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Chapter 36: Sisters - One

Ansel reaped considerable benefits from his visit to Howling Wind Castle.

Seraphina\'s training progressed significantly, and he successfully wrested this year\'s "harvest" of the Red Frost territory from the Duke of Gray Tower, thwarting the cunning old fox\'s hidden agenda.

The term "gray fox" is not one of contempt or mockery, but rather a resentful and cautious epithet used by those who have suffered at the hands of the Duke of Gray Tower.

At the most superficial level, the Duke sought to expose Ansel\'s false assassination by staging the fake deaths of two barons, thereby undermining Ansel\'s accumulated goodwill and preparations in the Red Frost territory; delving deeper, the Duke knew Ansel would not sit idly by, so he hoped to probe the seemingly unaided Ansel for any hidden trump cards.

The true intention beneath these two objectives was to be accomplished by an assassin from the Chronos Guild.

For a grand duke, and someone who has already reached the pinnacle of imperial power, is the gain or loss of a territory or the external forces Ansel possesses truly that important?

Of course not. The most important thing has always been one thing:

— Hydral itself.

Only those who stand at the highest positions, can truly understand what Hydral means to the empire.

They are far more than just the "emperor\'s butcher" or "noble executioner"; their relationship with the emperor transcends the traditional hierarchy.

At a time when contemporary Hydral is becoming increasingly unhinged and Ansel is poised to take the reins, nothing is more important than Ansel himself.

For the grand duke, the identity of Hydral\'s pact head is no secret. Thus, in the scheme set up by the Duke of Gray Tower, the core objective is to probe Ansel\'s foundation, specifically...

That Seraphina Marlowe, who is treated abnormally by Ansel and possesses extraordinary talent, making her a likely candidate for the pact head.

This hidden core objective is extremely cunning and insidious. Even if Ansel had the ability to detect all the assassins, how could he quickly discover that one of them was a powerful member of the Chronos Guild?

Unfortunately, as Ansel told Oscarius, many times countless schemes and calculations can be destroyed by a single thing: an information gap.

No matter how perfectly the Duke of Gray Tower planned, he could not know what kind of monster the seemingly decrepit butler in Ansel\'s entourage was, nor could he know that Saville was the most special of all the pact heads under Ansel\'s father. He was even more unaware that the power Ansel wielded was enough to make the Chronos Guild\'s assassin betray him completely, causing his plan to fail utterly.

This is what called the "unstable factor" that Ansel decided to eliminate at that time.

After all, assassinating Seraphina at the behest of the Duke of Gray Tower and doing so by his own volition are two entirely different concepts.

When Ansel brought Oscarius to his side, everything that happened at Howling Wind Castle fell under his control.

In this brief farce, Miss young wolf learned the importance of knowledge, witnessed the boundless possibilities of extraordinary beings clashing, realized the power of thought, and used it to defeat an almost insurmountable foe, savoring the sweet taste of victory.

— Even though Oscarius, the genius assassin capable of using three different forms of time magic simultaneously, did not push Seraphina to her limit under Ansel\'s guidance, it was enough, or rather, it was precisely what Ansel intended.

Seraphina Marlowe does not need to grow wildly and bloodily in battle like her future counterpart. With her unreasonable talent, she can achieve greatness by following the path Ansel has laid out for her.

In this way, the victories and joys she tastes are all brought to her by Ansel, and even when she transforms from a young wolf into a wolf emperor, she remains the most loyal and devoted hound in Ansel\'s presence.

However, that is a matter for the future. For now, the most important thing is to proceed methodically, steadily, and gradually with Seraphina\'s taming.

Upon arriving at the manor\'s entrance, Ansel smiled as the maids lined up to greet him.

[Dearest Seraphina, with your profound hatred for me as the starting point, the true discipline shall now commence.]

[Are you prepared?]

*

Marlina felt deeply ashamed of her own incompetence.

Ansel\'s "simple" paperwork left her utterly bewildered. On the first day, she completed it only with Meli\'s continuous guidance.

The considerate maid, with a heartfelt gentle tone, spoke of the "complex situation in the Red Frost territory," "the mess left by the Count of Red Frost being indeed difficult to handle," and even said, "Miss Marlina\'s literacy rate is already quite remarkable."

What saddened Marlina even more was that Meli had no ill intentions. She genuinely believed that, given Marlina\'s background, such a literacy rate was rare, which only made the young girl feel more bitter and sorrowful.

She had once been overjoyed that Ansel had given her work, thinking that the young Lord of Hydral had acknowledged her modest intelligence.

But in the end, all she had to offer was her... literacy rate?

"Sigh... I wonder how Seri is doing. I hope she hasn\'t angered Lord Hydral."

Having barely completed the third document on her own, Marlina stretched and sighed with a hint of melancholy.

"That child... she wasn\'t always like this."

As Seraphina\'s elder sister, Marlina found it difficult to understand her younger sister\'s deep dissatisfaction and even resentment towards Ansel.

She knew Seraphina despised nobles, but she also knew her sister was not one to be indiscriminate in her grievances.

From an outsider\'s perspective, Marlina could sense Ansel\'s indulgent tolerance towards Seraphina.

Why was Seraphina not grateful for Ansel\'s kindness, but instead repeatedly disrespectful to him?

[Is there a... secret here? Has Seri noticed some issues with Lord Hydral?]

She needed to find an opportunity to have a heart-to-heart talk with Seri; perhaps she could figure it out—

Just as Marlina was thinking this, the door to the study was suddenly pushed open.

"How have you been these past few days, Miss Marlina?"

Ansel greeted her with a smile as she instinctively stood up.

"Lord, Lord Hydral!" the young girl exclaimed. "You\'re back? I... I\'m sorry, I didn\'t know!"

Her expression was quite flustered, clearly nervous because she hadn\'t gone to greet Ansel.

"Why be nervous for not greeting me?"

Ansel tilted his head slightly and smiled at her:

"Miss Marlina, you are not my servant."

"..." Marlina\'s words caught in her throat, and she felt an indescribable warmth and tenderness, a... happiness that made her feel somewhat light-headed.

You are not my servant.

For a girl who had been subjected to the disdain and exploitation of the tax officer for years, who had to endure the contemptuous gazes of others due to her status every time she entered the city, and who was sensitive and intelligent herself, these words were warm and precious.

Respect from a person of importance. This was something Marlina never dared to dream of.

"Thank you, thank you, Lord Hydral. I am truly grateful for your—"

Without the courage to meet Ansel\'s gaze, the girl turned her head slightly. All her joy and shyness transformed into external body language: her flickering gaze, her gently bitten lip, her slightly swaying body, her tense toes tucked behind one leg, her swaying braid accentuating the blush on her earlobes, and her pure, beautiful soul.

Just as she was about to express her heartfelt gratitude to Ansel, the door was slammed open with a "bang!"

"Ahahaha, Marli, you\'ll never guess how —"

"how..."

"how..."

The young wolf, wrapped in many bandages, looked puzzled at the smiling serpent and her blushing sister.

"...fabulous I am?"