You've found the Gusha-hime Knight, so put your hair up in a bun!

Seeing his serious expression, Cecilia felt a pang of anxiety, and the embarrassment on her face quickly faded. She sat up straight as well.

"Information about the mastermind behind framing your father... that was part of our initial deal, right?"

Upon hearing this, Cecilia's blue eyes narrowed, and she instinctively gripped her dress at her knees, her breathing becoming heavy.

"……Um."

Looking at Cecilia's serious gaze, Shilo rested his chin on his hand and said calmly, "Your father is a marquis with real power, one of the most powerful men in the capital. Standing in such a high position, and being a key figure in the military, who do you think could be the one to frame him? Or rather, what power do you think he comes from?"

Cecilia's hand remained firmly in her grasp. As the former leader of the Holy Knights, she was somewhat aware of the infighting among the upper echelons.

The forces behind this must be far beyond her imagination to have achieved this level of success.

It's even possible that...

Cecilia bit her lip, her face turning pale.

As if reading her mind, Xi Luo reached out and squeezed her small hand until his warmth softened her palm before continuing, "Don't worry, according to my investigation, the mastermind behind this is not His Majesty."

Hearing this, Cecilia breathed a sigh of relief and then asked, "But it's more or less related to the royal family, isn't it?"

Xi Luo thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "As you know, His Majesty's health has not been very good these past few years."

As soon as she finished speaking, a look of understanding flashed in Cecilia's eyes.

The struggle for the throne.

"When Father was framed, demons were definitely involved... So, does that mean—?!"

Cecilia's eyes widened, and she stood up in shock.

The demons would never do something so targeted without a reason. The only possibility is that someone in the royal family has colluded with the demons!

This conjecture filled Cecilia's blue eyes with anger and horror. If the mastermind behind the scenes were to succeed and ascend the throne, an unpredictable catastrophe would likely await the human world.

Silo watched Cecilia's reaction quietly, feeling a headache of his own.

He knew that the mastermind behind his framing was one of the princes and princesses vying for the throne.

But who this person was, Shiloh had no idea.

When "Shenyuan" was being developed, the entire project was too large, and if it was delayed any longer, the funding chain might be cut off. So, the game, which was called the main body but was actually the prequel, was released first in order to make a big profit and recoup losses.

Cecilia's storyline doesn't even have anything to do with the capital; it's mostly about her traveling around the middle layer and tempering her holy heart.

The plot of revealing the mastermind and seeking revenge was originally supposed to be included in the DLC. Shiloh had asked his writing colleagues about it out of curiosity, and the answer he received was "guess."

If she could turn back time, Shiloh would do anything to grab him by the neck and make him spill the truth.

Ugh……

Xi Luo sighed. Now that things had come to this, he could only rely on the limited information he had to deduce the truth.

However, this might actually be more interesting.

Touching his chin, Xi Luo smiled slightly, a hint of excitement flashing in his deep, dark eyes.

"Okay, okay, don't rush, sit down."

Shiloh tapped his palm, gesturing for Cecilia to sit back down, then continued, "Your father was just the beginning. Several other important officials will likely be framed soon after. Now, their target is my father."

"The Duke of Wells?!"

Cecilia was increasingly shocked, never expecting that these people would be so arrogant as to try to harm the chosen saint of the empire.

Chapter 30 Maid Service

"Didn't you ever have any doubts? With Norman's abilities, how could he have bought you, who was in such high demand, so easily?"

Silo smiled and reached out to stroke Cecilia's delicate face.

Cecilia felt somewhat uncomfortable with the tone as if he were talking about a product, but she also understood that what Shilo said was indeed a bit puzzling.

"Could it be that the people who helped Norman are connected to the mastermind behind it all?!"

Combining what Shiloh had said earlier about their targeting of Grand Duke Wells, Cecilia instantly connected many things to the conversation, and said while resting her chin on her hand, "And that so-called 'savior' Capeo... the bottle of [Blood of the Abyss] he was holding must have been given to him by that group."

At this point, Cecilia felt her thoughts become clearer.

The son of a magical prince, whose extraordinary circuits were damaged, sought an opportunity to heal his body and gain immense power. He cooperated with the demons and obtained this forbidden item.

Such a scenario instantly formed in Cecilia's mind, causing her to clench her fists instinctively and say coldly, "These wicked insects... they deserve to be burned at the stake!"

Shiloh patted Cecilia's hand to signal her to relax, then said, "They won't let us go. After this plan failed, there will definitely be another attempt to ambush us."

"So what should we do?"

The enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. Compared to a knife in the open, a cold arrow in the dark is more terrifying.

"Heh, it's actually quite simple. Since they want to scheme against us, they'll leave traces if they do it themselves. So, just like they do with their other victims, they'll find a useful 'knife' beforehand."

Shiloh rested his cheek on his hand, his dark eyes reflecting the night outside the car window, a hint of coldness appearing in them: "Within Maple Leaf Territory, which 'knife' can be wielded more skillfully than the Bull family?"

Cecilia nodded thoughtfully, but before she could ask anything else, Shilo interrupted her.

"Don't ask too many questions. I'm just in a good mood today, that's why I'm willing to tell you so much. Knowing how to read people's expressions and please your master is a maid's first priority, understand?"

Seeing Shiloh's slightly impatient expression, Cecilia shut her mouth, but inwardly grumbled, "What kind of maid acts like this? This is more like a jester!"

creak-

After the carriage stopped, Shiloh jumped out, straightened his clothes, patted the horse's rump, and let it run back to the manor's stables on its own.

The mare brought from the capital was naturally carefully selected and possessed a certain level of intelligence; even without human intervention, it could find its way on its own.

Cecilia, who was following behind Shiloh, still had reservations about what he said, but soon her expression froze.

"Master~!"

Before they even reached the gate of the mansion, a petite and agile figure came running quickly, lifting her maid's skirt.

When she saw Shiloh smiling and opening his arms, her fluorescent blue eyes filled with joy, and she jumped up and ran into his arms.

As she inhaled the warm scent emanating from Shiloh, Irene, who had been waiting quietly at the gate for a long time, felt all the chill in her body vanish and couldn't help but smile happily.

"It's a bit chilly today. How long have you been waiting outside?"

"Hmm~ Not long..."

Feeling the large hands massaging her head, Irene's pretty face was filled with affection.

He pinched Irene's soft, delicate cheek, inhaled the fragrance of her hair, and chuckled, "How about little Irene calls me 'brother'? I quite like that title, don't you think?"

"Isn't this a bad idea?"

Irene, who was snuggling against Shiloh like a kitten, suddenly stiffened. She looked up at Cecilia with surprise and coldness in her eyes and said, "Master, you can make me call out whatever you want."

Okay, they've already started calling.

Cecilia opened her mouth, feeling a sense of helplessness as she sensed Irene's wary and hostile gaze.

When Shiloh suggested that Irene change her form of address, Cecilia instinctively felt something was amiss and objected, but little did she know that the little girl might have misunderstood something.

Shiloh watched the "master and servant" pair from the original storyline with great interest and couldn't help but chuckle.

Meanwhile, Irene, nestled in his arms, tilted her head, keenly sensing Xi Luo's joy. After a moment's thought, she looked up into his eyes and said earnestly, "Master, Irene will always be yours."

"Mmm~ I know, little Irene is the best girl."

Sylvie stroked Irene's silky hair, her gaze towards Cecilia filled with mockery, and sneered, "Have you learned how to be a maid, former Knight Commander?"

The deliberately emphasized words froze Cecilia in place, her fair face gradually warming up and becoming flushed.

But what could she do?

We can't keep arguing with Shiloh, can we?

I just refused on behalf of Irene, and thankfully the little girl's performance made Xi Luo quite happy, otherwise I might have been punished.

Realizing this, Cecilia naturally wouldn't provoke Shiloh any further. She pretended not to hear, bowed, and watched Shiloh lead Irene into the mansion.

Cecilia didn't move for a long time until she returned to her room and collapsed onto the soft bed as if all her defenses had been lifted.

After an unknown amount of time, a muffled whimper came from the bedside, and then Cecilia pursed her lips and turned over on the bed.

Cecilia shielded her eyes from the overhead light with the back of her hand, a hint of confusion in her blue eyes.

She was once the daughter of a marquis and a knight commander, but neither of those identities had allowed her to experience what she was going through.

When she was still a pampered young lady in the Marquis's mansion, her father and mother protected her very well, and she devoted herself to cultivation every day.

However, after joining the Holy Knights, their purity is further enhanced.

In the Imperial Knight Order, the two ranks above Knight Commander are Grand Knight Commander and Order Master.

Despite their terrifying strength, they generally do not engage in combat themselves, but rather focus on strategic deterrence and planning.

The leaders who carry out the specific actions are knight commanders like Cecilia.

For Cecilia, most of the tasks assigned to her were to act as a vanguard to break through the defenses.

Life back then was incredibly simple. All I had to do was use my divine power to cut the evil demons in two, nothing more.

"Waaah..."

Cecilia sobbed again. She suddenly felt so useless. If it weren't for Shiloh, she probably wouldn't have known that the mastermind behind her father's murder had also orchestrated these plans against her.

Chapter 31 Cecilia Wants to Replace

Objectively speaking, Shiloh did indeed owe her a great debt of gratitude.

Aside from being mostly awful, his actions were all for self-preservation, and in a way, they also protected her.

Cecilia pouted, her fair face slightly flushed, and the handsome face involuntarily appeared in her mind. She ground her teeth somewhat unwillingly.

This guy always has a nonchalant expression as if he has everything under control, and from time to time he will play tricks on himself and then show a mocking smile.

What's most infuriating is that Cecilia can't find a way to get back at him except by giving in and acting cute, which makes her very angry.

Glancing at the time on the table, it was around 8 PM. Cecilia, her mind in turmoil, sat up. She wanted to confide in someone, but in this unfamiliar Maple Leaf Territory, there was no one suitable…

No, or rather, the moment Cecilia had this thought, this person had already come to mind; she was just unwilling to admit it so readily.

"I just wanted to ask him what he planned to do with the people who came to rescue me! Yeah, that's all."

Cecilia muttered to herself, seemingly to no one in particular.

However, having found a suitable reason, Cecilia got out of bed, adjusted her expression, put on a stubborn and helpless look, and pushed open the door to leave.

The lord's manor has many rooms, and the room that Shiloh chose for Cecilia was not far from his master bedroom, just a short walk away.

As Cecilia reached Shiloh's door, straightened her collar, and prepared to knock, she suddenly heard a faint noise, causing her bent knuckles to freeze in mid-air.

The last moment that Shiloh parted from her was when she left with the little girl, Irene.

Upon realizing this, Cecilia frowned, a sense of foreboding rising within her.

From the moment Cecilia called Elena to her room for an affair in front of her husband tonight, she knew that this guy was probably even more immoral than she had imagined.

But Irene is still such a young girl, he... he shouldn't be like that... right?

Cecilia held her breath, hesitated for a moment, then turned her head and gently pressed her ear against the door, listening to the sounds coming from inside.

"This place...it will hurt a little...mine...is a bit big...please bear with it..."

The only sound in the room was Xiluo's voice, while in the background was the suppressed panting of a young girl.

*Sob*

Upon hearing that sound, a mixture of joy and pain, Cecilia clenched her fists, her face suddenly turning red.

What a beast!

Anger welled up inside Cecilia, and she felt she must have been blind to think this guy had any principles left!

Boom boom boom!

Having been taught a lesson by Shiloh so many times, Cecilia has come to understand that anger alone cannot solve problems; on the contrary, it may lead her into trouble.

So she came up with a more appropriate approach: to first use diplomacy and then force, to interrupt Xi Luo's beastly behavior, and then...

Dedication.

Cecilia bit her lip, looked down at her chest, and breathed a sigh of relief when she found that she could only see a tiny bit of her toes.

Although Irene is very pretty, she is still a little girl and her body is not fully developed yet; she is not even a small egg.

With her overwhelmingly superior physique, Cecilia wasn't afraid that Shilo wouldn't be seduced by her.