Nancy saw Inan’s calm expression and felt a bit surprised. Even the Lady Thief’s eyes flickered with a hint of admiration.
‘If this man helps my sister… perhaps he really could replace Will in the North. Although his ambition is great, as long as he does not take orders from the Four Great Dukes, it is fine!’
The Imperial Family’s primary goal now was to topple the Four Great Dukes!
Having reached this conclusion, the Lady Thief set down her wine glass. “Viscount Inan, do you wish to replace Will?”
Inan was slightly surprised. He had not expected this woman to throw out such a question. Her status was definitely above Nancy’s!
“I do!” Inan nodded directly and sincerely. No man could refuse the chance to rule a territory!
Seeing Inan’s straightforward answer, the admiration in the Lady Thief’s eyes grew stronger. “Very good, Viscount Inan. Your honesty is rare.”
Inan received a signal from her words; the matter of him purging several territories had been suppressed, otherwise she would not have asked that question.
After the Lady Thief spoke, she said no more, looking at Nancy instead and handing the conversation back to her.
Nancy rested her foot on Inan’s thigh. “Massage it for me…”
Inan hesitated this time. The young girl in the white dress had clearly told him last time that Nancy was already married. If she was seducing him like this, would her husband not be furious if he knew his wife’s foot was being handled by another man?
At the very least, Inan would never allow such a thing to happen to him! Therefore, he had to test the waters first.
“Madam… is this appropriate?” Inan stared at the jade-like foot on his thigh but did not dare to move.
“Madam?” Nancy was a bit surprised. She was not married at all; why was she being called a married woman? Then she thought of the conversation her foster daughter had reported regarding Inan, and a playful expression flashed across her face.
A cunning smile curled at the corner of Nancy’s mouth. She leaned in close to Inan, her warm breath ghosting over him as she said, “Why, Viscount Inan? Has your legendary lust suddenly failed you? Why are you acting like a coward now?”
A sweet fragrance hit him, the scent of red wine clinging to Nancy as it swirled around Inan’s nose. It made the temptation hard to resist.
‘Does this woman want to have an affair? While this is common among the nobility, I am a bit uncertain. If she were not a Saintess or a Countess from the Capital, I would have taken her right here!’
But her status was too noble. The usually audacious Inan had to control his lower half and think with his head.
Ultimately, his instincts told him that this woman would be his sooner or later. There was no difference between offending her husband now or later!
So, he boldly began to massage Nancy’s foot.
Nancy closed her eyes, enjoying Inan’s service. “I have already suppressed the impeachments from the Capital regarding your actions. However, I must return to the Capital… you had better restrain yourself from now on!”
Inan’s movements paused. This woman was returning to the Capital!?
Although he did not know why she had to go back, if he were left alone in the North, Will would surely target him at every turn. However, Inan was tactful enough not to bring up the topic, focusing instead on serving Nancy.
“Countess Nancy, please travel with peace of mind. I will always be your soldier. I will send a letter every week to report on my work…”
Nancy opened her eyes slightly and glanced at Inan, a satisfied smile playing on her lips. “Oh? Then I shall look forward to your letters. But do not send me love letters — my husband might get jealous.”
“And I have heard you are quite the heartbreaker. I heard there was once a young girl named Selena who was deceived to death by you… what a poor girl…”
Inan did not respond. This was not a conversation he could join.
Seeing Inan’s silence, a complex emotion flashed in Nancy’s eyes — a mix of disdain and admiration. It was rare for such contradictory feelings to appear in one person, yet she managed it.
She felt disdain for how Inan manipulated the feelings of others to achieve his disguise, even killing the woman who loved him in the end. Yet she admired that the man was ruthless enough to bear all that infamy, continue his disguise, and finally kill that woman to bolster the army’s morale and win a war!
Nancy watched him like that, while Inan remained silent. His hands continued the massage, though the pressure shifted slightly.
“Moving forward, this lady will remain here to help you.” Nancy did not reveal the Lady Thief’s true identity. She looked at Inan with interest. “This lady can be considered an old friend of yours…”
“Lady Thief?” Inan was stunned for a moment. He could hardly believe it. This woman’s status was clearly not inferior to Nancy’s, yet she was an assassin!?
The Lady Thief chuckled and met Inan’s gaze. “What? Do you not recognize me?”
How could Inan not recognize her! This identity thief had stolen the identity of that fat pig noble and infiltrated the enemy’s ranks to provide him with vital information. Later, she had helped Inan secure a small-scale victory and even transformed into Ewan to give Inan a chance to breathe!
This woman was practically a divine tool for turning the tides of battle!
“Lady Thief, is this your true face?” Inan asked a shameless question. Clearly, this blonde, blue-eyed beauty had captivated him.
Such a beauty should be working for him! If such an invincible tool were an enemy, Inan would definitely make her his first target to kill.
Although his wife, Freya, was also a blonde, blue-eyed beauty, this woman had sharp, short hair and azure eyes that sparkled like stars. She possessed a completely different temperament from Freya. One was a wife radiating maternal warmth, and the other was a cold, elegant, and dangerous assassin.
He wanted both!
“I told you back then that I was a beauty —” The Lady Thief gave a soft laugh. “Viscount Inan, do you still not believe me?”
The two were like internet friends meeting in person for the first time.
Inan could not help but feel excited. With such a heaven-defying assistant to help him, how could his grand ambitions fail!?
The Lady Thief was also satisfied. She planned to use Inan to deal with the Four Great Dukes, forging him into a sharp blade!
Few knew her true identity. Even the girl in the white dress, Shirley, did not know of her royal bloodline, only her reputation as an assassin.
The Lady Thief’s fierce reputation was known to many nobles across the continent. Killing whoever she wished was a simple matter! She could steal anyone’s identity at will. Once she assumed an identity, she could approach anyone — whether it was for poisoning, stabbing, or setting fires, she was always successful.
The more he thought about it, the more excited Inan became, his eyes filled with the flames of desire. He possessed god-tier skills for dealing with women!
With Painful Desire and his status as a Master of the S&M Domain, he could make any woman obsessed…