The Villain Saint is my secondary account

"No need for formalities. Young friend, are you Ella's lover?"

"Yes... Your Grace, my name is Ye Xiao."

After a moment of silence.

Is that all you wanted to introduce?

"Um, I'm eighteen years old. As you can see, my background is that of a traveler from another world, currently working as an adventurer, and my profession is a mage..."

For no apparent reason, Ye Xiao suddenly had the feeling that she was in a job interview.

After rambling on and on, Duke Heville remained expressionless, neither nodding nor shaking her head, her gaze fixed on Ye Xiao.

Having weathered many storms, Ye Xiao wasn't exactly nervous about being watched, but he still felt somewhat uneasy.

It's strange, when I was Ella, I didn't feel this gaze so painful.

"You said you were a mage, but you handed a knife to your servant when you entered?"

"Well... I'm also a swordsman." Ye Xiao's lips twitched. This guy is a bit too meticulous.

"You're both a swordsman and a mage?" The Duke frowned slightly. "Can you really master both of these completely different schools of cultivation?"

"That's right, Your Grace. We travelers from other worlds have some special professions, some of which require training in both magic and swordsmanship."

"Are you a magic swordsman?"

"Ah...similar." Ye Xiao nodded with an awkward smile.

"Why didn't you say that when you introduced it?" Duke Hevil's expression turned unfriendly. "Did you think it was unnecessary, or did you find it troublesome?"

"Ahem, after all, it involves one's own strength..."

"Will you hide this from Ella as well?"

"No...no! I've given my all to Miss Ella without reservation!"

Thank God, Ye Xiao couldn't possibly hide from Ella when he took a shower or went to the toilet.

"So you're hiding this from me because you think I don't need to know these things?"

"That's not true." Ye Xiao was already sweating profusely, truly impressed. The other party was practically his father, "It's just that I feel some things are easier to discuss when we get to know each other better..."

How long have you known my daughter?

"Three...two months?" Ye Xiao's throat moved slightly.

Chapter Seven: Sitting on Pins and Needles

Duke Heville scrutinized Ye Xiao, while Ye Xiao felt as if ants were crawling all over his body.

He almost blurted out that it would have been three months, but the Great Transmigration had just happened then, so there was no reason for him to meet Ella right away.

"So how long have you been dating?"

"A... half a month?"

"They established a relationship in just two weeks?"

"I fell in love with Miss Ella at first sight..."

"My daughter also fell in love with you at first sight?" Duke Hevil narrowed her eyes slightly.

"We had some... um... good cooperation, Miss Ella was probably around that time..."

"You've been dating my daughter for a month and a half, but in the meantime, you spent a whole month as a knight by the princess's side?"

"This……"

“This was my proposed plan, Father. This wasn’t Ye Xiao’s choice,” Ella said immediately. She needed to offer some assistance, otherwise it would be difficult to handle things from Ye Xiao’s perspective alone.

From a realistic point of view, it is indeed not very reasonable—Ye Xiao and Ella did not actually spend much time together, since they were originally the same person. Considering the most efficient use of their bodies, it would be most appropriate for them to do different things.

As for things like dating and romance... these are just things for two people to confirm their feelings for each other, but there's no need for Ye Xiao Aila to confirm her feelings for herself, so she naturally didn't deliberately do these things.

However, if outsiders examine it from this perspective, their love relationship does indeed not stand up to scrutiny and is full of doubts.

“Oh, my dear daughter, I understand. Your father was just asking out of concern.” Duke Heville smiled gently at Ella, then his face turned ashen when he looked at Ye Xiao. “So that’s what you think too?”

No, do you have a split personality? The two sentences are less than a second apart, isn't that a huge difference in treatment?

Seeing the other person's unfriendly expression, Ye Xiao thought for a moment and then replied in a low voice, "Actually, I also had my reasons for this plan..."

"You mean, even though you were in a romantic relationship with my daughter, you still went out of your way to become the eldest princess's servant, and that was your reasoning?"

“…Yes.” Ye Xiao’s throat moved slightly.

"Heh." The Duke's lips suddenly curled up slightly. "You've shown some responsibility in your answer."

Upon hearing this, Ye Xiao immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

He had just realized that if he were to claim that Ella had made him do it out of fear, the Duke would probably think he was a shirker of responsibility.

After all, it seems like he was the one carrying out the whole thing, so how could he not have any of his own ideas?

It's really difficult. Even though it's the same person, you have to assume you're from two different perspectives and figure out what kind of answer would satisfy the other person.

Ye Xiao felt that he hadn't sweated this much when he faced the evil god a few days ago.

“It is like this, Your Grace…” Ye Xiao then briefly explained to Duke Hevil his considerations regarding the gods and the imperial selection, as well as his encounter in Storm Harbor.

Of course, he didn't say that Ella was killed, but only that Ella was in great danger, which is why this royal selection had to be so cautious, with both sides entering the game to seek the safest chance of winning.

The Duke rested his chin on his hand, neither confirming nor denying Ye Xiao's words. He simply raised an eyebrow slightly after Ye Xiao finished speaking. "So, this whole plan was your idea?"

"No, no, as a newcomer from another world, how could I possibly have a clear understanding of the Empire's situation? I mostly relied on Miss Ella's intelligence; I merely supplemented it with some wisdom from my homeland," Ye Xiaoxuan replied.

Well, now it's time to share the credit and flatter Ella. If he takes all the credit, she'll probably think he's being too ambitious.

"You're quite good at talking."

"Your Grace is too kind."

"With such a smooth tongue, it's no wonder that he can bewitch His Majesty and my daughter."

"Well, Ella and I have always treated each other with respect; it's not that exaggerated..."

"You just said you know swordsmanship?"

"...Uh, I know a little bit." Ye Xiao's lips twitched.

"Has your rank been assessed at the Adventurers' Guild?"

"It was tested a long time ago..."

"What level?"

"Proficiency level..." Ye Xiao was telling the truth. His current strength was beyond the assessment of the Adventurers' Guild's appraisers. He would have to go to the Academy or the Royal Knights for further assessment. However, since the system could show the proficiency of each of his skills, most players would only spend money to get that professional rank certificate if they needed it.

However, Ye Xiao added, "Your Grace, that was the result of an earlier assessment. Since the Proficiency rank was enough to accept all Adventurer Guild commissions, I didn't do a second assessment afterward. And my current level should be far beyond that..."

For his age, mastering the advanced level is already quite remarkable, placing him in the same tier as Skadi, the top swordsmanship genius in the academy.

Ye Xiao couldn't directly reveal that he was at the peak of the Grandmaster level. After all, it would be too unbelievable for someone his age to be above the Proficiency level. At the Master level, even ordinary Chosen Ones of the same age couldn't beat him, let alone a Grandmaster.

He thought that the Duke would at least acknowledge his strength, but to his surprise, the Duke just snorted coldly.

Duke Heville frowned slightly, but inwardly thought that if he wasn't bragging, this kid's talent really seemed quite impressive.

But as an elder, I have to curb this guy's arrogance and not let him get too cocky.

"...Without an assessment, how do you know your strength is more than this? Are you just relying on your own feelings?"

Ye Xiao could only chuckle awkwardly. How could he explain the system? "We actually have a special evaluation method. As for myself, I'm quite clear about my own strength level..."

“There’s no point in saying too much,” the Duke straightened up slightly. “Since you also practice swordsmanship, I think it’s most direct for us to communicate in the manner of swordsmen.”

"Huh...?" Ye Xiao was stunned.

“Ella, you should know where the training ground is. Take him there. I want to talk to him and see what level he means by ‘more than this’.”

“Father…” Ella couldn’t hold back any longer, “Isn’t this unnecessary?”

"My dear daughter, don't worry, we'll just have a friendly spar. Your father knows what he's doing." Duke Heville smiled kindly at Ella. "I'll control my strength and try not to hurt him."

I was afraid I would hurt you!

Ella was speechless. After the Royal Selection battle, Ye Xiao's physical attributes had been boosted back to the level of a sword master from his previous life using universal points. If he could find an opportunity, his sword skills might even break through to the extraordinary level.

My own father is at most an expert level, no more than that. If I accidentally hurt him, that would be really too much of a problem!

"Hey, since you're a fellow swordsman, you shouldn't back down, right?" The Duke squinted at Ye Xiao again.

Ye Xiao gave a wry smile. Well, it seems he has no choice but to play along in this match.

However, he first pretended to look at Ella, as if he were asking for her opinion.

Ella naturally pursed her lips and shook her head slightly. This was her last effort, but she also knew that no matter what she did, her father would definitely not let Ye Xiao off easily.

As expected, after seeing Ella's micro-expression, the Duke immediately glared at Ye Xiao, "What, as a man, you don't even have the courage to make your own decisions?"

Ye Xiao could only helplessly say, "Then... please guide me, Your Grace."

"Alright, it seems you do have some guts." Duke Heville's lips curled up slightly.

Chapter Eight: Poor Acting

ten minutes later.

In the courtyard of the Duke's mansion, Duke Hevil and Ye Xiao each held a wooden longsword and stood in the center of the field, surrounded by a few family members and attendants who had come to watch the battle.

This also includes Allen, Ella's brother. Because of the death of the eldest prince and the disappearance of the Samuel Hermitage's stronghold, he can only stay in the Duke's mansion to practice swordsmanship and help with affairs. There is nothing else he can do.

“Young man, I was once a top student at the Sword Academy, and I studied under Dean Norren along with Andrew, the current vice dean of the Sword Academy.”

The Duke, dressed in a smart vest, with his slightly graying hair combed up, still retained some of the spirited air he once had. "Although you're old, your swordsmanship is still not to be underestimated. You'd better be careful."

Oh, my dear father... please, please stop talking!

Ella, standing outside the arena, felt a chill run down her spine. The more the Duke boasted about his swordsmanship, the more inexplicably embarrassed she felt.

Duke Heville's swordsmanship is indeed extraordinary for the average person, but the gap between her and Ye Xiao is quite large.

If she and Ye Xiao weren't the same person, it would be fine; at most, only she would feel awkward.

This has put Ye Xiao in an awkward position. If he knew nothing about it, he could have treated it as a thrilling duel. But now he knows Duke Heville's swordsmanship level inside and out, and he doesn't know what expression to make in response to her self-praise, except for trying to maintain a polite smile.

The two stood five steps apart, then raised their swords and assumed their stances.

Ye Xiao deliberately abandoned his usual sword-drawing stance and instead adopted the same rapier stance used by nobles of the Loren Empire as the Duke, holding the sword with one hand and the tip pointing forward.

This posture is a ritual for sword duels among Loren nobles, and Skadi often uses this sword stance.

However, because Ye Xiao's imitation was only temporary, it seemed somewhat incongruous, causing the Duke to lower his opinion of the boy even further.

As Ella, who was in charge of giving the order, shouted "Start!", the wooden sword in the Duke's hand struck Ye Xiao's chest in an instant, like a flying serpent.

This sword strike was swift, accurate, and ruthless, truly displaying the prowess of a seasoned veteran.

But Ye Xiao quickly parried the attack, and then leisurely returned a sword strike.

This was naturally no threat to the Duke. He turned his head to dodge and then stabbed at Ye Xiao from a tricky angle.

After several rounds of back and forth, it looked to onlookers as if Ye Xiao was struggling to defend against the Duke's storm of swordsmanship, but the Duke, who had personally entered the fray, slowly began to feel somewhat surprised.

Why is it that even though this guy seems to have many flaws, no matter what angle I thrust out from or how fast I go, he can always block my sword path with just one step?

One or two times could be considered a coincidence, but to have six or seven swords in a row subtly blocked is rather strange.

"Kid, are you letting the water flow?"

Although the Duke was somewhat reluctant to admit it, his extensive experience in judging people made him vaguely realize that the young man in front of him seemed to be hiding his true strength more deeply than he had thought.

He didn't feel frustrated but rather alarmed. Skadi, the recognized top swordsmanship genius in the academy, was only at the proficiency level, but this young man who looked only a few years older than Skadi was giving him a move at the expert level, which was a level higher than proficiency.

"Ah... how could that be? Your Excellency's offensive has truly overwhelmed me."

A bead of cold sweat appeared on Ye Xiao's forehead. He thought to himself that he had disguised himself quite well. With the lesson he learned at the academy last time, normally no one should be able to tell that he was acting.

Ye Xiao's idea was not wrong, but although Duke Heville's own martial prowess was not at the peak level of the empire, she had seen quite a few experts. The knight commander responsible for guarding the ducal mansion in her territory was a master-level swordsman.

Therefore, his encounter with Ye Xiao was similar to his sparring with the knight commander, except that Ye Xiao was a bit more "unfamiliar".

“…Young man, you shouldn’t have blocked it completely this time. You should have at least let me hit your arm once to avoid revealing any opening. If it were my knight commander, he would have done the same.”