Anna, meanwhile, strained to lift her head, and through her tear-blurred eyes, she saw the familiar, tall, dark figure leaning against the doorframe, his amber cat-eyes gleaming with an inhuman, elusive light in the glow of the fire.
It was no one else but the owner of this estate, Guilliman.
"What a... 'touching' scene of sisterly reunion."
Guilliman's voice held a hint of just the right amount of surprise and a stronger note of amusement, a subtle curve playing on his lips.
He strolled in, his movements fluid and silent, his gaze sweeping back and forth with interest over the blood-pumping scene—the sister's madness and control, the sister's vulnerability and humiliation.
This raw human drama, twisted by power and blood, sparked a pure, observer-like curiosity in him.
Before the Elder of Shadows and the Elder Blood, the grievances and passions of mortal royalty were, to him, more like an interesting and unique play.
The madness in Syanna's eyes quickly solidified after a brief moment of shock, then was replaced by a more complex emotion.
Was it the embarrassment of being discovered? Or the fear of facing someone more terrifying?
She looked at Guilliman, her expression somewhat complex, but quickly returned to the demeanor expected of a slave, saying breathlessly:
"Master... you're back."
"I saw you hadn't returned for a long time, so I wanted to help you find out the location of that book. This is what I, your slave, should do."
Guilliman did not blame the slave for her presumptuousness; instead, he approached the large desk with a smile, stopping in front of Anna's almost naked upper body.
He looked down at her; Duchess Anna Henrietta, mortified, buried her face deep in the shadows, her body trembling violently.
His gaze did not linger on her injured back; instead, he smiled at Syanna, a smile that held an all-knowing tolerance:
"I see, quite 'intense.' And very effective."
He squatted down, meeting Duchess Anna Henrietta's pained eyes, and teased:
"It seems your sister really wants to know the whereabouts of that fairy tale book, Your Grace Duchess Anna Henrietta?"
He deliberately used the honorific, which seemed particularly ironic in this scene.
"If this continues, you won't be able to attend any events with dignity before dawn."
"Why not... just get it over with? Where in Beauclair Palace could an old magic storybook be hidden?"
"Tell me the location, and everyone saves trouble. I don't mind taking your sister on a 'night out' to the palace. As for this 'little interlude' here..."
He gave a meaningful glance at the slipper in Syanna's hand.
"It's a unique way for you sisters to bond, and it has nothing to do with me."
Anna's body suddenly trembled, despair and pain swirling in her blue eyes.
Under the dual pressure of Guilliman's seemingly gentle but undeniable gaze and the slipper in Syanna's hand, which symbolized humiliation and revenge, the proud Duchess's last defense finally crumbled.
"...It's... in my bedchamber... the dressing room... at the very back... behind the vanity... there's a... secret compartment..."
She sobbed, giving the location brokenly, her voice fragmented.
"Activate... activate the third decorative crystal rose on the left..."
After speaking, she seemed to have been drained of all her strength and collapsed.
Syanna's body tensed instantly upon hearing the location, a complex expression flashing in her eyes, which was then covered by a deeper, indescribable sense of bewilderment and exhaustion. The sweetness of revenge seemed impure at this moment.
Guilliman nodded with satisfaction.
He stood up and glanced at Duchess Anna Henrietta, who was slumped by the desk, her clothes torn, her face streaked with tears. There was no pity in his eyes; instead, he was quite moved by the image of such a broken beauty.
What he liked most was to see those noble or powerful women reveal a shameful side.
Unfortunately, he was not a person without a bottom line; the hatred between Syanna and Duchess Anna Henrietta could be handled by the two sisters themselves.
But he would not, just because he kidnapped the Duchess, force himself upon her; that would violate his basic moral principles as a human being.
So far, besides forcing Syanna, a female bandit who had harmed many innocent passersby, he had only used strong-arm tactics on the evil spirit Sabina.
However, one of these individuals was a bandit who deserved to die, and the other was an evil spirit who was no longer even human and was a habitual killer, so his actions could only be considered fighting evil with evil; although morally lacking, he could not be considered a villain.
At least, that's how he comforted himself.
Guilliman looked at Syanna, whose expression was still complex, and a slight smile played on his lips before he said:
"There are still a few hours until dawn."
"I will not interfere in the grievances between you and your sister for now; you can deal with it however you wish."
"Even if you go soft and want to let her go, it doesn't matter."
"For the next two days, after dealing with your enemies, you will go north to help me with other matters."
"So for these two days, you need to properly wrap up the business here and not leave me with any trouble."
"Understand?"
Upon hearing this, Syanna immediately bowed her head obediently and agreed.
"Understood, Master."
"I will handle everything."
It had only been a little over two months since she met Guilliman, and her long-planned revenge was actually about to be completed.
This made her, a person of many misfortunes, feel somewhat lost and bewildered about the future.
Aside from that tiny bit of pleasure, revenge didn't seem to fill her broken heart; instead, it brought more emptiness.
Conversely, Duchess Anna Henrietta, her face flushed with shame, showed a complex and surprised expression after hearing her once-haughty sister address the man beside her as 'Master.'
Everything that happened tonight was too sudden.
Kidnapped, kidnapped by her own sister, then humiliated by her sister, threatened by a mysterious man, and in the midst of it all, discovering two terrifying monsters.
Duchess Anna Henrietta's mind was a mess now, and her heart was also filled with confusion; she was even somewhat overwhelmed.
However, Guilliman, as an observer, didn't care about any of that.
He again admired Duchess Anna Henrietta's ample figure, the ceiling of the plus-size world, especially those two round individuals.
Although he felt a pang of regret, his figure instantly vanished, leaving the somewhat ambiguous bedroom and returning to Beauclair Palace.
Compared to the beautiful and charming Duchess, the magic book 'The Land of a Thousand Fables,' which could contain living people, was clearly more precious.
This was currently the only known top-tier magical artifact left in the world by the Great Illusionist; missing this one, finding a similar item would likely be very difficult.
Moreover, judging by Syanna's demeanor, she didn't hate her sister to the core; instead, there was a feeling of both love and hate.
Presumably, Duchess Anna Henrietta would at most suffer some physical pain and some rather humiliating torment at her sister's hands.
If, in the future, he took these two sisters north, the idea of having both sisters would not be a delusion.
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