Vance stood off to the side, chest lifted, chin raised despite the swelling on his face.
Watching Sevette release her mana filled him with a fierce pride that drowned out the lingering pain.
This was his fiancée.
This was the woman everyone whispered about in the capital.
Even among nobles, even among geniuses, she surely stood at the top. Peak twelfth stage of the Blood Infusion realm. At her age, at her background, this was nothing short of brilliance.
He clenched his fists, eyes shining.
Of course she's like this, he thought. Of course she's strong. Father always said she was born from a Marquis Vampire mother that's why he chose her as his fiance. Anyone who dares challenge her is just asking to be humiliated.
He glanced toward Cornelia with thinly veiled contempt. A Moonshade daughter, but only a weak Baron's blood. How could she possibly compare?
Yet even as pride surged through him, something felt wrong.
Sevette did not look back at him.
Not even once.
