In the disciplinary room, the tall man kneeling on the ground finally raised his head, slowly looking at Ruan Qing'an in front of him.
Aldrich, like a large, dazed dog, knelt on the ground without saying a word, looking up at the beautiful young woman, whose dark red hair, like a rich red wine, was like a blazing flame, burning intensely and proudly entering one's heart.
"You are so beautiful, like a flower."
"But why am I here? Why did he hit me?"
Aldridge's voice was low and magnetic, but his tone and manner of speaking were like that of a child. He raised his shackled hand and pointed at the servant holding the whip in front of him.
Upon hearing this, Ruan Qingan raised an eyebrow slightly and met Aldrich's gaze, which was so clear and pure that not a speck of dust could be seen.
At this moment, Lucas stepped forward and whispered in Nguyen Thanh An's ear, "Miss, after this slave returned to the manor, we assessed him, and we're afraid he's... mentally deficient, only about the level of a five or six-year-old child."
"How is your talent?"
"We haven't had time to test him yet, but he seems to have great potential. The elements in the punishment room are visibly becoming active, and his physique is also very strong. He could probably go very far on the path of a warrior. Further testing is still needed to confirm this."
Lucas paused: "However, Miss, although this slave is very talented, he is mentally deficient..."
Ruan Qing'an chuckled instead: "Worried?"
Lucas nodded and said, "Yes, Miss, he is mentally challenged and probably cannot follow orders. He is not worth training."
In the Lancaster family, those not worth cultivating—
There is only one way out: death.
In the original story, the original owner had his eye on Aldrich's talent and intended to train him into a weapon. However, after learning from Lucas that Aldrich's intelligence was impaired, the original owner gave up on this plan, only because Eileen kept pestering him.
The original owner didn't kill Aldrich, nor did he like him, so Aldrich had a very difficult time in the Lancaster family.
However—Ruan Qing'an beckoned to the servant beside her, who immediately understood, bowed and stepped forward, holding the whip in both hands, and respectfully handed it to her.
"Miss, I shall take my leave now."
The servant was perceptive; after handing over the whip, he bowed and quickly left the punishment room.
The whip had a gold handle inlaid with red gemstones at one end, which was gorgeous and luxurious. Ruan Qing'an rested his face on one hand and held the handle of the whip with the other, and chuckled: "But I think that such a slave is more to my liking, Lucas."
"My reputation as Dolores is indeed not good. Since no matter who I hire, they will have ulterior motives, I might as well hire a fool."
Upon hearing this, Lucas stopped talking and stood behind her.
Dolores, the eldest daughter of the Lancaster family, dislikes being questioned, and Lucas knows this perfectly well; all he needs to do is obey.
Looking at Aldrich kneeling before her, Nguyen Thanh An's smile widened. Suddenly, she raised her whip and lashed it hard at Aldrich, then slightly raised her chin.
"You have no right to ask questions, slave."
“Lucas, you read it.”
Lucas stepped forward, bowed his head, and said: "First, we are not allowed to question Miss; second, we will always obey Miss; third, our lives and deaths are in Miss's hands; fourth, we will never betray her for all eternity; fifth, we will fight for Miss with all our might forever."
But Aldrich, kneeling on the ground, simply raised his head and stared intently at Nguyen Thanh An, his clear eyes seemingly not understanding anything: "What...are you talking about?"
"It's okay, if you don't understand, I'll teach you."
Ruan Qing'an chuckled, stood up, and strolled over to Aldrich. Looking down at him, she used the side of her whip to lift the man's chin: "Now, I'll teach you your first lesson."
"You don't need to kneel before anyone except me."
"Whether it's the Church of Light or the Lycas royal family, you only need to bow your head to your master, understand, my slave?"
Aldridge looked up at her: "What is a slave?"
Ruan Qing'an paused, looking into Aldrich's clear eyes. In the early part of the original story, the male protagonist Aldrich was mentally unstable, and this period was also when he was most approachable. It was during this period that Eileen entered Aldrich's inner world.
037: [So, does this mean the ancestors are going to let the male lead off the hook?]
Ruan Qing'an did not answer, but chuckled softly. She squatted down and gently touched Aldrich's chin with her slender fingertips.
Feeling the soft touch, with a hint of coolness, Aldridge was like a child, or like a large dog instinctively clinging to something, instinctively seeking that softness.
Ruan Qing'an looked down at him, a slight smile playing on her lips.
"The current Aldridge is the easiest to fool. The truly difficult period to win him over will be when he returns to normal."
"At that time, the affection level will probably drop drastically..."
After all, once Aldrich recovered, how could he accept becoming someone else's slave? The original owner of this body died without a trace because of what happened before, only after Aldrich recovered.
037: [That's so dangerous...]
Ruan Qing'an simply smiled, hooked Aldrich's chin, and said, "A slave is someone who listens to me and works for me. As long as Dolores stands behind you, even if you are just a slave, the entire Lycas Empire will not dare to bully you."
Will I be able to eat my fill?
"Can."
"Then... will I have a place to sleep?"
"have."
"But that person was the one who tried to hit me. He told me to kneel down, or he would beat me to death. It hurt so much..."
Aldridge's voice carried an unconscious sense of grievance, and he subconsciously rubbed against the slender fingertips hooking his chin, like a large dog that had been bullied by a stranger, pleading with its master to take action.
Nguyen Thanh An raised an eyebrow slightly and gestured to Lucas.
Lucas then bowed again and called back the servant who had left earlier. Even though he was suddenly called back, the servant did not question it at all, but simply came forward with his head down.
The next moment—'Snap!'
A sudden gust of wind swept in, but Ruan Qing'an was incredibly fast. In an instant, he swung his long whip back and lashed it hard across the servant's body. The servant was immediately covered in gaping wounds, with the flesh almost exposed...
But the servant remained silent and didn't even sway, as if afraid of being blamed by the bad-tempered young lady.
Only after several lashes were delivered did the servant, bearing bleeding wounds, silently leave the punishment room. Ruan Qing'an then casually tossed the whip to the ground and looked down at Aldrich.
It seemed that those two lashes had avenged him. Aldridge, whose mind was already like that of a child, loved and hated with the same innocent naivety as a child.
"No one but me may insult you, deceive you, or curse you. You can fight back against anyone as you did just now. This is a privilege unique to you as my slave, and I will uphold it forever."
"Thank you, beautiful lady."
Aldridge blinked and laughed.
【Affection Value: 0】
037 couldn't help but say: [He's really like a child. He got angry because the original owner was beaten, but he also likes you because you avenged him, Ancestor. It's really hard to judge...]
"Like a child, so love and hate are so casual."
Ruan Qing'an chuckled and beckoned to Aldrich. As the tall man stood up, she placed one hand on the chains binding him, and then ignited fire elemental energy—
In an instant, the chains and shackles were burned to ashes, but the ashes, outlined by the fire element, coalesced into a dark red collar inlaid with silver clasps and dark red gemstones, which tightly encircled Aldrich's neck.
His Adam's apple bobbed for a moment, as if suppressing a sexy and aggressive masculine aura, yet Aldridge's eyes and brows were as pure as a child's.
The two contrasting qualities intertwine, creating a strange and alluring attraction.
The instant the collar appeared, the flamboyant and wicked noblewoman grabbed Aldrich's collar and pulled him down, causing the man's back to bend like a large dog.
She smiled radiantly: "Call me master, slave."
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