They are all characters I control.

Let's just get by for now and ask the evil 'Lia' for her opinion later.

"I understand, thank you, Anna." Lia forced a smile to suppress her inner unease.

One thing she was very clear about was that Anna cared about her.

Even when her stepmother and stepsister used vigilante justice against her, the maid still stood by her side.

"Then I'll go pour you some tea."

As Anna got up to pour tea, she heard the sound of a carriage entering the courtyard outside the window.

Anna and Lia exchanged a glance.

Both of them could see the worry and unease in each other's eyes, but soon they heard footsteps coming from outside the door.

Soon the door to the side was pushed open.

The Marquis de Rost, Mrs. Mara, and Elena entered in turn.

The three were still wearing their formal attire for the banquet, and although their faces showed undisguised fatigue, their expressions were completely different from the angry or gloomy indifference that Lia had expected.

Marquis Rost walked to the bedside, carefully examined the treated wounds on Leah's arm, and even managed a gentle expression on his face: "Leah, are you feeling better? Are you hurt on your face?"

His voice sounded a little dry, clearly indicating that he wasn't very good at speaking to Lia in such a gentle way.

Marquise Mara stepped forward, a slightly stiff but forcedly friendly smile on her face, a smile that was somewhat different from her usual feigned kindness: "Yes, Lia, you've really had to go through a lot today. Those ropes were tied too tightly. I've already punished those disobedient servants."

She never mentioned that she was the mastermind, and seemed to have completely forgotten the slap mark on her face and the missing teeth.

Elena stood behind her parents, her face still pale and her eyes still red and swollen.

She glanced at Lia, her eyes a mixture of jealousy and schadenfreude.

She didn't say anything, she just turned her head away.

Lia was taken aback by this sudden "concern".

She looked blankly at her father and stepmother, and whispered, "I...I'm much better, Father, Mother. Thank you for your concern."

"Well, that's good then." Marquis Rost nodded, seemingly wanting to say something, but was tugged at by the hem of Marquis Marla's dress.

"Then we won't disturb your rest, Leah. Anna, please take good care of Miss."

After saying this, the Marquise Margrave, along with the Marquis Rost and Elena, left.

Watching the three figures disappear into the distance, Lia breathed a sigh of relief.

The maid Anna slowly put down the magic scroll she was holding. It seemed that today was not the day to make the Rost family fly.

Chapter 43 A Quiet Breakfast

A new day begins, and the cool morning air blows in through the window.

Claire controlled Leah's body, making her lean against the soft down pillow, with a thick satin bed curtain embroidered with gold emblems behind them.

Breakfast was laid out on the small carved oak table in front of me.

A plate of freshly baked white bread, with a golden and crispy crust and a soft, white interior revealed through the cut, still steaming slightly.

It was served alongside a small bowl of clear butter, the golden fat surface glistening with fine salt crystals.

A small bowl of dark honey, its color as clear as amber, stretches into long, shimmering threads when scooped up with a wooden spoon.

A fairly ordinary glass of wine, its pale red liquid gently swirling in a crystal glass.

Although this couldn't compare to the food Claire had when she was emperor, it was a delicacy compared to the meager fare that Isabelle, the acting saintess, had given her yesterday.

Claire tore off a piece of bread and casually dipped it in honey. The amber-colored honey seeped into the bread's pores, gleaming warmly in the sunlight.

He chewed slowly, savoring the long-lost warmth and sweetness in his mouth.

Occasionally, the rustling sound of servants sweeping the courtyard could be heard from outside the window, and birds were calling in the distance.

Claire picked up her glass and took a sip of the diluted wine. The pale red liquid slid down her throat, carrying a subtle fruity aroma and acidity.

"Not bad," he muttered to himself, noting that it was better than the dry bread and cheese the saintess had given him.

Claire continued tearing bread and dipping it in honey, enjoying her quiet breakfast.

Anna, the maid, stood to the side and refilled his glass with wine.

Claire picked up her wine glass, swirled the bright red liquid inside, and then got down to business: "Anna, what happened after they returned from the dinner party yesterday after I left?"

In the dungeon, Claire discovered that Leah's bond value, which was originally 22 points, had suddenly increased to 36.

If his bond value can be increased to 50 points in the next stage, his login time will be extended by one hour, and new features will be unlocked.

It seems that Lia's bond level is quite easy to raise so far, which is also because Lia has encountered a lot of things.

But last night seemed quite peaceful. I buried so many fire magic stones to use as landmines, but they weren't used? I can still eat breakfast and drink wine like this now.

"Master, it's like this..."

Anna stood by the bed with her head down and recounted her conversation with Lia the day before.

Originally, the maid Anna was somewhat worried that the evil 'Lia' would be unhappy.

If Lia becomes aware of the existence of the evil 'Lia', she might try to take over the body from the evil 'Lia'.

That would only cause more trouble for the evil 'Lia'.

But to everyone's surprise, the evil 'Lia' laughed: "Oh? It seems that Lia, this naive and innocent female protagonist, has also grown up. Hehe, not bad."

No wonder Lia suddenly gained so much affinity; it turns out she's finally figured it out.

"Aren't you worried, Master? I mean, Lia has started to realize your presence," Anna asked nervously.

Claire stuffed a piece of bread smeared with honey into her mouth and replied calmly, "So what? Even if Leah knows I exist, she can't resist."

The maid Anna's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this.

This means that the Lia she knew was no match for the evil 'Lia' before her; her body had been forcibly taken over.

Although Anna hid the truth about the evil 'Lia' from Lia yesterday, it doesn't mean she doesn't care about the kind Lia.

Claire ignored Anna and continued, "You should have figured it out by now, right? I only show up at breakfast and dinner times every day; I can't show up most other times."

“…Yes.” Anna took several deep breaths, but she couldn’t help asking, “Master, will Lia disappear?”

"Oh? What, you're worried about her? Didn't you used to bully her like a lackey of the Marquis's?"

Claire looked at the maid in front of her and said sarcastically.

The maid Anna was taken aback by those words. She smiled bitterly and said, "I just want to live. Now that my master is here, I'm not too worried about being tortured by Marquis Mara again, so naturally I don't want anything to happen to Lia."

Claire glanced at the honest-looking maid Anna in front of her and sneered.

This maid is somewhat useful, but she needs a reliable master.

Educating maids is like disciplining pets.

If the owner can manage her well and knows how to reward and punish her clearly, she will be your good helper. If the owner doesn't know how to educate her, she will eat your food and drink your water and even breathe on you.

"Lia won't disappear. At most, I'll be around for a little longer. Once I get what I want, I won't care about your nonsense anymore."

Hearing the first part of what was said, Anna smiled with relief.

But upon hearing the second half of what was said, Anna immediately became tense and worried again.

"Will Master leave?!" Anna had finally gotten a chance to turn things around. After the evil 'Lia' appeared, Anna could clearly feel that her and Lia's days were much better.

If the evil 'Lia' disappears that day, wouldn't I lose my backer?

Wouldn't my life then revert to what it was before?

"Tsk, look at you, so pathetic. What are you afraid of?" Claire curled her lip, looking at the terrified maid with disdain. "I have some old scores to settle with the Rost family. Do you think I'd let them live?"

"That's good." Anna breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

Since the evil 'Lia' said so, Anna completely believed that he could do it.

Claire sipped his red wine slowly, knowing from the moment he awoke that the entire Rost family was doomed.

However, if he were to control Lia's body, it wouldn't be impossible for him to kill Lia's entire family, but he could also make Lia kill her entire family herself.

"Master, why do you think Marquis Rost and his men didn't cause us any trouble after the banquet?" Anna frowned as she recalled their behavior after returning home.

"Are they being so polite because they think they might need the host's help in dealing with the new tax issue in the future?"

“It doesn’t seem like it.” Claire shook her head.

He knew these nobles' character inside and out; he himself had once been their emperor.

One can guess why the Marquis of Rost and his group reacted this way.

"There's probably something else going on, and Lia can bring them benefits beyond the new tax."

"Since I'm attending a banquet, I'm sure I'll run into quite a few nobles, right? Perhaps other nobles are interested in me."

"Let's leave them alone for now. Today, let's go to the Rost family's ancestral graves and try out this family crest ring we just got."

There's no need to rush to settle accounts with the Marquis of Rost and his ilk; let's go to their ancestral graves first.

Although Claire received the family crest ring yesterday, she hasn't had a chance to try out the 'key' at the Rost family's ancestral graveyard yet.

“Yes, Master,” Anna replied.

Chapter 44 The Nolan Family

Claire and Anna visited the Rost family cemetery again.

This is my second time here, and it doesn't feel as unfamiliar as the first time. There's no need to rush to find any kind of organization.

Claire had time to admire the names on the Rost family tombstones one by one, and soon he noticed that someone who should have been in the front row was missing.

"Where is Leah's mother? Is she also buried in this cemetery?" Claire couldn't find Leah's mother's tombstone.

Lia's mother was the predecessor of the Marquise Mara, who was, after all, a Marquise.

But why is it that I didn't see Lia's mother's name or a tombstone next to the graves of the previous marquises, as if she never existed?

Faced with such questions from the evil 'Lia', the maid Anna had almost gotten used to her split personality-like communication.

“Master, the Marchioness is indeed buried in the Rost family cemetery, but…”

Anna pursed her lips, carefully considered her words, and then slowly said, "The old Marquis and the master believe that the lady's birth is insufficient and she is not worthy to be buried with the Rost family."

"Therefore, the lady's grave was placed on the outermost edge of the cemetery, in a secluded corner near the thicket of trees."

"Almost no one goes there. Although Miss Lia goes, she is always humiliated by Marquis Mara and Miss Elena."

“Miss Lia has been going there less and less in recent years. She doesn’t want her mother to be constantly ridiculed for being a commoner.”

"Not of proper lineage?" Claire raised an eyebrow and spat dismissively. "The Rost family was originally just a baron family, what kind of lineage is that?"

As they spoke, Claire had already activated the gargoyle's mechanism.

As he led the maid Anna inside, he continued to talk about Lia's mother.

"Tell me, what is the background of Lia's mother?"

"Since she was able to marry into the Rost family, she must have some kind of background, right? I don't believe that the Rost family are pure love warriors who would marry a commoner woman because of pure love."

The Rost family clearly prioritizes their own interests.

Regardless of the family's previous direction, they would act as long as there were huge profits to be made.

The Rost family possessed the typical flaws of the aristocracy: shortsightedness and greed.

"I don't know much about the specifics either. It's all just things that the old servants who came to the manor a long time ago mentioned occasionally," said Anna, the maid, standing outside the magic circle in the underground tomb, watching her mistress walk into the magic circle.

“They said that the lady’s family was once a very prominent noble family, and the surname was… Nolan? Yes, the Nolan family.”

"It is said that a hundred years ago, the Nolan family was extremely powerful and wealthy, with vast territories and businesses all over the continent. It is even said that every generation intermarried with royalty."

When Claire heard the surname "Nolan," the memories of the Emperor deep within her consciousness stirred slightly.

He remembered the Nolan family; wasn't that his eldest sister's husband's family? It was an oligarchic family that had risen rapidly in the mid-to-late empire in terms of commerce and land.

The other party has intermarried with the royal family for generations, using their connections with the royal family to gradually expand their family's business.

Unfortunately, the Nolan family is incredibly resilient.

This family's marriage partners are not only royalty, but also many other families.