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nFollowing the events, Ansel of Hydral exchanged no further words with the Marlowe

nsisters. He merely shared his sweet treats with them, and once Marlina had applied the ointment to Seraphina’s wounds, he allowed them to depart.

nAfter all, Seraphina’s current condition was not conducive to conversation, and Ansel’s purpose had already been fulfilled.

nObserving his young lord’s leisurely demeanor, Saville felt sincere joy. As one of the two pact heads who had accompanied Ansel since childhood, and the only one to accompany him to this day, Saville, who lacked any kin, perhaps valued Ansel even more than Ansel’s own father.

n“It appears you have garnered the results you sought, Young Lord.”

n“Hmm, Saville, you collaborated well.” Ansel, swirling the wine in his glass, couldn’t help but chuckle, “Your restraint was commendable, you truly understand me.”

n“Both girls hold considerable value, simply from their appearances. Your decision to retain them must hold a profound significance, Young Lord.”

nAnsel, who had taken a sip of his crimson wine, slightly turned his head to regard Saville, “Merely their appearances?” .𝒎

nSaville hesitated momentarily, then responded in a deep voice, “The elder sister holds no additional value, but that Seraphina…”

n“Though I deem it improbable, in the end, she seemed to have captured a glimpse of my actions, if only for a moment.”

n“You’re not yet so old as to be having illusions, Saville.” Ansel roared with laughter, “Since you’ve said as much, then it must be true.”

n— Capturing Saville’s trajectory, anyone knowledgeable of the power Saville wielded would be perplexed, even shocked.

nAnsel, raising his wine glass, gazed at the crimson liquid within, and sighed in a voice only he could hear, “This is… the protagonist.”

n“Then, her value becomes precious indeed.” Saville stated without hesitation, “She has the talent to become a pact head…”

nUpon reaching this point, the old man paused, then realized with a start, “So, she is your choice. Although somewhat wild and unmanageable, and… foolish, with your methods, Young Lord, she should be tamed within three days.”

n“Three days?” Ansel laughed incredulously, “That seems too short, Saville. You’re even more confident than I am.”

nSaville was solemn, devoid of any hint of humor, “Her sister, you should be able to deal with her tonight, yes?”

n“Ah… That’s different, there’s a fundamental gap between the two.”

nHe did not deny that he could ‘handle’ Marlina tonight—although he wouldn’t do so.

nAfter all, in Ansel’s plan, the dear Miss Marlina was more important than anything else.

nThe youthful Ansel of Hydral drained his glass, gazing into the fireplace, seeking a new future amidst the flames.

n.

n“That bastard, that scumbag, that brute!”

nIn the room, Seraphina was indignantly hammering the bed. Upon hearing this, Marlina, who was busily doing something, promptly panicked, “You can’t speak ill of Lord Hydral like that. Didn’t you hear the cheers of the people? Lord Hydral must be a good man!”

n“Ha, is it scarce for nobles to deceive us?”

nThe ointment brought by Ansel of course had a miraculous effect. Seraphina’s face had already returned to its original state: as white and soft as snow, showing no traces of being beaten.

nYet the words uttered by the girl bearing such a pretty and lovely face were quite coarse, “From the sheriff to the tax officer, from the minor lord to the grand lord, every single one of them, they’re all crap! All crap! The Empire is the same!”

n“Seraphina!”

nMarlina, frightened, suddenly raised her voice, “Do you know what you’re saying!”

n“…” Seraphina, realizing she had misspoken, said nothing more, just pouting her lips.

nMarlina saw her expression and could only temporarily stop what she was doing, walk over in small steps, and sit down beside her.

n“…Seri, I know these days have been hard for you.”

nThe young girl stroked her younger sister’s soft and smooth short hair, gently pulling her into her arms, “Not just these days, from childhood to now, you’ve always had a hard life.”

nLeaning against Marlina’s shoulder, Seraphina’s heart instantly softened. She hugged her own sister, muttering softly, “That’s not necessarily true. Living with mom, dad, and Marlina has always been happy.”

nMarlina smiled and pulled at her cheek, “How could I not know what you’re thinking? You’re a gifted child. For someone like you to endure those incompetent people, mom, dad, and I all feel guilty.”

n“But… but it’s different now, Seri.” The young girl held Seraphina’s hand, her eyes lighting up with the glow of hope.

n“We… no, you have a chance now. You have a chance to change everything.”

n“… A chance, what chance?” Seraphina looked puzzledly at her own sister.

n“Lord Hydral.”

nMarlina solemnly uttered the name of the man Seraphina detested to the core.

n“Him?!” The girl, who was like a wild wolf, screamed in shock and then cursed, “What kind of opportunity is he? That sissy, psycho, nutcase…”

n“Seraphina!” 𝘪𝘳.𝘤𝑜

nAs soon as she heard that her sister’s voice had a bit of anger in it, Seraphina could only helplessly shut her mouth.

n“Listen well, Seraphina, Lord Hydral is a big shot.” Marlina solemnly pressed her sister’s shoulder, “Dealing with the sheriff and the tax officer, we have to rack our brains, but for a regular lord, they are more trivial than snowflakes. Yet even the minor lords have to bow and scrape before the Count of Red Frost, the master of the Red Frost territory. And the Count of Red Frost…”

nHer words paused for a moment, her tone carrying a hint of reverence that she herself did not notice.

n“The Count of Red Frost, for Lord Hydral, is just a minor character that he could dispose of while having a meal – he is such a big shot that we simply cannot imagine.”

nThe hand on Seraphina’s shoulder weighed down more, Marlina stared into Seraphina’s eyes, “Most importantly, his kindness may be fake, his goodness may be fake, his gentleness may be fake, but he… he must be a clever man, a formidable man, a man who can see your worth.”

nMarlina had encountered a multitude of individuals in her time.

nFrom the tender age of twelve, she had been engaged in a relentless struggle with the sheriff and the tax officer, fighting tooth and nail to extract from their grasp every grain of sustenance she could manage.

nIn the drawing-room, the stirrings of her heart were not feigned; her reactions were genuine.

nHowever, upon retreating to the sanctuary of her own quarters, Marlina promptly sobered, taking the time to reflect and ascertain her standing.

n“Do you comprehend, Seraphina? Lord Ansel of Hydral…he is the beacon of hope for you, for me, for our entire family, and even for our village,” she whispered.

nThe frail, snow-haired girl gently cradled her sister’s face, “I will make mention of your gift to Lord Hydral. You must…you must do everything within your power to remain by his side. He has the ability to alter your fate, Seri.”

nSeraphina stared at her sister, truly taken aback. Even after being expelled from school, her sister had never spoken to her with such solemnity.

nShe knew that this was not the time for wilfulness… her sister was right. Regardless of everything else, at the very least, this man looked more tolerable to her than that idiot pig, and he did not look at her and her sister with that disgusting gaze.

nEven though he was sissy and psycho, she could endure him for the sake of her sister and her parents…

nThe train of Seraphina’s thoughts came to an abrupt halt.

nThe moment the idea of “temporarily serving under that Ansel of Hydral” surfaced in her mind, a wave of nausea almost made her retch. It swept over her, flooding every inch of her body.

nHer stomach started to convulse involuntarily, her body trembling uncontrollably as if…as if recalling that moment.

n— That moment when she laid eyes on Ansel of Hydral.

nA sensation of disgust overwhelmed her as if she had encountered the most horrendous, most grotesque monster in the world, a creature so vile that she couldn’t bear to inhabit the same world as it.

n“I refuse!”

nDriven by this revulsion, the impulsive and fiery-tempered girl abruptly vented her refusal.

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