"Lady Bronya, are you alright?" Seeing Bronya's exhausted appearance, Lynx couldn't help but feel concerned.
Bronya Landau had always been someone Lynx admired. Whether it was intellect, strategy, military prowess, or leadership, this dashing silver-haired young woman was second to none. Normally, Bronya greeted everyone with a smile—confidence and meticulousness were practically synonymous with her. But now...
"I'm fine, just a bit mentally drained. After you were taken hostage, many things happened in Belobog's Upper Zone. I'm just a little tired, that's all." Like an older sister, Bronya gently patted Lynx's head before briefly recounting the events that had transpired in the Upper Zone over the past few days.
Under Lynx's shocked gaze, Bronya frowned slightly. "By the way, Lynx, how did I...?"
Noticing the expression on Bronya's face, Lynx immediately understood. "Lady Bronya, it was Mr. Yun Fan who brought you back. According to him, he rescued you from the hands of a certain sleazy man with blue-purple hair."
"Sampo Koski...!" Bronya gritted her teeth as she spat out the name. She had already made up her mind—once she returned to the Upper Zone, she would absolutely increase the priority of Sampo's wanted status, dead or alive!
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"Can you give me a reason?" Topaz stared fixedly at Yun Fan, her delicate hands gripping the bedsheet tightly.
"A reason, huh..." Yun Fan scratched his head, momentarily unsure how to respond. What a joke—bringing her to Belobog was just for fun, sending Sampo to capture her was just for fun, and keeping her here without letting her leave was also just for fun. What reason could there possibly be?
If he had to give one, it would be that he had some minor grievances with Topaz during the story. But setting aside their opposing stances, Topaz's actions couldn't really be called wrong—she was just doing what she thought was right. Still... Yun Fan just couldn't help feeling annoyed by it.
After much deliberation, Yun Fan finally settled on a reason he deemed appropriate.
"Well... because it makes me happy. Does that count?"
Topaz: "..."
Hearing this, Topaz's face instantly darkened. Seeing Yun Fan ponder like "The Thinker" for so long, she had actually thought he might come up with a decent reason. Apparently, she had overestimated him. How foolish of her—how could she expect a Masked Fool to act rationally?
"Hahaha, don't worry, I'll still let you go—as long as... you become my maid for two months." Yun Fan leaned in and whispered into Topaz's ear. The next moment, the latter practically jumped out of the bed like a startled cat.
"Me? Be your maid?! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
Yun Fan wasn't surprised by Topaz's reaction. If she had actually accepted his demand without protest, that would have been the real shocker.
"Ha, if Miss Topaz isn't willing, then Yun won't force you. You may leave." Yun Fan shook his head and waved his hand, signaling that she was free to go.
"Huh? Really?" Topaz raised an eyebrow, her blue eyes filled with suspicion.
"Heh, I do have that much integrity. I mean what I say—you can leave." Yun Fan gestured toward the door.
After a moment of hesitation, Topaz decided to take her leave despite her doubts. To her, Yun Fan was far too mysterious and dangerous. With just a flip of his hand, he could effortlessly seal her Path energy—she had never seen anything like it before.
As Topaz walked toward the door, she kept her senses sharp, her intuition telling her that this troublemaker wouldn't just let her walk away so easily.
Yet, even after she opened the door and stepped out, Yun Fan made no move to stop her. Just as she began to wonder if she had misjudged him, a faint murmur reached her ears.
"Hmm, nothing else to do now. What should I eat tonight? Let me think... how about roasted suckling pig? I wonder if a dimensional warp trotter would taste good grilled..."
Hearing this, Topaz's arm, which had been about to close the door, froze mid-air. No wonder she had felt like she was forgetting something—it was her dear Numby!
So that's why he was so willing to let her leave—he had been waiting for this all along.
"Haah—" Letting out a long breath, Topaz steadied herself before pushing the door open and stepping back inside.
"Oh? Miss Topaz, why are you back? Did you forget something?" Yun Fan smiled at her, but to Topaz, that expression might as well have belonged to the devil himself.
"I..." Topaz opened her mouth, but the words stuck in her throat, refusing to come out.
"What is it, Miss Topaz? Is there something else? If not, please hurry and leave—I need to prepare dinner." Yun Fan chuckled lightly, his tone laced with mockery.
"I—I'll be your maid." Gritting her teeth, Topaz ultimately agreed to Yun Fan's demand. There was no other choice—her beloved pet's life was in his hands. If she refused, Numby might very well end up on his dinner table tonight. With a Masked Fool, even if there was only a 10% chance he was serious, she couldn't afford to gamble.
"Hahaha, I'm truly flattered!" Yun Fan widened his eyes in exaggerated delight. But in those starry, fathomless pupils of his, there was only a look that said, "You should've agreed from the start."
"In that case, let's sign a contract." Yun Fan pulled out a crumpled piece of parchment from who-knows-where, signed his name, and handed it to Topaz.
"A contract?" Taking the parchment, Topaz inspected it carefully but found nothing unusual—it was just an ordinary sheet of paper.
"Who even uses parchment for contracts in this day and age..." she muttered under her breath before reading its contents. The first few clauses were standard maid duties—cooking, laundry, playing games with the master, and so on. But the last one...
The moment she saw the words "night service," Topaz nearly tore the parchment to shreds. But in the end, she restrained herself. Taking the pen Yun Fan offered, the silver-haired girl actually signed her name on the contract.
After all, in Topaz's eyes, this was nothing more than a worthless scrap of paper—devoid of any special energy. Once she got Numby back, she could just pack up and flee.
However, just as Topaz was feeling smug, an inexplicable power suddenly descended upon her.