The Devious Aisha

177. The Devious Aisha

I remained distant from the situation, observing like an outsider.

Just as I had thought, this top H.A.R.M. General of Cascadia—an expert merely one step away from becoming a Ward of Nature, who had served the people with distinction—could not be compelled to do anything, even here in the capital.

However, Boris Prince showed no interest in engaging with her.

He quickly turned to me and said nervously, "General Kane, I had asked General Patani to invite you to the banquet earlier, but you might have forgotten, so I came here myself..."

As Boris spoke anxiously, suspicion flickered across Aisha Patani's eyes. The willowy young man had shot her an unkind look while speaking those words.

I looked up at Boris Prince and noticed a faint hint of expectation on his dolled-up face.

After a brief silence, realization dawned on me, my eyes widening in epiphany.

"What's happening here?" Arnold Stark, a martial artist of the Crystal Realm who had witnessed countless situations, found himself growing more bewildered by the moment.

He suddenly realized he had been worrying about the wrong person all along.

I silently observed Aisha Patani—she was indeed beautiful, and the lehenga choli she wore further enhanced her natural elegance.

I wanted to suggest that young Mr. Prince have his eyes examined, as his aesthetic sense seemed rather questionable.

… …

In truth, Aisha Patani had never encountered such disregard before.

Her pretty face, which had shown no emotion even when ambushed by the Ascendant Vampire King, now bore an almost imperceptible smile of amusement.

If she recalled correctly, when John departed from the Prince's Mansion yesterday, he hadn't even glanced in her direction.

Now the situation had reversed—he was trying to solicit her help in rejecting young Mr. Prince.

Only when my eyes showed obvious pleading did Aisha turn back and say, "General Kane will return to Cascadia with me. Please forgive us, Mr. Prince."

Before she could finish speaking, Boris Prince turned to face her again.

His expression turned cold as he sneered, "So this is why you agreed to pass on my invitation to General Kane—you deliberately concealed it and kept him here to drink with you instead?"

The effeminate young man clicked his tongue and said with exaggerated feeling, "General Patani appears so pure and innocent, but who knew she could be so devious? What an eye-opener!"

With a smirk and a dismissive wave of his hand, he turned to leave.

He paused after one step and turned to me with a melancholy look. "General Kane, my mother is furious. I snuck out early to warn you—you should avoid her and stay uninvolved."

With those parting words, he turned and left.

After Boris Prince's hasty departure from the yard, Arnold observed Aisha thoughtfully. He recalled several telling details: how she had requested John's black saber as a memento the previous day, how she had likely known General Kane would decline any banquets yet informed them anyway to send him away, and how she had dressed herself so beautifully...

All these clues suddenly fell into place, and his long-held admiration towards General Patani began to crumble!

"Keep smiling," I said, raising my eyebrows and giving Aisha a knowing look. You're enjoying this little spectacle, aren't you?

Aisha had seen countless people fighting over love, but this was the first time she had become involved in such a situation.

As a martial arts expert on the verge of becoming a Ward of Nature, it was naturally impossible for her to take the trivial matter of offending a powerful family of the capital seriously.

She found the experience rather amusing and sighed, "I don't harbor any of the intentions he suggested."

Still stubborn and in denial! Arnold gritted his teeth. As Aisha Patani's most devoted follower, he had already seen through her true feelings.

As a H.A.R.M. general, she had chosen to stay in a Vampire Hunter's lodging. She was renowned in Cascadia for never wasting a moment, yet she spent hours explaining the advanced technique to Kane. Most revealing of all, she deliberately sent Arnold away to have Kane all to herself!

Fortunately, General Kane remains aloof, completely indifferent to romantic entanglements. Arnold felt secretly relieved.

"General Kane, should we go somewhere else to avoid Mrs. Prince?" Arnold asked in a muffled voice, his palms clenched. "And General Patani too."

While offending Boris Prince wasn't serious, angering Mrs. Prince was far more dangerous, even more dangerous than provoking Mr. Prince himself.

"Where do you want to go?" A gentle laugh echoed from outside the backyard. Accompanied by two guards in white shirts, Mrs. Prince—graceful and elegant—strolled unhurriedly into the yard.

"Mrs. Prince, my sincere apologies," Aisha said, walking forward to greet them.

"No need for formalities." Mrs. Prince waved her hand gracefully, her smile widening. "General Patani has important matters to attend to, yet you still took the time to send someone with a message to the mansion. I understand Cascadia faces danger, and I won't take it to heart."

"Thank you for your understanding, Madame," Aisha Patani said. She didn't care about the hidden implications in Mrs. Prince's words.

Mrs. Prince shook her head. "I won't disturb you any longer. I came only to ask you to deliver a message to Admiral Montgomery."

Her smile vanished as she spoke with pointed meaning: "When the Vampire King severs his spirit, I hope he remembers that he has his own disciple to thank for it."

Having delivered her message, Mrs. Prince turned and departed without a looking back.

As he watched her retreating figure, Arnold's eye twitched and anger welled up in his heart.

He inhaled sharply and turned to look, only to find Aisha Patani had already returned to her seat at the table. Neither she nor General Kane appeared troubled by the thinly veiled threat.

After a moment of silence, Arnold composed himself and adopted a calm demeanor.

… …

The next day at noon in the Vampire Hunters Registration Office, Arnold Stark inspected a collection of weapons, equipments, elixirs, and martial arts manuals. After confirming everything was accounted for, he stored them all in the silver bell.

"By the way, where is General Kane's weapon?" he asked, looking confused.

"It will be delivered to your lodging, just wait," the woman said, glancing at him.

Arnold frowned, but didn't ask any more questions.

He left the Vampire Hunters Registration Office and headed back to his accommodations.

I was ready to return to Cascadia, but Arnold held up his hands and said, "They asked us to wait."

"Don't worry, the Martial Abbey never withholds rewards from Vampire Hunters and H.A.R.M.," Aisha said, though she herself felt puzzled.

Middle-grade treasured weapons were extremely precious in Cascadia, yet the Martial Abbey had an ample supply. Even considering John's specific requirements, finding a suitable weapon should not have taken three days.

Fortunately, we didn't have to wait long. Shortly after, an elderly figure appeared at the house door.

He was dressed in a black robe and slowly walked into the hallway.

Though he appeared frail enough to be blown over by a gust of wind, Arnold Stark's entire body tensed up.

Aisha's eyes widened in surprise. "Reverend Thompson?"

The visitor was one of the four elders who had overseen the Martial Abbey Cleansing yesterday.

He ignored Arnold Stark, gave a slight nod to Aisha Patani, then settled onto a chair beside the dinning room table, and addressed the young man in black armor: "Are you going back to Cascadia?"

Though I didn't know his exact identity, the reactions of the other two made his importance clear. I nodded and said, "Yes."

The old man's next words drained all color from Arnold's face.

"Can you stay here?"