The reason why Machi and Edith's relationship could advance by leaps and bounds was mainly due to Herrault.

Three years ago, the fifteen year old Edith wasn't well known at that time. The outside world only knew that the Dolores family's outstanding young master Yuloka. As for her, she had only heard that there was such a pearl in the palm of her hand, but didn't even know her name.

During that time, Edith's biggest hobby was to collect famous paintings.

Every ten years, Newman City would hold an art exhibition and the day after the exhibition, there would be an auction for the exhibits.

That year, it just happened to be Newman City's art exhibition. Edith received the news that the painting that she had been interested in for a long time, 'Love is like a swamp', would be displayed in this exhibition.

'Love is like a swamp' was the life's work of an artist named Lee Sutton from about three hundred years ago.

Love and hate, joy and pain, hope and despair, sobriety and indulgence. They were two extremes, but they were perfectly blended into this painting.

What was even more interesting was that Lee Sutton used dark and gloomy colors to represent the positive side and bright colors to depict the negative side.

Edith was determined to get the painting. She had already checked the background of all her competitors in advance. No one could compete with her in terms of financial resources. She even began to think about where the painting should be placed in the house.

But, she had overlooked a very important point.

With the final price of 1.2 billion rings as the winner, Edith was very satisfied with the feeling that everything was under her control.

She happily sat in her seat and sent a message to Yuloka, sharing her joy with him.

Suddenly, a warning of danger appeared in her heart!

Edith suddenly raised her head. The auction site hadn't changed at all. The killing intent was coming from another direction and that direction was where the exhibits were kept!

Edith quickly left the auction site, isolated her aura, and rushed in that direction.

What a joke!

If anything happened to her 'Love is like a swamp', she would definitely cut the culprit into eight pieces to appease the hatred in her heart!

Hiding in the corner, the thick smell of rust permeated the area. Other than her, there were only two living people left.

Edith frowned. As far as she knew, there were a total of five telekinetic ability users responsible for the safety of the exhibits. The other party had swaggered in with only two people and even killed the guards here. Their strength was definitely not to be underestimated.

She glanced at the scene. It was very bloody. The ground was covered in blood, and the walls and pillars were splattered with blood. There was a big hole in the locked door.

Edith breathed a sigh of relief. All the exhibits were well preserved inside and were not affected by the one-sided battle. It was a blessing in disguise.

As for those unlucky people who lost their lives, sorry, but she didn't care about the deaths of people who had nothing to do with Dolores. They weren't as important as her "Love Is Like a Swamp".

A white-haired man walked into the storage room. He glanced at all the famous paintings and asked casually, "Machi, which one does the group leader want?"

"The third one from the left," the purple-haired girl who was leaning against the door answered coldly.

Very good, that one was "Falling into the Abyss". Although it was also priceless, Edith wasn't very interested in it.

"Okay." The man took down the painting roughly. "What do you want?"

"I'm not interested in this kind of thing."

The girl called Machi was expressionless. She narrowed her eyes at the painting in the young man's hand and reminded, "Herrault, be careful. Don't break the things the group leader wants."

"Okay, okay, okay."

Herrault waved his hand impatiently. His movements were really gentle. "What should we do with the rest of the exhibits?"

"Up to you."

"Oh, then smash them all."

This nonchalant speech was definitely not a joke.

Edith's face was gloomy. As long as he dared to make a move, she would definitely snatch the things he wanted.

Herrault glanced around and his eyes stopped on "Love Is Like a Swamp". "Hmm?

This painting seems to be quite good. Since no one wants it, I'll take it. "

Edith's veins suddenly popped out.

— — Who said no one wants it!??

Seeing Herrault's hand quickly touch the painting, the malicious intent poured out from outside the storage room. Both of their faces suddenly changed.

Ma Qi was the first to make a move. His telekinesis transformed into thin threads that attacked the figure that was charging over.

She quickly waved the weapon in her hand, and the western sword, which was formed by the "Shadow of the Bubble That Will Burst", easily broke the telekinesis that swept over in an instant.

Edith jumped to the wall above "Love Is Like a Swamp". She picked up the painting with her left hand and stabbed Herrault's shoulder with her right hand holding the sword. Herrault watched in disbelief as the sword broke through his "Sturdy" and stabbed into his body.

Edith was not in the mood to fight. She used the sword that stabbed into his shoulder as an auxiliary tool for pole vaulting. She used her right hand as a support and completed a backflip in the air, deepening the depth of the sword.

When her hand left the hilt of the sword, she did not hesitate to remove the "Shadow of the Bubble That Will Burst" form and rushed straight out of the room.

Machi, who was guarding the door, would not let Edith escape so easily. However, Edith still had a painting in her hand. Just as she was thinking about whether to protect the painting or not, a familiar person appeared in her sight.

A pair of similar golden eyes met Edith's eyes. The black-haired boy was holding a silver baton. His elegant posture made it impossible to associate him with a battle.

"Herrault, don't make a move first."

Machi stopped Herrault, who was about to attack. Her golden eyes stared at the black-haired boy who appeared. "Yuloka Dolores."

Herrault reacted. "The Dolores that the commander told us not to make an enemy of for now?"

"Oh?

You know her? That's easier. "

The silver baton was casually raised in front of him. The tip of the baton flashed with a dazzling light. Yuloka looked coldly at the members of the Phantom Brigade. "Your target is' Falling into the Abyss', and my sister's target is' Love Is Like a Swamp '. There is no conflict of interest."

Edith hugged 'Love Is Like a Swamp' and stayed motionless in the same place.

The four of them were in a stalemate. If she made any move, she might break the current situation.

Similarly, if the two of them made any moves, she would not hesitate to make a move.

"I want that painting." Herrault pressed on his bleeding shoulder and grumbled in dissatisfaction.

"I see. I understand."

Yuloka nodded in understanding. The baton that was originally pointed at Machi moved slightly. He changed the target to Herrault and said calmly, "What you mean is that it's your personal interest and has nothing to do with the Phantom Brigade."

"Wait wait wait!

I'm just complaining! "

Since the commander said not to make an enemy of him for now, Herrault naturally would not disagree with the commander. Moreover, he did not understand art at all. It was purely because he liked it.

Herrault grimaced and pressed on his wound. He shouted at Edith, "Hey!

I'm Herrault. What's yours? "

Edith, who was suddenly cued, looked at Herrault warily and did not say a word.

"You're not bad.

Taking a closer look, hmm, you're quite cute. I won't fight with you for that painting.

So, what's your name? "

… Is this considered hitting on me?

"Idiot." Machi used her perception thread to entangle Herrault with an expressionless face and dragged him out.

"Machi, what are you doing?!"

"Shut up."

Herrault struggled with all his might but to no avail. He was dragged out all the way. When he passed by Edith, he still did not give up. His blue eyes stared at Edith pitifully. "What's your name?

You're not going to tell me … It's fine if you don't say it!

Just remember that my name is Herrault! "

During this time, Yuloka's gaze locked onto Herrault as if he was looking at a dead person. It was as if he was going to go berserk in the next second.

Edith looked at Herrault silently. His sky-blue eyes were not hazy at all. He was not filled with resentment for being hurt by her.

Edith's hands that hugged 'Love Is Like a Swamp' tightened slightly. She could not help but speak in the end.

"Edith Dolores."

Herrault, who was dragged to the door by Machi, had already given up struggling. When he heard the answer he thought he would not get, he suddenly clung to the edge of the big hole. No matter how hard Machi pulled him, he held on tightly.

"I'll remember it!

Edith! "

In the end, the metal door suddenly broke. He held a piece of material in his hand and was mercilessly taken away by Machi with tears in his eyes.

"It's too noisy. It's time to go."

His baby sister was seduced by a strange person in front of him. Yuloka's mood was a little gloomy. "Just take the painting and go."

"What about you?"

"Clean up the mess."

The silver baton disappeared in his hand. Yuloka rubbed Edith's hair and smiled gently. "I've already arranged a driver."

"Okay."

The driver who came to pick her up had arrived. Edith rejected the suggestion to put the painting in the back alone. She hugged 'Love Is Like a Swamp' and got into the car.

She stared at the intact painting. In the center of the painting was a gray figure. Half of his body was immersed in the colorful swamp of love. He struggled bitterly, trying to touch the object of love above him.

Edith slowly closed her eyes. In the end, she did not ask Yuloka why he was here.

In fact, she could guess that Yuloka was often worried about her and would secretly follow her.

If Yuloka did not appear at that time, she would prioritize protecting herself. Even if the 'Love Is Like a Swamp' that she had long admired was damaged, it did not matter.

She noticed a word that Yuloka mentioned.

— Phantom Brigade.

Edith smacked her lips. Thinking of the crazy actions of the person named Herrault, her intuition told her that it might be troublesome in the future.

…

As expected, how could a woman's intuition be wrong?

"Why did we meet again!!!??"

Back at Dolores's house in Nemanja City, Edith angrily paced back and forth in the living room. She stomped on the floor angrily.

Whether it was shopping or eating, as long as she went out, she would meet Herrault, which made her suspicious. She even felt that Herrault was squatting in the public toilet cubicle.

"You!

Someone come out and answer me! "

Edith stopped. In front of her were three technicians who did not dare to raise their heads. She pointed at them. "Even if you don't have the ability to solve the problem, you should at least know what went wrong, right?

If you don't even know this, the three of you can scram. Remember to pay the penalty for breaching the contract. "

The three of them communicated with their eyes frantically. In the end, the person in the middle stepped forward with difficulty. He quietly glanced at Edith, but he was so scared that he immediately lowered his head.

"Erm, Madam Edith …" The technician was so scared that he stuttered for a long time. "Your location and information were encrypted, so they were not cracked. But the other party found out the identity of the driver and servant who were with you. They must have cracked their phones or cars and located you."

Edith sat on the sofa with a blank expression. "Their information was encrypted too, wasn't it?"

"But, but it was not encrypted as tightly as yours. Your information was also adjusted by Lord Yuloka.

And the other party is very skilled … "

"The three of you together are not as good as him?"

"… Yes."

"Then I can't go out at all!"

Edith slammed the table hard. "No, even if I don't go out, this bastard will find me, right?

Oh my God, I can't breathe. "

She had asked Herrault what he wanted to do, but he told her affectionately that since he met her, he could no longer look away. It was like a confession of love at first sight.

Just recalling this experience gave Edith goosebumps.

She forced herself to calm down, took a few deep breaths, and asked, "Where is Yuloka?"

"Lord Yuloka has gone back. It is said that he has something to deal with at home," the person on the left reported.

He glanced at the cracked table and trembled with fear. He cautiously asked, "Should I report this to Master Euloca?" "Yes, Master Euloca," Euloca replied.

"… No, it's not necessary."

Considering that Euloka had his own matters to attend to, Edith didn't want to leave such trivial matters to him. She didn't want him to be distracted. "I'll deal with this matter myself. You can leave now."