The villain's way to tame the protagonist

[Dear Hitana, starting from your deep hatred for me, the real training will only begin now]

Are you ready?

*

Marina felt deeply ashamed of her powerlessness.

Marina was completely confused when dealing with the "simple" paperwork that Ansel left for her. On the first day, she completed it entirely under Mary's uninterrupted guidance.

And the considerate maid said something in a gentle tone from the heart.

"The situation in the Red Frost Territory is a bit complicated", "The mess left behind by Earl Red Frost is indeed difficult to deal with", and even words like "It is amazing that Miss Marina has such a literacy rate" were said!

What made Marina even more sad was that Mary had no ill intentions at all. She really thought that given Marina's background, it was very rare for her to have such a literacy rate, which made the girl feel sour and sad.

She had been delighted that Anther had given her the job, thinking that the young Lord Hydra had recognized her little bit of intelligence.

But in the end, all she has to show for it is... literacy rate?

"Alas... I don't know what happened to Xi'er. I hope she didn't make Lord Hydra angry."

Marina, who had finally managed to finish the third document independently, stretched and sighed sadly.

"That child...is obviously not like that."

As an elder sister, Marina found it difficult to understand the deep dissatisfaction and even resentment that Sitana felt towards Ansher.

She knew very well that Shitana hated the nobles, but she knew even more clearly that her sister was definitely not someone who could not distinguish between gratitude and grudges.

From an observer's perspective, Marina could feel Anther's tolerance towards Xitana, which could be considered indulgence.

Why is Hitana not grateful for Anser's kindness, but instead always disrespects him again and again?

[Is there any secret here? Did Xier detect some problems with Lord Hydra? ]

I have to find a chance to have a good talk with Xier, maybe I can figure it out -

Just as Marina was thinking this, the door of the study was suddenly pushed open.

"How have you been these past two days, Miss Marina?"

Ansher smiled and greeted Marina who stood up subconsciously.

"Hai, Lord Hydra!" the girl exclaimed, "You're back? I... I'm sorry, I, I didn't know!"

She looked very flustered, and was obviously nervous because she did not go to greet Anser.

"Why are you getting nervous about not being greeted?"

Anser tilted his head slightly and smiled at her:

"Ms. Marina, you are not my servant."

"..." The words in Marina's throat choked. She felt an indescribable warmth and softness, a kind of happiness that made her feel a little light-headed.

You are not my servant.

Such words are so warm and precious to a girl who has been despised and exploited by tax officials for many years, and has to endure the contemptuous looks of others every time she goes to the city because of her status, but she is also sensitive and intelligent.

Respect from a great man. This was something Marina never dared to think about.

"...Thank you, thank you, Mr. Hydra, I really appreciate your--"

The girl, who did not have the courage to look Ansel in the eye, turned her head slightly away. All her joy and shyness turned into external body language. Her eyes flickered, she bit her lips lightly, her body swayed slightly, she pulled one leg back and nervously tapped the ground with her toes, her long dangling braids set off her red earlobes, which also set off her pure and beautiful soul.

Just when she wanted to express her sincere gratitude to Ansher, the door was slammed open.

"Ahahahaha Lina, you would never have thought that I—"

"What on earth do I have..."

"many……"

The wolf cub, with many bandages wrapped all over his body, looked at the smiling venomous snake and his sister with blushing cheeks with suspicion.

"...More, more powerful?"

Chapter 37: Sisters Part 2

"Marina!"

He shouted suddenly, and used his full name.

Shitana's obviously excessive reaction scared Marina and dispersed the girl's gratitude and joy. Before she could say anything, Shitana grabbed her hand and dragged her away from Ansel's study.

Ansel looked at Marina's bewildered expression, and finally met her beautiful eyes full of apology. He smiled silently and nodded slightly. After the other party showed a relieved expression, he turned around and sat in the big chair behind the desk.

"Master, it seems there is no room for easing this time." said Xavier, who always appeared and disappeared out of thin air.

“There was no room for de-escalation from the beginning.”

Anser glanced at some documents on the small table next to him, and Xavier helped him get them.

"You must have noticed something was wrong with her, Xavier."

"Yes." The old man bowed his head slightly. "Based on all the information we have, Miss Xitana should not have such great malice towards you."

He paused, then continued in a matter-of-fact tone: "Even if there was respect at the beginning, after your repeated teachings, it should have become the most basic respect."

Ansel carefully read the documents processed by Marina. This girl from a border village unexpectedly had excellent handwriting. In just two days, the wording used in the writing was also decent. No one could believe that such a document was written by a village girl.

But Anser would believe it, because he knew how much effort the girl had put in to change her fate. In all the stories about Sitana that he had witnessed, the contrast between the sisters' personalities, actions, and endings... were all so funny and cruel that it was speechless.

"Savier, do you know a way to train a dog?"

Anser did not answer the old butler's question, but started a very strange topic.

He picked up the quill and began to revise and annotate Marina's documents, writing down comments while leisurely saying, "After giving the order, negate any behavior of the dog. Due to the limitations of loyalty and wisdom, the dog will only feel infinite confusion and bewilderment about itself, and will not consider the existence of problems with its owner."

"If this goes on for a long time, it will doubt itself infinitely and will not be able to respond subjectively to any instructions. When this effect is achieved, the dog trainer will provide thorough and detailed guidance to the dog and reward it at the same time, so that the dog, which has completely lost its self-trust, will have infinite obedience and..."

"--rely."

Savile looked thoughtful, while Anser, who wrote rigorous comments for Marina, continued: "Of course, humans and dogs are different, but this method still has very, very high reference value."

"To destroy an existing self..."

The young Hydra chuckled, adding a small compliment to his comment.

“All it takes is an environment where there is no recognition or support.”

*

Marina was almost dragged all the way into the room and didn't even have a chance to ask what was going on.

It was not until Xitana panted and slammed the door that this sister, who was always a little cowardly in her heart, asked cautiously: "Xier...what happened?"

Sitana stared at Marina for a long time while taking deep breaths, and suddenly said:

"He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

"…Are you angry because of something impossible like this?"

Marina breathed a sigh of relief, but also found it funny: "How could Lord Hydra do anything to me? What are you thinking, Xier?"

"I--"

Shitana opened her mouth and looked at Marina's face which was becoming increasingly whiter, more delicate and more lustrous.

Her sister was a great beauty, much more beautiful than herself, Shitana always thought so.

Even when she was in the village, her skin was always rough and even occasionally cracked from frostbite, but it still looked very nice.

But now, if you randomly pick anyone on the street, they will think that Marina is the eldest daughter of someone’s family, not a country girl from some remote village.

All this was hard-earned, and the relief and joy on my sister's face were so real.

All the anger and grievances that Xitana had wanted to express were stuck in her chest, making it difficult for her to express them.

"I have a lot of things I want to tell you, but I don't want to tell that guy!"

The girl hummed, "Do you know how powerful I have become after I went out this time?"

Marina looked at her sister's cute and proud expression, and took in the several bandages on her body. She waved at her with relief and heartache, motioning for her to sit next to her.

Shitana chuckled and trotted over to her sister and sat next to her, shaking her body from time to time and touching her shoulders.

"Let me tell you a big secret first... I guessed it myself, no, I deduced it, I figured it out! Lina, you definitely don't know."

Miss Wolf Cub whispered mysteriously, "Do you know which important person I'm involved with on this trip?"

Marina thought for a moment and tentatively answered, "Is it the Grand Duke of the Grey Tower?"

"Yes, just—"

"……Eh?"

The girl blinked twice and looked at her sister dully.

"Ah, this..." Marina touched her face a little embarrassedly, "Because of the work Mr. Hydra gave me, I have read a lot of information about the Red Frost Territory in his study. It mentioned that the actual controller of the Red Frost Territory is the Grand Duke of Gray Tower...Since Xier, you said he is an important figure, related to the Red Frost Territory, and the more important figure above him, I think... it should be him."

"Oh...oh! So you read the information in advance! That's fine."

"Well, thanks to Lord Hydra."

Shitana felt relieved, but she was also very upset by Marina's last words.

However, she quickly put on an "I'm so awesome" look, held her head high and recounted what had happened in Howling Winds Castle in a selective and processed manner.

"Lina Lina, do you know what that evil guy Hydra is doing?"

She turned up her nose and said with great pride, "I know it all! He can't hide it from me at all!"

This time, Marina frowned in embarrassment and repeated thoughtfully a few key words that Sitana had said.

"Assassination, Viscount, Grand Duke of Grey Tower... Merciful death?"

Looking at her sister's conflicted look, Hitana became more and more proud.

Then, within a few minutes, she saw Marina's eyes suddenly light up, and she blurted out, "Was the assassination at the banquet that day ordered by His Excellency Hydra? And the Grand Duke of Gray Tower wanted to help the two viscounts escape in order to expose His Excellency Hydra's plan and make him lose the support of the people in the Red Frost Territory?"

Sitana, thinking is impossible.

Her proud expression was frozen on her face.

“No, this, you—” The girl jumped up in disbelief, “How did you guess this? This is impossible!”

"Your Excellency Hydra has a lot of information about Count Red Frost and his followers. I have read it all."

"So I know the relationship between those two viscounts and Earl Chishuang. Add to that Xier's description... it shouldn't be hard to guess."

——That was the truth. Anser's explanation to Xitana was actually linking all the existing facts together. However, Xitana didn't believe that someone would order someone to assassinate her, and Marina quickly thought of this key point.

Under Xitana's incredulous eyes, Marina looked away somewhat embarrassedly: "It's not that I'm so smart... it's Mr. Hydra. I told you, Xier, he can let us see a wider world. It's just a simple clerical job, but he is willing to let me check so much intelligence information at will... He is the benefactor we must repay with all our efforts, Xier!"

"what are you talking about!"

Your Excellency Hydra, Your Excellency Hydra, Your Excellency Hydra...

The reverence and yearning expressed in Marina's words and expression were so strong and sincere that Shitana could no longer suppress the madness in her heart.

"It's come to this, he has done such a thing to deceive us, why do you still admire him so much?!" Xitana looked at Marina in disbelief, "He is a liar! He uses that method to deceive everyone's praise and loyalty to him, don't you think that guy is disgusting at all?"

"…Xier, you—"

Marina was stunned for a long time. She realized that this was her sister's character, but she knew very well... If she couldn't accept this kind of thing, then there was no way Shitana would be able to stay with Ansor for a long time.

The usually cowardly sister mustered up her courage and said to Xitana very seriously, not by persuading her, but by refuting and even criticizing her:

"Stop being so childish, Sitana."

Facing that angry and unbelievable dull gaze, Marina gritted her teeth and spoke firmly while her heart was throbbing nervously:

"You are already sixteen years old. You are no longer the little girl of twelve. You should know that not everything in this world can be divided into right and wrong, good and bad."

"Yes, Lord Hydra deceived us, but so what? He used this deception to gain our support, and then what? Did he do anything to let us down?"

"Has he exploited us without any bottom line like Earl Scarlet Frost? Has he been in league with those despicable noble bureaucrats? Up to now, has he done anything out of pure malice to hurt you and me, to hurt ordinary people like us?"

With the facts as support, Marina's voice became more powerful: "No, he didn't do anything. He could have continued to lie and do those dirty things, but did he do it? Xitana, do you know how many documents have been accumulated in his study waiting to be processed in the past two days? Do you know who has been maintaining the stability of the Red Frost Territory after the death of Earl Red Frost?"

"You don't know! You only have room for the hypocrisy you despise and the extremely evil Hydra in your paranoid mind!"

"Go out and have a look at the gifts piled up in the yard. Go and ask anyone on the road what they think of Lord Hydra. Ask them if they feel the same way as you, Xitana!"