"Oh, hello." Sylvia awkwardly smiled, not knowing what to say. The man in front of her was a typical noble man with his neatly groomed hair and expensive suit.

She did not understand why he was paying attention to her. She also did not like the way his eyes flickered over her body ever so often.

To make matters worse, a few others had also walked up to her and every single one of them was top eligible bachelors of the Kingdom. They were all handsome, charming and from great families.

The men casually gathered around her, and started greeting her, making her feel pressured as she didn't know how to respond to them all.

"My Lady, would you care to dance with me?" One man asked.

"What about a drink first?" another one offered.

"My Lady, would you like to sit with me?"

"Then, may I please have the next dance?"

Sylvia's head was spinning and she couldn't even decide whom to answer. She had no idea what was going on and what she had done to attract so much attention.

She gulped, a feeling of suffocation welling up, even when they were all standing in a pleasant and beautiful garden.

She tried her best to smile and respond to everyone, but she couldn't do it.

A vague unease and panic crept up as this brought back her traumatic memories of being sold at the slave auction.

The eyes of the men standing around her were almost similar to the ones she had experienced there.

Though they were polite and sophisticated on the surface, Sylvia couldn't help but feel as if she was surrounded by a pack of wolves.

Theo, who was standing right next to her, noticed her discomfort and stepped forward to deal with the mess.

However, before he could do so, another loud voice chimed in, instantly clearing the crowd that had gathered around Sylvia.

"Eh? Aren't you guys being a little too rude to the lady? Do you not see that she is distressed?"

A man wearing a crisp blue jacket and black trousers approached the group. He was tall and slender, with long black hair tied up in a ponytail, showing off his sharp facial features.

"My Lord." "My Lord." Everyone immediately greeted the person and some even politely left after bowing.

His sharp eyes swept over the remaining crowd and then landed on Sylvia with a wink. "Ah, my dear apologies for not greeting you sooner."

And even though she had never seen the man before in her life, he acted as if he knew her and slipped his arm around her shoulders whisking her away from the crowd.

Sylvia stiffened, not comfortable with the familiar way the man acted, but she saw that he was asking her to play along, by placing his finger on his lips.

Unsure about what was happening, she gulped and decided to let it go at least for the moment as she was happy to be freed from the crowd.

"Aha ha ha. You are not playing fair, my Lord."

"My Lord, I was just about to ask her for the next dance."

A few voices sounded behind them and then laughter rang out as the men slowly dispersed.

Sylvia turned to look behind her and seeing that she was finally free, she shifted her shoulders uncomfortably. "My Lord..."

"Ah... My apologies, I am sorry. I thought you looked like you wanted someone to get you away from those jackals." He immediately let her go, which made her quickly take a step away from him.

"Thank you, my Lord." She nodded her head and replied with a smile.

"Please. Just call me Gabriel." The man smiled and continued walking along the garden, taking the two of them away from the crowd.

Sylvia nodded but she turned back again to look at Theo who was quite farther away from her, held back by Priscella who seemed to be talking his ear off about something.

She frowned lightly, suddenly sensing that something was off.

Was the devil not around? Why was she busy with the devil's knight rather than the man himself? She couldn't help but wonder what was going on.

"Are you worried about something?" Seeing Sylvia's distracted deep blue eyes, Gabriel asked her with a light chuckle.

"Ah, no. I am fine. Thank you for getting me away from those people." Sylvia smiled as she turned around and looked at the man walking beside her once again.

"It's nothing. I am glad that I am able to help." He smiled back at her. "So, are you enjoying yourself here? Did you take a tour around the villa yet?"

"Yes. I did. It's a very beautiful place."

"I see. That's good." Gabriel nodded with a polite smile, behaving like a perfect gentleman.

Though Sylvia felt very relaxed and at ease with him, she couldn't help but notice that they had wandered off a bit too far away from the other guests.

She was not a fan of the crowd but she also didn't want to stray too far from Theo especially since he had warned her not to.

So she stopped her steps and politely bowed. "Thank you for accompanying me, my Lord. I should head back now." She then turned to leave, when suddenly Gabriel's hand shot forward to hold hers.

"My Lord?" Sylvia raised her brows in alarm.

"Not so fast, my dear. The night is still young. How about we spend some more time together?"

She looked at the man and saw that he was no longer wearing a polite smile. She knew that something was not right.

"You know... When my dear sister asked me to taste you this evening, I didn't think that you would look so delicious."

"And now I want to keep you for myself."

"What do you think?" Gabriel grinned, his grip on Sylvia tightening. "It's not too bad being a Duke's mistress?"

"Duke?" Sylvia gasped.

"Oh. Not yet but I am the eldest son and the rightful heir."