Was her information wrong? Shed thought Safiros brainwashed underlings were blindly loyal to him. Yet the boy in front of her obviously hated Safiro.

Im kind of a failure. He noticed her confusion, and explained.

I resisted Safiros torture so well that I was on the verge of dying. I was deemed unsuitable to become his dog. His voice was calm.

But then one of his right-hand men died and he had no one to replace him.

Apollonia nodded slowly. Of course, the boys explanation wasnt the whole story. It was likely that the reason for Safiros exception to raise him as his dog was probably because of this boys ridiculous talent.

The one whod broken the barrier with only two attempts.

Neither she nor Sid had ever heard of such a person. Neither the late emperor or her father could rival his genius, and her father had no equal in martial arts throughout the entire content. Until now, at least.

Since the boy had accepted his masters death calmly, she moved on to another subject.

Who will you pledge your loyalty to if you have no master, and the one who you served is dead? Leifer? Her question was blunt. When the boy heard her question, he just raised the corner of his mouth. He acted like shed just asked a very naive question.

You know youll die if you return to Leifer, in the most excruciating way you can imagine. But I can offer you another option.

Apollonia didnt give him time to respond.

Since Safiro is dead, theres no one in the kingdom who knows your face. I can give you a new identity.

The boy sneered.

Your name and your past dont matter. From now on, live only for me. It was an overly simple demand, but there was no other way. There was no sense of loyalty between the two, and she wasnt hypocritical enough to blackmail him to concede to the request using his life and freedom as collateral.

She needed him. But if the boy refused her offer, she wouldnt hesitate to kill him.

The boy slowly rose from the bed. He strode towards Apollonia.

Si

Apollonia instinctively called for Sid, in response to his sudden move. But the boy stopped right in front of her. He stood there for a moment, looked down at her, and bowed his head towards Apollonias face.

What are you doing?

Apollonia tried to speak, but the boy smiled mockingly, and tilted his face to the side. He slowly stretched his right hand toward Apollonia and touched the transparent barrier between them. If there hadnt been a barrier between them, it was a position that would have been easily mistaken as though he were trying to kiss her.

It was too close. But Apollonia did not back down. She refused to show any weakness. When the two were close enough to hear each others breathing, he opened his mouth.

I guess I look beautiful in your eyes, too?

His calm remark was something Apollonia hadnt expected. It didnt suit the situation at all. Yet when she heard it, Apollonia had no choice but to look closely at his perfect features.

He was indeed beautiful. A mocking smile, rose-red lips, and eyes the color of the sea. But from the glint of scorn in his eyes, it was evident he was trying to provoke her.

Dont be so insolent.

Only

You asked me to be your man.

Thats not what I meant.

His mocking smile widened, and his hot breath blew into Apollonias eyes.

I wont be kind to those who dont take me seriously, she said, and pushed closer to the barrier between them. The boy looked taken aback, like he hadnt expected her to stand up to him.

You asked me to kill you, right? If thats really what you want, tell me now. After all, you have two options. You can either accept me as your master and continue living, or die here without ever seeing the daylight again. Of course, I dont expect you to formally pledge your loyalty to me, like you did with Safiro. Her voice was cold. The smile disappeared from the boys face, as if he hated the word master.

Youve got two things wrong, the boy spat through gritted teeth. He slowly lifted his left hand.

First, the delusion that you can kill me so easily. The instant the last word left his mouth, his arm began to glow a strange silver light. The barrier trembled violently as he slid his hand through it. A gap slashed across the barrier.

Crack!