Rhodes looked at the girl bundled up like a silkworm and couldn't help himself. The line slipped out, classic and cruel.
"Go ahead. Cry. Scream. Even if you shred your throat, no one's coming."
Silence answered him.
Not sobbing. Not panic.
Just an awkward stillness that clung to the room.
"Hah—hah—hah!"
Reines suddenly burst into laughter, slamming her forehead against the couch cushions as the tension evaporated in an instant.
"Hey, isn't your master kind of stupid?" she said brightly, glancing at the girl pinning her down. "Didn't you ever try talking him out of this?"
The blond Miss looked up at RyuZU, barely holding back her amusement.
RyuZU nodded solemnly.
"Yes. He really is that willful. Working for him is exhausting. Please cooperate with our work, Miss Reines."
"Oh?" Reines smiled. "Your work? If this is a robbery, feel free to strip the place bare. I won't stop you. If a pile of junk can buy me a connection with 'the Clock Tower's rising star,' Mr. Rhodes, the nobles would die of envy."
"Tch. Boring." Rhodes clicked his tongue. "And RyuZU, do you have to be so sharp-tongued while we're working?"
Only then did he look his age—fifteen or sixteen at most—instead of the ancient monster who had weathered countless ages.
Perhaps inhabiting a young body had softened something inside him. The frost in his heart was thawing, replaced by traces of reckless youth.
"I'm just stating facts," RyuZU said cheerfully. "My master is foolish, lecherous, overly arrogant, and he enjoys tampering with me. Being his maid is very hard work."
Rhodes' expression darkened.
"It seems I was too gentle with you last night," he murmured. "Maybe I really should install that milk-production system after all."
RyuZU went pale, clearly recalling something best left buried.
"Hey! Don't just ignore me!" Reines shouted. "You two are getting way off track! Let me go already! Didn't you say you wanted to talk business, Mr. Rhodes? Why am I tied up like this?! If someone saw me, it'd be humiliating!"
"You lack discipline, Miss Reines," Rhodes said with a teasing smile. "Interested in my guidance? Strictly mental training, of course. I guarantee you'd lose all sense of embarrassment."
"Like hell I'd agree!" Reines snapped, bristling like a startled cat. "Do you think I'm as stupid as you?! You're obviously planning something awful!"
Rhodes stared at her, stunned.
"…Why do I feel like you're far more experienced in this nonsense than I am?" He sighed. "Is the Archisorte family education really this progressive? Society truly is in decline."
"Don't pin that on the Archisortes!" Reines shot back. "Watch it, or the ancestors will drag you into their graves! These are personal interests. Being a noble doesn't mean rejecting modern culture."
"I see," Rhodes muttered dryly. "I've learned something new today."
He waved the matter aside.
"Enough chatter. I imagine you're uncomfortable like that, Miss Reines El-Melloi Archisorte."
As he spoke, Rhodes sat down on the nearby sofa. RyuZU appeared beside him in an instant, presenting a cup of steaming black tea. In that moment, the easygoing youth vanished, replaced by a calculating negotiator who weighed every word.
"Eh?" Reines blinked at the abrupt shift.
"I require the support of the Archibalds," Rhodes said calmly. "In return, I'll clear every obstacle standing between you and the position of family head. All of them. How does that sound?"
"…I see."
The chill in his voice snapped her fully awake. Reines studied him warily, calculating what stakes she should place on the table.
What she failed to notice was that, somewhere between the banter and the threat, she had already begun to trust him—enough to consider how to complete this filthy backroom deal rather than whether to reject it outright.
"Then what do I pay?" Reines asked, her tone grave. "Vague 'support' doesn't buy that kind of help. Tell me the real price."
"My demands are simple," Rhodes said. "First, you will sign a Self-Geis Scroll with me. Under its terms, we do not harm each other. You will shield me from pressure by the Clock Tower's upper ranks and offer reasonable protection to my interests. In return, I will compensate you well. The Archibalds are not destitute, but extra profit never hurts."
He laid out the terms coolly, neither of them acknowledging that Reines was still wrapped like a cocoon.
"Second, I want Lord Kayneth's body and possessions. The Magic Crest may be excluded, but the corpse must remain intact. The Magic Circuits must be undamaged. I also want all of his research notes, plus magical materials worth roughly two billion pounds. For a family that has stood for nine generations, this should be trivial."
"Generous terms," Reines said softly, pride flickering across her youthful face. "Sacrificing some family interests, but guaranteeing greater growth under my rule… I accept. Let's sign the contract."
She tried to extend her hand—
Then remembered her current predicament.
Her face flushed with fury.
"Untie me first, you pervert!"