Chapter 24

Chapter 24: A Mess

The next morning, Lynn stared blankly at the ornate ceiling while yawning.

How did things end up like this? Feigning a sense of resignation, he got out of bed and started getting dressed, preparing to wash up.

He was now in a situation where there was no turning back—completely trapped with every escape route blocked.

As long as the tracking collar Ivyst had placed on him wasn’t removed, he would never be free from her grasp.

The thought of inevitably confronting the main characters filled Lynn with dread.

Though he wasn’t sure if a world consciousness or anything like that existed, the mere mention of story deviation meant they were striding straight down the path of the original storyline.

At the end of that path was a bottomless cliff, devoid of any means for survival.

But at this point, there was no other option.

He could only act as a pawn, blending in with Ivyst’s group and waiting for an opportunity to escape.

To rid himself of that woman, he might have to fawn over certain characters from the original work.

Of course, there was another way.

By altering the story deviation for Ivyst and those around her, he could rack up system points and level up like mad until he was stronger than her, thus freeing himself.

But that path was undoubtedly fraught with difficulties.

After days of hard work and many close calls, he had barely managed to raise Ivyst’s story deviation a tiny bit.

It was a long way to go.

Sighing, Lynn spat the toothpaste foam out of his mouth.

After washing up, he jingled a little bell.

A few seconds later, the maid Nina walked in.

“M-Master Lynn, Her Highness the Princess said for you to come to the dining area to meet the others once you wake up.”

Clearly, she hadn’t yet adjusted her mindset from that of a guest, sneaking glances at him every now and then.

Unfortunately, Lynn wasn’t in the mood for small talk and nodded heavily. “Got it. Lead the way.”

Augusta Manor was massive.

After wandering for a good ten minutes, Lynn arrived at what was supposedly the dining area, guided by Nina.

Though it was called a dining hall, the sight before him was quite extravagant.

Upon entering the main hall, he saw long banquet tables neatly arranged, crafted from expensive beech wood, covered with silver candle holders and fine tableware.

Some individuals were already seated, chatting in hushed tones while eating.

Scanning the table, Lynn noted that besides Rhine and a female steward named Kesha, he didn’t recognize anyone else present.

Oh, there seemed to be a black cat lounging in the corner, licking at some meat paste on a plate.

The atmosphere was rather lively.

Even Princess Ivyst was seated at the head of the long table, wearing a half-mask that revealed her delicate chin.

With her knife and fork, she displayed a grace that was rhythmic, cutting her food and delicately chewing it.

She looked quite the part of a well-mannered noblewoman at the dining table.

Lynn pursed his lips.

It seemed this woman was quite down-to-earth; she dined alongside her subordinates.

Feeling his gaze, Ivyst suddenly opened her eyes, locking onto him with pinpoint accuracy.

Lynn’s expression instantly turned serious.

“Add another breakfast plate.”

She ignored him and whispered something to Kesha standing next to her.

Moments later, a fresh plate arrived, steaming with sausages and lamb chops.

Lynn scanned the full beechwood table and chose a spot in the far corner to sit down.

Then he vaguely felt a dozen eyes on him from a distance.

It seemed that seeing a stranger had piqued everyone’s interest, especially since Princess Ivyst allowed him to sit. They were all casting curious glances at this tall, handsome youth.

Lynn paid no mind to them and picked up his cutlery, ready to eat.

Starving after a long night, he dug in heartily.

Seeing him like this, many were quick to display disdain in their eyes.

Most present were nobles; a few had loyally followed the Princess since early on, and while they lacked titles, they at least qualified as knighted.

What right did this food thief from who-knows-where have to dine with them? A sense of doubt arose among them.

And Rhine, seated closest to the head of the table, shared a similar contempt as he observed Lynn’s eating habits.

Meanwhile, his mind roiled with the memory of their encounter a few nights ago, filling him with rage.

One day, he would settle the score.

Proud by nature, Rhine nearly snapped the fork he was holding.

But with the Princess present, he dared not cause trouble.

Fine, I’ll let you off this time. Rhine sneered inwardly.

Little did he know, trouble was about to come knocking on his door.

“Hey, gay guy, can you pass me that pepper over there? Thanks!”

Lynn called out loudly, making sure everyone could hear.

How tacky! Instantly, everyone was struck by that thought.

The events of that night clearly hadn’t escaped the mansion’s grapevine.

At least most of those present were already in the loop.

Though he later tried to clarify, his words didn’t convince many.

Sure enough, Rhine exploded.

“You!!”

He was ready to slam his hand on the table and get up, but glanced at Princess Ivyst, who was quietly eating nearby, and instantly reined himself in, feeling awfully frustrated.

Right, with the Princess here, how could he show such poor manners? The tension in his forehead pulsed, but he ultimately held back.

“Alright, enough noise.” Ivyst suddenly spoke up, “Let me introduce everyone to the new guy, Lynn. From now on, you’ll all be companions.”

“Make sure to go to the ‘cellar’ later to pick up some extraordinary gear; you’re far too weak right now to protect yourself. Rhine, show him the way.”

She instructed both of them.

Rhine first froze for a few seconds, then a wave of uncontainable joy washed over his face. “Of course, Your Highness.”

If he could take Lynn to the cellar, things would be easy.

Though he was clueless about why the Princess chose to involve him, it was still a good thing.

With that thought, Rhine looked over at Lynn with a cold smirk.

Feeling the intense hatred in Rhine’s eyes, Lynn seemed utterly oblivious, offering him a radiant smile in return.

This was just a small episode.

Before long, everyone shrugged it off.

“Your Highness, Duke Tilius has once again declined your invitation. What do you think?”

Someone in the crowd started discussing official business with Ivyst.

Ivyst frowned deeply at this.

That old codger.

She suddenly lost her appetite.

Baylor Tilius, one of the seven electors of the Saint Roland Empire, held the supreme power to elect the Emperor, and was Ivyst’s ultimate target upon arriving in Orlen City.

Unlike other princes and princesses, she wasn’t favored by Sixth Saint Roland and many officials.

Moreover, she didn’t have a powerful maternal family backing her.

This made Ivyst all the more desperate for support from external forces.

Thus, her sole purpose in Orlen City was to cozy up to the Duke, who was in the prime of life.

With him on her side, her influence during the election wouldn’t be so flimsy.

It’s a pity that old guy was stubborn and, like most people, held a poor impression of her.

“Let’s table this for now. Is there anything else urgent that needs addressing?”

Ivyst couldn’t think of a solution, so she chose to put it aside for the moment.

“Of course, there is.” The man speaking nodded seriously. “Your Highness, you recently dismantled the Creationist Sect, which is a great achievement for Orlen City. However, the more than three hundred innocent civilians rescued from that sect have now become a headache.”

“They seem brainwashed, fully convinced by the sect’s dogma, even to the point where they could endanger city safety.”

“Thus, the city council and public safety bureau refuse to take on this mess, denying entry to those three hundred civilians.”

“What do you propose we do about this?”

This was another issue that gave Ivyst a headache.

She always found herself incompetent when dealing with cases involving ordinary people.

After all, three hundred lives thrown outside wouldn’t survive long and could lead to a series of problems.

Yet, she couldn’t just kill them.

What to do? Ivyst furrowed her brow.

After much thought, she resolved to pass this tricky matter off to one of her subordinates.

So, Ivyst lifted her head, glancing around both sides of the long table.

Very quickly, the lucky candidate emerged.

Looking at Lynn, who was huddled in the corner, focused on his food, Ivyst’s lips curled into a smile.