The villain's way to tame the protagonist

"The Imperial Capital's Astronomical Institute notified me some time ago."

Anser answered patiently and gently, without any displeasure: "The great cold wave in the north is coming soon, in no more than a week. I asked Marina to count the poor families in Scarlet Frost City, allocate money and materials, and provide them with coal that can almost survive the cold wave."

"Oh... this is a good thing, you are able to do good things!"

Shitana giggled, completely unaware that her sister's brows were slightly furrowed.

But as she laughed, she felt something was wrong. The girl stroked her chin and said, "You just said... Red Frost City?"

"Yes what's the matter?"

"Red Frost City?"

"Ah."

"But the Red Frost Territory is not limited to Red Frost City!" Xitana stood up at once, "What about the civilians in other cities and villages?"

"They always find a way." Anser said calmly, "Before I came, did all the civilians in the Red Frost Territory die every year?"

"Well, that's not the case..."

Xitana bit her lip and said, "You're giving away the coal for free anyway, why don't you give more and help more people?"

"Shitana!" Marina's brows were knitted together. "Why don't you use your brain to think about what you just said! Don't be unreasonable!"

"What a fuss!"

Miss Young Wolf was stunned. She couldn't imagine that these were the words her gentle sister would say.

Her sister cared the most about the people around her. Compared to her who was always disliked by others, no one disliked Marina. Even every time she came back from the market, Marina would use her own limited money to buy some candy and share it with the children in the village.

How could she say... that helping more people was unreasonable?

"Hydra is indeed capable of helping more people! If he wants to help, why can't he help more!"

Xitana was a little annoyed by Marina's strange tone: "Lina, do you want those people to freeze to death in the cold wind?"

"That's also paid for by His Excellency Hydra. Currently, all the funds are provided by him personally!"

Marina stared at her sister coldly: "You are not qualified to force him to do this with morality."

"I..." Shitana opened her mouth. Her sister's unfamiliar face made her feel helpless and increasingly angry.

"I... How come I am not qualified? Now in the Red Frost Territory... I, I have the closest relationship with him! Except for the old butler!"

Although she didn't really want to say it that way, when she thought of the promise Ansel made to her that night in the manor, Hitana felt warm in her heart.

She raised her chin and hummed rather proudly: "Hydra, isn't it!"

Anser just smiled, neither denying nor agreeing.

This was actually a tacit agreement, and Marina's momentum instantly weakened, but Xitana was still relentless, asking as if she wanted Anser to admit it:

"Hydra, hey, stop laughing! Speak now!"

With her strength restored, Xitana sat up, shifted her hips, and moved to Anser's side, shaking his shoulders vigorously: "Is it true, is it true?"

"Yes, yes...my Miss Sitana."

Anser chuckled helplessly: "You are right. You are indeed qualified to give me such advice."

“Hmph…hmph.”

Xitana blushed slightly, turned her head and looked at Marina, and said proudly: "So, Marina, just like I said before, Hydra will not be angry with me. He and I have a good relationship. Why can't I give suggestions?"

"..."

The girl lowered her head and said nothing, but Xitana took it as a sign that she was speechless. The pride of defeating her sister made her even more overjoyed. She gently touched Anser's knee with her toes, bent down slightly, and whispered:

"So, is this okay? I, I know that I went a little too far... Can I consider the extra money I gave you as my debt? I will go hunting to earn it back for you in the future."

"You know I have this ability, right?"

Although the sound was very soft, the study was not that big, so Marina could still hear it clearly.

Those kind, innocent words were a thousand times sharper than any blade in the world, cruelly cutting her already shattered dignity.

She couldn't boast to Anther about how much effort and hard work she had put into compiling this document in three days. Instead, she had to use the phrase "If I can't do it, I'm not qualified to work for you" to draw a line between her status, humility, and the boundary between her and Anther.

But Xitana could so simply and easily say "I have the ability", ask Ansel for anything, and come up with any absurd ideas.

"Since you said so..."

Anser sighed, then chuckled and touched Xitana's knee: "I don't think I have any reason to refuse."

The girl's face flushed, and this time she didn't have any violent reaction at all. Instead, she laughed and said, "I knew that if you want to do it, Hydra, you can be a good person! Let me help you in the future!"

"Marina, then please...Marina?"

The two calls woke Marina from her cold and dark thoughts. She came back to her senses and looked into Ansel's worried sea-blue eyes.

Mr. Hydra...

She whispered softly in her heart.

"Yes... I'm here. Sorry, I was a little distracted just now."

Marina looked away, and at that moment, she seemed to have some illusion.

——I seemed to...see the black in the beautiful eyes of Lord Hydra?

Seems just as beautiful...black.

"You hold this ring."

Ansher took off the black snake ring on his thumb and handed it to Marina.

"Now, not only my mansion, but all the nobles in the Red Frost Territory will obey your orders. I know this task is a bit difficult, so this kind of help is necessary."

Hydra gently said to the girl who respected him devoutly: "But no matter how difficult it is, I still have faith in you, Marina."

"For the poor and needy people of the Red Frost Territory, do your best."

"..."

Marina's lips moved and her eyes trembled.

Lord Hydra, when Shitana, a genius like Shitana, such an extraordinary person, such a... truly capable person is working for you, are you still willing to look at... look at me?

That was not an act of buying people's hearts, nor was it a lie to deceive and seduce. From the gentle treatment at the first meeting, from the sincere respect after meeting, from the serious teaching after getting along...

Lord Hydra was looking at himself.

Even though her value was only to please the great being who sat high on the throne, even though she had no talent for extraordinary achievement, even though she was just a meaningless mayfly to this world.

But Lord Hydra had been looking at him from the very beginning, recognizing his tiny intelligence which was meaningless to the great transcendent being.

Yes... Lord Hydra promised me, he said -

[Believe me, you and Xitana are equally important to me]

He also... did this.

Marina had countless words she wanted to say at this moment, but she couldn't say a single word.

The girl simply lowered her head and took the black snake ring from Anther with trembling hands, as if she were receiving a holy relic.

"I will, Master Hydra."

Intelligent, kind, gentle, and weak Marina raised her head, with an unprecedented confident, brilliant, and beautiful smile on her face:

"However, I have a small request. Please...please agree to it."

Xitana just instinctively felt that there was something strange about her sister, but she couldn't tell what it was.

But the corners of Ansel's mouth rose slightly.

The girl who had been timid in front of him some time ago finally dared to make a request sincerely, and even used the word "must".

"Go ahead." The young Hydra smiled happily, "I will definitely agree."

"It's just a simple thing. I hope I can work with you as before."

Marina smiled and spoke softly.

During the days when Xitana had nothing to do, Xitana would come to Anther's study from time to time, or be called to the study by Anther, forcing Marina to choose to give in.

She no longer worked with Anser, but stayed in her room to process documents.

"Ah? That's it?" Sitana scratched her cheek. "I thought it was something else. It's such a small matter. Why ask Hydra so seriously, Lina?"

She said it nonchalantly, as if trespassing into Anser's study was as easy as eating and drinking.

"At the same time," Marina said softly, not looking at her sister.

"I hope that you will refuse to allow Xitana to enter the study while I work with you."

"Hmm... So there are requirements... Huh?!"

Before Anser could speak, Xitana instantly got furious. She turned her head and stared at Marina, confused and slightly annoyed: "Lina, what do you mean?"

"literal meaning."

Marina said to Xitana very gently and kindly, "Xi'er, Lord Hydra is very tired from dealing with documents every day, and I am not capable enough. I might be disturbed by you. Just think of it as a good thing for the civilians of the Red Frost Territory. Can you not disturb me?"

This sentence touched upon Hitana's increasingly inflated "self-righteousness". The girl hesitated for a long time, and finally curled her lips unwillingly: "Okay... I won't bother you guys anymore in the future."

So, Marina turned her hopeful eyes to Ansher.

"Of course I have no objection." Ansher also looked at Marina. That look seemed different from before, and it was somewhat meaningful, making the girl's heart beat faster, her body burning, and her blood boiling.

But it didn't bring any tension to Marina, only a kind of happiness that she had never experienced before.

"Thank you for your kindness."

Marina lifted her skirt and saluted Anser: "I will definitely not let you down. This is for all the poor people in the Red Frost Territory."

And for... you.

Ps:

Yesterday, a reader reminded me that the progress was a bit slow. I originally wanted to write a section about the constant conflicts between Cittana and Marina, and Marina's gradual numbness in the end, but after thinking about it, it seems that it will take another ten thousand words, so I will just briefly finish it in one chapter. Anyway, the foreshadowing in the previous part is already sufficient. I hope you don't think Marina's changes are abrupt. QQ group: /;榴吧贰壹7七壹榴

Chapter 58: Xitana's Suffering

Life is such a wonderful thing.

Hitana, who was racking her brains to think of how to expose the footage of Earl Solidstone's meeting, now began to worry about something on another level.

Anser promised her that he would distribute the coal to the poor people in the Red Frost Territory before the great cold wave came. This was a good thing, a very good thing!

The horrific cold wave in the north is one of the main reasons why this vast land can never be compared with the central region of the empire. Crops, livestock, population, and even infrastructure... are likely to suffer serious damage in the cold wave.

If it weren't for an emperor five hundred years ago who built the Tower of Eternal Flame at the northernmost tip of the north, which could reduce the lethality of the great cold wave by 60 to 70 percent, this land would have been a dead and hopeless place where only powerful monsters could survive.

——Of course, the emperor at that time was just attracted by the rich mineral resources in the north, so he expanded the borders of the empire without thinking too much about it.

In short, Xitana has experienced two major cold waves in her life. They were not as terrible as she expected, but they still left a deep impression on her. These two cold waves emptied out everything in their family. If they did not do this, the coal would not be enough to last until the cold wave ended. And after each major cold wave, many people in the village would die.

Elderly people who do not want to add to the burden will even take the initiative to walk into the wind and snow, and end their humble lives in a painless way in the extreme cold.

Ansher was willing to listen to her and take out so much money to help the poor people in Chishuang Territory overcome their difficulties. How could she not be happy?

Then, as I was feeling happy...I suddenly became sad.

"I'm so annoyed... I'm so annoyed..."

The girl who was sitting cross-legged in the room was leaning on the coffee table, poking at the shadow crystal with her hand.

"It's rare for Hydra to do such a good thing so directly. It would be a shame to ruin his reputation."

Miss Young Wolf was very distressed about this. On the one hand, she hoped that Anser's policies that benefited the civilians of the Red Frost Territory could be truly and thoroughly implemented. On the other hand... she didn't want Anser to lose his reputation, which he valued, because of this incident.

"Why didn't you do this earlier? You have to give me such a headache. That Hydra guy is so annoying!"

Her white and tender snow-white feet kicked the table legs. Shitana could only complain to herself and could not talk to Anser.

Ever since Marina made that request, she hasn't seen Anser even once today. The reason is very simple - she has to count the poor families in the entire Red Frost Territory, distribute the coal to every noble, and ensure that they don't embezzle the coal. At the same time, there is procurement, distribution, transportation management, etc.

Hitana's words "distribute coal to all the poor people in the Red Frost Territory" sound simple, but no one knows how complicated the steps are and how heavy the workload is. Coupled with the approaching severe cold wave, the difficulty of this task can almost be said to be hell-level, so Anser gave Marina such an incredibly great authority.

Even though the work is done by the people below, neither Ansher nor Marina are the kind of people who would just give orders and then do nothing else.