Chapter 3: His Highness must have a deeper meaning in doing this!

“L-L-Love!?”

Luwei simply stared at Fu Luoxi.

The latter’s face went from deathly pale to a deep crimson… and then, steam seemingly began to puff out from her head.

“But, Lady Luwei, we’re both girls!”

“And our relationship… aren’t we sisters?”

Fu Luoxi’s voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.

“So, you would rather be my slave?”

Luwei asked indifferently.

“You know how to choose, right?”

To her surprise, Fu Luoxi remained silent for a long while…

‘Huh?’

‘Is hesitating even necessary??’

‘Is dating me so physically revolting to you?’

Luwei bit her thumbnail, feeling an inexplicable and intense sense of frustration…

In truth, Fu Luoxi had a third option.

She could have snatched the Slave Collar and threatened to put it on Luwei.

Or, she could have simply said “no” and brandished her little fist, giving Luwei a reason to stop her own wicked behavior.

But with Fu Luoxi’s personality, she clearly couldn’t do either.

It was truly hard for Luwei to believe that in 1 month, when this soft and delicate girl turned 18 years old, she would transform into a ruthless Angel.

And then, she would blind Luwei’s eyes…

“Can’t choose?”

“…Heh, though your status is lowly, this face of yours is certainly qualified.”

Luwei pinched Fu Luoxi’s cheek… the skin felt quite nice to the touch.

“I don’t want to ruin this beauty, and I don’t want to annoy Father.”

“Unless, you voluntarily become my plaything…”

She looked at Fu Luoxi playfully.

Judging by the girl’s trembling pupils, her current expression must have been quite terrifying.

“I…”

“I am willing to become your lover.”

Fu Luoxi took a deep breath, her expression appearing incredibly weak and helpless.

And yet, this pitiful look seemed to trigger something in Luwei…

It made her heart itch, giving her a sudden urge to be cruel.

She had to admit, the personality of “Villain Luwei” was indeed influencing her.

“Remember, we are officially dating,” Luwei said emotionlessly as she turned away.

“If you want to stay in this house, don’t even think about disobeying me!”

“As for my father… you find a way to explain it to him.”

Fu Luoxi had not slept at all last night.

She had thought about many things, yet she could never have anticipated such a strange request…

What exactly was the Lady’s goal?

On one hand, she spoke of putting a Slave Collar on her, yet she gave her an option that seemed like a compromise.

Why would the Lady suddenly say she wanted to date someone like her…?

Fu Luoxi could only think of one reason.

What if this move by Lady Luwei was intended to force her into opposition with the Duke?

If word got out that “the Duke’s daughter is a lesbian and has fallen for her own sister”…

The Duke had kindly adopted the daughter of an old friend, but that daughter had been dishonest, seducing his own child and inviting the ridicule of others.

If the Duke thought that way, she would have no place left in House Carys.

And in House Carys, even the watchdog knew whose side to take…

Without the Duke’s support, her life and death would be entirely up to Lady Luwei’s whims.

At that thought, Fu Luoxi’s gaze gradually dimmed.

She sat blankly on the floor.

The antique sandalwood floor was spotless, forming a sharp contrast with her wretched appearance.

‘So that’s how it is…’

Fu Luoxi’s father had died in an assassination by an enemy country.

Her name was still on that enemy’s wanted list.

If she lost the protection of House Carys…

There wouldn’t even be a need for enemy spies to act; plenty of people would be willing to capture her for the bounty.

A warmth traced her cheek.

Fu Luoxi reached up to touch it, only to find that tears had begun to flow from the corners of her eyes at some point.

[Successfully contracted target: Fu Luoxi]

[Task 1: Confirm romantic relationship with Fu Luoxi. (Completed)]

[Reward: 50 gold coins, Basic Healing Potion Recipe x 1]

[Task objective updated]

[Task 1: Maintain romantic relationship. (0/30 days)]

[Unlocked Function]

[— Human Resource Management —]

Name: Fu Luoxi

Position: None

Status: Idle

Daily Output: None

Daily Working Hours: 0h

Suggestion: Cultivate Alchemy-related professional skills and put into production as soon as possible.

‘The reward for just one task is a full 50 gold coins??’

With a thought from Luwei, a heavy bag of gold coins materialized out of thin air and fell into her hand.

With House Carys in decline, the rewards from these recruitment tasks would definitely resolve her urgent needs!

***

In the game Bonds, cultivating characters was extremely expensive.

This resulted in a world where anything related to strength enhancement or skill learning was quite costly.

In the Kingdom of Avalon, 1 gold coin could support a family of three comfortably for 1 year, but it was only enough for the weekly expenses of a single magic apprentice.

Therefore, studying Magic, Alchemy, or Swordsmanship… had almost become a privilege exclusive to the nobility.

‘What’s the difference between cultivating a beautiful girl and training an employee?’

At least, the developer of this game didn’t think there was any difference…

thus, the gameplay of this game had become quite distorted.

The rewards obtained from winning over game characters were just enough to allow players to complete their initial capital accumulation.

Dating characters like the Elf Queen or the Vampire Princess could even allow players to colonize other races.

What if being a capitalist was too brain-taxing for you?

Then you could simply spend money to max out the development level of your favorite characters.

So…

Now that the startup capital was in hand, it was time to hire some beautiful employees!

Luwei weighed the money bag in her hand with satisfaction, enjoying the pleasant clink-clink sound it made.

But she wasn’t sure if it was an illusion; besides the clashing of the gold coins, she could faintly hear the sound of water dripping…

She turned back in confusion.

And then she saw…

Fu Luoxi was kneeling on the floor nearby, sobbing silently.

Tears continued to slide down her cheeks, but for some reason, her expression appeared calm and resigned.

Luwei was stunned.

‘Why is she crying!?’

‘Is dating me really so hopeless?’

‘How pathetic am I in her eyes!?’

In her panic, Luwei jumped straight off the bed.

“What’s wrong with you?” she asked with a stern face.

Fu Luoxi only stared at her blankly.

She didn’t say a word, just kept crying, making Luwei’s heart race with anxiety.

Somehow, Luwei had a faint premonition that if she didn’t offer a few words of comfort, her death in 1 month would be very gruesome.

So, she cleared her throat and put on what she thought was a gentle smile.

But… if Luwei could see herself in a mirror right now, she would definitely complain that the art department had definitely added some personal bias when designing her face—

Her eyes were sharp, her features looked extremely unkind, and she seemed to be covered in thorns.

When she had no expression, it was fine, but the moment she smiled…

“Hehe, why are you crying~?”

Luwei chuckled softly.

“Is dating me really the same as bullying you?”

Upon hearing this, Fu Luoxi immediately wiped away her tears and stood up straight before Luwei.

She didn’t speak, but she covered her mouth as if afraid her tears would burst forth again.

Because—

Luwei’s face was so gloomy it looked like it could drip water, and the corners of her mouth were curled into a terrifying arc.

“If you feel wronged, just say it. I am very reasonable…”

‘This is definitely a threat!’

Fu Luoxi’s face turned pale.

She became even more certain of her suspicions.

The Lady had not changed…

She was always thinking of how to get rid of her!

Seeing Fu Luoxi nod with a stiff expression, Luwei couldn’t help but feel a bit puzzled.

She had clearly said it with a smile, so why did this girl look even more nervous?

“Do you want to go out with me to change your mood?”

Luwei asked somewhat nonchalantly.

“Go… out?”

Fu Luoxi tugged at the revealing Maid Uniform she was wearing.

“Can I… change my clothes first…”

Hearing this, the silver-haired girl frowned, and then she once again revealed that gloomy smile.

“Sure, you can wear whatever you want.”

“Why don’t you just throw that Maid Uniform away?”

‘…The Lady is angry!’

Fu Luoxi shuddered, then shook her head like a rattle.

“No need… I, I really like this outfit.”

“It’s a gift from you. I’m very happy!”

She forced a smile that looked even more painful than her crying.