They are all characters I control.

"Back then, you couldn't admit that you were impersonating Lia, could you? We could only say that Lia found out by seeing the notes."

"Therefore, it is not necessary for Lia herself. Whoever brings the notebook to His Majesty and the Bishop can do so."

“If His Majesty and the Bishop don’t care that you’re replacing Lia, then it will naturally reduce unnecessary trouble and there’s no need for notes. But the notes are just in case.”

Seeing Elena's sudden realization, Marquis Rost felt a pang of regret.

He made something that was originally simple complicated.

If we just bring Liya to the dinner party, we won't need all these procedures.

However, when asked which daughter he preferred, the Marquis of Rost chose Elena.

Looking at 'Lia' sitting in front of him with disdain and indifference in her eyes, Marquis Rost knew that his daughter would no longer listen to him.

We'll decide what to do with this daughter when we get back from the dinner party.

Soon, the Marquise Margrave returned with an old notebook from the Rost family.

“Here you go.” Marquis Rost took out a delicate little velvet pouch from the inside of his clothes and poured out an antique ring with a dark gemstone and the Rost family crest engraved on its face.

"Oh? This is the ring? It's quite unique." Claire took the emblem ring.

Upon seeing the ring, Anna's breath caught in her throat. She had been caught in the study and nearly beaten to death because of this ring.

But now, the evil 'Lia' obtained it so easily, and even almost beat Marquis Mara to death.

That's the difference—the difference between her and her master.

Anna looked at 'Lia' sitting upright in the chair, and her body involuntarily straightened up.

Chapter 33 Nuke the Rost Family (Author's Note)

"One is the 'indulgence': the devout can donate to the church to atone for minor transgressions and purify their souls..."

"The second is the 'burial tax': all believers must receive a blessing from the church before being buried, as this is a necessary procedure for entering the embrace of the goddess..."

"The third is the 'Healing Offering': By paying a fixed amount of silver coins each month, one can enjoy preferential treatment in church healing, ensuring that all commoners can equally receive the goddess's mercy..."

The Marquis de Rost and the Marquise de Marla were overjoyed as they looked at the contents of the old notebook.

You see, this thing is crucial to the success or failure of tonight's banquet.

Whether the Rost family and Elena can become the future queen depends on this opportunity. However, these contents were written by the rebellious 'Lia' in front of us, who has a bit of a problem with her mind.

“Ahem, Lia, we need to check what you wrote carefully. You wait here.” Marquis Rost winked at his wife, and the two went to the side.

Seeing this, Elena followed, leaving Claire and her maid Anna behind.

Watching the father and his two daughters whispering to each other, Anna, the maid, felt a renewed sense of worry.

She couldn't help but ask, "Master, is everything you wrote true? There must be some falsehoods in it, right?"

If Marquis Rost and his men discover that something is amiss with the contents later, they might turn against them.

Claire's lips curled into a smirk, her voice laced with undisguised mockery: "Rise to prominence? Anna, when did you become so naive?"

"Huh?" The maid Anna looked at her master with some confusion.

"The fact that you say that shows you don't understand the methods of the nobles." Claire curled her lip in disdain; she knew the nobles inside and out.

"Do you really think that the old foxes in the church and the royal family would give such a huge benefit to a half-dead family like Rost for such a little 'cleverness'?"

"They're pressuring me like this for benefits and rewards, so do you think the royal family and the church won't treat them the same way?"

Anna was stunned.

Huh? What do you mean His Majesty and the bishop would treat the Marquis of Rost and his men like this?

“Nobles are very sensitive; they’re like a bunch of roosters that will roll their eyes if you strangle them,” Claire said disdainfully, glancing at the Marquis of Rost and his companions who were still discussing their writings.

He calmly took a sip of tea, shifted to a more comfortable position in his seat, and continued, "Whenever anything happens that could disrupt their current status and identity, the nobles will unite to crush the other side."

"The Rost family no longer holds a place in the upper echelons of the new empire. The emperor and bishops of the new empire are well aware of this, but it is entirely in their interest."

“If it is confirmed that the new tax is really that useful, they will not reward the Rost family, but will instead steal the notebook in which I just wrote down the new tax in detail and claim it as their own idea.”

"In this way, we can avoid rewarding the Rost family, keep the nobles who are loyal to us in check, and present a satisfactory new tax report to those in higher positions of power."

"A banquet? That's just for nobles. The Rost family is just food on the table."

Anna broke out in a cold sweat. Although she was just a maid, she had lived in a noble mansion for many years and knew a little bit about such things.

Given the current situation of the Rost family, how could the new royal family and the church possibly offer them genuine support?

If they wanted to support them, they would have done so long ago. Isn't the reason why the Rost family has fallen to such a state the result that the new royal family and the church wanted?

So the invitation to this dinner party, though seemingly an appreciation of the Marquis of Rost, was actually just an attempt to squeeze every last drop of value out of the Rost family.

"If the Marquis of Rost and his men suffer a setback at the banquet, won't they come after us?" Anna became even more worried.

If the dinner goes well, both the host and the host will be dealt with because they have lost their usefulness.

If the dinner party doesn't go well, the Marquis of Rost and his ilk will be even more furious with him.

It seems that no matter how the dinner party goes, the two of them will end up in trouble.

"Hehehe, it's not certain who will kill whom." Claire chuckled, a deep chill flashing in her eyes as she watched the Marquis of Rost and his group's retreating figures.

"When they go out to the banquet, buy some fire magic stones. Buy a lot and pile them up in every room of the house."

"Especially if you put more exploding magic stones in the rooms of these three people, they can blow up the entire marquis's mansion when they go home to cause trouble after the banquet."

"Buy more protective scrolls and healing potions, so we don't blow ourselves up."

He had always intended to kill Rost's entire family, and his original plan remained unchanged.

Since we've already found the treasure chest containing the "Guardian's Gaze," I'll go find the other two tokens to open it later.

If you successfully find all three tokens needed to open the treasure chest, that would be ideal. But if you don't find them and this family continues to court death, then kill them immediately.

“Yes, Master.” Anna felt at ease looking at the evil 'Lia' before her.

Although she knew that Leah didn't have enough money to buy things like fire magic stones, protective scrolls, and potions.

But since it was the evil 'Lia' who said it, there must be a way.

Anna, being a maid, firmly believed this.

...on the other side.

The Marquis Rost, the Marquis de Margrave, and Elena have finished reviewing the contents of the notes.

At this moment, the three men walked towards Claire with unfriendly expressions.

Judging from their drastic change in attitude, it's clear they've gotten what they wanted and are now ready to discard those who helped them.

“Lia,” Marquis Rost’s voice regained its usual authority. “The new tax regulations are well-written. But your behavior today was far too much; you must be punished!”

Lady Mara covered her face and retorted venomously, "The master is right! For a young lady of the Rost family to behave so indecently must be severely punished!"

"This maid must not be kept either."

Elena did not forget her maid Anna, who was clearly her mole but betrayed her.

Just now, when Anna was forcing Leah to hand over the engagement ring, she told Leah not to cooperate.

Elena needs to settle this score with Anna.

"Oh really? Aren't you all a little too hasty?" Faced with the clowns' provocation, Claire simply stood up slowly.

He patted off non-existent dust from his clothes and waved the family notebook and heraldic ring in his hand.

"Take action against me now? What if His Majesty and the Bishop have other questions about these new taxes?"

"You should know that only I know how to supplement this new tax."

"Why don't we talk about it after you return from the dinner?"

This is very simple and easy to understand; even a fool could grasp its meaning.

The Marquis of Rost frowned, and Mrs. Mara and Elena clenched their fists as they glared at Claire.

Although she was extremely annoyed and really didn't like seeing 'Lia' so smug in front of her, it was exactly as she had said.

What if there's anything else that needs to be added to this new tax? We'll have to show it to His Majesty and the Bishop to know.

"You...you're right, Lia." Taking a deep breath, Marquis Rost suppressed his anger.

He forced a smile onto his ashen face and said, "What kind of reward do you want? I can't invite you to tonight's dinner, but you can host a dinner at home or something."

"There's no need for the dinner party. I just want to go to these two women's rooms and pick out some jewelry."

Claire stuffed the family crest ring into her pocket and turned to signal her maid Anna to lead the way to the Marquise Mara and Elena's room.

If we can collect all three tokens this time, we can open the chest under Rost's ancestral tomb and get the "Guardian's Gaze".

The money for buying the Flame Magic Stone and the scroll can be exchanged for the jewelry of my stepmother and stepsister.

Chapter 34 A Large Cup of Mixue Ice Cream

[Anti-addiction system activated... You have been forcibly logged out of the game...]

[…Exclusive benefits for new players! Limited-time first recharge discount…]

[First recharge only 6 yuan, instantly enjoy the following super value gift pack:]

[1. Instantly receive 1 [Login Time Expansion Card (60 minutes)], which will immediately increase your login time by 60 minutes! (This does not conflict with the Bond Value cap and can be used in combination. Please manage your game time accordingly.)]

[2. Unlock the exclusive outfit for the Agent 'Lia von Rost': [Dark Moon Attire - Shadow]...]

As always, an advertising prompt appeared in front of Claire.

These viral, pay-to-win ads are just as annoying as the "what to do with the old phone after getting a new one" scenario.

After swiping away the system notification that advertised, Claire began to tally up her gains from controlling Leah during this login session.

"I've got the emblem ring, but it's a pity I haven't found the other two tokens."

Claire gave the emblem ring to Anna, as it was safer than leaving it with Leah.

When they went to Marquise Mara and Elena's room to search for the items, they did not find the other two tokens.

However, Claire wasn't in a hurry.

While finding the other two tokens doesn't seem easy at the moment, getting the [Guardian's Gaze] reward by reaching 100% bond points isn't exactly effortless either.

"Still 27%? Oh well, it seems Leah is quite satisfied with her current life." Claire looked at the number on Leah's bond level, having expected this all along.

As Claire takes control of Lydia's body and begins to move, Lydia's life is gradually changed.

The maid Anna served her faithfully once again, and her stepmother and stepsister became more wary of her. Her father, who had previously paid no attention to her, now took notice of her.

However, such changes have their limits. To raise Lia's bond value to 100%, it would probably require even more significant changes.

From the very beginning, Claire knew that this bond value wouldn't be easy to increase.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to find the "Guardian's Spying" himself. At that time, it would depend on whether the bond value reached 100% first or whether he found the other two tokens to open the treasure chest first.

As if reading Claire's thoughts, a system notification popped up automatically.

[System notification: If you can trigger the most important memories deep within the executor's heart, the bond level will be greatly increased.]

If the bond level exceeds 50%, a new system feature will be unlocked.

[After the new system features are enabled, the bond value will increase more quickly. Players are encouraged to nurture their agents diligently.]

So, it can trigger special CGs?

Claire looked at the system notification that popped up in front of her, and her interest was piqued slightly.

I remember that there was indeed a part of Leah's memories locked in her save file, and Claire had no way of knowing what they were about. Perhaps they were Leah's important memories?

Just as Claire was pondering the secret Leah was hiding, the dull sound of the dungeon's stone door slowly opening came from above.

Claire looked up and saw long-awaited sunlight streaming through the crack in the open stone door.

Claire knew who it was from the large, voluptuous succubus figure highlighted by the shadow cast by the sunlight outside.

Behind the rather immoral acting saintess, as always, followed a group of nuns and female knights.

Claire sighed inwardly, realizing she had to play dead again.

He then closed his eyes, lowered his head, and pretended to be in a vegetative state.