I'll also work hard to conquer the dungeon today.

Chapter 365 1.23 27 Paper Cutting
"You..." Lan Xiao only managed to utter one word before she couldn't continue. She didn't know when Bertias had arrived, nor how much he had overheard.

The contrast between the hidden true self being suddenly revealed in front of this boy with whom she has feelings is likely to be disappointing.

She wasn't a simple person; she didn't deny Mu Yegui's words, she...

Yu Yin silently took a few steps back, seemingly trying to hide herself.

Bertias wore a faint smile, her expression showing not a trace of surprise or being deceived. That slightly gentle demeanor, however, only made people more uneasy.

Lan Xiao didn't want to hear anything too offensive from Berthias. She still held a sliver of hope that perhaps Berthias hadn't heard anything at all.
She didn't want to ask Bertias when he arrived; she was afraid of hearing a hurtful answer.

"Why do you guys like to wander around at night instead of sleeping?" Bertias asked with a light laugh, her arms crossed over her chest, looking quite relaxed.

"I'm hungry, so I came to find something to eat." Mu Yegui's face was expressionless, her tone calm without the slightest hint of panic, as if everything she said was the truth.

"I was just passing by," Lan Xiao said softly, then prepared to leave.

As Lan Xiao passed by Bertias, she heard him say softly with a smile, "Can we wait a little while?"

Lan Xiao paused slightly and turned to look at Bertias, but all she saw was a beautiful profile, a fair and flawless face, which could easily be mistaken for that of a girl.

“You’ve forgotten something.” Bertias turned to look at Lan Xiao, her tone still gentle, her blue-gray eyes carrying a hint of a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

Just as Lan Xiao was feeling confused and uneasy, she saw Bertias reach out and pick up the plate of bread that was placed on the windowsill, and gently hand it to Lan Xiao.

“I forgot to take this,” Bertias said with a light laugh.

Mingming's gentle smile sent a chill down Lan Xiao's spine.

He did hear it.

Good fortune is unlikely to be on her side, and no one will hear her prayers.

However, this was her own choice.

Even if you regret it, you must persevere and keep going.

Lan Xiao looked down at the plate of bread that Bertias had handed her, nodded at him, and left without looking back.

It was as if nothing had ever happened between the two of them.

They were just strangers.

Bertias remained silent as the figure behind him walked further and further away until it disappeared.

"I thought you would question me." Mu Yegui glanced at Bertias from head to toe, seemingly quite surprised by his reaction. After all, men who fall into blind love often feel a sense of betrayal when they hear about a different side of the person they like, which can lead them to do a series of irrational things.

Bertias chuckled softly, a faint smile on her delicate and beautiful face as always, seemingly unaffected by anything.

"You think I've been deceived?" Bertias retorted, a dark glint flashing in his blue-gray eyes.

“How could someone so highly regarded by the extremely suspicious Shui Qi be so easily deceived? And it seems she didn’t deceive you at all; she was the one who deceived me.” Mu Yegui observed Bertias’s expression and said slowly.

There was no deception involved; Lan Xiao had merely lured Mu Yegui here, though her purpose was still unknown. Furthermore, it was unclear whether her usual timidity was genuine or feigned.
“Indeed… she didn’t really deceive me…” Bertias sighed softly, “so I wasn’t angry, and even gave her what she wanted.”

"How do you know it's what she wanted and not what I wanted? It was just the two of us in the kitchen before, so both of us are suspects," Mu Yegui retorted.

“You won’t,” Bertias said with certainty.

If Mu Yegui wanted to take the quest item, no one would notice. And most importantly, Mu Yegui said to leave the bread in the kitchen to see if it would appear at the banquet the next day, which means he was reminding everyone that someone would definitely come into the kitchen in the middle of the night.

That's why he's here.

"If you know this, why did you give it to her in the first place?" Mu Yegui tilted his head and looked at Bertias, asking.

“Since I’m the one lying to her, of course I have to keep going until I’m exposed, right? Isn’t that the obvious thing to do? Take the initiative to get close to her and lure her into the trap,” Bertias said with a light laugh.

Why aren't you angry?

Why not question them?

Why don't you feel like you've been deceived?
Because he was the one who deceived him first, he has no right to be angry, that's all.

“But… since you gave her the item, please take responsibility for resolving the subsequent troubles.” With his cold, silver eyes fixed on Bertias, Mu Yegui slowly said, “Otherwise, I’ll kill you.”

"Ah~ How terrifying." Bertias raised an eyebrow dismissively. "I know, leave it to me. Although I'm not afraid of death, I'd rather not die such a pathetic death. Sometimes I do value my life."

"Do you really know?" Mu Yegui continued to ask.

"Of course I know. We're in mortal danger, so we have to be serious," Bertias nodded and said earnestly.

"If I find out that you've turned on me, I'll still kill you." Mu Yegui took a few steps forward, reached out and touched Bertias's neck, his sharp fingertips slicing across his Adam's apple, drawing out a trace of blood.

Bertias wore a smile, showing no fear of being threatened, nor did he care whether Mu Yegui would actually kill him.

“It’s true, of course it’s true. After all…” Bertias said meaningfully, but he didn’t say the rest of his sentence.

"Then we'll wait for you to complete the task." Mu Yegui put down his hand, said casually, and left.

Yu Yin quickly followed. She didn't want to stay with Bertias; she felt it was terrifying. If she didn't leave now, when would she?
"Huh? Wait! What does that mean?!" Bertias's lips twitched slightly as he exclaimed.

"Seriously... I'm going to handle this mission all by myself? Are you all just going to watch? You'll die from exhaustion!" Bertias said angrily, her face contorted in a grimace.

The kitchen fell silent again, with only the dim light dispelling the darkness.

Bertias stood in the shadows outside the door, let out a long sigh, and murmured, "What a willful fellow... but just what I wanted..."

It's better if no one gets in the way.

Today is Fei's birthday, so this is another bonus chapter.



(End of this chapter)