Chapter 55

“What a great woman, too bad she’s alive.”

Can you believe I almost spared his life for such a shallow reason? Just because he was the first guy to tell me I looked good?

Ridiculous!

Staring at the ring tossed into the corner, Ivyst’s expression was icy.

A useless piece of junk.

Even though it had thousands of years of history, ancient cursed objects were still unreliable; age seemed to bring all sorts of malfunctions.

Her ample chest rose and fell rapidly, as if trying to calm the irritation swelling inside her.

Glancing at the wine glass on the windowsill, Ivyst didn’t hesitate to grab it and down its contents in one go.

A moment later, a hint of a blush appeared on her fair cheeks, making her quite alluring.

Yet, in this moment, no one was there to witness it.

Ivyst’s gaze remained fixed on Lynn, who lay unconscious on the floor, lost in a long silence.

Who knows what she was really thinking?

After an unknown amount of time, she suddenly took a deep breath, calming her mind.

“Though I don’t know why you suddenly went crazy and put on this show in front of me,” Ivyst’s face was expressionless, “but one thing’s for sure, you seem to have hit the nail on the head.”

“What happened tonight, I doubt I will forget for the rest of my life.”

She muttered to herself.

Even though Ivyst didn’t take Lynn’s gambling bet seriously, she ended up doing something totally out of character.

Just that alone was enough to leave a mark on her.

Since awakening the powerful and mysterious forces within her, Ivyst had only received respect and fear from others.

No one had ever dared to shout like Lynn did in front of her.

Or even threaten her life.

“Since you dared to pull that stunt, don’t even think about running away.” Ivyst suddenly flashed a cruel smile. “If you have thoughts like that again, I’ll break your legs.”

“Also, I hope you perform as well as you claim in the upcoming royal selection.”

“Otherwise… hmph.”

[S-rank character “Ivyst Roland Alexini” has had her plot deviation raised to 1.53%.]

Lynn was jolted awake by the alert from the system.

As he groggily opened his eyes, he realized all trace of numbness was gone, as if the Liars’ Devourer effect had been lifted.

Then he noticed he was lying in a strange position on the floor.

Like he was doing push-ups or something.

Feeling the soft carpet so close, Lynn instinctively pushed up with his arms to get off the ground.

But before he could move, he suddenly felt a weight pressing down on his back.

The pressure wasn’t too heavy or light, but it kept him pinned down.

“Stay down.”

The familiar voice of Ivyst came from above, cold but laced with something else.

“You—”

Lynn tried to move again, but that weight kept him stuck.

Only then did he come to his senses and realize what had happened.

Ivyst was perched in a velvet chair by the bedside, holding a wine glass and gazing out at the bright moon, her jet-black hair and snow-white skin gleaming.

In the moonlight, she looked breathtakingly beautiful, like a goddess.

But Lynn had no heart to admire that scene.

He finally understood why he was in such an odd position.

Somehow, she had taken off her shoes and placed her silky, long legs and bare feet right on his back.

As if he was her personal footrest! Since Lynn was only wearing a thin garment, he could feel the soft, warm touch of her feet through the fabric.

But he had no desire to enjoy that softness.

Nightmare fuel! His heart was filled with rage, and he instinctively wanted to lift his head.

But due to his angle, Lynn couldn’t help but catch a glimpse under Ivyst’s skirt.

It was a bit dark in the bedroom, but the moonlight streamed through the windows just right.

Faintly, obscurely.

It seemed to be visible, yet not entirely clear.

Oh boy.

Looks like the princess isn’t just a stick in the mud; she tries a little something-something when she’s alone.

Lynn sucked in a breath, and all his earlier anger vanished in an instant.

Thanks for the treat.

He composed himself and resumed his position on the floor, trying to maintain an angle where he could steal glances, stark and resolute as a rock.

Meanwhile, Ivyst’s scornful voice came from above: “Do you think you can just off yourself without my permission?”

“And as my pet, how dare you mock your owner like that? Truly clueless.” She paused, “What do you think I should do to punish you?”

…

Lynn remained silent.

At that moment, he was utilizing the Liars’ Devourer to deceive himself, trying to evolve his eyes into high-frame-rate cameras to capture the good life.

Seeing Lynn lying there without a word, Ivyst couldn’t help but furrow her brow.

She thought he might be sulking for failing to kill himself.

Maybe she had pushed him too hard? Ivyst pondered for a moment and decided to lighten up a bit, easing the punishment.

So she casually said, “How about this, you just stay there and loudly repeat, ‘I’m sorry, Your Highness, I was wrong,’ until I’m satisfied.”

Seriously?

This woman is just so full of herself.

Does she really love to hear people praise her? Lynn’s expression darkened.

In truth, everything he had done tonight was not out of sheer impulsiveness.

The madness and anger he had shown were mostly acts.

If it weren’t to significantly increase the plot deviation to influence the future Sorceress of the End, he would never have chosen to explode at her like this at such a moment.

More likely, he would have kept holding back.

With that thought, Lynn suddenly realized something and hastily opened the system.

At this moment, Ivyst’s plot deviation had been raised to 1.53%, bringing in a nice 100 system points.

What’s more, his savings had risen to 183 points.

He could draw for a new ability now.

So it seemed, tonight’s risky gamble wasn’t in vain, and his goal was perfectly achieved.

Just how much influence would it have on the Sorceress of the End, though?

All he could do now was leave it up to fate.

With that in mind, Lynn suddenly focused and shouted, “I’m sorry, Your Highness, I was wrong!”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, I was wrong!”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, I was wrong!”

Men, you’ve got to be tough when it’s tough and soft when it’s soft.

The atmosphere fell into silence.

The only noise in the room was Lynn’s repeated words echoing over and over.

Ivyst gazed at the bright moon, lost in her own thoughts.

After a moment, she suddenly spoke up out of nowhere: “Don’t think about just offing yourself. Once you’re dead, there’s nothing left.”

Lynn blinked a few times, then lowered his head, “Yes, Your Highness.”

Just after saying that, he felt her dainty foot press down forcefully on his back.

“Did I tell you to stop?”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness, I was wrong!”

Time passed, and after what felt like an eternity, Lynn finally halted his apologies, ready to take a breather for a moment.

But Ivyst still hadn’t spoken, causing a bit of confusion.

So Lynn lifted his head to look at the woman in the chair.

There she was, resting peacefully against the chair, having apparently dozed off.

She seemed to have been busy with duties lately, likely pulling all-nighters.

Though her figure was tall and captivating, one could still see traces of weariness on her fair face, a faint hint of fatigue around her eyes.

What a great woman, too bad she’s alive.

Lynn sighed in his heart.

He quietly got up from the floor, gently lifted her ankle, and placed it back on the carpet.

Then he found a thin silk blanket from the nearby bed, stealthily covering her chest with it.

Goodnight, you villainous princess.

Next, I have a date with the Witch Miss.

Lynn left Ivyst’s room.

But little did he know, shortly after he left, the woman in the chair suddenly opened her eyes.

Looking at the silk blanket that had been draped over her, Ivyst lightly pinched it with her hand.

“Well, that’s somewhat considerate.”