Chapter 9

“Put the gun down, we can talk this out!”

While saying this, Lynn strolled right up to the masked woman.

He had no intentions of being gentle, and completely unceremoniously pressed the gun barrel to her forehead.

As he laid out his reasoning, the once-curious masked woman fell completely silent.

She didn’t seem afraid of the dark barrel; instead, she pondered Lynn’s astonishing remark.

After a long pause, the woman suddenly raised her hands and began to clap softly.

“You’re not wrong. That fool Rhine nearly let a talent like you slip away. Just a bit of cleverness? How ridiculous.”

“Lynn Bartleon, you’re becoming more and more interesting to me.” Her cold, beautiful eyes showed a hint of excitement, “The more you act like this, the less I want to let you go.”

“Don’t flatter me too much, dear lady; I might just fall for you.”

Lynn seemed to be flirting with her.

Though his words were playful, the gun remained steady in his hands.

After all, this was a woman who could make Rhine and the Augusta family bow down, and even if her strength was unknown, one couldn’t let their guard down.

Even if she were just an ordinary person, she surely had a powerful extraordinary item or two to keep herself safe.

Besides, the calm demeanor she maintained only fueled Lynn’s bad premonition.

But no matter what, he had no way back if he wanted to escape from here.

“Fall for you?”

Upon hearing this, the masked woman chuckled, falling silent afterwards.

Ignorant fool.

If you saw what was beneath the mask, would you still say such things?

She thought to herself.

However, Lynn had no idea about her thoughts and didn’t bother to guess.

He lightly tapped the revolver against her forehead: “Lady, let Rhine in.”

“No rush, I still have some questions for you.” The masked woman ignored his threat. “I’m quite curious about one thing.”

“From what you said earlier, it seems you despise the nobility of the Imperial Capital, and I don’t think much of them either.”

“Ultimately, our goals align.”

“What’s more important, the fleeting enjoyment, or the collective power against an external threat? You should have the sense to differentiate.”

“As for your subordinates being a bunch of misfits, I can’t deny that, but that’s not the real reason for your refusal.”

Behind the mask, Lynn met the gaze of her scarlet eyes.

“Being overly inquisitive is not what a lady should do.”

Lynn tried to change the subject.

“Pointing a gun at a lady is hardly the behavior of a gentleman.”

The masked woman smiled lightly.

Hearing this, Lynn let out a sigh: “Alright, since you’re so eager to know the reasons, I’ll tell you.”

“It’s the eyes.”

“The eyes?”

The masked woman frowned slightly, seemingly not quite understanding.

“To me, your eyes are no different from those of the nobility in the Imperial Capital.” Lynn smiled, “You’re talking to me, yet your gaze never leaves my body.”

“Be it the Morris who came to catch me, Rhine, or you.”

“So in essence, you’re all just the same as those you despise.”

…

The masked woman instinctively wanted to retort.

But when the words reached her lips, she found herself unable to say anything.

“Alright, it’s about time.”

Seeing her lost in thought, Lynn didn’t want to waste time on trivial matters and motioned again.

After a moment of silence, the masked woman raised her voice: “Rhine, come in!”

“Yes.”

A voice echoed from outside.

Then, a blond man pushed the door open.

He thought it was time for Her Highness the Princess to wrap up negotiations and need him for the follow-up.

But the moment he raised his head, he froze. At that moment, Her Highness sat in her chair with arms crossed, while the prisoner had somehow freed himself from the handcuffs and was pointing a gun at her.

Seeing this, Rhine’s brain nearly exploded.

His eyes instantly turned dangerously fierce, and he subconsciously reached for his gun.

But upon feeling the emptiness at his waist, he froze.

“When did you—”

“Shh, keep it down.” Lynn placed his right index finger to his lips, “If I see any sign that you’re trying to send a message, I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger six times.”

“Afterwards, I’ll surely be done for, but taking you down for your negligence would still be worth it.”

At his words, Rhine started to sweat coldly.

His eyes widened, filled with fury, as if he wanted to eliminate Lynn on the spot.

But Her Highness was currently the hostage he held.

Though he knew that with Her Highness’s strength, she wouldn’t be hurt at all.

But just letting a violent criminal point a gun at her was something that would cost him his life a thousand times over as the secretary!

“Put the gun down, let’s talk calmly.”

Even the extremely arrogant Rhine had to face reality and utter a softer line.

Looking into Lynn’s calm eyes, Rhine just wanted to turn back time and slap himself a few times.

Morris was right.

Such a dangerous person, capable of turning the tide with just a sliver of opportunity, how could he merely be described as “somewhat clever”?

Seeing Rhine’s bloodshot eyes, a hint of mischief flickered in Lynn’s gaze: “Finally using your eyes to look at me?”

“As long as you don’t act impulsively, I’ll agree to any condition.”

Rhine forced down his rage.

“Any condition?”

An evil smile crept onto Lynn’s face.

Rhine felt an ominous premonition but squared his shoulders and said, “Of course, I swear by the honor of the Augusta family.”

“Alright then, take off all your clothes and walk out naked, shouting ‘I’m gay’ to everyone you see.”

Upon hearing this, Rhine’s expression twisted immediately.

He knew all too well that Lynn was deliberately humiliating him, seeking revenge for what just happened!

This guy…

Noticing Rhine’s hesitation, Lynn couldn’t help but mock, “Seems like the safety of this lady and the honor of the Augusta family are of little concern to you?”

“Do you know who she really is—”

Rhine wanted to reveal Lyn’s true identity to show that he had messed with someone far beyond his reach.

But the moment he opened his mouth, he was stopped by a cold glare from Her Highness.

As if to say: Shut up, just do as he says.

This left Rhine completely dumbfounded.

He didn’t understand why Her Highness was able to endure Lynn’s captivity, nor why she didn’t just eliminate him and instead played along with his game.

But as a subordinate, even if he was confused, he had no choice but to obey orders.

In the end, Rhine, as if his spine was broken, hopelessly lowered his head.

“You really have a twisted sense of humor.”

When she finally opened her eyes again, the masked woman only saw a pile of clothes scattered on the floor, but Rhine was already gone from the room.

She had no particular interest in viewing her subordinate’s nudity.

Moments later, a commotion of gasps and screams erupted outside the prison.

And then, chaos began.

“Alright, beautiful lady, please close your eyes for a bit longer.”

Lynn continued to point the gun at her while starting to take off his own clothes, changing into Rhine’s military uniform.

At that moment, he looked just like her personal servant.

Once he was all set, Lynn tucked his gun-hand into his pocket while keeping his aim steady.

He then signaled for the masked woman to stand up.

“Let’s go.”