Volume 2

Chapter 46: Anselm’s Gift, Part Three

When Hitana, fully satisfied, set down the dragon leg bone and let out a small burp, two hours had passed.

She patted her slightly bulging belly, exhaling with immense satisfaction.

“So good… I’ve never eaten this well!”

Anselm wiped the corner of Hitana’s mouth: “Satisfied?”

The finest chefs, the most perfect ingredients, creating the ultimate feast—for Anselm, Hitana’s first birthday celebration was profoundly significant, and he strove for perfection in every detail.

“Satis—”

Hitana’s instinctive reply paused.

She touched her lips, looking at Anselm with a mix of slight guilt and eager anticipation.

“Um, Anselm… if I say, even though I’m full from eating, there’s still so much I want to do…”

Her eyes sparkled, her tone hopeful yet cautious, like a big dog wagging its tail eagerly before its master.

“You wouldn’t… think I’m too greedy, right?” Hitana asked softly.

Anselm couldn’t help but laugh: “I was only asking if you were full from the meal.”

The young Hydra propped his chin with one hand, smiling warmly: “Why would Hitana think I only prepared this lunch for you?”

He stood and extended his hand to her: “Next comes the main event I’ve prepared for you.”

Hitana’s cheeks flushed instantly, her imaginary tail spinning wildly.

She grabbed Anselm’s hand, standing up with uncontainable excitement, barely restraining herself from cheering: “I knew you had something planned! So, what’s next? Where are we going?”

Since arriving in the Imperial Capital, Hitana often had little to do, spending most of her time training, but with Anselm, she was always filled with anticipation for each new day.

On this special day, she firmly believed Anselm would make her birthday unforgettable.

“Saville, is everything ready?” Anselm asked the old butler standing behind the Hydra couple.

Saville bowed slightly: “Everything is arranged, young master.”

Marina froze briefly, instinctively glancing at Anselm, but quickly realized her overstep and lowered her head.

No one seemed to notice her small emotional shift, allowing Marina to relax.

But Mingfuluo, silent until now, caught the subtle change.

Marina Lansmarlos—was she puzzled, or… feeling uncertain?

Mingfuluo recognized the old man behind the Hydra couple, the current Hydra family butler and one of the few who bore the Hydra emblem.

Though he had served Flamel since childhood, he wasn’t Flamel’s Contract Head, as the ring on his hand wasn’t a Contract Head’s proof.

It was perfectly normal for him to handle Anselm’s affairs, so Marina’s reaction… Was it because she usually managed Anselm’s tasks and now felt out of place?

This showed how seriously Anselm took Hitana’s birthday, but…

A thought flickered through the woman’s mind.

What if, behind this birthday, Anselm had other plans?

Using one event to mask a true purpose—or achieving one true purpose to accomplish another—was a tactic Anselm often employed, and Mingfuluo knew it well.

That devil who manipulated hearts could always use an apparent goal to perfectly conceal another.

He was genuinely celebrating Hitana’s birthday, but… that didn’t mean he wasn’t using it to achieve something else in secret.

“…”

Mingfuluo instinctively clenched her fist under the table, but after a few seconds, her tense body relaxed.

She looked at Anselm, her usually cold and rational gaze tinged with confusion.

As always, she had glimpsed Anselm’s true intentions from faint clues.

But now, after all she’d been through, tormented by that one phrase, what surfaced in Mingfuluo’s mind wasn’t how to counter Anselm but an indescribable emotion she dared not dwell on.

“Arlo… Arlo?”

Anselm’s call snapped Mingfuluo out of her chaotic thoughts.

The young Hydra tilted his head, looking at her: “Come on, join us.”

“…What?”

Mingfuluo was momentarily stunned: “I… have to go too?”

Though she knew Anselm likely wouldn’t let her off easily, she instinctively reacted with confusion.

Anselm’s insistence on bringing an irrelevant person like her, regardless of his own intentions, was bound to raise eyebrows, especially with that deliberately intimate address… it was hard not to spark speculation.

Mingfuluo glanced at Hitana, easily reading a hint of displeasure on the face of the girl who couldn’t hide her emotions.

What was Anselm… trying to do?

Was he merely seeking revenge on me, or…

Mingfuluo couldn’t find an answer.

She could only respond to Anselm in a low voice, rising from her seat, bowing to the Hydra couple, and following behind Anselm and Hitana.

“Anselm, Anselm, what are we going to do!”

Hitana, clinging to Anselm’s arm, chattered excitedly: “Why didn’t you let Lina come along?”

“Marina has to handle some things for you.”

“Handle…”

The girl froze, her expression shifting like a confused puppy scolded by its master without knowing what it did wrong.

“B-But I haven’t caused any trouble. Why would Lina need to handle—”

“It’s about the mountain of gifts from nobles and transcendents sent to you.”

Anselm smiled, ruffling her hair: “As a Contract Head of Hydra and my attendant, neither you nor she needs to care much about those people. But Marina is sensitive and meticulous. She knows some of them will turn their attention to that village in Chishuang Territory, contacting your family and friends, which could complicate things and make it difficult for you… So, she’s handling them to avoid troubling you or me. Understand?”

Hitana nodded, half-understanding: “I see… Lina works so hard.”

She mumbled sheepishly: “Compared to her, I feel like I haven’t really helped you with anything, Anselm.”

Anselm shook his head with a chuckle: “Hitana, do you know where you help me the most?”

The question made Hitana instantly tense.

Whenever it came to her role and how she could aid Anselm, the girl became extremely nervous.

“I… I don’t know,” Hitana said softly.

“It’s that you’re always by my side.”

Mingfuluo, silently trailing behind Anselm and Hitana like a pendant, paused briefly before continuing to follow.

Anselm was… doing this on purpose.

Of course, he deliberately chose this topic, this phrasing, and Mingfuluo should have remained unaffected, but… she couldn’t.

Because even if Anselm said those words intentionally, his feelings for Hitana were genuine.

So genuine… there was no room for doubt.

The petite scholar took a deep breath, continuing to follow the young couple in silence, a pitiful outsider.

“Y-You don’t say such weird things!”

Hitana’s ears turned red from Anselm’s words: “Be serious, Anselm!”

“I am serious,” Anselm said, looking at her with mild surprise. “Or does Hitana not like being by my side?”

“No way! It’s just, um—”

Hearing Anselm suggest she didn’t like being near him, Hitana panicked, her voice rising instantly, then glanced instinctively at Mingfuluo behind them.

“Th-These kinds of words…” The girl lowered her head, whispering shyly in Anselm’s ear, “Don’t say them in front of others, it’s so embarrassing!”

Anselm laughed cheerfully: “Then I haven’t said them enough. Looks like I’ll need to say such things in front of others more often.”

“Anselm!”

Mingfuluo watched the tall girl call out in shy annoyance, playfully biting Anselm’s neck.

Their banter and intimacy were so pure and natural, perfectly matched.

This was… Anselm’s goal. There was no need to feel emotional about it.

Rationality was Mingfuluo’s indispensable weapon, but at this moment, she had to reclaim it.

Whether this was part of Anselm’s plan, she didn’t know; she only knew she had to stabilize her emotions as much as possible.

Yet, ironically, her usually infallible rationality… failed to overcome the bullet still lodged in her chest, piercing her defenses.

—Was it she… who betrayed Anselm first?

Until this question was resolved, all of Mingfuluo’s rational thoughts inevitably hit this turning point, becoming chaotic and devoid of reason.

And endlessly spawning emotions and thoughts that shouldn’t exist, making everything uncontrollable.

Her mind even flashed with an absurd notion—if she hadn’t left Anselm three years ago, would she be the one standing in Hitana’s place now?

This thought made Mingfuluo’s breathing quicken—not from excitement, but from a terrifying absurdity. She couldn’t understand why she’d entertain such an impossible delusion.

It was practically trampling on her past convictions and self, turning everything she’d sacrificed into a joke.

“Arlo,” Anselm suddenly said, “do you not understand why I insisted on bringing you?”

“…Yes, Anselm.”

Mingfuluo was forced to snap back, answering in a low voice.

“I-I don’t get it either, Anselm.”

As Anselm’s group reached the manor’s entrance and boarded the carriage, Hitana sat close to him, glancing at Mingfuluo, who sat opposite with lowered eyes, her lips slightly pursed: “What does this have to do with her… If you have other business, I’d understand, but… it’s this moment today… couldn’t you indulge me a little?”

“Because you’ll need a helper, Hitana,” Anselm said leisurely. “For the upcoming activities.”

“…Helper?”

Hitana blinked: “What are we doing next?”

“Guess what I’ve prepared for you?”

The girl’s lively eyes darted around: “You’ve definitely prepared something… um, something I’d never expect!”

“Something unexpected is pointless,” Anselm said with a wry smile. “If I’m preparing something, it’s obviously what you like most.”

“What I like most…”

Hitana racked her brain—she didn’t even know what she liked most, so she had no idea what Anselm had planned.

“Not… fighting, is it?” she asked tentatively.

“Close enough.”

Anselm scratched her chin, smiling warmly:

“For you… I’ve prepared a hunt.”

***

The carriage stopped before a massive manor.

Rather than a manor, it was more fitting to call it a “palace complex.”

Hitana’s face was full of shock: “W-Where is this, Anselm? Is this where the Empress lives?”

“The owner here would love to hear you say that,” Anselm chuckled lightly.

“This is Ivora’s residence. She loves this ostentatious, luxurious style that screams her status. You’ll get used to it.”

Hitana didn’t care much about that.

She was now eager to know what Anselm meant by “hunt.”

Meeting the girl’s expectant gaze, Anselm looked toward the depths of the palace complex and said softly: “Ivora has the largest hunting ground in the Imperial Capital. She keeps nine fifth-tier magical beasts inside, along with countless third- and fourth-tier beasts and monsters.”

Just from the start, Hitana’s eyes sparkled, and after Anselm finished, she jumped up excitedly: “What about the ecosystem? Is it realistic?”

“Of course, that’s the kind of person she is.”

Anselm said meaningfully: “If she desires something, even the world itself must be within her grasp, fully controlled.”

“Asking for a favor while throwing shade, Anselm… are you serious?”

A blaze of vibrant blood-flame erupted from nowhere, and a slender, snow-white leg stepped out, fifteen-centimeter heels striking the ground.

Even just her foot and leg exuded the commanding presence of its owner.

Grand Princess Ivora emerged from the blood-flame, her extravagant gradient red gown trailing on the ground.

She raised her chin slightly, looking down at Anselm: “I never agreed to lend my beloved hunting ground to your little dog to play in.”

…Anselm and Ivora’s relationship had grown extremely tense after that game.

Mingfuluo, observing the two future divine beings standing in opposition, whispered to herself in confusion: Why would Anselm seek out Ivora?

Only by focusing on such thoughts could she ignore and numb her chaotic emotions.

“Yes, you never agreed, but I never planned to ask for your permission.”

Anselm replied with a warm smile.

“Are you insane?” Ivora sneered dismissively.

“What? After your little dog made a big splash, you think one Contract Head gives you the power to challenge me?”

Hitana’s gaze turned sharp and dangerous, her ferocious aura palpable even to Mingfuluo, causing the usually rational scholar to falter.

Does she… not know what she’s doing?

Even as Anselm’s Contract Head, facing Ivora—an equal to Anselm—would Hitana still… bare her fangs?

“Tch, leash your dog, Anselm.”

Ivora raised her hand impatiently: “Or do you want me to discipline her myself?”

Amid the clash of steel and the pleasing hum of machinery, Gleipnir, long absent, transformed into a hand cannon, its massive black barrel like the gaping maw of a ferocious beast, ready to devour and crush all.

Anselm, unhesitatingly raising the weapon, still smiled: “You’re welcome to try, Ivora.”

Sparks of fire flickered in the woman’s eyes, her rising anger so tangible it made any dissenter tremble.

At that moment, an ornate carriage rolled up, stopping before Ivora’s palace complex.

The door opened, and a girl as pure and noble as an iris, elegant and composed, stepped down gracefully, holding her white skirt.

“This is… quite a coincidence.”

The girl named Sulun said in surprise: “Lord Anselm, elder sister, what’s this…”

The moment Mingfuluo saw the young princess, her heart skipped a beat.

Deals, agreements, dangerous costs… flooded her mind instantly.

At that moment, Mingfuluo was certain—

This was absolutely, absolutely no coincidence.

What trap… had she stepped into now?

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