Chapter 81: Sisters’ Private Talk

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Hitana, who had been gurgling and blowing bubbles, nearly choked on the bathwater.

Her body instantly grew hotter than the steaming vapor, her hands flailing in the water, her voice shrill and off-key as she shouted, “Lina, Lina, Lina! What are you saying! Are you crazy!”

“What?”

Marina said with amusement, her teasing gaze cutting through the steam to land on her flustered sister.

“You don’t like Mr. Anselm?”

“No… it’s not that I don’t like him! It’s just, this kind of thing, I, I haven’t…”

The girl squirmed in the water, flailing her limbs, suppressing shyness while expressing joy.

Hitana’s response left Marina slightly puzzled: “Then why…”

“Don’t ask!” Embarrassed, Hitana loudly interrupted Marina, and to keep her mind from crashing, quickly countered, “What about you? What’s this about your own scent, Lina? You… you don’t mean every night you’re with…”

“Just self-pleasure.”

Compared to Hitana, her seemingly more mature sister said calmly: “I have stress too. Isn’t that normal?”

“…Oh, um.”

Hitana replied softly.

Then, silence fell between them.

After a long while, Hitana couldn’t help but ask, “Lina, when you do that, you’re not thinking of…”

“Not Mr. Anselm? Who else could it be?”

Marina laughed: “Do you think you’re the only one in this mansion who likes Mr. Anselm?”

Her blunt words and candid attitude shocked Hitana.

Lina, my sister… She likes Anselm too.

It shouldn’t be surprising, but… it’s still so strange!

“You haven’t done it?” Marina suddenly asked. “Thinking of Mr. Anselm, imagining what he might do to you, and then—”

“Aaahhh!”

Hitana shrieked, splashing toward Marina in the bath: “Don’t say it! Don’t say it!”

She looked ready to take Marina down with her.

“Seems like you have… but when I return to my room each night, there’s no scent. You wouldn’t notice such things, Hitana…”

Marina mused thoughtfully: “So, it’s… after training, you do it every time you bathe?”

“…”

Miss Hitana’s “corpse” floated silently on the bathwater.

“Being so shy won’t do, Hitana.”

Marina frowned slightly at her “dead” sister: “Mr. Anselm will never lack for girls. Fall one step behind, and you’re ten or a hundred steps behind. You’re by his side now—such a personality and behavior aren’t wasting your chance?”

Her critique was precise: “A very displeasing, even jealousy-inducing waste.”

“But… it’s, it’s not that easy to accept.”

Hitana lifted her head, mumbling pitifully, paddling like a puppy to Marina’s side.

“But if Anselm asked, I definitely wouldn’t refuse. If I would, I wouldn’t have—”

The flushed girl quickly covered her mouth.

If Marina knew what happened on this trip, I’d rather drown myself.

Marina glanced at her sister, not pressing the topic, and said calmly:“Don’t want something badly but refuse out of stubbornness, only to be ignored by Mr. Anselm. What you do then is your choice.”

“I’m not that stupid!” Hitana huffed, feeling her sister saw her as an idiot. “Who’d be dumb enough to refuse what they like?”

Marina chuckled, ruffling Hitana’s hair: “Good. And your ‘no way’ mouth but clinging body… Mr. Anselm might like that.”

“Um… not might, he definitely likes it.”

She pinched Hitana’s abs enviously, sighing: “Your figure is something to envy, Hitana.”

“Heehee, don’t tickle, stop it, sister!”

The two charming sisters, exuding feminine allure, played and laughed in the bath, relaxing.

“…Phew, Lina, why bring this up suddenly?”

Hitana straddled Marina, lazily resting on her sister’s shoulder.

“Because your scent was too strong,” Marina said.

“Don’t say that!” The wolf girl pounded her sister in embarrassment.

“Fine, fine. It’s because… Hitana, I’m seventeen, you’re sixteen.”

Marina said softly: “Mother had me at your age. Though we haven’t returned, girls your age in the village are probably looking for husbands, right?”

“First, lucky girls like us are rare. In this world, you need someone to rely on.”

“Second, at our age, desires surge, don’t they?”

She poked Hitana’s cheek, smiling: “I don’t want you to feel confused or ashamed of your desires. Liking Mr. Anselm, having those thoughts—it’s normal.”

“Who wouldn’t want to do those things with someone they like? Desire is love’s foundation, Hitana.”

Though only a year older, Marina guided Hitana like a mentor: “Mr. Anselm won’t dislike lustful girls.”

“He… of course he doesn’t,” Hitana said shyly yet relieved. “He’s such a pervert.”

I liked his perversion, the burning gaze when he looked at my body, the feel of his hands roaming my skin.

I loved how he indulged in my body—reward or punishment, when his unmasked desire fixed on me, my heart held unbearable shyness and growing sweet happiness.

Desire is love’s foundation—Lina’s right, so right!

“But—”

Marina, calm until now, suddenly turned serious:

“Hitana, you and Mr. Anselm haven’t gone that far, right?”

“I said no!”

“Other places?”

“…What do you mean, other places?”

“I mean…” Marina whispered in Hitana’s ear, poking her lips, pinching the full, healthy part below her waist she envied.

Seconds later, Hitana screamed incoherently, mixing Chishuang Territory slang, local idioms, and northern dialect, in a state of pure chaos.

“Seems not. Calm down, Hitana… Hitana!”

Marina frowned, swatting her incoherent, flustered sister, sending two waves through the bathwater.

“Ow!”

Hitana let out a sharp yelp, clutching the stinging spot but finally calming down.

“…Lina!” The wolf girl teared up at her sister. “You never did that before!”

“You just now noticed I’ve changed?” Marina raised her slender brows. “We’re discussing serious matters. Control yourself.”

“Is this serious?” Hitana muttered, rubbing her backside.

“Hitana.”

“I-I’m listening!”

Marina stared into her eyes, speaking gravely: “Mr. Anselm not going that far with you is good.”

“…Good?”

“Mr. Anselm’s nature makes him prone to desire, highly sensitive to it.”

Marina, who rigorously interviewed every woman in the masion, said: “So, that act, for him, is partly released, understand?”

Hitana, unused to such serious talk, blushed, scratching her face awkwardly: “Understand what?”

Marina sighed lightly. “Release means even in that act, Mr. Anselm invests little emotion. It’s a rational need, nothing more.”

“Mr. Anselm is rational and strong. The closer I am to him, the more I sense he bears burdens I can’t touch or comprehend.”

“Under such pressure, he even seals away his emotions until he has time to breathe or achieves his goals.”

“Though he seems gentle and forgiving, when deciding, no matter how cold or cruel, he never hesitates.”

Hitana thought of the coal aid matter, falling silent.

Looking back, I realized Anselm didn’t care about the poor’s fate as I’d hoped. Good and evil were illusions I projected onto him.

Anselm Hydra never claimed moral goodness; he relentlessly pursued his goals.

But I had no complaints.

After everything, seeing my future in Anselm’s memories, my black-and-white morality had softened. I also knew I had no right to demand Anselm be good or evil.

To do good, I’d rely on my own ability; to change Anselm, I’d need matching strength and capacity.

—I realized this after returning to Chishuang City.

“Back to the topic,” Marina continued. “That act is, to some extent, a release for Mr. Anselm. Even so, he’s not careless or rough; he cares about the woman’s feelings, gives respect.”

“But Hitana, understand this: beneath that care and respect, it’s still released.”

“No matter how gentle he seems, his emotions don’t waver, got it?”

I nodded thoughtfully, starting to grasp Marina’s words.

Marina patted my head, pleased: “The worst is sinking into his ‘release,’ knowing he feels little but willingly becoming a tool. That’s tragic, Hitana.”

Her calm tone wavered slightly, eyes lowered:

“Hitana, this world isn’t kind to women. Except for extraordinaries, most women must rely on men. Without Mr. Anselm, I’d likely marry a dependable man this year or next.”

“Women with no choice are forced by life, but we have choices, Hitana.”

She gently stroked my cheek:

“Don’t let your value lie only in fleeting pleasure. You’re a living, independent person.”

“What you should cherish is being Mr. Anselm’s follower; what you should revel in is the pride of bringing him glory, not just being a bedroom tool. That betrays his recognition and your own worth.”

“So, it’s good he hasn’t done anything to you—he doesn’t see you as just an object for desire.”

“Oh… hehe…”

I blushed, giggling, filled with relief and happiness.

“So, so…” I poked my finger, dazed, “Anselm, he… he kinda likes me, right?”

Marina laughed: “Mr. Anselm likes many people. Don’t get cocky over a little affection, Hitana.”

That annoyed me. I pouted, bumping her: “What do you mean he likes many? Does he like you too, Lina?”

“Of course,” Marina said matter-of-factly. “Mr. Anselm sees me as a woman.”

I panicked, grabbing her shoulders, shaking: “Lina, you, you haven’t done it with him, right? I haven’t even—”

“No.”

Marina patiently removed my hands: “Mr. Anselm respects me. In his eyes, my abilities outweigh this body’s value.”

Her lips curved, her admiration and love unreserved.

“I’m captivated by his recognition, by the cold rationality within it.”

“That’s why I don’t want to be that person, why I restrain my growing desires.”

“Until I give an answer that satisfies him, I’ll keep restraining myself.”

As Marina told me, those serving in Anselm’s manor, in the Hydra family, shared more than loyalty and fervor.

—They knew their place.

Not just doing their duty without overstepping, but even when ensnared by Anselm’s allure, they fulfilled their roles completely.

The maids admired Marina because, in so little time, she saw Anselm’s cold pursuit of “value”—no toys stayed by his side, only useful people.

They all wanted to do those things with Anselm, lost themselves in the act, but none saw it as their entirety. Weak, useless parasites didn’t belong with Hydra.

“Hitana.”

Finally, Marina held my cheeks, deadly serious: “For Mr. Anselm, your value far exceeds mine. Don’t disappoint him. Cherish your precious first time. When you give it to him, make it meaningful, okay?”

I hugged Marina tightly, moved by her heartfelt words. They pulled me from recent chaotic emotions, letting me face my desires calmly and see more of Anselm.

“Yeah, I got it, Lina.”

I grinned, waving my fist with enthusiasm: “I won’t be Anselm’s bedroom toy! I’m his comrade, the one and only in this world!”

“As for my first time…”

Fresh off my bold declaration, I squirmed a bit, saying shyly: “Lina, do you think… when my name echoes across the Empire, making Anselm proud, that’d be a good time?”

“That…” Marina chuckled. “When you feel it’s right, or if Mr. Anselm asks not just for release, I think either’s fine. Don’t overthink because of me and miss your chance, okay?”

“Got it!”

I nodded vigorously, then blushed, wrapping my arms around my sister’s neck: “When I’m ready… I’ll, I’ll help you out. There’s no better man than Anselm anyway, and if it’s you, Lina, I don’t mind.”

Marina laughed, rubbing my cheeks: “What, need me to push your hips in bed too?”

“No way!”

I shouted, then quietly asked Marina for books on that topic—claiming it was just to broaden my horizons.

Fifteen minutes later, brimming with energy, I decided to train extra today, storming out of the bath, leaving Marina alone.

“Phew…”

Five minutes after I left, Marina let out a long sigh.

It carried an indescribable mix of complexity… and guilt.

“Sorry, Hitana.”

The increasingly cunning Miss Marina whispered: “From how things look, I don’t have much time left.”

She raised her arm, gazing at her increasingly delicate, snowy skin, and said firmly:

“I said it before—this time, I won’t let you go first.”

In our heartfelt talk, Marina deliberately created a subtle atmosphere.

It suggested our young master Anselm, when doing that act, was like a split personality—either pure release or with emotion.

In truth, Anselm’s actions were usually a mix of both, just varying in proportion.

And she told a half-truth.

[Until I give an answer that satisfies Mr. Anselm, I’ll keep restraining myself.]

Who said… that answer had to be delivered in the distant future?

Speaking of Anselm’s cold cruelty, she knew his “kindness” better than anyone.

Handling his affairs, Marina saw his policies’ roots and aims more clearly than most.

Evil stems from two causes: a chaotic, wicked nature, or achieving a goal at any cost.

Relentlessly pursuing goals, one’s self often slips toward evil unchecked, growing crueler.

This cycle makes the two causes nearly indistinguishable.

But Anselm Hydra was different.

His “evil” had one cause—solving some heavy, incomprehensible problem, sparing no means.

Yet, in this ruthlessness, he never slid into personal evil. He wasn’t a madman gleeful at tragedy or a demon delighting in torment.

On the contrary, he didn’t mind improving things if it fit his plans—Marina, handling his affairs, knew this well.

Anselm Hydra’s coldness and cruelty showed only when he committed undeniable evil without hesitation, maintaining eternal rational indifference, observing all.

Morally, this was “evil,” and Anselm never denied it, always embracing his villainy.

But in reality, swayed by perspective and emotion, even I no longer judged Anselm by pure good or evil. Knowing this world’s cruelty, how could Marina despise him?

Call her fallen or hypocritical.

Marina, as she said, was captivated by Anselm’s respect and recognition, by the cold rationality beneath.

In the end, despite her growth, she was still a seventeen-year-old girl full of love.

“Per Mr. Anselm’s plan, your moment of fame isn’t far, Hitana.”

Marina stroked her skin, chuckling: “You’ve caused me so much grief. Me feeling sorry for you once isn’t a big deal, right?”

“Just… a small step ahead of you.”

Soaking in the bath, the young schemer showed a mix of youthful cunning and slyness.

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