Soon afterward, Adam finished his dinner. He seemed a little tipsy after having a few drinks. Then, he signaled to the maid to leave the room.

Emmeline grew increasingly uneasy as the two of them were left in the room. She subconsciously tightened her grip over those toothpicks.

Adam noticed how Emmeline’s face had turned pale. He grinned. “I don’t like forcing myself on the ladies. I’d prefer it if you looked less wary of me.”

“Perhaps you should leave then, Palace Lord.” Emmeline replied, “I’m sure there are even more beautiful and attractive ladies out there that are willing to serve you. Why bother wasting your time on a nobody like me?”

“You’re definitely not that. You’re way better than all the ladies out there,” Adam said.

…How do I get this man to leave? I don’t want to waste my time trying to argue with him anymore.

Adam rose to his feet and walked toward Emmeline, swaying a little due to the effects of the alcohol.

“Why do you only have eyes for Abel Ryker?”

Emmeline turned her gaze toward the man at the mention of Abel’s name. “Do you know him?”

“Of course! The current owner of the Ryker Group who’s known by almost everyone in Struyria! Would there be a person in our country who doesn’t know who he is?”

“Then, could you do this as a favor to Abel Ryker and release me?”

“Hahaha!” Adam burst out laughing. “You must have misunderstood something. I do know Abel, but I’m not friends with him.”

“Then, the two of you are…”

“We are sworn enemies. I’m going to take away everything from Abel, and that includes you…” Adam flashed her a sinister smile.

After a brief pause, Emmeline asked, “Who are you?”

She kept having the feeling that the man before her was Adam Ryker. However, she hadn’t found any decisive clues to confirm her suspicion.

“You don’t have to bother finding out about that!”

Adam strode toward Emmeline and caught her by the wrist. Then, he tried to pull her into his embrace.

At that very moment, Emmeline raised her arm high and stabbed a toothpick toward a vital point in Adam’s body.

Unfortunately, the toothpick snapped upon contact almost instantaneously. However, Emmeline managed to cut the skin of the area she was aiming at with the broken, sharp part of the toothpick.

Adam grimaced in pain. He quickly grabbed Emmeline’s hand and checked what she was holding. When he saw the snapped toothpick, he realized instantly what Emmeline was trying to do. He threw his arm back and slapped Emmeline hard across the face.

The impact was so strong that Emmeline lost her balance and fell to the floor. Blood oozed from the corner of her mouth the next instant.

“D*mn it! How dare you try to hurt me?!”

Adam leaned forward and clutched at Emmeline’s arm. He pulled her up and was about to give her another slap. However, the sight of her beautiful, delicate face made Adam pause.

“Hmph!” He let go of Emmeline eventually. Then, he called for his servants right away.

Those two maids opened the door and stepped into the room timidly.

“What can I do for you, Sir?”

“Go and get the ointment right now! Make sure you apply the ointment on her face later!”

“Understood!”

“If I were to find any scars or marks on her face the next time I see her, you two should have your hands chopped off since you wouldn’t be needing them anymore.”

“Please show us mercy, Sir!” Both maids got down on their knees. “We’ll get the ointment and apply it for the lady right away. The marks should be gone in another two days!”

Then, they scrambled to their feet and hurried out of the room to get the ointment.

“Emmeline.” Adam put his hands against his back and said unfeelingly, “I won’t be so generous with you again the next time something like this happens again.”

Adam had a murderous aura about him as he turned around and headed for the door.

“Excuse me, Sir.” Summer showed up by the door at that moment. Her words stopped Adam in his tracks.

“What is it?” Adam asked in a stern voice.

Emmeline started feeling anxious when she saw Summer. She had given the note to the masseuse earlier.

I’ve written down only a few of the ingredients I need to make the antidote just to be safe. However, there’s no telling if they may be able to see through my intentions by looking at the note.

Summer stole a glance at Emmeline. Then, she reported to Adam, “The lady gave me a note and asked me to get her some herbs and ingredients. I dare not act rashly and fulfill her request without your permission, Sir. So, I was planning to show you the note first.”

“Oh?” Upon hearing that, Adam furrowed his brows.