Chapter 773: Finally Met [GT Ranking Bonus Chapter]

Asher and Ryaen talked for a couple of minutes before Asher left, and Ryaen returned to the dark-skinned guy she had been talking to.

’William is flirting with two girls, Finch is with his sister, and even Ryaen is talking to a guy. Maybe I should go flirt a bit,’ Asher mused to himself. After all, there wasn’t any harm in flirting.

But as he thought about it, he shook his head, choosing to forget about it. While everyone might be excited to sleep around with various men and women from foreign Empires, Asher didn’t move like that. He wasn’t the type to sleep around, nor did he see the appeal in pursuing meaningless relationships that would likely end the moment everyone returned to their respective Empires.

’It seems I’m going to be a virgin for a long time in this life,’ Asher mused to himself as he walked.

’It seems love won’t be coming to me anytime soon,’ Asher thought to himself as he wandered about without any real destination.

The ball had been going on for quite some time. People seemed to have already forgotten about what had transpired, as they danced to slow rhythmic music. Laughter and conversation echoed throughout the hall, and the atmosphere had returned to one of celebration as though the earlier confrontation had never happened.

’Maybe I should head back to the hotel. If there are any updates, I’m sure the boys will tell me, or even FatelessPen,’ Asher thought to himself.

With that, he decided to just leave. He turned and headed towards the nearest door, as the hall had many doorways. If the boys or Ryaen needed anything, they each had their phones and could just text him. He had taught them how to do that before.

With that, Asher stepped out. Although the gala had been going on for hours, the moon still hung high up in the sky. At this moment, it was still two in the morning, but the ball seemed to show no signs of ending anytime soon. If anything, many of the guests appeared more energetic than before.

Asher made his way towards the gate. The moment he stepped out, there, he saw her again.

Arianna Haellight.

She stood beneath the moonlight as though she were the epitome of perfection itself. The silver glow of the moon seemed to complement her presence, making her appear almost unreal.

Asher didn’t speak. He simply stared at her for a moment before looking away, as it wasn’t exactly good manners to stare.

"The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?" Arianna spoke, her voice low and gentle.

Asher stayed silent for a moment before replying, "It is, but I’m guessing the stars are more mesmerizing," his tone calm and welcoming.

Arianna fell silent after that, her eyes still fixed on the moon as though she had left something there, as though it held an allure only she understood, as though she longed to reach out and touch it.

Seeing Arianna fall silent, Asher spoke again, "I thought you were surrounded by people. How did you manage to escape?" he asked.

After all, people as famous and beautiful as her always had people flocking around them like lost sheep.

Arianna broke eye contact with the moon, her beautiful amber-gold eyes shifting towards Asher as she replied, "By telling them not to follow me."

Her words caught Asher off guard. He hadn’t expected it to be so simple, he simply shook his head, amused by his own overthinking.

"Arianna Haellight," Arianna spoke as she stretched out a hand for a handshake.

"Asher Wargrave," Asher stated as he accepted her handshake.

Hearing the name, Arianna arched an eyebrow, of course, she recognised the Wargrave name. Her parents were literally in contact with the Wargrave family, although she personally had never visited the Zarethorne Empire or even met the Wargraves her father and mother talked so much about.

"Are you familiar with the name Azaron Wargrave?" she asked calmly.

Asher arched an eyebrow as he replied, "I am. He is my father," his tone sounding confused.

"I see," Arianna stated. "No need to be so confused or wary. I’ve simply heard my father talk about your father, as they are best friends," she replied, her eyes returning to the moon.

Asher became even more confused at the words "best friends," but before he could ask anything, a car pulled up. The door hissed open as it extended upward.

Arianna’s ride had arrived.

She walked towards the car, entering it with one smooth motion. The door closed, and she rolled down the window as she spoke, "It was nice to meet you, Asher Wargrave."

"The pleasure is mine," Asher replied. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

A smile graced Arianna’s beautiful lips, and with that, she drove off without another word.

’It seems she had been waiting for her car,’ Asher thought to himself as he shook his head. He hadn’t expected to see her here.

Within a a minute, Asher’s ride pulled up. The driver moved to the passenger seat once more as Asher took the wheel. As he sat down, his mind shifted to Arianna being able to drive despite coming from the Velkarin Empire. Asher shook his head, choosing to forget about it. After all, maybe this wasn’t her first time in the Thalvorn Empire, just like Kimberley.

’Speaking of Kimberley, where did she vanish to?’ Asher thought to himself, as he hadn’t seen her throughout the night after the confrontation with the Zarik family.

Asher sighed and simply drove off as he headed towards his own hotel, he and Arianna travelling in separate directions beneath the moonlit sky.

Arriving at the hotel, he tipped the driver again, then took the elevator to his floor. Entering his room, Asher simply grabbed some clothes and took a shower. The warm water washed away some of the fatigue he had accumulated throughout the evening.

After changing, he called the hotel kitchen and placed an order.

’The gala was exhausting,’ Asher thought to himself as he lay on the bed with a tired sigh.

Unlike Azaron or Malrik, he didn’t particularly hate attending galas or Noble events, as long as he knew a few people there. While they could be boring at times, they were still opportunities to meet new people and experience things outside his usual routine.

’Should I ask Father or Malrik about Arianna’s father?’ Asher thought to himself. He simply didn’t see Azaron as the type of guy who had a best friend.

The image felt strange in his mind. As Asher was lost in thought, the doorbell chimed, dinner had arrived.

Asher sat down and ate as he decided to watch a horror movie. If this had been back on Earth, he wouldn’t have dared watch any type of horror movie by himself. But now, with his mindset changed and having a higher body count than Hitler and Osama Bin Laden, Asher wanted to see how he would react to horror movies.

But Asher had to give credit where it was due, Earth’s horror movies had absolutely nothing on Crymora’s horror movies. If people from Earth watched Crymora’s horror movies, they might just die of heart attacks on the spot. Which was understandable, given that the people of Crymora were simply built differently, both physically and mentally, because of the things they witnessed every single day of their lives. To them, fear wasn’t merely entertainment; it was something that existed as part of reality itself.

Asher watched one movie, then another, and then another, one of them really frightened him, at most, they were interesting.

And with that, Asher sank into the night, simply eating and watching one horror movie after another as though he were watching some kind of sitcom, completely relaxed as the hours slowly drifted by.