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The sleeping beauty was originally breathing stably, but Vaan\'s sudden presence caused a brief pause.

Astoria was a light sleeper; the slightest disturbance or sense of danger would immediately wake her up normally. But perhaps because she felt Vaan\'s familiar presence or the sense of security that came with him, she was only half-awakened.

Unbeknownst to Astoria, a different form of danger was creeping closer to her.

Vaan silently undressed, slipped into her bed, and slowly embraced her from behind. Astoria was only fully jolted awake when he assaulted her twin peaks and caused a strong pleasurable stimulation to rush up to her head.

"Ahh—!" Astoria cried, eyes snapping wide open with alarm.

Fury quickly filled her heart, realizing someone had snuck into her bed to assault her. But when she found out it was Vaan, her anger deflated like drifting smoke.

"V-Vaan?! When did you return—Ahh…"

When Astoria\'s heart softened, and her body felt weak from Vaan\'s familiar warmth, touch, and sense, her voice became increasingly gentle and alluring.

In normal cases, Astoria would have the vigor of a mighty dragon and have the mood to battle Vaan in bed for several days straight under his blissful stimulations.

However, Vaan found her during one of her most vulnerable moments. Like Eniwse, Astoria had also been exhausted in body and mind from toiling without rest for the well-being of her empire. There was so much she wanted to achieve to steer the Holy Knight Empire on the right track.

When Vaan was around, Astoria worked hard. But when he wasn\'t around, she worked even harder!

"Vaan, please… not tonight. I\'m tired," Astoria pleaded with a look that would tickle men\'s hearts.

"You\'ve worked hard, my empress," Vaan softly chuckled, seemingly having no intention of following her wish, as he said, "As a reward, let this humble servant service you and nurse you back to health."

"You… Ahh~!"

…

Astoria\'s captivating cries escaped her bedchamber as her body helplessly entangled with Vaan\'s in a heated session of dual practice.

Dual practice could be physically strenuous, but it always had the nature of giving more benefits to the weaker party. Even if Astoria was exhausted in body and mind, a little more exertion was only needed for her to enjoy a much swifter recovery and beyond when her dual-practice partner was Vaan.

Even if she were devoid of strength during their dual-practice session, she would surely be up and running the next morning, full of spirit and vigor.

It wasn\'t farfetched to say that Vaan was pumping life back into her fatigued body!

Vaan originally planned to visit another one of his women and satisfy them with the remaining time until morning, but alas… Astoria, this woman, was a tenacious fighter, even when she was worn out from overworking.

They ended up dual-practicing until the sun rose on the horizon.

"I need to go back now."

"Mm."

Astoria didn\'t say anything to keep Vaan for longer when he expressed his intention to leave.

They were playful when they could be playful, but they were both serious people. They would not hold each other back when they had something that needed to be done.

After Vaan cleaned and dressed himself, he left through a spatial portal without hesitation.

Astoria also didn\'t stay in bed for too long.

After an hour of rest to condition her body with the residual mana gathered during their dual-practice session, Astoria was like a dying dragon that had been revitalized.

This was especially so when she got up, causing the bedsheet stained from their lovemaking to slide off her body and allow the light of the morning sun to kiss the surface of her skin, filling her with more energy and life.

Her eyes sparkled with crystal-clear clarity as her body brimmed with spirit and vigor.

It had been a restless night for her. Yet, Astoria recovered better than any amount of normal beauty sleep could have given her. The proof was clear from her glossy, clear skin, which glowed like the reflection of the moon in lake water – translucent with a touch of ethereal beauty.

"Mmm~! Time to get back to work," Astoria muttered with bright eyes after stretching.

…

Great Ratholos Empire, Imperial Capital

Vaan calmly stepped out of the spatial portal and found himself back inside the underground training chamber within the Evron family\'s estate.

\'Any changes in the Evron family during my absence, Fraegar?\' Vaan inquired.

\'Yes, Supreme Leader,\' Fraegar admitted before reporting, \'The Evron family found out about their empty treasury half an hour after you left, and the entire estate had been in a state of uproar since then.\'

\'The head of the family also wanted to ask you some questions but did not send anyone to summon you. Instead, he had been anxiously waiting for you to emerge from the training chamber,\' Fraegar added.

\'Oh?\' Vaan was a little surprised by Beru\'s attitude.

Even if the Evron family sided with a villainous character like Duke Gamliel, who had no scruples in ruining the western region\'s development and causing suffering to millions of people to suppress a rival, they still had some notable integrity.

It was clear that not everyone in Duke Gamliel\'s faction would be an irredeemable character like Duke Gamliel himself. Although most people in Duke Gamliel\'s faction likely pursued self-interest, some also joined for self-preservation.

Not everything was always clearly divided into good and evil, right and wrong. It could be wrong to join hands with evil, but it could never be wrong to protect one\'s family.

Perhaps the Evron family did have a choice but to side with Duke Gamliel\'s faction, and they weren\'t necessarily bad people. Vaan still needed time to observe them before he could make a conclusive judgment.

But for now, he currently didn\'t have a bad impression of them at the very least.

That said, Vaan wouldn\'t return their treasury even if the Evron family were good people. They stood on the opposing side due to the benefits, so they had to accept the losses that also came with it.

\'Let me see what the head of the Evron family has to say,\' Vaan smiled with fear as he looked forward to the meeting.