If I didnât already know the truth, I might have really mistaken you for Avril."
Vivian reached up to smooth out her wind-tossed hair.
Her movements were elegant and natural, completely devoid of any sign of deliberate imitation.
"The smile, the gestures, even the tone of speech are exactly like Avril."
Luo De turned to look at Vivian, "How does it feel to be the center of everyoneâs attention?"
Vivian sighed softly.
"Not very good, itâs exhausting."
Vivianâs shoulders slumped a little, and she couldnât help but pout,
"I really pity my sister now, having to deal with all these people, and sometimes even being targeted. Itâs such a waste of time."
Vivian turned around and leaned against the railing, watching the varied expressions of the people bustling back and forth in the banquet hall.
"With all that time, I might as well get some extra sleep."
Her words carried a hint of childish complaint.
"I thought you might enjoy this sort of thing."
Luo De raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.
"After all, everyone is revolving around you, treating you with utmost respect."
"I donât like it."
Vivian shook her head, an expression of disdain crossing her face.
"Itâs not comfortable at all, doing so many things I dislike."
"Whatâs the point of fake flattery and intentional compliments?"
A flash of disdain crossed Vivianâs eyes.
"Theyâre good to my sister only because of her status."
"And theyâre nice to me because they think Iâm her."
"What joy is there in respect thatâs based on misunderstanding?"
Luo De listened quietly to Vivianâs words.
He suddenly realized that this doppelganger of Avril was more complex than he had imagined, and her way of seeing things was more straightforward than Avrilâs.
"Plus, I hate talking to people I donât like. If I didnât have to play my sister, I wouldnât have spoken so much nonsense with Olivier."
Vivian scrunched up her nose, her face showing undisguised distaste,
"Just the way he tries to please you is annoying. If he were a woman, Iâd think he would climb into your bed tonight."
Luo De laughed and waved his hand, interrupting Vivian, "Donât say that, itâs unimaginable."
Vivian couldnât help but laugh, linking her arm with Luo Deâs,
"But that strong Brando is straightforward, directly offering us forty sets of chain armor."
"Though itâs not exactly a precious thing."
Vivian took a deep breath,
"By comparison, Iâd rather be in the desert, with nothing to worry about."
"No need to hide, no need to say things against my will. When bored, I can chase rabbits in the desert."
Her eyes showed longing, "Thatâs real life."
Luo De nodded in understanding.
"But itâs to protect the life we want that we have to do these things we dislike."
"For instance, the Slave Lord is valuable to us this time, as he knows merchants who sell war horses."
Luo De smiled and asked, "Enough of this, howâs your Shadow Blade practice coming along?"
"I canât quite do it as easily as Aunt yet, but,"
Vivian pulled Luo De to the corner of the balcony and extended her hand into the darkness.
Luo De sensed a wave of energy in front of him, a barely noticeable black mist gathering before Vivian.
The balcony was dimly lit, and with careful observation, one could see the black mist slowly forming into a short blade.
Then Vivianâs arm moved slightly forward, and the short blade shot out instantly, hitting the rockery in the courtyard accurately.
Luo De couldnât see the exact damage to the rockery, so he asked, "Regular armor canât stop it, right?"
"Of course not."
Vivian said proudly, "Itâs entirely formed of energy; even two layers of plate armor stacked together canât stop it."
"Though I wonder if our plate armor can take it."
"Unlikely."
Luo De shook his head slightly.
The enchantment on the items was merely for sword protection, not magic resistance.
Luo De thought that only a gold-ranked enchantment might grant ordinary materials magic resistance.
"The power is impressive, though the condensation speed is too slow."
Luo De patted Vivian on the back, "Youâll have to practice more with your aunt."
Vivian nodded and said, "By the way, I find Aunt Jenny a bit strange."
"Strange how?"
"Sometimes she calls my mother her sister, then other times she says sheâs the younger one, itâs so confusing."
Vivian pouted, "If she didnât look exactly like my mother, Iâd think she was an impostor."
"Maybe sheâs just confused?"
Luo De said with a laugh, "You should ask your father sometime,
maybe your aunt was originally the younger one, but always wanted to be the older. After all, twins look exactly the same, and their birth times are very close..."