"Hmm... I guess you’re right." Lovia’s lips curved into a gentle, knowing smile as she looked toward Silvena.

"Saving a life is no small matter... and I would very much like to be repaid for that. Especially from you, Lady Silvena."

Silvena froze slightly. Her body stiffened almost instinctively the moment she heard her name spoken aloud.

How did she know her name?

Had she ever introduced herself before?

No... she definitely had not.

Then suddenly, an odd sense of familiarity crept into her chest.

A strange feeling of déjà vu.

’Wait...’

’Isn’t this exactly how I met Ruvian before?’

Back then, he had also seen through her disguise almost immediately. Well, that was because he already knew it beforehand thanks to his futuresight.

But somehow, now that she thought about it...

Every time she disguised herself and encountered demons, there always seemed to be someone nearby who knew exactly who she was.

Silvena could not help but feel slightly speechless inside.

In the end, she simply inhaled quietly before forcing herself to accept reality. At this point, there was probably no point acting surprised anymore.

Meanwhile, Lovia tilted her head slightly after noticing the change in Silvena’s expression.

"Oh? You seem much calmer about me knowing your identity." A faint chuckle escaped her before she continued casually, "Anyway, so yes, there’s really no need for you to reveal who you are. I already know."

Then her crimson eyes slowly shifted toward the unconscious Ruvian lying on the floor nearby.

"But..."

A trace of curiosity appeared within her gaze.

"Not him. So I’m somewhat curious about him."

Then, Lovia suddenly glanced toward Silvena from the corner of her eyes.

A faintly sly smile appeared on her face, carrying a teasing sort of amusement that immediately made Silvena feel slightly wary.

"Alright," Lovia said lightly. "I’ll reveal my identity."

The golden light surrounding Ruvian slowly faded as she finished healing the last of his visible wounds.

The bleeding around his body had almost completely stopped now, while the traces of Dark Mana lingering beneath his skin had weakened significantly.

Then Lovia continued calmly, "In exchange, I do hope I’ll get the chance to know him a little better afterward." Her crimson eyes briefly drifted toward Ruvian again.

Silvena followed her gaze instinctively.

Ruvian still lay there completely unconscious, unmoving like a corpse that had finally decided to take a nap after causing everyone endless trouble.

A slight look of displeasure appeared on her face.

’Of all the timing possible...’

’This idiot just had to be knocked out cold right now.’

Silvena exhaled slowly through her nose.

’Seriously... what a pain in the ass.’

Even so, after thinking about it briefly, she still felt this was probably the best choice available. More importantly, Silvena herself was genuinely curious to know who exactly was this woman.

And probably Ruvian too if he was in her position.

"Alright," Silvena finally replied. "Sure."

Lovia’s smile widened slightly.

"Good."

The ruined theater grew quiet once more as everyone’s attention slowly shifted toward her.

Then, under the dim light of the ruined chamber, Lovia slowly raised her hand toward the masquerade mask covering her face.

"Then," she said softly,

"Let me begin first."

Slowly, Lovia removed the masquerade mask from her face. The moment it left her skin, her appearance began to change.

The crimson color of her hair gradually faded away, replaced instead by a radiant golden hue. Even her crimson eyes transformed, becoming clear golden eyes that carried an almost luminous brilliance within them.

The false disguise dissolved completely. Long strands of silky golden hair fell over her shoulders elegantly, swaying lightly.

Silvena unconsciously held her breath for a brief moment.

She was beautiful.

Not merely in appearance alone, but in the way everything around her felt.

There was a natural sense of dignity surrounding her, something refined and untouchable that made the ruined amphitheater tself feel strangely smaller around her presence.

Even while standing casually within broken rubble and dust, she still looked completely out of place here, as if she was someone who belonged within the grand halls.

And despite that air around her, she looked surprisingly young. Probably around Silvena’s own age.

’But her face... where have I seen her before?’

A faint smile appeared across the woman’s face before she spoke calmly, "My name is Lovia Von Saintinac. It is a pleasure to finally greet you properly, Lady Silvena D’Elvoire."

Then she placed one hand lightly against her chest in a smooth and elegant gesture.

"I do hope tonight’s rather unfortunate circumstances will not become your lasting impression of me."

The woman gave a playful wink at her.

But the moment Silvena heard that name, her eyes widened slightly, genuine shock surfaced clearly across her face.

’As I thought... it was her!’

Then almost immediately, years of experience as a merchant took over her instincts. Her posture straightened at once before she lowered herself into a respectful bow without the slightest delay.

"Your Highness,"

Silvena said politely, her tone becoming noticeably more formal than before.

"Please forgive my earlier discourtesy and ignorance for failing to recognize you immediately."

Her head remained lowered slightly as she continued carefully, "I never intended to speak so casually toward someone of your standing."

Beside her, even Irene’s expression stiffened from surprise despite her exhausted condition.

After all...

She was Lovia Von Saintinac.

How could they possibly not recognize that name? Within the Kingdom of Averenthia, it was a name known by almost everyone.

The Third Princess of the kingdom itself.

A woman praised endlessly throughout noble society for her beauty, talent, and extraordinary affinity with light magic.

Countless rumors surrounded her name across the capital.

Some called her the kingdom’s golden flower. Others spoke of her as a genius blessed by the heavens themselves. There were even nobles who proudly boasted for years simply because they had once attended the same banquet as her.

And now that Silvena looked at her properly...

It all made sense.

No wonder her presence felt so refined.

And no wonder she was so absurdly beautiful!

Lovia blinked after seeing Silvena bow so formally toward her. Then almost immediately, she let out a soft laugh.

"Oh come on," she said casually while lightly waving her hand dismissively. "There’s really no need to apologize that seriously. And please don’t suddenly become all formal with me either. It feels weird."

Lovia continued with a faint grin.

"I mean, I snuck in here secretly too, you know? If word gets out that I was wandering around an underground auction, my brother and sister are going to lecture me for months."

She sighed dramatically before placing one hand on her waist.

Even Irene looked slightly surprised hearing such casual words come from a princess of the kingdom. Yet, Lovia simply smiled as though none of it mattered.

Then after a brief moment, her golden eyes shifted back toward the unconscious Ruvian lying on the ground. The playful look in her expression softened slightly, replaced once more by visible curiosity.

"Now then," she said gently.

"If you don’t mind..."

Her hand slowly reached toward Ruvian’s mask.

"Can I finally...."

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[Chapter 171: Take This Off?]