With the door closed, the two were separated by what felt like a galaxy's distance.
It was Julius's first time alone with a girl in a room. He lowered his head slightly, his thin-skinned face showing a hint of blush.
Arabella looked at him coldly, thinking he was either genuinely naive or hiding a dark side.
If he was truly naive, she had no interest; if he was hiding something darker—
Her eyes, capable of seeing through everything, stared unblinkingly at Julius, who had his head lowered. She kept her gaze fixed on him until his entire face turned red, almost as if it were about to smoke, before finally looking away.
"Miss—?"
Arabella paced into the suite's study, her sharp gaze scanning the room, noticing complex books on science on the desk.
The room contained no unnecessary items, as clean and tidy as an empty room.
Seeing nothing suspicious at a glance, Arabella turned to leave.
Seeing her about to leave, Julius gallantly opened the door, glancing at the sky outside, and asked with concern, "Miss, have you had lunch?"
Arabella stopped, raising her brow with interest, "Are you going to treat me to a meal?"
"I wonder if I might have the honor of expressing my gratitude for your rescue?"
"Next time, perhaps."
Returning to her own room cluttered with scattered items, Arabella pulled out a black-market phone she'd bought by the roadside, which displayed a message: "Target acquired."
After erasing the information, Arabella dialed a call to Taras.
Taras had been worrying about not reaching Arabella, so when he heard her voice, he anxiously asked, "Master Unknown. Quentin is searching all over Island for Raven. Are you alright over there?"
Arabella replied in an innocent tone, "They're not after me. What could possibly happen to me? Once Quentin leaves the Island, you can take action."
Taras felt a chill on the other end. In such a short time, with just a handful of people, Arabella had managed to shake the Destiny.
It wasn't just skill; it was also the strategic cunning.
Not hearing a response, Arabella added, "What's wrong? Is it too difficult? Want me to take care of your boss first?"
Taras quickly forced a laugh and replied, "No need! If I can't handle this small matter, I don't deserve to work with you, Master Unknown."
"Good. Since you're the local, help me look into a man."
Taras felt his chest tighten with frustration. Good job, Arabella.
He was worried for her, Raven was being hunted down, and she still had the mood to chase after another man.
Who had climbed into her bed this quickly?
With a reluctant grunt, Taras asked, "What's his name? What does he look like?"
Arabella thought for a moment and said, "Julius, fairly young, about—"
Before Arabella could finish, Taras let out an odd exclamation, "Julius?"
Arabella paused, sensing that this name clearly carried some background.
"Isn't he that spirited-looking young guy who acts like a blockhead? Rarely says anything normal, like some old relic?"
This description perfectly captured Julius. It seemed she had casually saved a well-known fool.
"Who is he?"
"He's the youngest son of Governor Pujivang. He's famous across the four nations. Apparently, he's a bookworm—knows everything. Basically studied himself into a fool. I heard he's been arguing with his family recently about becoming a missionary. Wants to go to your war-torn region to spread love and peace."
Arabella listened in silence, concluding in her mind—he was just a clueless idealist.
After his long rant, a thought struck Taras.
Since when did Arabella's taste change so drastically? Was she interested in fools now?
"Master Unknown? You're not involved with that fool, are you?"
Arabella also found it hard to admit she'd saved a fool, so she dismissed the idea, "No."
After hanging up, Arabella no longer gave Julius a second thought. She didn't need to waste time on a fool.
Arabella changed into her swimsuit, intending to go surfing.
Surfing is an extreme sport, very thrilling.
Arabella loved excitement; she could find her emotional balance atop the roaring waves.
Arabella had never learned surfing, but it didn't stop her from riding the waves.
She was fearless, agile, and an excellent swimmer.
She deliberately chose the most dangerous and most challenging waves to ride—those that surged from great heights only to crash violently moments later, forcing her to gather all her emotions deep within her heart.
Around the beach, a crowd had gathered, cheering Arabella on. It was rare to see a woman surfing with such unyielding power, as if no force could stop her.
Her lower back and abdomen displayed explosive strength, especially when she reached the peak of the wave. At that moment, at the very zenith, the visual impact was breathtaking, almost suffocating.
On the beach, Arabella spotted Bramwell lying in the sun.
He looked quite relaxed; with his handsome looks and fit body, he was attracting the attention of quite a few beautiful women.
She didn't greet him. After surfing, she went straight back to her room.
Back in her room, she noticed an itchy bump on her calf, clearly from a mosquito bite.
During her years of field operations, Arabella had hidden in the Manos Swamps for nights, unafraid even when snakes slithered over her head, so mosquito bites hardly mattered.
But when her gaze landed on a bottle of insect repellent on the floor, she picked it up impulsively and sprayed it on the itch.
The cool sensation was refreshing; it felt nice.
Arabella grew more and more interested, spraying several times in quick succession. After finishing, she was still unsatisfied, almost as if she had discovered a new world, and began fiddling with the various parts on the ground.
Finally, she slipped her feet into a pair of pink slippers.
Her body was entirely fair, and the pink of the slippers made her feet look even more translucent and delicate.
She played with her feet for a while, muttering to herself as she cursed under her breath, "So ugly," before kicking the slippers off with a swift motion.
As night fell, Arabella picked up the internal phone and called Bramwell.
"Let's go."
Bramwell knew this meant something big was about to happen. He immediately sprang up, as though propelled by a spring, and hurriedly put on his clothes to meet up with Arabella.
The two of them left in the dead of night, silent as shadows, without disturbing anyone.
The next morning, Julius opened the door and peeked into the room where Arabella had been staying.
After repeatedly opening and closing the door, Julius gathered his courage and went to knock on Arabella's door.
There was no movement or response from inside.
Julius felt a bit disappointed, assuming Arabella had stepped out. It wasn't until the room was cleaned that he realized the place next door was already vacant.
He still owed that girl a meal.
He didn't even know her name.
He saw the room littered with the gifts he had sent, none of which the girl seemed to like.
Julius had paid special attention to that nameless girl.
In fact, he had wanted to say this yesterday: that girl, though her face was full of smiles, seemed as if she were crying, with tears ready to fall. Her every movement carried a sense of desolate melancholy.
But meeting her for the first time, he didn't want to offend her with his words.
He thought they'd meet again, only for it to end in a sudden farewell, with no chance of reunion.
Julius wandered back to his room in a daze, where a religious text lay on the table.
His heart stirred, and for the first time, he made a personal request to his deity.
"My deity! Please accept this believer's sincere prayer. Grant me another chance to meet that girl."
His deity heard this fervent prayer.
His deity, though unable to bear it, still fulfilled his wish.
He exchanged his life for another chance to meet the demon.
