God-Tier Extraction Talent: Reincarnated in a Game-like World! Chapter 502: Darius Aston

Just for a fleeting moment, Gabriel's motion hesitated.

Right away, the princess appeared to catch it, a gentle chuckle slipping from beneath her veil. Though quiet, it held plenty of mirth to show she'd noticed his response.

"You took that seriously?" she asked.

Gabriel regarded her steadily. "You said it with a straight face."

"That's because I was bluffing," she answered, her voice now brighter. "If I really possessed a talent to read people so effortlessly, this hall would lose all its intrigue."

Gabriel stayed silent briefly, then released a soft exhale.

"So Your Highness picked me for some other purpose."

She gave a single nod, her hand steady in his as they glided over the dance floor. The melody lingered softly, with warm glows from above shimmering faintly on the gleaming surface.

"I just didn't wish to dance with any nobles," she stated. "Particularly those in this room."

Her tone stayed even, yet a sharp edge of disdain lay beneath.

Gabriel peeked over her shoulder momentarily and spotted various men eyeing them from tables, some curious, others annoyed, and a few masking jealousy poorly.

"You dislike them so intensely?" he inquired.

The princess's veil quivered slightly as she tilted her head a bit. "Most only grin with their lips. Their gazes reveal everything."

Gabriel nearly grinned at her words.

"So you made use of me."

She offered no denial.

"Yes," she admitted frankly. "Dancing with you spares me from them for one tune. Far simpler than turning each down individually."

Gabriel kept his hand firm at her waist amid the ongoing dance, though his tone dropped a touch.

"You aided yourself, yet thrust me into their sights."

The princess shifted her eyes directly to his.

"Does that trouble you?"

"It's inconvenient," Gabriel responded.

She pondered it momentarily. Then, in a near-offhand manner, she added, "No harm will come to you."

Gabriel arched a brow faintly.

Her words flowed on in that same serene voice.

"I will protect you."

Her reply struck so bluntly that Gabriel held her gaze a beat longer. The assurance rang true, not mere reassurance—it felt innate, as though voicing it sufficed.

The music eased toward the song's close. Nearby couples began heading back to seats.

Gabriel murmured softly. "That's generous of Your Highness."

"It's practical," she countered. "I dislike stirring problems for others then abandoning them to face it solo."

Before Gabriel could respond further, the melody ceased.

They parted smoothly. Nearby guests offered light applause, while others observed with heightened interest. The princess nodded briefly to Gabriel and headed to her table wordlessly.

Gabriel returned the gesture and left the dance area.

With motion resuming, chatter rising, and positions shifting, the hall buzzed louder than prior. Precisely what he sought. Rather than his table, he veered toward the room's edge, stride even and stance casual.

A few onlookers noted him in passing, yet none halted him.

Near the hall's distant end, Darius Aston lingered by nobles, glass in grip. His expression composed once more, but his stare lingered on Gabriel overly long. Gabriel marked it without reaction.

Moments later, he exited the banquet hall.

The outer corridor hushed instantly. Muffled tunes seeped through the doors, chandelier glows casting elongated warmth over the shiny floor. Servants occasionally passed with trays or tweaks to decor, but Gabriel dipped his head under the hat and traced XMan’s map outline.

He advanced deliberately.

That shift proved key.

Few servants or guards challenged one striding like they owned the path. Gabriel avoided excessive scans, needless halts, or maid eye contact—he just proceeded. A servant or two glanced over, then averted swiftly and carried on.

He rounded a corner, then another, traversing a broad passage adorned with portraits before entering a plainer corridor with sparser lights. His hand hovered by his coat, eyes subtly scanning surroundings.

Minutes on, he entered a forsaken hallway.

XMan’s map omitted this stretch.

Lights dimmed here, lamps farther spaced. Banquet echoes vanished, yielding to thick quiet pierced solely by his steps and rare far-off creaks from castle depths.

Gabriel pressed forward regardless.

"Where exactly do you think you are going?"

A voice rang out abruptly from behind, halting Gabriel in his tracks.

Footsteps echoed slowly from the corridor's far side. Turning partway, he beheld Darius Aston there, hand poised at his side, stance refined yet wary.

"This castle section bars guests," Darius declared. His prior easy smile had vanished. "You're not meant to be here."

Gabriel faced him sans astonishment.

In truth, he'd detected Darius tailing him minutes earlier. The noble aimed for stealth, but against Gabriel, it fell short. Thus, he'd purposefully drawn him from lit, thronged areas into this barren passage.

Cleaner resolution this way.

Darius's eyes tightened as Gabriel delayed responding.

"I posed a question," he pressed. "Who are you, and why prowl these forbidden halls?"

Silence gripped the corridor briefly. Faint lamps threw stretched shadows across walls, cool air distinct from the banquet's cozy warmth behind.

Then Gabriel tipped his hat up slightly, met Darius's gaze, and grinned, teeth gleaming softly in shadow.