Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

"Thank you for your hard work." Zona gave a light, teasing laugh, then gestured to the shadow guards.

"What...what are you going to do?! Don't kill me! I'll do whatever you say! Waaah..."

The guards pried open his mouth and shoved a pill into it, only letting go after making sure he and everyone else had swallowed it. (The rest of the text appears to be nonsensical and unrelated.)

"Don't be afraid, it's just poison with magic added~ Telling someone means death, no antidote means death~ If you want to live, you have to listen to us from now on, understand?"

In stark contrast to her docile demeanor before Ryūka, Zorna, though only revealing her eyes, exuded a ruthless and cold gaze that sent chills down one's spine. Her deliberately altered, hoarse voice was even more terrifying… She lightly tapped the merchant guild member's head with a dagger, watched him nod and cry before being knocked unconscious, and then, along with her shadow guards, vanished into the shadows, disappearing from the room…

"Damn it! What on earth is that kid trying to do?!"

*Crack!* The crystal ball was hurled violently into the carriage, shattering into pieces. Yulina, like a frightened kitten, clutched her head, which was adorned with a maid's headdress, and huddled to one side, trembling, watching her master's chest heave violently.

After hearing the report from the crystal ball, Adela's displeasure escalated into anger. She raised one of her white thighs and slammed her black sandal heavily against the front panel of the carriage. The soft sole of her foot visibly turned red from the side until she could no longer bear the pain, and she bent over, wincing in pain, clutching her ankle.

Hayden was arrested in public by the minor governor on such a serious charge as the attempted murder of a nobleman.

Although Adela and Hayden were at odds, after Ryūsha openly targeted her, Hayden became the only merchant guild agent who could operate boldly in Sochi. Moreover, his identity was common knowledge, and Ryūsha's actions were tantamount to openly joining forces with the merchant guild to wage war.

"Of all times, it has to be at this time. I hope Hayden won't leak our plan..."

Adela's breathing quickened, her soft breasts, concealed by her dress, jiggled like jelly, and her slender eyebrows furrowed tightly. She frantically tried to piece together the situation in her mind: had Ryusha arrested Hayden simply because of a past grudge, or had he sensed something else...?

Adela had already made arrangements with the Fourth Prince, and had also visited many nobles in the Sochi province. Although they hadn't been able to win over a powerful military force like Weston, losing him wouldn't be a big deal in the economic and political struggle.

Adela's next step was to establish contact with the people at Sochi Cathedral. Once she obtained sufficient evidence of Ryukyu's persecution of the Papacy, such as the seals and letters of Father Rocco and Holy Knight Joel, she could secretly create a stir. The Fourth Prince and some nobles who didn't want to take the risk would be responsible for stirring up public opinion, while other nobles and merchants would use the instability in Sochi as a pretext to disrupt the market, unite to boycott Ryukyu's economy, or break off economic cooperation with Ryukyu.

Adela believed that with this series of moves, Ryukyu would first need to resolve the issues with the Papacy and the Fourth Prince Elias, rather than the chaotic economic market. To gain more support from nobles and the upper class, he would have to make concessions, allowing the alliance of interests led by the Chamber of Commerce to carve out a large chunk of territory from the booming Sochi province.

Unless... he's going to use force!

This was precisely the problem Hayden had been worried about. In his words, although Ryūsha was a teenager, he was by no means an easy opponent. Once he saw through their intentions, this young governor was very likely to use physical means to suppress them with an iron fist!

But Adela didn't see it that way. While Ryukyu was indeed a powerful regional governor, he still had to abide by the laws of the Otus Empire! He also had to be wary of the Papacy and the surrounding nobles! He couldn't possibly take any more radical action now that the evidence of his 'persecution of the Papacy' had been made public!

However, Ryūsha's arrest of Hayden put Adela in a dilemma. If Ryūsha had sensed something and was making a show of force, then Adela would have to consider abandoning her previous plans. But if this young governor was completely eliminating the merchant guild alliance that had a grudge against him and whose interests were competing with his, even as the Sochi province's economy was booming, then...

After all, if Hayden's crime of murdering nobles is proven, Ryukyu could use it as an excuse to conduct a large-scale investigation of merchant guild members and shops within Sochi. At that point, whether it's expulsion, shop closures, or arrests, other nobles would likely dare not speak up for the Merchant Guild Alliance! If the Merchant Guild Alliance doesn't resist in advance, it's very likely it will be completely expelled from Sochi…

Should it be cancelled or brought forward?

"Damn it! I've never wanted Hayden to be safe and sound! He has to hold on no matter what! He absolutely cannot give in!"

In Adela's imagination, Hayden was probably already being tortured and subjected to magical interrogation. How much time did she have left to make a decision?

Perhaps sensing her mistress's pain and inner turmoil, the maid Yulina couldn't help but whisper:

“Miss…why don’t we give up…all Ryusha wants is complete control of the Sochi market. Maybe we can use that as leverage to get him to release Mr. Hayden…we can do business elsewhere…”

"What a joke! This is also my business area! If I go back like this, what will my father think of me?! What will the other chambers of commerce think of our Golden Dragon Chamber of Commerce?!"

Adela's anger sent a shiver down Yurina's spine, but she still managed to hold back the tears welling in her eyes as she spoke:

“But, Miss, you’ve already offended him once… That kid doesn’t have a good reputation. What if something happens to us…”

Indeed, Ryūka has quite a few rumors surrounding his relationships with women, especially among those connected to the Third Prince Clovis and the Payne family, such as Adela. Although neither side has ever officially confirmed it, Adela can guess how Megan Payne and Haflian Alvarez became Ryūka's 'allies'...

If she were caught on his territory... Adela got goosebumps just thinking about it and couldn't help but scratch her arm hard with her nails.

But if I give up...

Adela remembered her father's plan for her: to give up her affairs within the Chamber of Commerce and marry one of the successors he had chosen and groomed, thus resolving the issue of the next generation of the Chamber of Commerce through a son-in-law arrangement.

Marrying those men she hates? Becoming a behind-the-scenes manipulator with the help and support of other relatives? That's not much better than becoming Ryukatsu's plaything. Both involve marrying people she doesn't like, and Adela is willing to take the gamble.

"You love gambling too much. High risk, high reward is true, but a gambler can never become a successful businessman."

Her father's cold accusations echoed in her mind again, and Adela's pupils contracted sharply. After taking a deep breath, she slowly raised her head with a blank expression and said to the coachman:

“Turn around and head to the Miller family’s territory.”

"Miss!"

“There’s still a chance,” Adela said coldly. “As long as Esther Miller agrees to switch sides from Ryukyu, we have a chance of winning. After all, Ryukyu’s economic cooperation with the Miller family accounts for a significant portion of their economy. And according to our estimates, he’s been investing heavily in construction and issuing bonds to his people to open workshops, and the money he earns is immediately spent. His cash flow is definitely not very secure…”

On the contrary, Esther's development costs were covered by Ryūka, but she kept all the profits for herself. Although she was willing to spend money on her personal life, it was just a drop in the ocean compared to the cash flow over the past three months. Moreover, based on his subtle inquiries with Esther, Ryūka needed to borrow a lot of funds from her or have her act as a guarantor to borrow from other nobles.

Not to mention, Esther knows many of Ryukyu's secrets and has connections with many of Ryukyu's subordinates. If they could use her influence, making contact with the Sochi Cathedral would be a piece of cake!

"If we can get Esther Miller, we'll have won half the battle! If the soft approach doesn't work, then..."

A glint of shrewdness flashed in Adela's eyes, and her expression shifted from icy to a smile as she looked at Yurina beside her:

"Yulina, call your brother over here."

“Brother Julian? But he…”

“Hayden has been arrested. What use is he in Linhu Town? If Hayden had bodyguards like I do, would this have happened? Let him come here!”

Yulina dared not disobey and retrieved another crystal ball from the carriage, while Adela added a sentence in a soft, melancholic tone.

"Don't forget to tell him to bring 'that' with him."

Upon hearing this, Yulina trembled, a trace of sorrow appearing on her face, and silently replied:

"Yes……"

Elsewhere, a young girl lay in a comfortable bathtub, enjoying the magical heating and massage within. Her small, raised feet rested on the edge of the tub, water droplets dripping from her wet, jade-like feet. Her body, partially obscured by the steam and flower petals, was partially revealed, a few pink spots hidden beneath the water—the girl's sweet secret.

"Hehe~ It's grown a bit more~ I knew I couldn't be flat-chested~"

Esther, with her pink hair styled in an updo, cupped her breasts in her hands, creating a shallow cleavage between her budding white mounds, and smiled like a cat. Just then, a maid knocked on the bathroom door.

"Miss Esther, it's a message from the Governor's crystal ball."

"Bring it in."

Esther didn't get up from the bathtub. She had the maid place the crystal ball on the dressing table, and without even glancing at it, she pressed the button on it.

Unlike the crystal ball that only produced sound and no visuals before, after a flow of magic, Ryuka's face slowly appeared on the crystal ball...

However, unnoticed, Esther remained squinting, soaking in the bathwater, comfortably chatting with Ryusha with her face turned towards the ceiling.

"Oh, Your Excellency, what can I do for you?"

"The news from Paruru is that Adela just left their territory. I've also passed on my information to her, and she should be going back to find you soon."

"Don't worry~ I'm already prepared without you saying anything~"

Esther smiled slightly after seeing the guests off, seemingly confident.

Chapter 26 The Girl's Confusion and Conflict

Esther stretched lazily, then stood up from the bathtub with a splash, carefully stepping one of her fair, glistening legs outside the tub, humming a little tune as she pulled back the bathroom curtain.

Then her smile froze on her face.

On the dressing table, Ryuka's contented smile was reflected in the crystal ball. He was sitting on the sofa with a teacup in his hand, silently admiring Esther's steaming, moist body.

“Anjaberg and Melanie just changed the way the crystal ball transmits magic,” Ryuka said unhurriedly, as if there was nothing wrong with the scene before her. Only Esther seemed frozen, her wet pink hair sticking to her cheeks, dripping water droplets.

"It's as stable as the crystal ball that Elias and his group used for sound, but like the version from the Chamber of Commerce, it also allows for video communication. Oh, and it even has the function of saving images!"

As if deliberately teasing Esther, Ryuka intentionally slowed down her delivery of the words "preserve the image." Since the magic crystal balls were all replicas based on the Merchant Guild's version, although the functions they preserved differed, the fundamental basis for casting projection spells remained. Furthermore, Anjaberg and Melanie had improved the original magic formula, making the device more stable and reliable.

"Die, die, die... Die, Ryukatsu! You bastard!!!"

She immediately let out a fierce scream, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, and slapped the crystal ball away. The girl's continuous screaming only stopped when her head, still throbbing from lack of oxygen after her bath, began to spin.

Ryuka, however, smiled knowingly, saying in a cute tone, "Thank you for the treat, Miss Miller~ Good luck with your meeting with Adela~"

Then, amidst Esther's curses, he unilaterally cut off the communication via the crystal ball...

"Tsk~ What a great expression and reaction~ It really helps relax a brain that's been thinking for a long time~"

Ryuka savored the image of Esther's body she had just seen. Although she didn't possess the same womanly allure as the other girls around her, her fair and lovely body was a delicacy of its own. Especially the few pink glimpses of skin peeking out from under the steam, which stirred even more desire than if seen directly.

Not to mention, Esther is still in a promising phase.

As his blood surged, a wet, dry retching sound came from between Ryuka's legs. A head with starlight-purple hair bobbed up and down between the boy's legs, who was leaning back on the soft sofa. Kania knelt on the floor, her soft breasts pressed beautifully against her knees, her long, soft hair cascading over Ryuka's legs, her hands outstretched and resting loosely on either side of the sofa. Without any other support, her upper body moved her head back and forth using only the strength of her slender waist. As her body fell, she used her tight throat and the weight of her upper body to give Ryuka the most stimulating experience. Even with such difficult movements, the skilled little witch could still take Ryuka's penis from the tip to the deepest point, gently tapping his lower abdomen with her soft nose.

"Ugh... Pfft~" With heavy breathing, Kania raised her head and said resentfully to Ryuka:

"You've gotten even bigger since I saw Esther after her bath, it almost choked me! If you're so interested, why don't you just push her down!"

Although her tone was wistful and jealous, Kania wasn't actually jealous of Esther. On the contrary, she always had a desire to bring Esther into Ryukyu's harem. Although she had felt the same way about other girls before, this feeling was stronger for Esther, which Kania herself found somewhat inexplicable.

Perhaps it's because Esther is truly beautiful and delicate, like a porcelain doll.

The reason for Kania's resentful tone was simple: the cold, hard chastity belt between her legs. Although it was a form of abstinence play she had requested, it was unbearable! Wet fluids seeped from the gaps, transparent threads dripping onto the floor, but no matter how much Kania rubbed her waist, she only felt a slight pressure—it was like scratching an itch through a boot!

This caused a flush, like someone drunk, to appear on the little witch's stunning face. Her large, wet eyes beneath her long eyelashes seemed to want to devour Ryuka, as if she were about to lose her senses...

Ryuka's response to her criticism was brief and blunt.

That was, he pressed Kania's head down again...

"Stop talking nonsense and help me relax. I still need to 'reward' Anyaberg later..."

Kania couldn't be more excited by the feeling of being used as an object, and Ryuka was simply playing to her whims. As for what happened just now...

Ryuu couldn't help but laugh helplessly; her relationship with Anya Berg was currently incredibly delicate. Ever since Anya opened up to her in Linhu Town, some ambiguous activities had begun to unfold between them.

That is what Anjaberg meant by taking responsibility for “providing informal stress relief for primary researchers.”

To put it simply, it's about using Anjaberg's little toys to help her...

At first, Ryuka was very excited, but she soon discovered that things were completely different from what she had imagined.

No one is allowed to bully her, she can only be treated in the way and at the pace that Anjaberg likes, and no one else can be present...

While watching the girl's panting and trembling reaction was somewhat enjoyable, the overly shy Anyaberg was completely unwilling to alleviate Ryuka's discomfort. Moreover... compared to her talent in magical engineering, her skills in this other area were utterly terrible. She practically treated Ryuka's private parts like a lathe, roughly manipulating them, almost as if she were holding a wrench...

'I'm a genius! If I study hard, techniques are a piece of cake! But we agreed that you'd help me relieve stress, and you haven't found the new source of magic you promised, so I'm not helping you! If you're feeling down, find someone else; you don't need it anyway~'

As for the main event, naturally, they would have to wait for Atina to return. At least that's what Anyaberg said, but her hesitant manner each time seemed more like a shy excuse. She could accept him playing with her with toys, yet she was afraid of taking things further. For this engineering girl who had been so helpful to him, Ruka truly couldn't understand her strange standards.

And so, using this as an excuse, Anjaberg comfortably and unilaterally enjoyed Ryuka's services, finding it far more enjoyable than being alone. Ryuka, in turn, could only vent her frustrations on others before each "reward"...

Meanwhile, Esther was still filled with shame and indignation after Ryūsha cut off the video feed. The maids, having heard the screams and noises, rushed over and knocked on the bathroom door, asking: "Are you there, Mei? Are you there? Are you there...?"

"Miss Esther! Are you alright?"

"It's nothing, it's...it's just a bug!"

Esther opened the bathroom door and said through gritted teeth. Then, leaving the maids looking at each other blankly, she went inside to tidy up the bathroom, while she herself, wrapped in a bath towel, stomped over to the bedside.

Thump! Esther pounced on the bed with tremendous force, frantically rubbing her wet hair with a towel before throwing it to the floor. Then, she quickly wrapped herself in the blanket!

"You damned Ryuka! You filthy bastard! You shameless lecher!"

Esther thrashed and kicked under the covers, making muffled noises. But what bothered her so much was not just that Ryūka had seen her naked, but the fact that 'despite being seen naked by Ryūka, she felt a mix of shame and anger, along with a hint of excitement and nervousness'.

And what's more... he had this nonchalant, playful expression on his face! That was the body of my own peerless beauty! That guy, Ryuka! Shouldn't he have reacted much more strongly?

Her fair skin, already rosy from the bath, was now flushed crimson, as if she had a fever. Esther's heart pounded. She curled up in the blankets, the soft space shielding her from all light making her heavy breathing and burning body temperature even more acute. After kicking and punching, her slender legs felt weak, her lower abdomen aching and burning. A strange feeling made her involuntarily clench her legs, and her hands, filled with a strange desire, slowly reached down along her flat stomach…

Boom boom boom!

The sudden knocking made Esther jump. She sat up abruptly, clutching the blanket, and asked the person outside:

"Who is it? What's wrong?"

“Miss,” came the maid’s voice from outside the door, “Miss Adela’s carriage has arrived outside our territory and will be here soon.”

"I see……"

Esther kept her voice calm, and lowered her head after the maid's footsteps faded away. She stretched her legs out from the bedside, her soft soles touching the carpet, and walked naked to the mirror in the bedroom.

This is a huge full-length bronze mirror, inlaid in a single piece of exquisitely carved sandalwood. But compared to this priceless mirror, the stunningly beautiful body of the young girl reflected in it, like a work of art, is truly priceless.

Beside the bronze mirror was a row of beautiful clothes. Esther picked up one, tried it on herself, and then casually tossed it aside. She picked up another one, and repeated this several times. Afterward, she looked at herself in the mirror with the expression of someone looking at a stranger, and sighed silently.

Esther the Magical Waste, Esther the Poor Noblewoman, Esther the Incomparably Beautiful, Esther the One with No Friends but Only Suitors, Esther the Nouveau Riche, Esther the Clever One, Esther the Popular One...

Now we must add Esther, a young girl whose mind is in turmoil and who is completely lost.

Esther examined herself, countless memories flashing through her mind. Yet, her life of over a decade seemed incredibly long, especially in the last few months, when she felt like a stranger and out of place to herself.

Not only did he suddenly become the center of attention among noblewomen, but the Miller family also regained its former glory, and he himself became a pivotal figure in the region. Various noble factions and merchant guilds alike were eager to curry favor with him.

All of this was due to her collaboration with Ryuka. Although Esther knew from the beginning that following Ryuka would definitely bring her benefits, she never expected it to turn out like this.

Like a dream.