Chapter 31: You Did Well Tonight.

“Of course.”

Ni Wei’s words made His Blackstone laugh.

“What? You want to do it a few more times?”

“I… that’s not what I meant!”

Ni Wei scrambled to sit up in bed, fumbling for her outer skirt, turning her back to His Blackstone and pulling it on quickly.

“I’m leaving!”

The girl hurried to the door, but paused when she grabbed the handle.

“Um… thanks.”

“What did you say? I didn’t hear you?”

“I said thanks! If you didn’t hear, then forget it!”

Ni Wei pulled open the door and rushed out without looking back.

***

Back in her room, Ni Wei buried her face in the blanket.

She pressed her head into the pillow, rubbing it hard, as if trying to shake out all the messy thoughts that had just flooded her mind.

‘This evil young master just knows how to mess with me!’

Ni Wei yanked the blanket over her head, curling up into a ball on the bed.

That tingling, numb feeling still lingered on her body.

Especially the places where His Blackstone’s hands had pressed—they still felt faintly hot.

Before long, a strong drowsiness washed over the girl.

Although the treatment itself hadn’t been painful, the physical exhaustion was real. Ni Wei felt as if she’d been completely drained.

She closed her eyes, and her consciousness began to fade.

In her dream, it felt like a hand was still slowly moving up her back…

***

After who knows how long, Ni Wei woke from her sleep.

She rolled over, rubbed her eyes, propped herself up, and instinctively glanced at Rafina Falier’s bed beside her.

Rafina’s bed was neatly made, the quilt folded and placed at the head.

But outside, the sky had gone completely dark.

Normally, her sister should have been back by now.

Ni Wei threw off the blanket, got out of bed, and left the room.

The corridor was silent, save for the dim yellow glow of the wall lamps.

A vague unease rose from the girl’s heart.

‘Could it be?!’

‘That evil young master knows I’ll fall asleep from exhaustion after the last treatment, and he’s planning to make a move on my sister while I’m out?’

Thinking this, Ni Wei walked with firm steps toward His Blackstone’s bedroom.

But when she reached his door, she instinctively softened her steps.

The bedroom door was ajar, letting out a sliver of light.

“…You did really well tonight.”

“…I will follow Young Master’s orders.”

Hearing the conversation inside, Ni Wei felt as if she’d been struck by lightning.

She had never heard her sister speak to anyone in such a meek tone.

‘So… my sister really…’

Overwhelmed, Ni Wei took two steps back, then turned and ran back to her own room.

***

Back in her room, Ni Wei sat on the bed, hugging her knees, replaying the words she’d just heard over and over in her ears.

‘Why… why would my sister hide it and go to that evil young master’s room?’

“It must… it must be because of that evil young master’s magic!”

The girl muttered this sentence to herself many times.

If her sister had already fallen, then the sudden fondness she’d felt toward His Blackstone during the day—could that be magic’s work too?

“We can’t put this off any longer…

I have to take my sister and leave here as soon as possible!”

That night, the girl tossed and turned for a long time, unable to fall asleep.

She also never saw her sister return to the room.

***

The next morning, Ni Wei left the Duke’s Mansion with big dark circles under her eyes.

She planned to take a walk around town and get some fresh air.

The town’s market was as lively as ever.

The cries of vendors, the rattle of carriage wheels, and the haggling of residents mixed together, making Ni Wei’s restless mood improve just a little.

She wandered aimlessly, her gaze drifting over the stalls.

“Hey! Watch out!”

A hand suddenly grabbed her arm and yanked her to the side of the road.

“Don’t you look where you’re going?!”

The person let go.

Ni Wei looked up and saw a red-haired girl in front of her.

Her fiery red hair was tied into a neat ponytail, and her eyes held a hint of exasperation.

Her clothes were clean, but the fabric didn’t look expensive.

“Ah… thanks…”

Ni Wei stammered out her gratitude.

“No problem.”

The red-haired girl nodded and turned to leave.

But after two steps, she stopped and looked back at Ni Wei.

“You don’t look so good. Want to grab a cup of tea together?”

Ni Wei hesitated, but quickly convinced herself.

“Okay.”

***

The two found a tea stall by the road and sat down.

The red-haired girl ordered only the cheapest two cups of herbal tea, pushing one over to Ni Wei.

“My name is Sijina Kalundina. What’s yours?”

“Ni Wei…”

“Judging by your clothes, are you a maid from some household?”

“Yeah, I work for the Blackstone family.”

Thump!

Hearing Ni Wei’s answer, the red-haired girl set her teacup down heavily on the table, her eyes gleaming with barely concealed excitement.

“The Blackstone family?! You’re a servant in the Blackstone household?!”

“Yeah…”

Ni Wei was clearly startled by the red-haired girl’s reaction, instinctively leaning back.

Realizing she’d gotten too excited, Sijina scratched her head sheepishly.

“So, since you work for the Blackstones, why are you out here so early in the morning?

You don’t look like you’re here to buy supplies.”

“I…”

For some reason, the red-haired girl in front of her felt familiar, and Ni Wei instinctively wanted to confide in her.

“My sister has been bewitched by the Blackstone’s young master. I want to take her away from the Blackstone Duke’s Mansion…”

Ni Wei told Sijina everything about why she was out so early.

“The Blackstone’s young master… that’s the one called His Blackstone, right?”

“Yes, yes.”

As their conversation deepened, Ni Wei opened up more.

“I suspect he has a kind of mind control magic that makes people obey him without question.”

“Hmm… that’s important information.”

Sijina nodded seriously.

“There was a maid in our household before. She was clearly bullied so badly she wanted to leave, but before she went, she was still speaking up for him.”

“I’ve heard that this His Blackstone has been doing very well in town business lately. If what you say is true—that he really has a magic that controls people’s hearts—then his assets probably aren’t clean either.”

With that, Sijina stood up, looking seriously at the girl before her.

“Ni Wei.

To be honest with you, I came here on behalf of the Church of Light to investigate the Blackstone family. The information you’ve provided is very important—it might be the key to bringing down the Blackstones.

Would you be willing to go with me to the Blackstone Duke’s Mansion and confront this Young Master Xisi face to face?”