Bella’s face was filled with confusion as she exclaimed, “？？？？？？？？”
Then her expression instantly darkened.
She hurriedly lowered her head, trembling as she said, “Master, did I do something wrong?”
Could it be that Charlotte really thinks she’s useless now and is planning to drive her away or abandon her?
She actually felt a bit reluctant to leave Charlotte now.
Even though this man guarded against her so tightly, for some strange reason she felt very safe around him.
She didn’t have to struggle desperately anymore, didn’t have to go back to that hateful house, and she could even let Charlotte help her get rid of that beast of a father.
At that thought, she threw herself pitifully into Charlotte’s arms, no longer caring about her dignity as a fourth-rank swordswoman.
She didn’t even call Charlotte by name, but started crying, “Master, did Bella upset you? Please just say so. I can change anything, as long as it’s within my power, I’ll do anything you want.
If you felt last night wasn’t satisfying enough, Bella’s body is strong, you can do whatever you want right now.
I can strip naked and stick my butt up, even those toys we didn’t use yesterday—I can endure them… I… I can even put on a little play for you, Master…
Just give me a chance, I’ll prove my worth.”
She deliberately stood on tiptoes, pressing her “bunny” right in front of Charlotte’s eyes.
Charlotte was a bit speechless. This repressed woman obviously misunderstood something. But how could he not know that he had only just branded Bella with a Spiritual Brand, yet she was now even more eager than a slave.
Though Charlotte didn’t really feel much at the moment, it would be a waste not to enjoy this unearned benefit.
He gave Bella’s “bunny” a gentle squeeze—it was surprisingly soft.
Now that he was in a good mood, a mischievous thought arose.
He teased her on purpose, “Floleen told me you’re really extravagant with money. I’m starting to think our Mistmoon Family can’t afford to keep you.”
Bella knew very well that, with the Weiss Family as allies, the Mistmoon Family could never be short on money.
It was obvious Charlotte was just teasing her, so she played along, “Bella will support herself. If I get hungry, I’ll eat trash, if I get thirsty, I’ll find water myself.
You can spend all your money on what matters; don’t worry about me.
I can even go home, bring all my jewelry here, and offer it to Master.”
Bella gently pinched Charlotte’s waist as she said this—her intent was quite obvious.
However, Charlotte now felt pressed for time, and this wasn’t the right moment for such things—besides, Bella was currently wearing his elder sister’s clothes, which, to be honest, gave him a peculiar feeling.
Still, he was quite pleased and smiled, “I’m not unhappy with you at all. It’s just time to let you show what you can really do.”
“What do you plan to do, Master….” Bella still didn’t quite believe that Charlotte had no complaints, so she kept up her obedient act.
“As you said, Carl Ennis doesn’t know about your assassination attempt last night. He only knows you invited me.”
“Mm.”
“So that means we have some room to maneuver here. Let’s just pretend nothing happened last night, shall we?”
“Eh?!”
Pretend nothing happened last night? Bella could never forget that night for the rest of her life.
Now, just seeing Charlotte made her knees weak—a physiological imprint she could never shake.
“Relax, that’s not what I meant. Didn’t you say you like acting? Then keep acting.”
Now Bella understood Charlotte’s meaning.
In the eyes of the Duke of Storms, Bella hadn’t yet made a move against Charlotte, so he knew nothing about her failed assassination.
That meant Bella could continue playing the undercover agent at his side.
“To make the act more convincing, could you take me home later? That way I can tell Carl I contacted you.”
“And… the Sacred Relic I gave you, Master—to make sure it won’t be found out, it’s best if the Sacred Relic…” Bella didn’t dare finish.
She could only listen for Charlotte’s instructions and let him finish the plan.
“I can take you home, but as for returning the Sacred Relic—forget it. That Sacred Relic you mentioned, I’ve already used up all its power.”
But then Charlotte changed his tone, “But you don’t need to worry too much. I’ve made preparations.”
Charlotte produced a veil and put it on Bella.
It looked a lot like the previous Veil of Mist Concealment, but still lacked a bit of the true mystique.
“If someone looks closely, they’ll notice something’s wrong.”
“So let me teach you how not to give yourself away. You know a bit of magic, right?” Charlotte said, then performed a Mist God’s Magic before Bella.
[First-Rank Mist God’s Magic—Veil of Mist Concealment]
Charlotte’s figure seemed to vanish completely.
“This is the Sacred Relic’s effect? You can use the same kind of magic?” Bella was surprised—Charlotte’s presence was entirely gone.
With a snap of his fingers, the mist around Charlotte dispersed and he reappeared.
“That’s right. The Sacred Relic you mentioned is actually the Mist God’s Legacy. Its effect is much like the magic I just used. The Sacred Relic is just stronger—it can erase your presence completely. My magic can only conceal your form and voice, and it causes a slight magic fluctuation when used.”
“That’s a true assassin’s weapon! No wonder your Mistmoon Family could survive so long with such powerful magic…”
“But, does this magic have any side effects?”
“None. And, I must correct a misconception you have. The so-called ‘Evil God’ that the Aetherlan Divine Church speaks of is not actually evil. Gods merely have different positions.”
There’s some juicy gossip here—Bella noticed at once. “But that’s what the history books say.”
“I’ll explain later. For now, just learn this spell.”
Bella had a bad feeling. It seemed that if she stuck with Charlotte, she’d end up discovering some earth-shattering secret.
“And don’t even think about teaching this magic to anyone else. It has strict conditions—like a specific bloodline. Just like the Kalishi Royal Family’s ability to use Star Magic.”
“Of course I’d never do that. I’m yours now, I’ll listen to you. But how do I cast the spell?” Bella was confused—she had no connection to the Mistmoon Family and couldn’t possibly use the magic, right?
“I branded you with a Spiritual Brand last night. The Mist will answer your prayers now—in other words, you can use it too.”
Bella snuggled even closer to Charlotte. She just knew sticking with him would bring great rewards, and it was clear Charlotte planned to teach her this spell.
So she became even bolder, her hands growing more and more audacious in pleasing Charlotte.
“Alright, enough with the cute act. I’m going to teach you this magic now, and I order you to master it within an hour. Then I’ll go with you to the Ennis estate.”
“No problem!”
Bella really felt her luck was turning around. The hardships she’d suffered in the past now seemed so distant.
Now, she didn’t have to exhaust herself just to survive each day. As long as she pleased Charlotte, she’d reap all sorts of benefits—life had never been this good.
Floleen, carrying a basket, had just returned from buying bread when she saw Charlotte teaching Bella magic in the courtyard.
She walked over to the two of them. “What are you two doing?”
She deliberately sniffed the air for any strange smells. Since she didn’t ask about anything odd, that meant Charlotte hadn’t done anything bad while she was gone.
“Just teaching her some magic,” Charlotte replied. Floleen’s gaze slipped past Bella, locking onto Charlotte.
“Hmph.” Floleen then turned away, making an angry face.
Alright, it looked like Charlotte would have to coax Floleen again tonight.
Floleen twirled her platinum-blonde hair, her crimson eyes shining as she thought, “If I just drain Charlotte dry, he won’t go looking for other women, right?”
Charlotte could tell Floleen was in a bad mood. He said to Bella, “Go practice somewhere else. Let me know when you’ve got it down.”
Bella naturally had no complaints. On the contrary, she had to show Charlotte how considerate she could be. “Of course, no problem.”
This time, she didn’t risk doing anything in front of Floleen, but obediently ran off instead.
She found a quiet spot, closed her eyes, and tried to recreate the magic circle.
Floleen wasn’t a fool—she was sure something had happened between Bella and Charlotte last night. But there was nothing for her to say.
After all, she had already been the biggest winner; thank goodness Charlotte’s first time had been with her.
“In a bit, I’ll be heading to the Ennis estate, and I still have to deal with the princess’s issue today. I’ll be back before bed, so wait for me, alright?” Charlotte pulled Floleen into his arms.
The basket in Floleen’s hand fell to the ground. She used her now-empty hands to hug Charlotte in return.
“Mm, I know. Safe travels. If there’s danger next time, I want to face it with you. I’ve been working really hard at magic—I’ll stand by your side and share your burdens someday.”
“Thank you, Floleen. When we’re back at the Academy, I’ll teach you magic myself. I promise I’ll get you to third-rank mage.”
“Really?”
“Really. Trust my teaching. And isn’t there a certain young lady for me to experiment on, Lilia Karen? I’ll make sure she gets top marks and gets into Kalishi Academy as the number one student.”
“But before you start promising me things, you’d better comfort me tonight! Hmph! Troublesome Floleen is back again!”
Charlotte smiled helplessly. Suddenly, he realized that today he’d been strangely emotional and had shown a lot of expressions.
Maybe… his emotional detachment could be eased after all.