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When the day finally came that her benefactor revealed his true identity to her, the shock alone nearly destroyed her then and there.

Because it had occurred in two separate steps.

The first time he revealed himself to her, she had thought that everything was becoming clear, that this man was someone who truly loved her and cared for her--and most importantly of all, someone who was worthy of her. Obviously, she could never settle for a puppy like Ismael. No. This man, this “Bas” as he called himself at the time, was the real love of her life. And together, they would conquer the world.

Why had she been so lucky? Why had he chosen her out of all the other girls in the world? Well, because she was just that great, of course. What need was there to even humor any other notion?

Oh, how he was able to inflate her ego. To make her think she was deserving of so much more than she really was. To make her think that she, a girl whom he had raised up from nothing, was somehow above all these lords and ladies of Sair.

Looking back on it now, on how foolish she had been, she almost wanted to laugh. She must have been insane. That seemed the only explanation to her now.

But the charm of that man... of all people, how could he have wielded such charm? She had prided herself on seeing through people, manipulating them to her will. So why hadn’t she been able to see through his lies? Just because she hadn’t known his true name at the time? Had she really been that blind?

Perhaps if she had joined the Vanguard sooner, she might have seen his face before on a wanted poster. Or heard a description of him, maybe. Something.

No doubt, that was why he had instructed her to keep putting off joining. And that must’ve also been why he decided to reveal himself as “Bas” when he did. He would have been unable to do so if he had waited much longer.

It was just so absurd. How could she have ever fallen in love with someone like the Mad Demon?