The relationship with Lirae was one such loss. There was nothing Damon could do about it now. There was no way he could have a formal engagement or anything like that and procure any benefits from it. Maybe he could have never gotten this far.

His identity as a vampire would have been revealed eventually. Surely, his amulet wouldn't hold up in a court of powerful C rank experts. Lirae might be accepting when it came to him being a vampire but the kingdom wouldn't remotely do anything of that sort.

There could never be a vampire or a dark mage marrying into a light faction royal family.

Damon had some plans to procure a high-tier disguise trinket or scroll from the Crimson Mountains. He could still do that but time was of the essence here. Even if he disguised, there was still the matter of reputation points. There was also politics in play here.

The chance of him stopping this engagement or wedding ceremony was extremely slim. But even so, he was not going to give up on Lirae so easily. She was a good woman and she was clearly not okay with this new arrangement.

More importantly, she was the key to entering the elven lands.

Damon's mind raced. He did not know when what ceremony was but judging from everything happening around him, it was going to happen fast. He needed to act soon, probably today and right now if he was going to catch these people unguarded.

He also needed to know Lirae's opinion of the whole thing. Everything would depend on her mindset. If she had changed since the last time they met, then there was no point in doing anything further.

Damon silently activated Stealth and moved through the shadows. Thanks to the battle, his basic skills had leveled up quite a bit and his stealth was now at level 8.

If he was not wrong, the max level should be 10 and he was inching very close to it. Unless some high-level C rank directly monitors him, he should be able to get into Lirae's quarters without much effort.

With practiced ease, Damon sank into the shadows.

As he moved, he passed a few guards deep in conversation. None of them noticed the figure slipping behind the pillar just before they turned the corner. With the palace in full preparation mode, the noise and chaos gave him the perfect cover.

All Damon needed was a direction, and he got it when he caught a glimpse of a maid exiting a heavily guarded wing. Her hands were shaking slightly, her eyes red as if she had just cried. The moment she turned to walk away, Damon flowed forward, slipping past the guards just as they changed shifts.

He didn't rush. Timing was critical. Overeagerness led to mistakes, and he couldn't afford one here. After a few turns, he found the ornate door guarded by a single elite knight in shining armor, Lirae's personal protector.

Damon could immediately tell from a glance. The woman was a peak C rank powerhouse. His stealth probably wouldn't work here. Standing hidden in a shadowed corner, he waited for a while and his chance soon arrived.

The female knight walked away with a couple of royal guards. Damon instantly slipped into the hallway. There were many chambers in the quarters but it was easy to figure out which one Lirae stayed in. Hers was naturally the heavily guarded one.

Luckily the guards were not strong so Damon could easily slip in through the shadows and enter the closed chamber. The room was dim. Soft, filtered light spilled in through silken drapes. The air carried a faint floral scent.

The chamber was spacious, but it was the figure curled on the edge of the window bench that drew his attention. Lirae.

She sat with her knees drawn up, staring blankly out into the garden beyond. Her silver-blonde hair spilled loosely over her shoulders, and though her clothes were regal, her expression was anything but composed. Her eyes were red.

Damon didn't move for a moment. He just watched. Then he quietly stepped forward and spoke, "You look like hell, princess."

Lirae froze. For a heartbeat, there was only silence and then she spun around. Her mana flared for an instant, defensive and sharp, but it faltered the moment her gaze landed on him. Her lips parted in disbelief. "Blood God?"

He didn't smile. "In the flesh."

A tremble ran through her hands, and she took one shaky step toward him before catching herself. "You shouldn't be here. You… you'll be executed if they find you."

"I figured I'd risk it," Damon said softly. "You're worth a bit of danger."

Tears welled in her eyes again, angrier this time. "You idiot. Why did you come here so late? Why didn't you come and see me sooner? Didn't I ask you to come find me so many times?"

Then she lunged forward and threw her arms around him. Damon caught her without hesitation, his arms wrapping tightly around her trembling form. "I am sorry. This is all because of me. I caused the war. If it was not for me, then your father wouldn't have forced you into this situation."

Lirae paused and looked up. "You did all of this? It was you? I… you are Niera City's blood lord?"

Damon nodded. "I thought you already knew." He did not want to hide it from her. She was a high-level NPC and she was bound to discover it sooner or later. Any lie would only make the situation worse.

Lirae stared at him, stunned into silence. Her lips parted slightly, her gaze locked on his crimson eyes, as if seeing them, seeing him for the first time. "I didn't want to believe it," she whispered.

"I kept hearing stories… rumors. That the Blood God had crushed the war and taken over many cities as a Dark Faction base. That he had turned the tide of war single-handedly. That he had started vying for more power. It was all you?"

***

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