As soon as Hastur said those words, the air seemed to freeze.
Although Sharron appeared very calm, Hastur clearly saw the slight surprise and amusement that had flashed through her eyes just now.
He continued tilting his head toward Sharron, meeting her azure eyes with his own.
At such close range, Sharron's long, pale-golden hair was tied into a bun and covered by a small black soft hat. A strand of hair hung down on either side of her earlobes, yet they did not conceal her small and delicate ears.
Sharron had no habit of wearing makeup, not even light makeup. Set against her black Gothic dress, her skin appeared even fairer and smoother, which would leave a red mark with the slightest pinch.
She really did look better from this close. When observed from afar, Sharron always gave off an aura that kept strangers at a distance.
In this regard, Miss Audrey's aura was much gentler and more approachable. It was just that her innate nobility and elegance still made many people hesitate to approach her.
"Acting spoiled? You?" After staring at each other for quite a while, Sharron finally spoke, making no attempt to hide the disbelief in her voice.
"People often say that pets take after their owners. Ariella is so good at acting spoiled because I taught her well."
Sharron looked Hastur up and down without saying anything. Her eyes were filled with distrust, and she seemed deliberately curious to see just how shameless Hastur could be.
"Sigh, why are your eyes always filled with doubt?"
"…" Sharron still did not speak. She merely stared at Hastur, wanting to see what he would do next.
"Oh, Ariella, you're back?"
Hastur suddenly glanced toward the window. Sharron's gaze followed his, but she did not see any sign of Ariella.
Instead, there was suddenly the weight of a head on her thighs.
Hastur had simply lain down on her thighs, using them as a pillow. Lying on his back, he gazed intently up at her.
"…" Sharron wanted to say something, but in the end, she said nothing. She merely straightened her posture slightly and looked straight ahead at the rows of bookshelves.
Hastur did not speak either. He half-closed his eyes and enjoyed Sharron's lap pillow.
After quite a while, Sharron finally said, "I've already given you your gift."
"Sometimes I really envy Ariella. No wonder she doesn't want to transform into a human."
Hastur sighed with emotion, then lifted his head from Sharron's thighs and sat upright. Meeting Sharron's inquisitive gaze, he explained very seriously, "I admit defeat. When it comes to acting spoiled, Ariella is still better at it. When I have time, I'll learn from her and further my studies."
He could not imitate Ariella by lying on Sharron's thighs and rolling back and forth. That scene would be far too embarrassing.
Sharron said nothing, merely lowering her eyes and calmly looking at him.
"I really like your gift." Hastur understood the double meaning behind Sharron's earlier words. He stood up and left the study.
After Hastur left the room, Sharron lowered her head slightly and looked at the thighs Hastur had just used as a pillow. The lingering warmth had yet to fade.
She raised her right hand and gently pressed it against her chest. Her heartbeat was much faster than usual.
What would happen after a puppet gained a heart? The story of Pinocchio that Hastur had once told her had already provided an ending.
"Meow?"
On the windowsill, Ariella held a small dried fish that Sharron had brought back from the Southern Continent in her mouth and looked at Sharron in confusion.
Without Sharron needing to beckon her, Ariella came over to the sofa, lay on Sharron's thighs, and leisurely enjoyed her dried fish.
Sharron lowered her head and watched Ariella for a while before murmuring, "Ariella, you're deliberately choosing not to transform into a human, aren't you?"
Ariella's entire body stiffened. The fur on her back nearly stood on end, and her bright blue eyes widened as she revealed an extremely frightened expression. Even the dried fish in her mouth fell onto the sofa.
"I won't tell him." A faint smile appeared on Sharron's face as she reached out and stroked Ariella's head.
"Meow."
Ariella gave a very gentle meow and rubbed her face against Sharron's palm. Then she picked up the dried fish she had dropped from fright and resumed eating it in peace.
Something Hastur had said earlier was quite right. People usually did not harbor much wariness toward a cute little cat.
Sometimes, remaining a cat was much more convenient than transforming into a human when it came to doing certain things.
Ariella was very intelligent. Sharron had known that from the beginning. Most of the time, she was deliberately pretending to be stupid.
Some people seemed to be inferior even to a cat. The corners of Sharron's lips curved upward slightly, and her expression became much gentler than usual.
The next day, the Duke of Southville's envoy came to visit again, saying that his thirty-year-old son was celebrating his birthday and wished to invite Hastur to attend the banquet.
Caius habitually followed Hastur's instructions and sent the visitor away first before returning to report the matter to Hastur.
"He's already thirty and still celebrating his birthday? Does he really think he's a child who'll never grow up?"
Hastur spoke mockingly, but this time he did not refuse the Duke of Southville's invitation.
He had pretended to be unaccustomed to the local climate for long enough. It was time to meet the Duke of Southville and see exactly what he wanted.
After thinking it over, Hastur decided to bring several members of the Yellow-robed Monks with him and use this opportunity to make the Duke of Southville behave himself.
Did he really think that just because the Loen Kingdom had declared full-scale war against the Feysac Empire, he could seize the opportunity to reclaim the rights to those eight ports?
Those were eight little gold mines that generated a huge sum of money every single day.
"My Lord, do you need me to take care of this trouble?"
Caius offered a suggestion, a ruthless glint flashing through his eyes. His meaning was very clear: he would lead members of the Yellow-robed Monks and completely deal with the Duke of Southville.
Yes, "deal with" him in the literal sense.
Hastur waved his hand. "The timing is too sensitive. That won't do. I'll be returning to Backlund after some time."
"Understood." Caius nodded, excitement mixed into his voice.
This made Hastur ask whether he had some personal grudge against the Duke of Southville.
Caius hurriedly replied, "I only want to help the Lord resolve your worries and difficulties."
"That excuse is too old. Give me something new."
An embarrassed expression appeared on Caius's face. Lowering his voice slightly, he said, "I want to prove through certain actions that I'm the one who is truly the Lord's favored subordinate."
It was a very honest reason, and Hastur did not blame him. Thinking carefully about it, Caius was only Sequence 5, and there were still quite a few people above him.
In the world of Beyonders, people ultimately tended to follow the principle that strength commanded respect.
"Once the matter with the Duke of Southville is settled, go find Madam Lisa and ask her to give you some guidance. Tell her it's my instruction."
"Yes!" Caius nodded excitedly.
Hastur waved for Caius to leave, then walked to the window and gazed in the direction of Backlund.
He had never regarded the Duke of Southville as a true opponent. His opponent was in Backlund, inside that magnificent royal palace.
The date for George III's nationwide speech had already been set. That day would be when George III intended to seize the opportunity to advance to Sequence 0, Black Emperor.
Although Hastur might not necessarily follow the Black Emperor pathway in the future, allowing George III to become the Black Emperor would bring him no benefit whatsoever.
Moreover, George III was cooperating with Adam. If He truly ascended to godhood, He would certainly oppose Hastur in the future.
It would be better to join forces with Bernadette, Klein, and the others to overthrow George III from his throne.
This matter would be somewhat dangerous. Once the issue with the Duke of Southville was resolved, Hastur would return to Backlund.
Such a chaotic situation would also be greatly beneficial to his acting as a Mentor of Disorder.
"Meow."
Ariella walked along the edge of the windowsill, holding a half-eaten dried fish in her mouth.
Hastur beckoned to her, and Ariella hurriedly swallowed the remaining half of the dried fish.
"…" Hastur stepped closer and flicked her forehead. "Would I steal your dried fish?"
"Meow!"
Ariella answered with absolute certainty.
Then the fur on her head was rubbed into a fluffy mess.
Hastur carried the aggrieved Ariella to Sharron's room. She still liked standing somewhere with a view of the outside world while acting as a puppet.
At that moment, colorful sunset clouds covered the sky above the sea, like an embroidered quilt spread across it.
An endless stream of ships continuously contributed to the prosperity of the harbor, while workers bustled around the lively docks, transporting all kinds of goods from different regions.
Night had yet to fall, but rows of tables had already been set up outside the taverns lining the streets.
Groups of children laughed and played from one end of the street to the other. Their laughter could be heard from far away.
"In two days, I'm going to visit the Duke of Southville, and then I'll return to Backlund…"
Holding Ariella in his arms, Hastur stood beside Sharron and told her about what he planned to do next.
He liked this way of spending time together very much. Even Ariella comfortably yawned in Hastur's arms and drifted off to sleep. She unconsciously licked her little paw, probably dreaming that she was eating delicious dried fish.
"I haven't returned to Backlund in a long time either."
"Mm. Then let's go back together."