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Chapter 18: Adele’s Elopement

Time returned to noon.

Adele had already escaped from the House Hill convoy and walked alone through the royal city.

“South of the royal city, Villa No. 173 on Valley Breeze Street.”

She silently repeated the address that Brother Harlin had once given her.

Walking through the commoner district in her lavish attire, Adele naturally drew everyone’s gaze.

But people only glanced at her before avoiding her like the plague.

Because every so often, some young noblewomen or noblemen would sneak out to play.

It was fine if they weren’t injured.

But once any bumps or scrapes occurred, the unlucky ones were always the nearby commoners.

After searching for a long time, Adele finally found Harlin’s villa.

Looking at the slightly damaged wooden door, Adele knocked.

A familiar voice from inside the courtyard called out.

“Who is it?”

But she didn’t reply because she wanted to surprise Brother Harlin.

Having heard no answer for a long while, Harlin grew impatient.

“Who is it, damn it, speak up!”

After cursing a couple of times, he walked to the door and opened it.

When Harlin opened it and saw Adele standing outside, he froze in place.

His brain shut down instantly in that moment.

“A… A… Adele!?”

Adele was very pleased with Brother Harlin’s surprised expression.

“Brother Harlin, Adele has come to see you.”

Coming to his senses, Harlin hurriedly led Adele inside.

“Adele, how are you here!?”

A cold sweat broke out on Harlin’s brow.

Upon hearing his question, Adele also snapped out of it and anxiously said.

“Brother Harlin, I snuck out, I… let’s elope; you bring me out of the royal city and we’ll live together forever.”

Hearing the words “elope,” Harlin felt as if the sky was collapsing.

Indeed, his initial approach to Adele had been to become an in-law of House Hill and thereby align himself with nobility.

His talent was very strong.

After all, by mastering a low-level unknown breathing technique, he could already reach the Rank 1 Advanced Warrior stage at his age.

House Hill might not have rejected him.

And with House Hill’s resources and status, he could even compete with the Empire’s top prodigies in the future.

But when House Hill’s covert guards found him and warned him that Adele was already engaged to Rein, he abandoned his intentions toward her.

He then turned to seek other noble daughters.

After all, how could a commoner like him compare to Rein of the marquisate House Gray?

It was the lion of the Empire.

Now Adele showed up before him saying she wanted to elope with him.

He couldn’t bear to imagine how furious Rein, already infamous for his riotous violence, would be.

If he were caught, he could be subjected to cruel treatment, and death might even be a mercy.

Even House Gray and House Hill would not let him off.

Harlin gazed at Adele, who was lost in her own bright and splendid world, his eyes vacant.

Good Lord, you’re not trying to elope with me, Harlin; you’re trying to get me killed.

This completely contradicted his original purpose for approaching Adele.

He had only wanted to cling to nobility, not to provoke the nobles.

Now even if Harlin returned Adele, neither family would spare him.

Harlin narrowed his eyes; after all, death was inevitable either way.

Looking at Adele’s graceful figure, he figured he might as well sample the pleasures of nobility before dying.

But Harlin soon sighed.

During the past few months of interacting with Adele, he had long understood that she was protected by several different Aetheric Devices.

Forcing himself on her was simply impossible.

As for deception, that wouldn’t work either; after all, he had already tried to make the first move.

Then Charlie would have to accept him as a son-in-law to preserve his daughter’s chastity.

But Adele was very conservative in that regard, insisting that they had to wait until after the wedding.

This left him utterly at a loss.

And he still needed Adele’s cooperation now, or they would be found soon.

He took a cloak from one of his Aetheric Devices and handed it to Adele.

“Adele, put on this cloak quickly; it can mask your aura, or else your father will be able to find you using tracking magic in no time.”

Upon hearing the words “tracking magic,” Adele quickly nodded and draped the cloak over herself.

She then used her Battle Qi to make the cloak conceal her presence.

Seeing Adele put on the cloak, Harlin hurriedly led her out through the back door.

The two of them wove through the hidden alleyways.

His home was no longer safe, so if they didn’t want to be discovered immediately, they had to escape quickly.

Fortunately, cloaked figures were common in the commoner district, or else it would have been very difficult to get Adele away in such a crowded and cluttered area.

Before long, Harlin led Adele to a secret location known only to himself.

Beneath an unassuming courtyard near the city wall in the commoner district.

This was the place he had once used to evade his enemies.

From an Aetheric Device in the cave dug under the courtyard, Harlin pulled out a tattered scroll.

It was the extremely precious teleportation scroll he had obtained from the Ancient Relics Market.

This teleportation scroll could be used three times in total.

When he got it, it already had only two uses remaining.

And some time ago, he had used one charge by accident when he stumbled into a fiery monster’s territory.

Now the scroll had only one use left.

Although he could use the scroll right away to teleport out of the royal city and vanish nearby.

Even if the two families were powerful, they wouldn’t expend vast manpower and resources searching for him.

But Harlin felt extremely resentful.

Veins appeared in the whites of his eyes.

He had already planned out the direction of his future life, but it had been ruined in this way.

Now he would forever be barred from entering the royal city like a dog.

This made him furious and unwilling to accept it.

Could it be that commoners would never have their day?

Thinking so, Harlin decided to go all out.

After all, even if he failed, he had the teleportation scroll as a fallback.

“Brother Harlin, when are we leaving the royal city?”

Adele’s voice interrupted Harlin’s thoughts.

The vein on Harlin’s forehead twitched; leave the royal city? It was probably under lockdown by now.

Although he really wanted to curse, he forced a smile through his anger.

“We still have to wait a while, be good; once this time has passed, I’ll take you far away.”

Hearing Harlin’s empty promises, Adele happily nodded and said, “Mm-hmm.”

Now Harlin had to keep Adele steady.

In order not to reveal their location.

And for the sake of the insane plan that had just formed in his mind.

After settling Adele down, Harlin refined his plan in his mind.

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