My older sister is a villainous rich girl

"You big idiot!" Chris angrily threw the cards back at him, pushed him away in a huff, and tried to walk out.

"Hey, hey, I'm serious, let's play cards together~" Wayne grabbed her, not letting her leave.

"Seeing how much you enjoy playing cards, how much fun you have at school, and that you'll have someone to play with you again now that you're back, isn't that great?"

Chapter 456 is enough.

Forced into a lock by Wayne, Chris was clearly unable to escape his control.

After struggling a few times but finding that she couldn't break free, Chris seemed to have all her strength drained away and leaned softly against his chest.

“…Wayne, you’re getting more and more annoying,” she said softly.

I don't know if she's complaining or just being affectionate.

Upon hearing this somewhat unexpected comment, Wayne pondered for a second.

"Then what should I do to make you not dislike me?" he asked humbly.

“It’s not that I really hate it…” Her expression was slightly troubled. “It’s just… isn’t it better to do things the way they used to be?”

Relaxing and holding Chris's soft, shapely body, Wayne closed his eyes.

Just like before—

Unfortunately, in this world, some roads can only be walked forward, and there is no turning back.

"Then tell me, what's the difference between me before and now?" he asked in a very soft voice.

“Before, you spoke more gently and wouldn’t deliberately tease me…” Chris’s tone became much harsher as she thought of those troubling things. “Now it seems like you’re only happy if you make me angry every day.”

"..." Wayne really didn't know how to defend himself.

But isn't it normal to tease a girl you like?

It's true that it's easy to be annoying.

He then let out a deep sigh.

"—Perhaps it's because subconsciously I've always wanted to get more of your attention."

Reaching out to stroke her soft, slightly wavy hair that cascaded down her shoulders, Wayne candidly analyzed his own feelings.

Perhaps because Chris was lying obediently in his arms at this moment, he felt very calm.

“Actually… I don’t quite know how to please you,” he said.

"Sometimes I feel that doing this will make you happy, but in reality it doesn't seem so."

Her thoughts are truly unfathomable.

Even before she realized what she had said wrong, she had already started to sulk silently by herself.

Hearing him say that, Chris remained silent for a while.

After a long while, she spoke again. "If you want to please me, it's actually very easy."

"Hmm?" Wayne looked down at her.

She thought about it very seriously for a moment, and then said softly, "As long as I know that you will always love me and will never abandon me... that's enough."

In the end—

Chris didn't actually play cards with him.

Chris only sat in his lap for a short while before pushing him away and leaving the room.

Wayne couldn't even tell if she felt uncomfortable around him.

"call……"

With a deep sigh, Wayne slumped to the side, collapsing onto the sofa.

The soft cushions supported him, preventing him from sliding all the way to the ground.

……

The Bulwer House.

After being imprisoned in the palace for several days, Bulwer was finally allowed to return home temporarily.

Although it was done under the guise of self-reflection.

Even though there may be people secretly watching you in some corner outside, once you leave that isolated environment, there is much more room for maneuver in many things.

For example, right now.

He poured two glasses of wine on the table, waiting for his guests to arrive.

Before long, footsteps could be heard outside the corridor, which were particularly clear in the quiet space.

Bulwer's residence was chosen in an area where land prices were very cheap.

To cultivate his image and keep his secrets, he did not employ servants who might cause trouble, but only an elderly butler to watch over his house. If he needed anything, he would delegate the task to his subordinates.

So every night, this place always seems particularly deserted.

But this also has an advantage.

Since there were no outsiders inside the mansion, those who wanted to sneak in naturally had much more freedom of movement.

Bulwer pushed his glass across the table and then slowly sat down.

"Norman, have you found any clues?" He didn't even glance at the door, yet he showed no suspicion about the visitor's identity.

"Ah……"

Norman Laird chuckled and stepped out of the shadows.

“I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?” he asked.

"Bad news."

"The bad news is that you've been dragged into a trap that someone else had already set up," Norman said.

Bulwer frowned. "I already know that. So, what's the good news?"

Norman wasn't surprised by his reaction.

"The good news is that I've found out which faction the person who did the attack belongs to."

Upon hearing this, Bulwer instinctively asked, "Who is it?"

"Tsk, why should I tell you?"

Norman walked to the seat opposite him, sat down, and started swinging one leg back and forth.

"Even the esteemed Lord Bulwer has been accidentally controlled by dark magic. Now he's searching everywhere for the culprit, and he's so aggressive that I, a rat in the gutter, have to hide and be careful with my words..." Norman accused him in a mournful tone, subtly criticizing him.

Bulwer retorted, "I did that so I could get away as quickly as possible!"

“Once I’ve sorted out my problems, I can better help you clean up the mess,” he reasoned. “Anyway, this little trouble is easy for you to get rid of.”

Norman simply chuckled at this, offering no rebuttal.

"There's something wrong with the guard next to you." He told Bulwer what he had found out.

"Who?" Bulwer was taken aback.

“That man named Dift,” Norman said calmly. “After receiving the secret letter from Mrs. Cherry, I’ve been secretly investigating the people involved that night.”

Bulwer remained silent.

Previously, he had asked Echoes to pass on a message to Mrs. Cherry, which was a pre-arranged code.

Several days passed, and Norman was not surprised that he would uncover some clues.

To his surprise, the young man named Div appeared to be quite ordinary.

"Is he a spy planted by some faction?" Bulwer asked.

Unexpectedly, I had misjudged such an ordinary commoner.

"It's unclear... but the evidence is conclusive that he was colluding with Stuart's side."

At this point, Norman picked up his glass and took a small sip. "How interesting. I never imagined that King Stuart, who seems to indulge in pleasure all day long, would have such ambitions to interfere in Lornes."

Bulwer was taken aback. "The Kingdom of Stuart?"

Suddenly he remembered something, stood up and shouted, "Oh no!"

Chapter 457 Bulwer's Scheme

Norman glared at him reproachfully.

"Tsk, what's your hurry?"

He said, seemingly speechless, "Bulwer, you haven't forgotten your original identity just because you've become a commander, have you?"

Provoked by his cold words, Bulwer's anxious expression froze, and he fell silent.

As he spoke, Norman gave a meaningful laugh.

"This is not bad for us...it is actually a wonderful opportunity."

He grew happier the more he thought about it. "Interesting, absolutely fascinating!"

"—Hmm, what's so interesting?"

Suddenly, a third person's voice rang out in the room.

Norman and Bulwer suddenly looked toward the door, and there, without them noticing, Echo had already leaned against the wall.

Now Norman's overjoyed smile froze on his face.

However, he quickly realized what was happening and relaxed his tense expression slightly.

“So it’s Lady Aikos. If I had known you were coming, I would have brought along some of my own twenty-year-old vintage wine.” Norman’s tone was very sincere.

But Wayne knew it was all an illusion.

If their combat strength wasn't so vastly different from his own, he, as someone deeply aware of the situation, probably wouldn't have fared much better.

"Thank you, but I don't drink." He declined rather awkwardly.

“If you really welcome me, why don’t you tell me more about what you found interesting earlier?” Wayne walked over, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

He seemed reluctant to leave immediately.

Norman finally stopped shaking his leg and even straightened his posture a little.

He exchanged a knowing glance with Bulwer, but in an instant decided not to hide anything.

After all, he hadn't noticed Aikos's presence when she arrived. If she had overheard a few more messages, she would have easily noticed something was wrong.

“That’s right,” he said succinctly. “My investigation has revealed that someone is plotting against and framing Bulwer, and those people happen to be affiliated with the Stuart Kingdom’s forces.”

"The Kingdom of Lornes is vast and economically prosperous... It's hard not to be tempted if you have the chance to take a bite out of it."

"—Even though the two countries are allies."

Wait a minute, economically prosperous? Isn't that a bit inappropriate?

The national treasury is clearly starting to rob Peter to pay Paul.

Seeing the puzzled look on Aikos's face, Norman seemed to guess what she was wondering about and explained, "Ah, perhaps it should be more specific... it's about vast lands and wealthy nobles."

Oh ~

Wayne understood now.

Indeed, most of the nobles in Lorne were extremely wealthy.

"So, you're planning to cause trouble for Stuart's forces and get revenge for being framed?" Wayne asked knowingly, his face full of naivety.

"Uh... this..."

Norman understood the implication in Echoes's words and became conflicted.

He never even considered framing anyone; he just wanted to take the opportunity to cause trouble.

If Echoes hadn't been there, he might have been able to use his understanding of Bulwer to persuade him to stay out of it, or even get involved and kick him while he was down.

However, the stance held by Aikos did not seem to be the same as hers.