“Cleaning… the room?”
‘What on earth is going through this girl’s head?’
Luwei’s eye twitched.
She did not respond, only staring blankly at Floxi.
The latter’s face grew redder and redder until she finally could not help but lower her head.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness, I misspoke! I-I-I’ll go practice my swordsmanship…”
Seeing her flustered state, Luwei couldn’t help but curl her lip.
“You like practicing that much? Being my maid is truly a waste of your time, then…”
Hearing those words, Floxi stiffened completely.
“Lady Luwei must be joking. Being able to serve you is, of course, my honor…”
Though those were her words, she was pouting, her expression clearly showing a hint of disappointment.
Luwei said nothing more and looked behind her.
“Shuangcha, come here.”
She beckoned to the beast-girl behind her, then turned her head toward Sabeila.
“Sabeila, this is a new servant I have taken in.”
Facing the female knight’s odd expression, Luwei explained calmly, “I believe she has a talent for combat. Help me train her.”
“Train her?”
Though it was sudden, Sabeila still accepted the task.
“Of course, my lady…”
After all, she was already Floxi’s teacher.
Teaching one was a job, and teaching two was no different.
But… a demi-human?
She scrutinized the clearly nervous Shuangcha, doubt rising in her heart.
A demi-human could not be knighted.
Was Lady Luwei simply trying to train a bodyguard?
On the other side, Floxi, who had been planning to slip away quietly, also heard those words.
‘Why train… a slave she just bought?’
Wait.
She suddenly realized another problem.
According to Lady Luwei, this demi-human girl was going to become her classmate?
“Huh…?”
Floxi’s mind was truly beginning to overload.
But just then, a pale, slender hand patted her shoulder.
Turning her head, Floxi once again met Luwei’s emotionless eyes.
“Hey, Floxi.”
Luwei’s voice was like a bone-chilling wind, making Floxi feel as though she had been dropped into an ice cellar from head to toe.
‘What is Her Highness planning now?’
Floxi’s heart was filled with tension.
From Her Highness’s recent behavior, she had been trying to isolate her.
From forcing her to be submissive to making her helpless and alone, until she finally had no choice but to rely on her…
If this time, Her Highness intended to drive Sabeila away from her…
‘No, I can’t let that happen!’
She could not lose Sabeila as a teacher.
She could never stop her journey toward becoming stronger!
If even her training was forbidden, how long would she have to wait before she could avenge her father?
A storm of thoughts swirled in Floxi’s mind.
However, the Luwei before her merely watched her calmly, then pointed at Shuangcha not far away.
“I forbid you from being better than her.”
“Whether you slack off or get distracted, you can even use your own training time to teach her. In short, within one month, I want to see your swordsmanship rank below Shuangcha’s!”
“…Huh?”
Hearing this, Floxi was stunned.
‘It seems… it’s not quite what I imagined?’
Luwei held her head high, acting the part of the arrogant noble as she gave orders to those around her.
“Sabeila, when you teach Floxi, make sure to hold back a few moves. She still has to serve me, so her training shouldn’t be too exhausting.”
Lines of frustration appeared on Sabeila’s face.
She had heard Luwei’s words clearly.
It was obviously a threat to Floxi, forbidding her from being better than a servant.
Why did it sound like she was “looking out” for Floxi’s well-being when she said it like that?
“As for my Frost Wolf servant… don’t worry about her feelings. Train her as ruthlessly as you can!”
“She will become an excellent warrior in the future and serve me well.”
Luwei nudged Shuangcha forward, sending her toward Sabeila.
The latter’s expression remained quite dazed, as if she had not fully understood what was happening.
However, her slightly cleverer younger sister seemed to have figured things out.
A strange glint flickered in her ice-blue eyes.
“If you dare to slack off during training, you’ll be in for it.”
Luwei bared her teeth and shook her fist at Shuangcha.
The latter immediately nodded like a chicken pecking at grain.
“Good. You stay here and train. As for Shuangna, you’re coming with me.”
Under three sets of confused gazes, Luwei nonchalantly led Shuangna away.
***
The two of them left the Karis Family Manor directly.
As they walked toward the outskirts of the city, the surrounding houses became increasingly sparse, and the sun completely dipped below the horizon.
Suddenly, Luwei came to a halt and turned to question Shuangna.
“You should have guessed by now, right? What I want you to do…”
But the girl’s eyes darted away.
After thinking it over… she chose to shake her head.
Seeing this, Luwei sighed softly.
“Even with your master, you’re being so dishonest?”
“Your life is in my hands, you know…”
Luwei reached out and gripped Shuangna’s shoulders, then stared intently into her eyes.
From Shuangna’s perspective, that indifferent yet exquisite face was constantly drawing closer.
Soon, their breaths mingled, and their noses nearly touched.
But Shuangna still acted like a puppet at someone’s mercy, with only the ears atop her head twitching slightly, betraying her uneasy state of mind.
“Do you smell anything?”
Luwei whispered.
“The scent of a lie? Or perhaps the scent of sincerity…?”
She extended a finger and lightly tapped the tip of the other girl’s nose.
“I know that your nose can sniff out good things, can’t it?”
Luwei’s words were like a sharp needle piercing straight into Shuangna’s soul.
The words “How did you know?” nearly blurted out.
This was her greatest secret.
A secret known only to her and her closest kin!
As a demi-human, her mother had taught her since childhood to hide her value.
Demi-humans were liked by no one, struggling to survive between the human race and the beastmen.
No one would ever view them as “one of their own.”
And for Shuangna…
Being able to smell the flow of Mana, discovering magic materials and hidden treasures—Shuangna knew very well what would happen if this talent were exposed.
A powerless demi-human who had lost all her cards…
Among the beastmen, she might have her legs broken and be turned into a living treasure-hunting device.
Among humans, she would likely be sent to an auction house.
She would be bought for a high price by a powerful human and branded with an even stronger Soul Mark, truly never to be free for all eternity.
But if she could hide this trump card, the possibility of an escape always existed.
After all, a low-level Slave Mark was not completely irreversible.
If she could use this talent to find a powerful magical item, she could escape with her sister!
But now…
The evening wind blew past.
Perhaps because her clothes were too thin, looking at the master before her, Shuangna suddenly began to tremble uncontrollably.
Back at the slave market, she had seen her master simply point a finger, and Mana had condensed into the Slave Mark on its own.
She had completed the branding without even needing blood.
And now, without Shuangna having shown any flaws, Luwei had exposed her deepest secret in a single sentence!
Even when she was branded with the Slave Mark, Shuangna had not been as panicked and messy as she was now.
In her heart, she had always harbored the desire to flee.
But at this moment, her fantasies were completely shattered.
Looking at the silver-haired girl’s face, which was young enough to be considered naive, Shuangna’s heart was filled with despair.
“Let’s talk about cooperation,”
Luwei said with a faint smile.
The evening breeze tore a small opening in the clouds, and the pale moonlight poured down, illuminating her frighteningly smiling face.
Shuangna could no longer endure the pressure.
A sharp sting hit her nose.
She slowly sank to her knees, tears filling her eyes as her body shook like a leaf in the wind.
She knew she had lost all her bargaining chips.
At this point, her only option was to show the utmost obedience.
“Master, I shouldn’t have lied to you! From now on, I will be absolutely loyal to you with all my heart!”
“But please, I beg of you… let my sister go…”
In her desperation, Shuangna’s words became frantic, almost throwing everything she had onto the negotiating table.
“I-I know… I know what kind of games you like.”
“I can make sure you’re satisfied. I can cooperate with you. My stupid sister would never be able to do it!”
Her eyes were spinning like swirls as tears flowed down in streams.
“Waaaah… during the day, I can help you find treasures… and at night… ugh, I’ll definitely serve you until you’re comfortable…”
As the girl spoke, her voice took on a thick, tearful quality.
“My voice… sounds very nice. I-I… whatever you want… I can do anything…”
She could no longer speak, only continuing to wipe away her tears.
As for the target of her desperate pleading—
The Lady Luwei who had been smiling just a moment ago had now completely stalled.
“…Huh?”
‘Wait, wait, wait.’
‘Was my smile really that lethal?’
‘Why did she suddenly start crying? And what on earth is she talking about?’
Luwei fell into deep self-doubt.
‘Wait, no.’
There were so many things wrong with this that she didn’t even know where to start.
She simply raised a trembling finger and pointed at Shuangna’s nose.
“Did you… just say all that?”