Chapter 184 - 134: Annie: "Last night must have been tough.

Chapter 184: Chapter 134: Annie: "Last night must have been tough.

Annie curiously leaned in close to Lian. Lian showed the Treasure Map, a gift from the Eye of Misfortune, to his most trusted maid.

"What is this?"

"Isn’t it obvious? A treasure."

"Your fiancée, Catherine, is the wealthiest young woman in the Holy Empire. Do you still need treasure?"

Contempt for a social climber flashed in Annie’s eyes, as if she believed Lian only wanted to marry Catherine for her money and status.

"Oh, Annie, you’ve completely misunderstood your master. How could I possibly have chosen Catherine for something as shallow as money and status?"

Lian tucked the Treasure Map into Annie’s maid uniform. "Keep this safe for me. Once things here are settled, we’ll take a trip to the Northern Territory."

Annie looked at Lian suspiciously. "Did Nancy Stuart give you this?"

"Mm, you could say that."

’After all, Lian couldn’t just tell her it was bestowed by the Lord Evil God, could he?’

’Besides, this time’s dream sacrifice had only succeeded thanks to Nancy Stuart’s help.’

’Although he had compensated her afterward, he had clearly gotten the better end of the deal.’

’All in all, it was a mutually beneficial operation.’

’Both he and Nancy Stuart were very satisfied.’

Annie remained expressionless, her suspicions further solidified.

’Lian had a peculiar obsession with money. It was this obsession that made him accept not only Catherine, whose family owned mines, but also Nancy Stuart, the Princess of the Fallen Kingdom.’

’She had to train hard, and she had to make a fortune. One day, she would be the one showering Lian with Gold Coins, making him come to her bed willingly.’

’Mm-hm. Absolutely no personal feelings involved.’

In Annie’s heart, a new dream was already sprouting alongside her ambition to be a tailor: to become the foremost female merchant in the Empire.

At this thought, Annie commented nonchalantly,

"You really wore yourself out last night."

"It was a little exhausting, which is why I need a hearty breakfast and clean water. I’m going to take a bath."

"Heh."

Annie’s laugh was cold. Lian’s words had once again validated her suspicions.

Lian’s brow twitched. ’This rebellious maid of mine really needs to be taught a lesson,’ he thought. ’She even sneers just like the Eye of Misfortune.’

Annie put down the breakfast tray and turned to leave.

"Annie, where are you going?"

"To prepare your hot water."

When Lian finished his breakfast and walked into the steam-filled washroom, he found that the bathtub was indeed full of water.

Water that was over 80 degrees.

Though Lian was tough, he had no interest in boiling himself alive.

"Annie, the next time I write to your sister, I’m going to ask her to take you back as soon as possible and retrain you on how to be a professional maid."

Lian grumbled, took off his clothes, and instead of using the tub, simply rinsed his body with some water, then put on clean clothes and walked out of the washroom.

As Lian stepped out of his bedroom in the manor, Minister of Foreign Affairs Alex Pool hurried over to him.

"My lord, Sting Litt is dead."

"What? Who?"

Lian asked, feigning surprise.

"Sting Litt. The Minister of War for Rose Territory, Count Litt, Lady Mary’s confidant. As far as I know, he was a Five-star Glory Knight."

Alex Pool patiently explained Sting Litt’s identity to Lian.

Lian maintained a level of surprise worthy of an award-winning actor and cried out in an exaggerated voice, loud enough for all the servants in the manor to hear.

"What? Count Litt is dead? How could this have happened?"

The gazes of the maids and servants in the manor were all drawn to Lian. They were all shocked by the news of Sting Litt’s death.

In Yusofa, who would dare to make a move against Sting Litt? Wasn’t this a direct challenge to Mary’s authority?

"This morning, his maid found that he was no longer breathing. The two maids who served him last night have already been imprisoned. No one knows the real cause of death yet, but he is definitely dead."

Alex Pool frowned and said in a low voice.

"Then why did you get the news so quickly?"

Lian didn’t doubt Alex Pool’s loyalty. He was simply prompting him to consider the implications.

"I suspect Lady Mary has already started to suspect us. She deliberately had someone leak the information for me to find, so she could observe your reaction through me."

Alex Pool replied, his thoughts clear. He knew this was a test from Mary, but he still had to relay the message to Lian. Not doing so would look highly suspicious.

Mary might even think that he had known about it all along and that Lian was definitely involved. To avoid that, he had to tell Lian this important news at the first opportunity.

"You came to me the moment you got the news. You must have suspected I had something to do with it, right?"

Lian asked.

Alex Pool nodded. "Yes, my lord. I was worried. After Sting Litt harassed your mistress yesterday, I feared you might hold a grudge against him and do something... rash."

’This was the peculiar thing about this world,’ Lian thought. ’There was no internet or big data, but news about a noble like him could spread through their circles with incredible speed, no press conference needed.’

The incident of Sting Litt harassing Nancy Stuart yesterday had already made the rounds among the officials of both Rose Territory and Green Shade Territory, as well as the nobles of Yusofa who had pledged allegiance to Rose. They were all aware of it.

"So, by your logic, the only way to have reduced my suspicion would have been to give him 24/7 personal protection to keep him from harm."

Lian said, sounding utterly speechless.