Their romance storyline only begins on the second playthrough?

Rhodes opened his mouth to refute,

What are you saying, Ivina? He's already being kind by coming to save her for no reason.

Otherwise, he would have dragged her out and killed her directly. Is this how she views him?

"No, I..."

"Rhodes wouldn't think that way." Felicity shook her head, like a docile cat denying Ivina's idea.

"Of course you'd speak up for him, Princess Felicity, since you're his good friend."

When Ivina spoke to Felicity, she didn't have the same strange, irritable tone she had when speaking to Rhodes. Instead, her fair face held a slightly mischievous expression as she looked at Felicity.

"You're really overthinking it, because if Rod wants it, I can do it anytime."

"But I haven't even done it yet, so how could he possibly want to do it with you, Ivina?"

Felicity, with her expressionless face, uttered words that shocked everyone.

This time, a different group of people had stiff expressions.

"?"

"?"

"?"

Are there still humans here?

He quickly reached out from behind Felicity and covered her mouth: "Don't talk nonsense!"

"Waaaaah..."

Felicity's mouth was covered, but she became a little excited, scratching Rod's arm with her little cat paws, trying to prove that she was right.

Lilith's mind had completely gone blank from the very beginning.

What?

What are all these things?

Why are we suddenly talking about strange topics?

Wait a minute, their strange topic is still about her lover!

Lilith's light blue eyes, as blue as the sea, widened at this moment, her mind racing with a thousand thoughts!

"What kind of joke are you playing on my lover?!" she roared inwardly, but in the end—

She simply turned her head away, breathing angrily.

It's alright, it's alright. Felicity is just a bit neurotic, while that woman is just a bit mentally unstable...

Mental illness...?

Wait, it seems like I am too... No, no! I'm not like her at all...

Lilith frantically denied it in her mind.

Even Ivina, faced with Felicity's superhuman abilities, had to admit defeat and remain silent.

She remained silent for a long time before speaking:

"Oh, really? Goodbye, Your Highness."

Having said that, even though her mind was in turmoil, she still turned and left, disappearing from Rhodes' and the others' sight without looking back.

This time, however, Rhodes did not stop her.

The initial contact has been successful.

but……

strangeness.

It's really strange.

According to them, Ivina's mental state simply made it impossible for her to communicate with him in this way.

And that's exactly what she did just now, but the problem is that she recovered her mental state right after the battle...

This sense of strangeness made Rod frown deeply.

While it's certainly a good thing to be able to chat with Ivina, this strange start... is clearly unusual.

"Waaaaah!!!" Felicity quickly slapped Rod's hand.

Although she wouldn't actually suffocate after being promoted three times, Felicity still experienced a brief feeling of oxygen deprivation when she was smothered.

But strangely enough, the difficulty in breathing, and the discomfort caused by her lover being behind her, actually gave her a fleeting sense of pleasure at that moment…

Huh? This feels really strange...

A little intoxicated, addicted, and a touch of shame...

No! Now is not the time to think about this...

Felicity slapped Rod again!

"hiss--!"

Only then did Rod release his grip.

"Luo! You're bullying me. I'm helping you, and you're covering your mouth." Felicity, the golden kitten, was really angry, glaring at Luo De.

"Don't you even think about what kind of nonsense you're spouting? You're a girl, you absolutely shouldn't say things like that!" Rod stared at her with terrifying eyes.

Upon seeing Rhodes's serious gaze, Felicity immediately backed down, lowering her head, "I'm...I'm sorry..."

"However, Luo, Miss Ivina... is so strange." Felicity deliberately changed the subject, raised her head, looked at the spot where Ivina had disappeared, and pondered with her fingertips supporting her chin.

"Miss Ivina usually attacks anyone who gets close to her, but she avoided you at first."

And that wasn't right either... I've never seen Miss Ivina this normal before, never."

After saying that, she looked at Rhodes, a little hesitant, "Did you know Miss Ivina before? Her attitude towards you was very special."

"Huh? How could that be? You've been with me since I was a kid, how could you not know who I know and who I don't?" Rod retorted. "And what are you talking about, her being particularly hostile or mean to me?"

"No, her fierceness towards you was only superficial, her actions revealed otherwise. It's impossible that she actually reached out to grab you just now; Miss Ivina is not allowed to be touched by anyone."

Rod was slightly taken aback.

so?

How could that be?

"Are you sure?" Rhodes asked doubtfully.

"Yes, yes, anyone in the Duke's mansion knows that."

"Huh? That shouldn't be... right?"

Rhodes's brow furrowed even more.

He wasn't quite sure for the time being.

Memory, searching...

From the day [Rhodes] was born, his choice was indeed to always do good deeds and take on side quests.

From the age of three, he frequently explored and learned. From the age of seven, he began to organize useful information and decide how to make a mark in the world.

Therefore, it is indeed possible to accidentally rescue a complete stranger.

But after some thought, he was certain that he had never done anything good for Ivina. After all, someone of her status and position would definitely have written it down in his notebook as part of his strategy.

At this moment, a strange sensation coursed through Rhodes' body, from the soles of his feet to his scalp, growing increasingly intense—

When Rhodes noticed Ivina's unusual behavior, he could only think of one possible connection—

That was the eye that had just startled him, that scarlet eye.

Could it be... related to [her]?

Cecilia Elman

Same eye color, same birthday...

Could it be that the two of them are actually sisters or something, which is why [Ivina] knows me?

No, he had just denied that idea. Cecilia would never do anything bad to her family; that was her code of conduct.

What exactly happened...?

He turned his head and asked:

"Hiti, does Ivina have an older sister or something? A twin?"

"Hmm? No, I don't think so... I don't know anything about this..." Felicity tilted her head, a look of confusion on her pretty face.

A look of confusion flashed in Rhodes' eyes. This foggy situation was no less dangerous than a perilous one for someone like him who had cleared the game once before.

He couldn't understand it, and if he couldn't understand Ivina's inner thoughts, he probably wouldn't be able to continue their communication and cultivate their friendship...

The only clue now lies with those familiar to the Duchess; perhaps there are answers to the unknown questions that may lie there.

Moreover, he did indeed need to report to the Duchess that he had successfully gotten close to Ivina and even shook her hand.

"Let's go...to the reception room and ask."