Chapter 205: No Repayment - Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

(Last chapter passed the review without edits. If you haven't read it, you might want to go back and take a look.) Under the moonlight, the girl, covered in grime, hugged her knees and sobbed quietly. Her delicate, pale feet were tucked under her robe, slightly curling with the shivers of her body. She cried so sorrowfully, as if she wished to release all the emotions she had buried deep within her heart recently. "Why do I suddenly feel a pang of sympathy?" In the darkness, Lynn instinctively reached out to her. Yet, the next second, the girl who had been crying with her head bowed suddenly looked up with a cold expression, eyes filled with unprecedented rage. "I knew it... I knew you were lying to me!!!" "Hypnosis? It's all fake!!!" In an instant, Lynn felt an invisible force constricting his entire body. He then saw the girl slowly stand up, her bare feet stepping on the sheets as she walked towards him. "Kill you..." Her cold hands clamped around his throat like iron pincers, determined to choke the life out of him! The intense suffocation and pain swept over him, making Lynn instinctively struggle. But it was all in vain. As their eyes met, Lynn suddenly realized that those green eyes had lost their usual warmth and were filled with a lofty indifference. Tia's inner humanity seemed to have vanished completely. In its place was something called "divinity." Beatrix? As that name surfaced in his mind, Lynn abruptly opened his eyes and sat up, gasping for air. For a severely injured patient, such a motion only exacerbated his condition, further tearing his wounds, leading to a cascade of intense pain. Through this pain, his mind gradually cleared. Looking at the bright sunlight shining through the window, Lynn realized that the scenes in front of him had been nothing more than a dream. It was now the morning of the next day. Feeling the cold sweat that had soaked his back, Lynn slowly raised his hands to rub his slightly numb face. He hadn't expected to have such a bizarre dream. Or perhaps, it wasn't just a nonsensical dream, but a kind of omen from fate? Lynn knew nothing of this, only feeling a mess in his heart. He took a deep breath to try to calm his current state of mind. Then he raised his head, looking at the bed next to him. Tia seemed to have already gotten out of bed, her whereabouts unknown, leaving the room with only him present. Perhaps she went to take care of something? Lynn didn’t know. But to speak honestly, even if she just left like that, it was something he expected. After all, what happened last night was somewhat beyond the boundaries of their relationship. Even with hypnosis as an excuse, it might be difficult for her to accept it promptly. As for Lynn himself—even though he had felt some satisfaction, seeing the girl cover her face and weep inevitably stirred something within him. Guilt? Perhaps, or maybe it was something called a sense of responsibility. Thinking of this, Lynn sighed softly. With Tia's whereabouts unknown, it was time to consider the worst-case scenario. With this thought, he propped himself up from the bed and glanced inadvertently at the full-length mirror beside him. Staring at his pale reflection in the mirror, Lynn suddenly paused. What kind of expression was that? Disappointment? He shook his head, trying to dispel the emptiness he felt inside. Though it had only been a few days, Lynn had already grown accustomed to that faint, fresh scent that lingered each morning and to the sight of the elven girl tidying herself up by the dressing mirror. When did I become so weak? With that thought, Lynn mocked himself with a smile, then slowly stood up, bracing against the wall as he walked toward the door. If Tia really left, then there would be no reason for this weak, injured soul to continue to struggle; he might as well contact Her Highness the Princess and place himself in a safer position. As for the Moonlight Rite after, it would just have to be dealt with step by step. Just as his hand grasped the brass handle, lost in his thoughts, Lynn suddenly felt it begin to twist in the opposite direction from his grasp. Then, with a creak, the door opened. The familiar fresh scent wafted back to him. Lynn looked down and found the disguised elven girl standing there, holding a steaming paper bag, their eyes meeting. "Why are you up?" Tia, startled by Lynn's sudden appearance, showed a fleeting hint of awkwardness in her eyes. "Get back to bed and lie down." Gently pushing him back inside, she glanced outside the door and then locked it from within. After doing all this, Tia went to the dining table and placed the paper bag on it. So, she had gone to buy breakfast. As Lynn watched the girl busily preparing at the table, he unexpectedly felt a sense of relief. "Your expression is disgusting. What inappropriate thoughts are you having?" Facing away from him, Tia unpacked the food and commented on Lynn's peculiar demeanor in a calm voice. "No, nothing." He pursed his lips. Five minutes later, the two of them sat at the table, beginning to enjoy the not particularly lavish breakfast. Tia appeared remarkably calm, seemingly having forgotten everything that transpired the night before. After all, from her point of view, only she knew what truly happened. However, the slight redness at the corners of her eyes still betrayed traces of her tears. Such a resilient person. As Lynn chewed soft, white bread, Tia spoke softly, "Louise always mentioned a bakery in the northern district that had a good reputation. I've tried to go a few times, but they were always sold out. Lucky today." "It's delicious." Lynn complimented. Yet, Tia shook her head, "Honestly, compared to the Church's craftsmanship, the taste and texture don't quite compare. It's just that I heard about it so much that I had an unnecessary sense of anticipation, so when I finally tasted it, it felt a bit disillusioning." Her words seemed to carry an undertone of critique or deeper meaning. Lynn felt momentarily choked and continued eating in silence. Observing this, Tia pursed her lips, poured a cup of hot water from the teapot, and gently pushed it toward Lynn. At the same time, she spoke seemingly unintentionally. "This afternoon, I need to go to the Black Market to meet the organizer there, 'The Hound' Frank." Lynn's actions halted. "Perhaps he could lend a hand to help you escape the city," Tia continued without glancing at him, tearing her soft bread, "I'll arrange for money and someone to meet you in Courtney City." "The capital... it's no longer safe for you. Not only is the council after you, but countless nobles would love to see you dead." "Once you're recovered, you can decide whether to stay in the Saint Roland Empire or head to another country." As she talked, Tia placed a piece of bread in her mouth, chewing softly. She spoke of it all as though it were a minor matter. Yet, to Lynn, her words were like daggers to his ears. After a long silence, he asked softly, "And what about you?" "Don't worry, the Church won't punish me over something minor like this." "I meant the Moonlight Rite." Her hand froze in mid-air. "None of your business." In a moment, the girl across the table replied coldly. Heeding the unwelcomed change in her mood, they spent the rest of the breakfast in silence. Moreover, once they finished, Tia wordlessly changed her clothes, disguised herself, and left the room, leaving Lynn alone. "If I'm not back by midnight, go on and save yourself." This was her parting statement before the room fell into silence once more. If not for the faint fullness in his stomach after eating, Lynn might have thought the girl had never returned at all. He lay on the bed, gazing blankly at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts. The nightmare from the previous night replayed in his mind over and over again. Beatrix. Tia. These two names lingered like phantoms in his mind. After some time, Lynn snapped back to reality and, with some effort, sat up to pull the bell cord beside the bed. This was the call bell for summoning a servant. The inn they were staying in was relatively high-end, so it offered such services. However, given Tia’s previous warning, Lynn, as a fugitive, should not have drawn attention to himself in such a manner, which would likely expose him to the outside world. Nonetheless, something prompted him to call anyway. A moment later, after a knock on the door, a crisp female voice came from outside, "Hello?" "Come in." A plain-looking maid opened the door and entered, her eyes filled with curiosity. Upon seeing the young man lying in bed, a hint of surprise appeared on her face. Clearly, she had not expected that the occupant of a luxury room costing a gold coin per night would be such a young guest. And such a handsome one. However, her gaze fixed on the bandages peeking from underneath his clothes, stained slightly with blood, and the maid froze in place. Recalling the wanted posters spread throughout the district recently, she covertly glanced at Lynn several times, her expression shifting to unease as some realization possibly dawned on her. Lynn, though, seemed unfazed by her reaction. "Two things." Speaking calmly, he handed her a letter he had prepared, "First, deliver this letter to the address on it. Complete it by this afternoon." "Complete this task, and I will reward you with one thousand gold coins." A thousand gold coins?! The maid's eyes widened in disbelief, as if she had just heard something utterly fantastical. "S-sir, you must be joking, right?" "Whether I'm joking or not is for you to discern," Lynn remained composed, "Also, you've probably recognized my identity by now, haven't you?" The maid turned pale upon hearing this, stammering, "S-sir, I don’t know what you mean..." "Second, you can choose to report to the authorities, but please delay the timing a bit." "Complete this task, and I will additionally reward you with another hundred gold coins." "Can you do it?" With that, Lynn retrieved a hefty purse of gold coins from a nearby cabinet and tossed it to her as an advance. At the sight of such life-changing wealth, the maid's eyes transformed in an instant. It was a gaze that transcended morality and humanity, consumed by fervor. Her hands clutched together tightly, wavering between picking up the gold and deliberating. Finally, with a trembling voice, she spoke, "I swear, sir, I won’t betray you, and I will definitely complete the tasks you've given me." Whether motivated by the promise of money or perhaps a desire to help the seemingly harmless young man before her, she appeared entirely earnest at that moment. However, after a brief shared gaze, Lynn sighed imperceptibly. Have I been around Tia too long, unwittingly influenced to harbor unnecessary illusions about 'humans'? He pondered, a bit confused by his own thoughts. Moments later, he looked up again with a blank expression, "You've squandered the only chance I gave you." In the next instant, a wave of invisible power emanated. Before she could react, the maid’s expression froze. She had thought her acting could deceive the young man across from her, unaware that he had the ability to detect any falsehood. "Deliver the letter as instructed, return to your room, and wait until around ten in the evening. Then immediately go to the nearest Silent Church and inform them of my whereabouts." For ordinary people, he didn’t even need to resort to deceit to manipulate them effortlessly. "Yes." The maid snapped into awareness, the false sincerity in her eyes replaced by an unprecedented resolve. Shortly after, the door closed once again. Lynn leaned back, collapsing onto the soft bed. Don’t meddle. Now, the cold words from the breakfast table echoed in his ears once more. So decisive, as if drawing a line in the sand. It seemed that Tia was not entirely ignorant of the forthcoming Moonlight Rite. This knowledge must be why she was so eager to sever ties with him. Yet, as previously mentioned, Lynn possessed the uncanny ability to discern the truth from lies. "Indeed... when a woman says no, she often means yes." Staring at the chandelier, he mused to himself. He certainly wasn’t inclined to interfere. Yet, as when he had gone to save Evester, he knew all too well that if he did nothing, once it was all over—either when everything settled or he lay in bed unable to sleep—he would drown in an unprecedented sense of regret. The two of them had only just met, after all. He was meant to turn her into a puppet as per Lady Witch’s instructions. But fate twisted its course. As the situation unfolded to this extent, he realized everything was completely out of expectation. Even he couldn’t fathom why he’d go to such lengths for someone else’s girl. If a reason had to be given, perhaps it lay in last night. She cried so heartbreakingly. A kindness so profound, yet impossible to repay. That was all. In the time that followed, Lynn lay as if asleep, motionless on the bed. Outside, the sun gradually dipped below the horizon as the hours passed. Unknowingly, evening arrived. Suddenly, Lynn opened his eyes. "Knock, knock, knock." Heavy knocking echoed from outside. The climax was approaching. Your support is appreciated, dear readers, with your monthly tickets!