After a brief silence, just as Ruan Qingan was about to help Aldrich up, he noticed that the whip marks on Aldrich's chest, which had been raw and bleeding, were healing at a visible speed.

If Ruan Qingan had gone to see the doctor any later, the injury would probably have fully healed.

037 gasped: [Is the male lead really human?]

Ruan Qingan didn't speak, but lowered his head and reached out to lift Aldrich's clothes. On his chest, apart from the whip mark from earlier, there was nothing else. But Aldrich had just been beaten yesterday, so how could there be no marks at all?

Seeing this, Ruan Qing'an looked at Aldrich with an unconscious scrutiny in his eyes—his physique was unimaginably strong.

Aldridge, on the other hand, had a look of confusion on his handsome face.

"What's wrong, Master?"

"...Get up."

Ruan Qingan did not explain, but instead took a half step back.

During the brief moment that Aldridge went out with Nguyen Thanh An, his chest injury had almost completely healed. After the door opened, Lucas waited respectfully at the door with his back bent.

Upon hearing the voice, he slightly raised his eyes: "Miss—"

The next moment, Lucas's pupils suddenly contracted, because Aldrich's injuries healed too quickly, and his physique was so strong that it was inhuman. After his injuries had almost recovered, all that was left were his somewhat disheveled clothes.

If you didn't know the location of the scars, just looking at them, it certainly...

Lucas's eye twitched, but he quickly lowered his head and said nothing more: "Miss, I have something to report about what happened last night."

"About Eileen? Tell me, I almost forgot."

Ruan Qingan waved casually, then turned around and saw Aldrich's disheveled clothes. He said to Lucas, "Straighten him up."

"...Yes, Miss, I obey your command."

Lucas's poker-faced smile stiffened slightly.

Only after Lucas "politely" tidied up Aldridge did the two follow behind Nguyen Thanh An down the stairs of the manor. Although they were both following Nguyen Thanh An, the two of them were quite far apart.

Ruan Qingan didn't mind and beckoned to Lucas: "Go ahead and say it."

Lucas glanced at Aldrich, who was focused on walking and staring at Ruan Qing'an, and asked, "Miss, would you like to leave for a moment?"

“He doesn’t understand, he’s speaking your language.”

Upon hearing this, Lucas suddenly realized: "Yes, Miss."

Aldrich: [?ヘ??]

Ruan Qing'an walked on by herself, while Lucas followed behind her, saying in a low voice, "After leaving last night on your orders, Miss, I found Saintess Eileen outside the Church of Light."

"But strangely, Saintess Irene did not meet with anyone. I followed her into the Church of Light, but fearing being discovered, I only followed the same route. Saintess Irene should have simply returned to her residence at the church, without deviating or showing any unusual behavior."

Hearing this, Ruan Qing'an paused, raised an eyebrow slightly, and said, "She didn't go to see anyone, and no one came looking for her?"

Lucas shook his head: "Nothing was found."

Ruan Qing'an's eyes darkened. In her analysis, Eileen's acceptance of her invitation to Lancaster Manor and her "coincidental" meeting with Aldrich were probably because she had prior knowledge that the original owner had bought a gifted slave.

Therefore, Eileen, who had always risen to power by stepping on the original owner, couldn't sit still and wanted to have another such weapon—just like in the later part of the original story, Aldrich did indeed become her helper as she wished.

The original owner who first bought Aldridge died a horrible death.

037: [Hey, that's weird, my god. Could it be that Eileen was following her? But the original owner was surrounded by so many people, and she was a mage herself. There was no way she wouldn't have been discovered...]

Or is this really just a coincidence?

Just then, Lucas whispered, "Miss, are you doubting Saintess Eileen? Her behavior last night was indeed suspicious, but I don't have any concrete evidence yet, and she didn't meet with anyone in secret last night. I'm afraid... it really was just an accident."

"..."

Ruan Qing'an did not answer, but merely glanced at Lucas with her leaden-gray eyes. Then, she stroked her wine-red hair with one hand, and the hem of her dark red skirt fluttered slightly. As she walked forward, a seductive and slightly intoxicating fragrance wafted past her nose.

She walked past arrogantly, never once lowering her eyes: "You only need to report, Lucas. I will judge whether it is true or false."

Ignoring the commotion behind her, Ruan Qing'an's smile widened—had she really made a mistake in her judgment this time?

No……

Whether it's true or false, we'll have to wait and see.

She leaned on the spiral staircase, which was carved with reliefs, turned around, and ordered, "Lucas, prepare the carriage, we're going to the slave market."

“Miss, Duke Kafka invites you to luncheon.”

But Ruan Qingan thought for a moment and asked in return, "Kafka?"

Lucas then whispered a reminder: "Miss, it's the same Duke Kafka who sent you gifts last time, hoping to ensure his son Charlie could inherit the dukedom smoothly, and asking for your help."

“Oh, I remember now, his useless son was never suitable, and His Majesty has wanted to kill them all, including Kafka.”

Ruan Qingan pressed his temples and waved casually.

"Push it away, I don't talk to dead people."

"Yes, Miss."

But just as Lucas was about to get the car ready, Ruan Qingan suddenly spoke up again: "Wait, let Kafka come, you go see him—before their family fell into ruin, at least they still had some wealth."

Lucas countered, "Then who will accompany you to the slave market?"

"Aldrich."

"..."

Lucas froze again, turning his head to look at Aldrich beside him. The man had his head down, reaching out to tug at Nguyen Thanh An's hair. Noticing Lucas's gaze, he looked up at Lucas.

Those eyes were as innocent as a child's.

But Lucas felt incredibly mocked. His lips twitched, but he couldn't lash out in front of Ruan Qing'an, so he had to swallow his anger.

—Damn it, what's so good about this thing?!

Only after the magnificent carriage bearing the Lancaster family crest rolled across the muddy road, leaving its tracks and disappearing, did Lucas, who had been waiting respectfully at the manor gate to see Nguyen Thanh An off, finally straighten up. And just as he was about to turn away—

"Lucas!"

Accompanied by a series of hurried footsteps.

Lucas paused, turned around, and saw Eileen getting off a rented carriage and rushing over. He asked, "Saint Eileen, what brings you here?"

"Lucas, is Dolores there?"

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