Chelsea was a little surprised when she heard the young lady's order, but her face remained calm. She pushed her glasses on the bridge of her nose and answered.

"This will take some time, Miss, because the people I trust and the people he trusts largely overlap."

"Well, be careful. There must be someone behind Ceres who is controlling him."

"Yes, thank you for your reminder." Then the head maid stepped out.

Loran Hill continued to sit on the small balcony, gazing at the beautiful nightscape of the harbor city. The quiet moonlight reflected on the sea, fragmented by the waves, shimmering and rippling across her vision. She could even hear the distant sound of the sea lapping against the beach, a soothing sound like a gentle lullaby.

Ceres was Angus's steward, having served him for nearly ten years. In his early years, he was a noble officer of West Wind, having served on the battlefield. That war was a small-scale one, fought by West Wind against the northern barbarians, with only a few nobles from the northern part of the kingdom participating. Although West Wind won, it also suffered heavy losses, exposing its own weakness and making it unable to fully suppress the chaotic forces within its borders.

Later, the nobles in the north retreated, focusing only on their own castles and cities, and no longer caring about the marginal villages. This also led to the rampant banditry and the popularity of mercenaries in the north.

After Ceres retired, he worked as a mercenary for a while because he wasn't the eldest son and had no inheritance rights. By chance, he met Angus, who had come to Westwind on business. The two shared many similar experiences: both were born into Westwind nobility, both were unsuccessful middle sons, and both had experienced many hardships. Later, Angus invited Ceres to be his deputy, and he eventually became the chief steward of Carites. He was also one of Angus's most trusted men during his lifetime.

It was hard to imagine such a person would betray, but Loran Hill did notice that something was wrong with the butler.

First of all, when Mrs. Mela opened the door and saw Ceres, she said "you" at first and then changed it to "you". Mela recognized Ceres at the first moment and even had some fear in her tone, and then she changed her words.

Secondly, when Madam Mela broke the teacup, his eyes and expression were not so kind when he stepped forward to pick up the pieces. At that time, he had his back to Loran Hill, perhaps thinking that the girl could not see it, but in fact Loran Hill noticed it from the reflection in Madam Mela's pupils.

Finally, when Loran Hill asked Ceres to investigate what happened ten years ago, his first reaction was to refuse. Although it was a subtle reminder, he himself might not have realized that this was the first time he had refuted the girl's instructions, and this behavior should not appear in an excellent butler.

After leaving Madam Meera's residence, Loran Hill asked him to investigate the events of ten years ago. This was actually a test. If he didn't know the truth, out of his instinct, he would probably inquire about the people and things related to ten years ago in all aspects.

But if he already knew the truth, he would deliberately avoid certain people and situations in order to continue concealing it, making his actions unnatural. And these points he avoided would in turn remind Loran Hill. So no matter how he acted, he would reveal part of the truth.

Loran Hill sat quietly on the wooden chair, unconsciously tapping the teacup in his hand with his fingertips. Slight ripples appeared on the amber liquid, and a subtle crisp sound was also heard.

When did I become so scheming? She suddenly thought about this question, feeling a little scared and conflicted.

As people grow up and experience many things, it is difficult to always maintain the innocence and simplicity of a child, because reality is complex, cruel, and full of accidents.

She understood this. In that era of information explosion, the stories that a young adult saw, heard, and even experienced were unimaginable to people in this world. There were all kinds of bizarre plots, countless characters' intrigues, and all kinds of strange cases involving suspense and reasoning.

Perhaps outsiders couldn't understand Ceres's behavior, but Loran Hill had already prepared more than twenty logical reasons and plots for him in her head, such as ethical revenge, hatred for love, ten years of lurking, etc. So much so that she was not surprised by Ceres's abnormality, and even felt a little curious.

What kind of twisted heart is there in this butler who appears to be excellent and resolute?

Walking on the road called life for too long, the prosperous scenery and ups and downs along the way can easily make people gradually forget their original intention when they set out.

But when Loran Hill discovered that he had learned some tricks without any guidance, he also felt a sense of caution. Schemes can be used as a temporary means and methods, but blindly using tricks will make people lose the courage to fight to the death, as well as the original persistence and dreams in their hearts.

When one is insignificant and forced to resort to stratagem, it's understandable. The weaker one is, the more wisdom and planning one must learn. However, as one grows, this behavior gradually becomes internalized, becoming a habit, a constant desire for shortcuts and superior efficiency. Routine tasks and tasks become irrelevant, and one constantly weighs the cost-effectiveness of each one, as if one's entire life is a matter of calculation, everything a business, everything driven by the pursuit of maximum profit.

This is undeniably a form of strength, but what is the purpose of this strength? Self-proclaimed cleverness, the pursuit of profit, without regard for bottom lines, yet little do they realize they've long forgotten their original aspirations. When one places one's most cherished dreams on the scales, one is essentially committing a crime.

After slowly drinking the cooled tea, Loran Hill decided not to think about these intrigues for the time being. She didn't like to speculate about other people's complicated inner thoughts and would rather do some practical things. So she returned to her room, closed the door, told the maids that she would go to bed early tonight, and then began to improve and practice her extraordinary sequence.

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