“So she just fainted like that?”
Elise walked over and took Annie from Roman’s arms.
A moment ago, Annie had suddenly passed out, and Roman, caught off guard, could only catch her in time, otherwise she might’ve hurt herself falling.
“Is there something wrong with Annie?”
Elise asked, frowning as she looked at the girl with concern.
“From what I can tell… it’s really bad.”
Roman wasn’t sure how to describe it in words.
Judging by her face, Annie was still a young girl, but her physical condition could easily be mistaken for that of a dying elder, her bodily functions were in terrible shape.
Elise quietly listened to Roman’s explanation, and finally gave a simple “Mm” with a nod.
“I’ll take Annie back to her room to rest.”
Roman watched Elise’s departing figure, then turned his gaze back toward Luo Xiya’s room.
Compared to Lady Catherine’s chambers, he was already deeply familiar with Luo Xiya’s, after all, over the past few nights, not only did she enjoy dragging him onto the bed to play around, she also liked holding him off the edge when she got excited, pressing him down again and again in different spots.
After so many rounds, Roman couldn’t possibly be unfamiliar with it anymore.
Naturally, he could easily recognize what Annie had been doing in the room earlier.
Roman circled the room like he was scanning it and found nothing unusual.
As he passed certain areas, like the dressing table, the windows, and the carpeted floor, each place sparked memories of their time together.
He gave himself a little slap on the head, forcing away those scattered thoughts and refocusing with extra care as he searched the room two more times.
Still nothing.
Annie had simply been cleaning the room.
Thinking about what that woman in the carriage had ordered Annie to do, Roman fell into deep thought.
What exactly did she want Annie to accomplish?
What was the goal?
Targeting Luo Xiya?
What could she possibly gain from that, other than provoking her?
According to what Luo Xiya had told him, that woman was far from her family’s heir.
She lived a careless life, indulging in pleasure.
Stirring up trouble with someone like Luo Xiya wouldn’t get her anything, and could very well cost her her life.
What was she aiming for?
And then there was the issue of her framing Lady Catherine.
Even if she didn’t know Luo Xiya had uncovered the truth, daring to come to Lily Territory on her own did show some serious nerve.
The only possible explanation was that there was something in Lily Territory she desperately wanted, so much that she was willing to risk everything for it.
Roman’s thoughts paused here.
He had to admit, even after being in this world for a while, it was still hard for him to analyze people’s behavior using this world’s logic.
Thinking back to what Luo Xiya had said about Tania’s preferences, Roman bit his lip and furrowed his brow in silence.
It couldn’t really be because of him… right?
He looked up, and caught sight of himself in the full-length mirror.
Roman shook his head.
He looked exactly like Lin Xuan in his previous life.
And remembering what Lin Xuan had been through, he suddenly understood why Tania might be acting this way.
Now that he had a hypothesis, he should take tonight’s opportunity to test her.
Roman stepped out of the room, silently determined.
Meanwhile, Tania had already left Luo Xiya’s office with an expression that was far from calm.
She glanced back over her shoulder, sneering coldly, then quickly shifted back to her perfect smile and walked away with elegant grace.
That evening, the estate held a welcome banquet for Tania.
No matter how much Luo Xiya might have disliked her on the surface, at least in terms of ceremony, she still gave Tania the full honors.
Roman, of course, also attended the banquet.
After some time, he walked into the hall.
Looking around, aside from the busy maids, Elise and Luo Xiya were nowhere to be seen.
He didn’t need to guess, they were clearly occupied with Annie’s situation.
He originally wanted to go help them, but after today’s treatment of Lady Catherine, he had already used up all his magic.
Finding a quiet corner, Roman, for some reason, felt an unexplainable irritation, as if something bad was going to happen tonight.
Now that Luo Xiya and Elise weren’t around, the only remaining guest at the banquet was Tania.
Tania had long noticed Roman entering the hall alone.
Once she saw him stop moving, she immediately gestured to a nearby maid holding a wine tray.
Taking two pre-prepared glasses of wine, Tania walked toward Roman with a charming smile.
Roman blinked and silently watched her, waiting to see what she would say or do.
“My name is Tania. I wonder if you still remember me, Roman?”
Roman nodded, then deliberately put on an awkward expression and looked down at the wine glass, without replying.
Tania wore a confident smile, as if everything was under her control, and continued, “It was a shame, really. I didn’t bring enough money that day, and in the end, Lady Luo Xiya took you. If I ever get the chance, I’d love to take you to my family’s territory. Otherwise, I’ll never be able to get over this regret.”
“Luo Xiya-jie is very kind to me. Thank you for your generous offer, my lady,” Roman declined politely.
Tania couldn’t stop the malice rising in her heart as she stared at Roman.
She didn’t just want to take him back for a visit, she wanted to fasten an unremovable collar around his neck, drug him, and turn him into the most perfect plaything.
But such bestial desires remained buried deep inside.
On the surface, she was still the picture of elegance and grace, flawless in every way.
Truly a beast in noble’s clothing.
Roman, already well aware of Tania’s nature, silently commented in his mind.
“A Countess, is it? From what I hear, she’s had exceptional talent since childhood. Even Duchess Kelden holds her in the highest regard. Someone from such a background must be incredibly generous and noble.”
Tania wore an expression of wistful admiration and went on, “I’m different. My talents made it impossible for me to inherit my family’s name. A lot of the time, my hands are tied, and I’ve ended up doing many things I never really wanted to.”
Roman’s beautiful brows couldn’t help but furrow, seeing a textbook example of a two-faced green tea act play out right in front of him was bizarre beyond words.
“You shouldn’t belittle yourself,” he eventually said.
“Enough about that.”
“Would I be lucky enough to share a drink with you now?” Tania asked.
“Of course.”
Roman took the wine glass from Tania’s hand without thinking much of it.
The two clinked glasses. Tania raised her drink with elegance and took a sip.
At the same time, she kept an eye on Roman with her peripheral vision.
The moment that clear liquid slid down Roman’s throat, her breathing grew heavier, not from nervousness, but from sheer delight.
Tania set her glass down.
Her gaze toward Roman was no longer polite.
Unrestrained aggression seeped out from her eyes, impossible to hide.