“L-L-Lady… I-I really didn’t know she was your person… Lady…”
Mark no longer looked like the arrogant young master he had been a moment ago.
The Viscount’s eldest son, his face covered in blood, knelt crying before Ileya, the “Biggest Playboy of East County.”
This fear actually had its origins…
It could be said that throughout the entire Crystal Capital, any young master or miss who could be called a playboy had been beaten up by this lady more or less a few times.
The main thing was, after being beaten, they couldn’t save face, and on top of that, their parents would drag them to the Marquis Castle to apologize to the perpetrator.
Over time, in this Crystal Capital, even the most arrogant and vicious playboy would tremble three times upon seeing this “Bloodblossom Demon.”
And today… he had run right into the line of fire.
He really hadn’t expected that this seemingly simple-minded black-haired girl would be the lady’s person…
“Hm? Who said anything about her?”
But Ileya tilted her head slightly, looking puzzled.
“Huh?” Mark looked blankly at the lady, then at the black-haired girl.
She… wasn’t the lady’s person?
Then why did he get beaten? Why?
“I’m talking about… him!” Ileya pointed at the old man selling candy syrup, who was still dazed.
The old man was also bewildered.
He, a mere peddler, when had he become the lady’s person?
“Do you know who’s protecting this block?” Ileya said, then kicked Mark hard again!
“Ow! Th-this… who’s protecting this block…”
Even though he was beaten, Mark still didn’t dare not answer the lady.
But he really didn’t know who was protecting this street.
“You! Tell him!” Ileya pointed at the old man in front.
“Ah? Ah… this street is… protected by the Hive…” the old man said dazedly.
After all, these peddlers had to pay protection fees to the Hive every month, so they naturally knew.
The Hive…? Mark was first slightly stunned, then his face wrinkled like he was constipated.
How could he have forgotten? The backstage of the largest underground organization in the Eastern Capital now was this… Bloodblossom Demon.
“You knew the Hive was protecting you, but you still held out when you were bullied?” Ileya frowned, asking with a look of disdain.
“Uh… w-well… is it okay to go to the adults of the Hive about matters concerning nobles?”
The old man said tremblingly.
In his view, although these people collecting protection fees had an organization and a name, they were still the same thugs who came to collect fees, just with a different name.
Only the amount they collected was a bit less than before, and they only collected once a month at a set time.
But overall, although these thugs had improved a bit, this so-called “protection fee,” in the understanding of ordinary merchants, was just a fee to ensure that these thugs collecting fees wouldn’t cause trouble.
Go to them to solve problems? That was a bit too fantastical.
“I don’t care about nobles or not… In the Eastern Capital, in the Crystal Capital! The Hive charges fees for services! Since you paid the protection fee, the Hive will protect you.”
Ileya said matter-of-factly, then looked at Mark, who was now covered in blood and wearing a pitiful expression.
“You started trouble on my turf, don’t you think… you need to compensate?”
Mark was momentarily stunned. It seemed like he wouldn’t have to keep getting beaten?
Thinking this, he inexplicably felt a bit of excitement, smiled, and quickly nodded.
“Yes, yes, yes, it’s definitely my fault! My fault…”
Mark, his face covered in blood, now smiled fawningly. The scene was truly eerie.
He quickly and nimbly pulled out his coin purse, didn’t bother to count how much was inside, and directly offered it with both hands to the lady in front of him.
“Give it to me? You think I’m extorting your allowance?” Ileya raised an eyebrow slightly, and her words made Mark jolt again.
“No, no, no! Lady… I-I didn’t mean that.”
Mark was no fool; he immediately understood the lady’s intention.
With an embarrassed smile, he handed his coin purse to the old man who was kneeling parallel to him.
“Ah?” The old man was stunned, afraid to take it.
But seeing the pitiful look in the young master’s eyes, as if saying… “Old man, please take it quickly! I beg you!”
Helpless, the old man tremblingly took the heavy coin purse from Mark’s hand, not knowing how many gold coins it contained.
“The cost of damaging the stall has been compensated.”
Before Mark could breathe a sigh of relief, Ileya’s demonic voice rang out again.
“But the mental damage compensation hasn’t been paid yet~”
Ugh… Mark instantly felt he had handed over his coin purse too early.
“Um… Lady, there’s no need…”
The old man seemed a bit reluctant, and he didn’t want to offend this young master entirely.
“When did I allow a commoner like you to interrupt?!”
But before he could finish, Ileya swept her eyes to the side!
Whoosh—!!
Instantly, a soul suppression swept through the entire venue!
Even the onlookers felt their souls tremble for a moment, and their legs involuntarily went weak.
Some with weak willpower even plopped down on the ground.
Of course, everyone didn’t know it was soul suppression; they thought it was the aura of the young lady from the Marquis Mansion.
Each trembled involuntarily, not daring to make a sound.
The “Bloodblossom Demon” was indeed still a demon… only, what they saw with their own eyes seemed a bit different from the rumors.
Although she was indeed domineering and fearsome, she was indeed standing up for the common people.
In the hearts of some commoners, their impression of this young lady… at this moment, seeing was believing, and underwent some… subtle changes.
And the surrounding vendors also began to whisper clearly.
“So that’s what the protection fee means?”
“Maybe we misunderstood before?”
“You… dare to go to the Hive to get them to stand up for you?”
“Ugh…”
While they were discussing, over there… Mark’s compensation of mental damages to the old candy syrup seller was also negotiated.
That was — until evening today, Mark, the Viscount’s eldest son who was injured and covered in blood, had to help sell candy syrup here.
And this young master’s first customer… was naturally that simple-minded black-haired girl.
“Give me one! You candy seller… why are you so slow?”
She stood to the side, arms crossed, complaining like that.
“You moth…”
“Hm?”
“…Great, I’ll… I’ll do it right away.”
In the end, the matter was settled in this way.
And the incident of the young lady disciplining a noble playboy who bullied a vendor gradually became a topic of gossip over tea in the city.
This also gave many people a new understanding of this “Bloodblossom Demon.”
A kind of understanding of a good person built on the foundation of a villain.
And this was also the purpose of the young lady in doing this.
Not only today, but in the following days, she would frequently appear before the commoners of the Crystal Capital.
The so-called good person who does one bad thing will be pointed at by a thousand fingers.
And a bad person who does one good thing will be magnified infinitely.
Ileya was using this mentality of people right now.
Her “Bloodblossom Demon” persona was not completely without sympathy, nor did she oppress commoners without conscience.
It was just that her way of caring was different.
Thus, a flesh-and-blood, cold-on-the-outside-warm-on-the-inside young lady would take root in people’s hearts.
This was also why, in Ileya’s hometown, many self-willed anti-heroes were more liked than true heroes who were moral benchmarks and compassionate.
And the reason she did this was also to gain a higher degree of recognition from the commoners of the Crystal Capital for herself and the Marquis Mansion.
When the time came for the Rebel King to visit the Crystal Capital, if he really intended to harm the Marquis Mansion, relying solely on the nobles would absolutely not be enough.
Human dynasties, at any time, were based on the people.
Although she had not received formal history or political education, Ileya understood this point.
Clop clop clop…
As the carriage once again entered the Marquis Mansion, the moonlight gradually enveloped the land.
And under the pale purple moonlight… inside Lady Shudrian’s room.
“Cough, cough, cough!!”
No longer needing to suppress herself, she coughed freely, as if trying to cough out all her internal organs.
And if one observed closely, they would notice.
On Lady Shudrian’s body, blood vessels like little snakes hidden under her skin were writhing and intertwining, breathing… emitting chilling “gurgling” sounds.
“Ugh… ugh…”
This Matriarch of the Eastern Capital, like a white cat soaked in rain, curled up in the corner of the bed, hugging her legs, instinctively growling.
As if this could suppress the pain.
And this situation lasted for several hours… before gradually subsiding from Lady Shudrian.
“Huff… huff…” She breathed heavily, seemingly limp on the bed, a hint of confusion in her eyes.
Did she really know what was happening to her now?
Perhaps… perhaps she had been confused before, but now… she was completely clear.
Thinking this, a helpless smile appeared on Lady Shudrian’s face, which was bathed in sweat from the pain.
Then she reached out and grabbed the bedsheet.
Whoosh—!!
The next second, the flowers that were originally just embroidered on the surface were pulled out of the plane by Lady Shudrian!
Petals instantly fluttered in the air.
And at that moment, a refreshing fragrance pervaded the entire bedroom.
The answer was… transcendence.
The bloodline of the [Saint Witch] within her body had begun to undergo atavism.
But the most terrifying thing was…
In a soul state, Ileya, secretly watching from her mother’s wardrobe, bit her ethereal thumb fiercely.
‘Mother’s physical body, for the first thirty-nine years, had been in a mortal state due to the royal family’s secret order.’
‘Now with bloodline atavism, it clearly has no ability to withstand this [Transcendence].’
‘If this continues, there are only two possible outcomes…’
‘Mother will die painfully from being unable to bear the transcendent power…’
‘The bloodline power of the [Saint Witch] will override Mother’s will, transforming her into a monster that can bear this power…’
‘Either way, it’s the worst possible ending.’
‘Ileya absolutely did not want, nor would she let this happen…’
‘But now, how could she influence such a thing?’
‘How could a problem of this magnitude be solved?’
‘Even Ileya couldn’t come up with a good idea for a while.’
‘With her only partial understanding of [Supreme Beings], or rather of the [Saint Witch], she couldn’t make any deductions either…’