Chapter 166: Phoenix Lady

Rayan was taken aback for a moment, then he realized that the woman had mistaken him for a servant.

That was fine. Since this wasn't Duncan's residence, he had no reason to stay. He quietly retreated, preparing to leave when the woman called out, "Stop there. Since you're here, help me fan for a while. I never thought it would still be so hot in autumn. I really should spend some time in Maple Snow Kingdom, heh, but if I leave here, it would surely cause chaos..."

The woman spoke with great authority, and while she spoke, she remained lazily lethargic, not turning around.

Rayan stood still, his handsome face gathering a few sharp wrinkles, unsure of what to do. He didn't know the woman's identity, but if he didn't play along and she turned to see him, a scream could alert Duncan.

After a few seconds of consideration, he decided to appease the woman by acting like a servant. He slowly walked behind her, took a silk fan from the table, and began fanning her.

The woman carried a fragrance, not naturally occurring but like a mix of herbs and spices. With Rayan's knowledge of alchemy, he couldn't discern the ingredients, which must have been crafted by a higher-level alchemist. This showed her immense value. Her saying that "her leaving would cause chaos" might not be an exaggeration—

But who exactly was she?

The woman slightly closed her eyes, enjoying the gentle breeze from the fan.

From Rayan's angle, he could see her figure clearly. Her neck was long, her shoulders deep, her skin tight without a wrinkle, her figure was graceful, her breasts firm, with brown nipples standing tall, visible through the light fabric.

Rayan took the opportunity to closely observe her profile, guessing she looked only around eighteen or nineteen, not much older than Lady Spring Rain. He speculated this woman could be Marquis Hart's sister or maybe his wife—but how could such a charming wife of a marquis live in such a modest place?

However, the woman's identity was not the most important issue now. Rayan's primary task was still to find Duncan, whom he believed was somewhere in this garden.

While fanning the woman, he kept track of her breathing rhythm. After a few more minutes, the woman had not spoken again. Rayan guessed she might have fallen asleep, so he gently placed the fan down and tiptoed out.

"Why did you stop?"

The woman's languid voice carried a hint of authority that even the Firebird patriarch Marquis Hart might find hard to match—a disturbing suspicion tightened Rayan's heart. He immediately gripped the Crow Sword, ready to subdue the woman.

"Why don't you answer my question?"

The woman turned around, her eyes—phoenix eyes—opening.

Rayan instantly rushed to her, pushing her down on the lounge chair, his palm pressing her shoulder, his knee against her abdomen, the sword tip at her sculpted jade-like neck.

"If you scream, I'll slit your throat," Rayan said fiercely.

The woman just smiled faintly, her dimples appearing sweetly at the corners of her mouth, her eyes blinking composedly as if she had already seen through Rayan's intentions.

"The banquet hall is noisy, and this place is so secluded, if I called out, wouldn't I be seeking my own death? Better move your sword away. If you want to press down on me, then do so. After all, as a frail woman, I can't resist whatever you do to me."

Rayan was shocked, not only because the woman had realized he was no servant, but also because of her cunning and calmness in danger.

He involuntarily put down the sword; force was futile against a smart woman.

"Who exactly are you?"

"Who am I?"

The woman smiled sweetly, "I am the owner of this garden, a member of the Firebird family, I have been the most powerful man in this country's mistress for eighteen years and have borne him a strong and mighty son. People admire me, respect me, but behind my back, they call me shameless, they refer to me as the mother of the Second Prince, but never mention my real name is Kiana Firebird—of course, I also have a more well-known name: Phoenix Lady."

Phoenix… Lady…

Rayan's heart sank; he should have realized this clever woman was Phoenix Lady, but blinded by his own eyes, he couldn't believe that the over-thirty Phoenix Lady still had the youthful face of an eighteen or nineteen-year-old.

She was the Lion King's most beloved woman, the mother of the leader of the Young Lion Group, the Second Prince, but she wasn't the queen, and her name wasn't "Kiana Lionheart."

But that didn't stop her from being one of the most powerful women in the Stonerock Kingdom. She had elevated a relatively unknown family to one that all Stonerock nobility respected—the Firebird family now far surpassed the established Redwood family.

Though she had no queenly title, no one dared not treat her as such. Besides her beauty, which captivated the Lion King, most importantly, she had a son who resembled the Lion King. The future belonged to her, and so did time. She was more mature and charming now than when she first entered the Lion King's bed at fourteen, and after eighteen years, this allure showed no signs of fading.

She was like a rose at the peak of its bloom; just one step further, and the petals would ugly fall off, but that step was at least another ten years away, or even twenty, before her beauty would begin to wilt.

"People say I captivated the Lion King by spreading my legs—they are so superficial."

Phoenix Lady said with a smile to Rayan, "What truly captivated the Lion King was my mind. As for my body, it's merely a means. What do you think, Rayan Your Excellency?"

Rayan then realized he was still pressing down on Phoenix Lady. He quickly got off her, but didn't retreat far, keeping a sword's distance.

He clutched the Crow Sword, his last resort against this extremely clever woman.

"How did you know I'm not your servant? And how did you know my name?"

"Because… you have a scent."

Phoenix Lady lifted her body slightly, continuing to lean lazily on the lounge chair, her chest and long jade legs unintentionally exposed in front of Rayan. She spoke to Rayan as if he were an old friend: "Your scent is not the sour stench of a servant, nor the creamy perfume smell of other nobles, but a sharp masculine scent that awakens a woman."

Her words were direct, and Rayan, knowing how clever this woman was, could hardly believe anything she said, but he couldn't help feeling a stir inside. However, his face remained cold, not revealing any emotion.

Phoenix Lady smiled faintly at Rayan's indifference and continued: "When you walked into the room, I didn't immediately recognize you, but when you came up to fan me, I knew you weren't a servant of the Firebird family, not even a person from the Stonerock Kingdom."

"How so?"

"Because ordinary servants wouldn't dare come near me. I've been Lion King's mistress since I was fourteen, up until this year—thirty-one—"

She paused briefly, her expression slightly saddened, "No, not thirty-one, but thirty-two. Ah, this detestable birthday, my foolish nephew Hart Firebird, seems to always be worried that I'll forget my age, insisting on throwing these birthday parties for me, it really makes me furious—anyway, I've been Lion King's mistress for eighteen years, although it's not something glorious, but during these years, I belonged to Lion King alone, everyone treated me as a queen, and no man ever dared approach me like you did. As for your name, the gift you sent was most to my liking, I naturally took notice of your crest features."

Rayan, eager to find Duncan, didn't want to cause further complications, so he said to Phoenix Lady, "I didn't know you were Phoenix Lady. If I have offended you, please forgive me."

"Offended?"

Phoenix Lady Kiana burst out laughing, then suddenly, her expression changed, "You've seen my body, pressed on my chest, and had your knee between my legs—what do you think would happen if I complained to the Lion King?"

This was entirely slanderous; the reality wasn't that exaggerated, but arguing with such a clever woman was futile, the more you argued, the deeper you'd get entangled.

Rayan coldly said, "Whether I can keep my head isn't important, the real question is whether you're truly willing to gamble with your chastity. You should know, if I must die, it will be with a bang, claiming I did things with you that even the Lion King hasn't done."

Phoenix Lady's eyes flashed with surprise, then she chuckled, "I didn't realize you were such a rogue, and a serious one at that."

"Think what you will, I say what I mean, and I do what I say," Rayan said calmly.

Phoenix Lady lazily stretched her shapely waist, "Just kidding with you, Rayan Your Excellency. You're the man who could single-handedly kill an entire group of Fire Scorpions. If I really wanted you to lose your head, I wouldn't have called out to you when you put down the fan and walked away."