Subtle and Gentle Guidance - One [2.2K]

Subtle and Gentle Guidance - One

To orchestrate a meeting between Seraphina and the revolutionary army, and to smoothly incite conflict between them, was no easy task.

Even though Ansel was well-acquainted with the personalities and thought patterns of both parties, the reality was far from the script he had written on paper. It was impossible for him to predict and control the development of the situation.

Even he could not fully anticipate the entire course of the conflict between the two parties.

Ansel was always prepared to make adjustments as needed, and guiding the relationship between the two parties towards "hostility" was a trivial matter for Saville.

In the end, the outcome Ansel desired was achieved without any surprises. This was purely due to the luck that favored those who were well-prepared, and it seemed uneventful.

However, the unusual emptiness and lack of defenses within the Red Frost Manor were another matter, unrelated to what Ansel was currently doing.

*

In the manor, echoing with sharp alarms, Ansel, leaning on his scepter, calmly strode through the opened gates and into the treasury, which had been plundered of two-thirds of its contents.

What about Seraphina? At this time, she was in intense pain due to the venom from the Sting. Her body convulsed involuntarily, and she was unable to regain control of her limbs. She could only lie on her side, pitifully curled up.

As she heard the approaching footsteps, she was initially panicked. However, the more she listened to the footsteps and the crisp sound of something hitting the ground, the more she felt something was amiss.

It wasn't until she saw the familiar black scepter that she realized who it was.

"You look terrible, Seraphina."

Ansel teased, his voice full of playful mockery.

"Hy...Hy..dra…l…" the young wolf managed to squeeze the words through her clenched teeth, "How...did you...get here?"

"That's a good question, how did I get here?"

Ansel crouched down, gently caressing Seraphina's cheek, his hand slowly moving down to her neck.

"Hmm...they really didn't hold back, did they? What did you do to make them so angry?"

Seraphina's condition caused Ansel to raise an eyebrow, "If you weren't so tough, you'd be crippled for the rest of your life."

You see, this was something Ansel couldn't have predicted—he knew Seraphina's ability to provoke hatred, but he didn't expect that in just a few minutes, his dear girl could stir up so much animosity.

"..." Seraphina bit her teeth, unable to speak and unwilling to do so.

She had just been released from prison and had already caused trouble again. How could she have the nerve to say anything to Ansel?

"Oh, the guards are coming," Ansel said, hearing the hurried footsteps approaching. He continued to stroke Seraphina's collar, chuckling, "Seraphina, you're in trouble."

He spoke as if he didn't care about his own situation. The gentle, smiling blond youth pinched Seraphina's cheek and looked into her dark red eyes.

"You've always wanted to tarnish my reputation, and this is a good opportunity. Hydral's closest subordinate sneaks into the Red Frost Manor at night to steal from the Red Frost family's treasury. Isn't that a perfect topic to use against me?"

Seraphina's body twitched, and she weakly stammered, her voice trembling, "I didn't... mean that…"

She just wanted to expose his hypocrisy, not tarnish Hydrall's reputation with such slanderous accusations!

"So, what you mean is —" Ansel's smile brightened.

"You need my help, right?"

The footsteps grew closer, and Seraphina could already hear the angry shouts outside.

"Tick-tock, tick-tock~"

Ansel mimicked the sound of a clock as he crouched down, gazing at Seraphina. "Time is running out, Miss Seraphina. You know what to say, don't you?"

What would happen if I get caught? Would they think poorly of Hydral because of me? Would Marlina be angry? Do I have the right to demand a trial again? Hydral… what would Hydral do then?

Does he... look down on me now?

Seraphina didn't feel wronged, knowing that she had brought this trouble upon herself, aside from her hatred towards those two despicable individuals. She wanted to face the consequences but didn't know how to cope.

The embarrassment of a failed theft, the resentment of being betrayed, the panic of not wanting to be caught, and at this critical moment, having to ask for help from the person she despised the most—again and again.

The complex, bitter, tingling, and seemingly burning emotions made the already weakened Seraphina even more delicate and vulnerable.

"Ansel... help me…"

The young wolf lady murmured helplessly, her mind in disarray. "I'm sorry, it seems... I've caused trouble again."

Time and time again.

No matter how much Seraphina despised Ansel, she couldn't ignore her own reckless behavior, rudeness, and the trouble she had caused. She was no longer the arrogant genius she had been at twelve, having tasted the bitter fruit of her own hubris.

Of course, there was a more important reason.

In the end, Ansel would always forgive her.

Thinking of this, Seraphina curled up even tighter, her body wracked with pain from the neurotoxin and the emotional turmoil. She didn't know what to do or say.

The ashamed girl, her eyes red, looked at Ansel and impulsively reached out… to gently tug at his clothes.

"..."

Ansel's cheerful smile faltered for a moment as he gazed into Seraphina's eyes, filled with guilt and vulnerability. He was silent for a second or two.

"Alright," he chuckled, securing his scepter at his waist and lifting Seraphina by her waist with both hands. "As long as you're willing to ask me like this, with this attitude, I'll always respond to your call, Seraphina."

At that moment, the guards had already rushed into the treasury, but they... strangely froze in place, like silhouettes on a curtain or silent statues in a garden.

Seraphina seemed to realize that her earlier actions had been overly delicate and didn't want to be held by Ansel like this. The pain from the neurotoxin made her curl up even more tightly in Ansel's arms.

Having no other choice, she tried to divert her attention to escape from her absurd emotions. Coughing, she asked hoarsely, "What... is going on?"

"Didn't you always want to know about Saville's abilities?"

Ansel leisurely strolled among the frozen guards, "As you can see, this is his power."

"...Time?" Seraphina furrowed her brow, "That assassin... is he...?"

"He has nothing to do with it," Ansel said with a faint smile, "The time control achieved through spells is worlds apart from the power Saville wields — Do you know what my father used to call him?"

The young Hydral seemed genuinely pleased and became more talkative.

"[The Phantom of Timescale]."

Ansel didn't hesitate to praise his old butler, "The time magic mastered by that Chronos Guild assassin is nothing but child's play in front of Saville."

It was then that Seraphina understood why she could never detect Saville's presence.

A time manipulator... such an incredibly powerful being was merely Ansel's butler?

Ansel seemed to see what Seraphina was thinking and smiled enigmatically, "You'll be stronger than him, Seraphina."

The girl in Ansel's arms shrank back, her gaze drifting away, "You're... quite-quite confident in me…"

— Her tone was unmistakably pleased.

The young nobleman, carrying the delicate short-haired girl, strolled through the corridors as if he were in his own manor. The variously frozen guards, with expressions of solemnity, anger, or confusion, became decorative statues, allowing Seraphina's tense heart to finally relax.

When her mood had somewhat stabilized, she finally realized something was amiss—why had they been walking for so long? It seemed like they were heading deeper into the manor.

"Hy-Hydral."

Seraphina whispered, "Why haven't we left yet?"

"Hmm?" Ansel raised an eyebrow, "Who told you we were leaving?"

"..."

As he stared at the bewildered girl in his arms, Ansel's dark emotions began to stir.

He carried Seraphina through the corridor and stopped in front of a guest room, pushing the door open.

"Ah, clean and tidy, unused," Ansel nodded in satisfaction, tossing the still-twitching Seraphina onto the bed.

"Hydral... what... what are you doing?!"

Seraphina's eyes widened in alarm as she saw the man who had thrown her onto the bed... undressing!

"My dear Miss Seraphina, it seems you've misunderstood something."

Ansel, having removed his wolf fur cloak, leisurely unbuttoned his vest.

He tilted his head slightly, his smile gentle and pure, "Just because I'm willing to help you out of danger doesn't mean I won't punish you for your reckless actions."

"Now it's two in the morning, and I should be lying in bed, immersed in the tranquility of slumber. But you've disrupted that peace, Seraphina."

"You... I... I know I was wrong! Don't mess around! I... I'm warning you! If you dare do that kind of thing, I'll definitely... definitely take you down with me!"

Seraphina closed her eyes tightly, shouting with her fragile voice, but without any semblance of authority.

Damn it... damn it, damn it, damn it! It's all because of those two beasts! Otherwise, I wouldn't be like this... Hydral wouldn't... wouldn't really do that kind of thing, would he?!

"Saville, you can go now," Ansel suddenly said.

"…?"

Seraphina cautiously opened her eyes a crack and saw that Ansel was still wearing his last layer of clothing, which slightly relieved her.

"The time in this manor has started flowing again, Seraphina." Ansel sat on the bed, grabbing the young wolf girl who had tried to shrink away to the edge of the bed and placing her on his lap.

He smiled and, very gentlemanly, began to remove the unnecessary items from Seraphina's body.

The girl wanted to scream, but Ansel immediately covered her mouth.

"Hush, listen."

Footsteps and shouts could be heard, "Have we searched this area yet?"

"We've searched, nothing! Move to the next floor!"

The sinister and crazy snake put his index finger to his lips and chuckled, "Making noise carelessly could get us discovered, Seraphina. But I don't mind..."

His fingertips traced the girl's soft skin, "Being discovered in this situation."

Ansel's skillful actions made the fierce and brutal she-wolf seem like a lamb that had been stripped of its wool—although the little lamb's expression was anything but weak.

Seraphina glared at Ansel with a murderous gaze, but compared to the intense, genuine rage she had felt at the beginning, she, who had experienced a lot… was now more like a paper tiger. The embarrassment that made her heart race was what the young wolf found most unbearable.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything else," Ansel lifted the blanket, holding Seraphina as they crawled in. He lazily rested his chin on the girl's neck, his arms tightly wrapped around her slender waist.

"Once I've had a good sleep, the punishment will be over. Simple, isn't it?"

"But... you should be careful, Seraphina," the devil whispered in the ear of the beautiful she-wolf disguised as a lamb.

"If you don't remind me in time when the guards want to search again..."

"In the eyes of others, you might change from being my subordinate to my plaything—ah, that is, um... a toy."

"What! Wait, you... don't sleep! Don't sleep!"

Hearing this, Seraphina could no longer care about her shyness. Even the venom paralyzing her body couldn't stop her from forcibly twisting her body, "I can't... absolutely not! Hydral! Hy...dral, don't sleep! I'm... I'm begging you, okay!"

She didn't want to be seen as Hydral's plaything, absolutely... absolutely not. She didn't believe the guards would keep their mouths shut, and how far and wide would this news spread? Seraphina couldn't imagine how terrifying it would be to be looked at with that kind of gaze when she went out one day!

"Seraphina, you're being a bit too willful."

Ansel sighed helplessly, opening his eyes. "If I don't sleep, what else can I do? Hmm?"

"I... I..."

Seraphina opened her mouth, "You... talk to me! Chat, chat! Just don't sleep! If you sleep and I can't wake you up, I'm done for!"

"Chat, huh..."

Ansel pondered for a moment, then responded with a light laugh, "Alright, that's not a bad idea. But chatting alone isn't very interesting. Let's play a game, Seraphina."

Seraphina, who always felt as though she had fallen into a trap, trembled slightly, "What... what do you intend to do?"

"We take turns asking each other questions, and neither of us can lie."

Ansel, with a smile in his eyes, said, "The verification method is... to listen to the other's heartbeat."

"Oh... listen to the heartbeat? Yes, listen to the heartbeat..."

"—Listen to the heartbeat?!"

The lamb entwined by the snake struggled again, "Are you joking? In this state, you want to listen to my heartbeat? Then let me put on my clothes—"

"It seems that Miss Seraphina is not very willing."

Ansel yawned long, "Then forget it, I'm going to sleep. It's so late, I'm sure I'll sleep very deeply, no matter how much you call, you won't be able to wake me up... don't you think so, Seraphina?"

"..."

After a long silence, in Ansel's arms, in the thick quilt, the self-troubled she-wolf, the charming and lovely white lamb, angrily and shyly bumped her head against Ansel's chest.

"Enough! I'll play, isn't that enough?!"

At least... at least she was still wrapped in her chest cloth.

Miss Seraphina, has fallen to the point of comforting herself in this way.