As the Tears and Flesh Combined (1)

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[PRESENT]

"You have done your part and, as I promise, I'll help you to get the item you desperately needed."

All the incidents that happened a few days ago were nothing but an elaborate scheme to push down the Marchioness from her high standing within the noble society.

That wench woman who loves to flaunt her high status within the noble society just because she is the Madam and the only legal Marchioness of the Chevalier household, she always looks down on others and would sometimes take petty revenge if there were things she didn't like, or something upsets her.

'Well, serves her right. This is what you called karma.'

Unlike what he did in the previous timeline where he commissioned an order to assassinate the Marchioness, in this current timeline, Eclipse let that wench woman live but with a stain on her reputation for the rest of her life.

Surely, for others, it's just another gossip to talk about within the inner circle and he knows this event would fade away in no time, but the reputation of the Marchioness for preying on her stepson would eventually imprint in the minds of the public. Both nobles and commoners alike.

After all, public opinion is the most poisonous weapon to ruin someone else's life.

Even back in one of the worldlines that Eclipse world-hopped into, especially the modern world, people used a term called "social media" which was far scarier and crueler because just one click could destroy a person's reputation in an instant.

Not only that, but it can also twist the facts and lies with just one sentence and let the people make their own theories.

'One of the worldlines that I wasn't fond of, but find it entertaining at the same time.'

Now, the matters about the Marchioness already settled then, since his so-called older half-siblings are quite busy because of this recent issue and the Marquis hasn't done anything yet aside from issuing an order to house arrest the Marchioness for the time being.

'For the Marquis to just keep quiet for now, and sometimes I couldn't understand what that so-called father of mine was thinking about.'

Eclipse could think of other possibilities, but that doesn't mean that he would be reckless just because the Marquis wasn't doing anything.

'For all I can remember about that father of mine was… He might be called the Iron-Blooded Swordsmaster, but he knew how to play politics as well. Just because the Chevaliers are Knight Warriors doesn't mean that they were clueless about political and social intrigues.'

After all, the Chevaliers were one of the pioneers' households when the establishment of the Stellarus Empire occurred.

"You won't back down on your words, right?"

Eclipse snapped from his thoughts and smirked; "Of course, a promise is a promise, after all."

'I am just repaying a debt from my previous timeline as I don't want to feel indebted to her anymore.'

Although she doesn't have any idea about it and most probably doesn't remember doing it, but for Eclipse, as someone who remembers, just wanted to lift some burdens that he carries.

He doesn't want this to affect him for the rest of his life since, as of this moment, he will stay in this worldline for the time being and doesn't know how long he will stay here.

Eclipse once more snapped from his thoughts and asked her; "Before anything else, there is something that I am quite curious about it."

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.........…..

'Did I make the right choice?'

Ever since she accepted this mission and already infiltrated one of the most influential households within the Stellarus Empire, Rheina didn't have doubts about whether this mission would be a success or not because she believed in her own skills and power that she would be successful and makes no mistakes.

Before she infiltrates this household, of course, she has conducted an investigation, and most likely knows well-known information about the household of war heroes, the Chevaliers, within the inner circle of the noble society.

They were practically a Grand Duke household masquerading as a Marquis household, belonging to the neutral faction ever since the establishment of the Stellarus Empire, one of the pioneer households, and so on and so forth.

Among them, the most well-known is the third young master of the Chevalier household, a half-blood noble child who couldn't manifest the Chevalier's proud Knight Warrior bloodline and was deemed as nothing but a disgrace to the Chevalier's family name.

Rheina already had the information about the third young master and it was how the rumors about him being a bad-tempered and having an ill-mannered personality that most people would likely avoid confronting the said young master.

However, for some unknown reason, something had changed.

The third young master suddenly had a change of attitude these past few weeks and it became visible after that dining incident where Rheina purposely tried to provoke the said child and try to gouge something on him, but it backfired because of what he did.

As if the third young master suddenly gained a revelation or something, but that was entirely impossible since he was a child without bloodline powers and a disgrace.

Rheina also didn't feel any power surge within him. But as an experienced assassin, something tells her that she shouldn't ignore her instincts because most of the time, they were accurate.

And she was right.

« ….. "How does it feel to have the power, which is not particularly yours from the beginning, then?" ….. »

How come he knew about that?

Rheina couldn't think of any reason for this child to know her well-guarded secret since no one had ever known, even the members of the Arcanum De Fleur, not even the Elders of her household, knew about this power that she acquired.

However, something tells her that the third young master is intentionally behaving differently suddenly.

Who would have thought that this seemingly weak and bad-tempered child who everyone looked down upon was in fact a wolf in sheep's clothing?

The most dangerous people are the ones who endure all the hardships and sufferings silently.

That's why Rheina had no choice but to comply with the young master's wishes, or rather, commands, per se.

By assisting him on how to deal with the Marchioness and then in return, the young master will help her how to steal the item that is being protected by the Chevalier household.

The question is… how a child like him can help her, who was a young master for appearances' sake and wasn't able to manifest his family's bloodline power? A half-blood noble with no support from the people around him because of his commoner blood flowing through his veins?

"Are you aware that the item you're looking for is not what you think it is?"

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