Under the Heiress' Facade novel Chapter 486

Hera coughed and confessed, "You kept complaining about getting sick before you went online. Three years ago, you told me you couldn't mentor me anymore because of your health. You even wanted me to hone my skills alone.

"You hardly went online after that. I thought you were close to kicking the bucket."

Tyler did not look amused. "I told you I was sick because I was swamped and needed an excuse to stay offline! As for what I said three years ago, I reckoned you were good enough that you didn't need my guidance anymore…"

At the time, he had just joined Astral Nova and had been swamped with work. It didn't help that the grandmaster often sent him on missions to some rural place with no reception, which prevented him from going online.

However, Tyler had to keep these a secret from Hera. With a flap of his hand, he said dismissively, "Oh, forget it. I thought you were a cloistered bumpkin, and I was annoyed when you kept pestering me to take you under my wing back then.

"I only agreed because you proved to be talented and a fast learner. I guess we're even."

Hera shot him a withering look.

Tyler added, "Had I known you were such a babe, I would never have made up the final two rules of our arrangement." The rules were that they would not look into each other's background and that they would never meet in person.

He continued shamelessly, "If fantasy tropes have taught me anything, it's that we'd make a good couple—a mentor and his protégé, one falling in love with the other and all that jazz. I can overlook your previous bad relationship choices as long as you come back to me."

She speechlessly listened to his nonsensical rambling. She would never have believed that the playful man who had a tendency to run his mouth was the legendary S if he hadn't told her things only the both of them knew.

He had seemed so cool and aloof online, save for the countless times he playfully warned her not to fall in love with him just because he was kind.

"I thought of you as a father figure after you took me under your wing," Hera said, declining his offer. "I'd probably take care of you in your old age, but I've no interest in dating you."

"Tsk. Ingrate," Tyler grumbled, though he dropped the topic after that and changed the subject. "Anyway, why did you show up here? You're risking discovery."