Unbeknownst to the pair of eyes keenly observing her, Sylvia gazed longingly at the devil from afar.

She didn't know what it was about him but her feelings towards the man had changed a lot in just a few days.

It was almost as if he had cast a spell on her, making her feel infatuated with him for no reason.

Was it because he was the one who had removed the seal on her body and her soul?

She wished she knew more about her own body. Who even placed such a seal on her in the first place?

She had been raking through her childhood memories about anything significant that could have happened, which she could associate with all these new changes, but unfortunately, she was only drawing a blank.

She felt frustrated at the lack of answers but she was also a little glad that she was not as helpless as she was a few days ago.

Now, all she needed to do was see this through and she will finally be able to step out of the trap that her own flesh and blood had laid out for her, purely out of their greed.

Perhaps she would pay them a visit and give them a taste of their own medicine.

She was after all a mage now and that instantly gave her a status that was above what her uncle or aunt could ever imagine.

Sylvia knew that many would probably look down on her for readily giving up her virtue, but she knew better than anyone that without power and status for oneself in this society, virtue is nothing.

As long as she remained weak and vulnerable, an orphan like her would never be able to hold on to her virtue.

Only a naive fool could hold onto such a fantasy in this cruel world.

Even if she somehow escaped from the clutches of this man, she would probably be captured by another man the very next day.

So she didn't think twice when the devil proposed a deal to her and she traded her virtue away in a heartbeat for a life that she could stomach. At least this way, she would be able to have some kind of life.

Sylvia gazed absentmindedly at the lively theatrics in front of her. The ship, the party, the scenery, the people, even her own thoughts - everything seemed so distant to her.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she missed the few times that the devil had eyed her out of the corner of his eyes.

Her lone silhouette looked breathtaking under the dim glow of the moonlight even if she was not decked in fine jewels and silk, like the other women.

Sylvia snapped her eyes to look at him as if she had sensed the man gazing at her, but Mikel was quicker to react and had already looked away.

She, however, met Priscella's gaze and the woman didn't forget to give her a death glare, with just her eyes throwing daggers at her.

Not long after, a maid came rushing towards her and panted out of breath.

"Excuse me. What are you standing here for? Don't you know that the upper deck is only reserved for milady's guests?"

"Oh? Is that so? Sorry I was not aware." Sylvia blankly answered.

It was too obvious who was behind this as the maid had only addressed her and not Leol who was standing beside her, who still continued leisurely leaning against the rails as if this had nothing to do with him.

She didn't bother arguing and followed the maid downstairs to the lower decks where the preparations for the party and the feast were taking place.

The maid walked ahead of her and left her alone amidst the chaos without saying a word. She had no idea what she was supposed to do now.

Before long, someone else walked over to her and handed her a tray of drinks and appetizers to carry back to the party above and Sylvia nodded, going along with the flow.

When she came back up, she saw that most of the guests had moved inside the big hall on the ship and a light melody floated across, several couples dancing.

Sylvia didn't have to look for long to notice the most prominent pair among the ones who were dancing.

The devil was leading the woman in his arms on the dance floor, his eyes only for the Lady.

Priscella as well looked like she was in a trance and in the eyes of many, she was the luckiest woman in the world.

Her long brown locks fluttered in the gentle breeze as they caressed the man's face.

Her body stuck to the devil closely and her cheeks brushed his chest ever so often as if she couldn't care about the dance and just wanted to embrace him.

Sylvia didn't know why but as she gazed at the couple, a strange feeling welled up inside her heart which made her stomach churn.

She felt an inexplicable sense of anger and hatred as she continued to watch them.

Every time she saw the woman blush, giving the man a coy smile and whispering something in his ear to make him laugh and smile gently, her heart squeezed and her temper started to flare up.

She felt an urge to tear her away from him and bash her face onto the wooden floor of the ship and at this thought, her face immediately turned red.

"What's wrong with me?" She broke out in a cold sweat, scared by her own penchant for violence.

She had never thought of herself as the violent type. She was failing to understand what was causing this uncontrollable surge of emotions within her.

Or perhaps some women were simply too talented in bringing out the worst in others! Sylvia huffed and quickly turned around, unable to watch the scene any longer.

The more she looked at it, the more agitated she felt. She feared that if she stayed any longer, she would really bash that woman's head.

Sylvia took her place at the side, as she prepared to serve the guests, but as she looked at the tray of appetizers, she noticed that unknowingly, she had nibbled at the entire thing all by herself.

Cough. Cough. she pushed that shameful feeling down and quietly snuck the empty tray under the tray of drinks, which luckily she hadn't touched yet.

Just then, one of the men standing next to her walked up to her.

"You look lonely standing here all alone. Not to mention hungry. Aha ha ha." He winked at her and chuckled. "Why don't you put the tray down and come sit with me for dinner?"

"Pardon, my Lord?" Sylvia asked, not sure if she had heard him correctly.

She was also worried that he had seen her gulping down the appetizers like a glutton instead of serving them to the guests.

The man standing in front of Sylvia looked very handsome and well-toned, dressed in an attire that could rival any of the guests on the ship.

From the way he was talking to her, she could tell that he was a noble.

He was also probably one of the most eye-catching men in the hall apart from the devil himself, whose thought made her feel queasy again.

Sylvia couldn't tell if the man was flirting with her or just trying to be friendly, but there was no way that she would jeopardize her arrangement with the devil.

She bowed lightly and politely refused him. "Please forgive me, my Lord. My Master has given me strict orders."

The man looked slightly disappointed to hear her words and was about to coax her more, when someone patted him on the back, pulling him into a conversation.

Sylvia didn't recognize this man as well, who seemed to be another noble but she quietly used this chance to slip away and serve the drinks on her plate.

She strolled away from the part of the huge hall where the various couples were dancing and went ahead to serve the drinks to men and women seated on tables.

She could tell that the Lady had put a lot of thought into the decorations for this evening as the small white circular tables with gorgeous blossoms as centerpieces were very appealing.

Something told her that the woman had her own plans for this visit just as the devil had his.

She only hoped that she wouldn't be caught in the middle or maybe she wanted to be caught in the middle.

Sylvia did not know what she wanted anymore. She was going crazy from her conflicting emotions which were white one second and black the next.

She sighed and put on a polite smile, as she started serving drinks to the guests seated at the table, and when she was about to leave, her tray almost empty, she heard someone call out to her.

"Miss! This glass is empty. Would you like to refill it for me?"