"Sorry, so sorry! My maid was far too careless!"
Before Lucille could respond, Duke Campbell had already stepped to his side, offering an apology.
Turning to the maid, the Duke's tone grew stern. "How could you harm our honored guest? If you can't even handle such a simple task, what use are you?"
The maid, far from cowering, gave a cheeky smile. "My apologies! It wasn't on purpose. Surely this guest won't mind, right?"
"You!" Duke Campbell pointed at her, his brows shooting up. "How dare you be so rude to an honored guest!"
He turned back to Lucille, his expression softening. "I'm truly sorry. I haven't trained my staff well. I'll compensate you adequately."
He shouted, "Robert! Fetch a coat for our guest!"
A male servant quickly approached, holding a prepared coat. He handed it to the Duke but didn't leave immediately. "Duke, the verification is complete. It's indeed the Little Princess's palm print. No issues."
With that, the Duke offered the coat to Lucille. "Sir, your clothes are soaked. Please hand them to me. My servant will clean and dry them."
Lucille didn't move.
He wasn't a fool. He could see this was a performance staged by the Duke and the maid.
But he didn't care if his face was revealed to the Duke. His only concern was ensuring no one saw him entering the Duke's mansion.
With a natural motion, he removed his wet coat and handed it to the servant, but he waved off the offered coat. "Since the palm print has been verified, let's discuss what comes next."
Duke Campbell, having achieved his goal, didn't press further. He casually passed the coat back to the servant, his tone growing serious. "Very well. No more delays. Tell us where the Little Princess is, and I'll reward you with a hundred gold coins!"
"And for soaking your clothes, I'll add ten more—a total of one hundred and ten gold coins!"
One hundred and ten gold coins was a fortune most commoners could never amass in a lifetime.
But Lucille's other body had just handled that exact amount.
He only smiled. "No matter how many coins you offer, I won't accept."
"I'm just an ordinary person. Showing my face to you is already the greatest sincerity I can offer."
"I hope you'll show your sincerity, Duke. I don't want gold—I want your protection."
Duke Campbell paused, then chuckled, a hint of appreciation in his eyes. "Fine. As you wish."
He signaled the male servant, who nodded and left.
Moments later, the servant returned with a scroll.
"You may not have seen one before," Duke Campbell said, taking the scroll and explaining to Lucille. "This is a contract scroll. Once we sign it, neither of us can defy its terms."
Lucille's eyes flickered.
A contract scroll's market value was only a few dozen gold coins, but it wasn't something ordinary people could acquire. Only someone like a Duke could produce one on a whim.
Keeping his composure, Lucille asked, "May I see it?"
"Of course," the Duke said generously. Since he'd brought out the scroll, he intended to use it. Letting Lucille inspect it was no issue.
Lucille took the scroll, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on his lips.
"Duke Campbell," he said, "I know you look down on me."
"Because I'm neither a noble nor a Duty Wielder."
"If I weren't an ordinary person, that careless maid would surely have been punished. You wouldn't have used such a clumsy tactic to test me."
The Duke froze, caught off guard by Lucille's sudden challenge. He raised a hand to silence the surrounding servants. "You're a clever one. Sign the contract, and you'll be fine. But if you refuse, we can't guarantee your safety…"
"Punish her, and I'll sign," Lucille replied calmly.
"Are you threatening me?" The Duke's voice deepened, his authority radiating. "You're right. If you were a noble or a Duty Wielder, you'd have that right. But you're just an ordinary person. You don't call the shots here!"
Lucille let out a soft laugh. "That's what you think."
Under everyone's gaze, a dazzling white light enveloped him. Moments later, he vanished, and in his place stood another figure—Night Star.
"Transposition! A Tier Six spell!"
"It's you! The mysterious figure!"
Someone recognized Night Star's green hair and pieced it together.
"Why is it you?!"
"Where have you hidden the Little Princess?"
"Drop your staff and surrender!"
Night Star held a staff half her height. With a light tap on the ground, a surge of immense magical energy radiated outward.
The wave was overwhelming but felt like a mere push to those it struck. Still, this display of power turned the room's atmosphere grave.
Night Star spoke unhurriedly. "Offending that man is the same as offending me."
"Now that I'm a Duty Wielder, can I punish that maid?"
Duke Campbell's face was like stone.
Lucille escaping with the contract scroll wasn't the issue. The real problem was this mysterious figure—she wasn't as easy to handle as Lucille.
But a weight lifted from the Duke's mind.
He'd been worried Lucille might not actually know the princess's whereabouts.
Now, he was certain Lucille and this mysterious figure were working together. Capturing her would make interrogating the princess's location straightforward.
It was all within his expectations.
He just needed to placate her first…
"Of course," Duke Campbell said. "You're a respected Duty Wielder. I'll naturally honor your request." He raised his voice to the maid. "Elusha, come here! Apologize to our honored guest!"
Elusha, head lowered, stepped forward quietly.
When she was two meters from Night Star, her face twisted into a ferocious snarl. She drew a dagger and lunged.
Clang!
The dagger struck a white barrier, ringing out sharply. Night Star gave the maid a mocking smile as the surrounding servants dropped their disguises, drawing weapons.
"Giving up the act so soon?" Night Star sighed, feigning disappointment. "What a pity. Guess I'll have to punish you myself."
She gripped her staff tightly, the crystal orb atop it erupting in brilliant, eerie purple light.
Her green hair billowed wildly behind her.
"Your only mistake was underestimating my level."
"Let's have some fun~"
"Tier Ten spell—"
"Void Banishment!"