Hearing Sian's question, the young woman answered indifferently. "Why should I hold a grudge? In fact, I even think you did a good deed. I always hated him."
"That's good since I don't intend to apologize," Sian replied.
"It doesn't matter, I don't intend to thank you either. But I must admit you were quite daring," she said with a hint of respect. "Breaking into the mansion in the middle of a party and killing the Duke along with all the elite guards isn't something anyone could do."
"Well, when I found out the culprit behind the chaos in my life, I couldn't resist the urge to strangle him with my own hands." Sian clenched his fist, displaying visible anger that caused passersby to move away.
"After you killed him, the kingdom never revealed what he did, only that it was something unforgivable. But looking at your expression, it seems he must have done something terrible," she observed, her eyes with a hint of curiosity.
"That scum abducted children from orphanages under the guise of adoption, abusing them and subjecting them to experiments... Because of him, I lost people who were dear to me," Sian took a deep breath. "But let's change the topic. How did you end up here?"
"I was trying to escape from home. As I mentioned before, my brothers were always coveting me, making unwanted advances, touching my breasts 'by accident,' and even trying to get close to my thighs and buttocks whenever they had the chance. It was disgusting. I wish I could have thrown them into a pot of boiling oil," she grimaced, disgusted.
"The oldest of my brothers was the only one who didn't harass me, but he had his own plans. He always helped me cancel the marriages our father arranged, but I had a feeling he intended to make me his concubine when he had the courage to confront our father."
"If it was that bad, why didn't you run away before?" Sian asked.
"Running away wouldn't have been so simple. My father would have noticed the moment I stepped out of the mansion. I needed a carefully thought-out plan," she explained.
"At first, I could bear the situation to some extent and didn't rush to escape. I waited for the right moment. But when you killed our father, I knew it was the right time. Shortly after, my older brother confessed his feelings for me, and things got worse. I had to endure until I found a safe way out. But the final straw was when I overheard my sisters plotting to use me as an offering to you."
"So they intended to give you as a gift to me?" Sian was surprised.
"Yes, that's why I ran away in a hurry and got caught by bandits. Then I was sold to that old man, and now here I am, in your hands. Fate has been cruel to me. It's hard to be perfect; even the heavens seem to be jealous," she sighed.
"Somehow, that offends me. I'm not that bad..." Sian said defensively.
"I've heard rumors about your lecherous behavior, even Uncle Frank's royal harem didn't escape your hands. I didn't want to become just another plaything like those poor women," she admitted.
"Those are just rumors, don't believe everything you hear," Sian retorted as he averted his gaze.
"Your expression says otherwise," she pointed out.
"Let's not dwell on that. It's getting late, don't you think? Let's get the things you need," Sian changed the subject.
***
After quickly buying what they needed, they returned to the inn. Standing in front of the door, the young woman looked around with a critical eye. "Is this the inn I'll be in charge of? Though it looks a bit worn out, with my skills, it will become the best inn in the world in no time."
"No, I haven't built it yet. I need to find someone for that. Tomorrow, I'm going to the duchy to hire builders," Sian explained.
The young woman got excited at Sian's words. "In that case, you can leave the blueprint of the inn to me."
"You?" Sian gave her a doubtful look.
"Yes, but I'm not talking about the construction itself, but about the blueprint of the inn."
"I think I'd better not, I'm going to find someone who really understands," Sian said.
"I understand, and I can prove it. From today to tomorrow, I will prepare a blueprint, and you can evaluate it. After that, it's up to you whether you use it or not."
"Very well, then I will wait until the day after tomorrow."
Judging by how confident she looks, it didn't hurt to give her a chance.
After passing the receptionist's desk, Sian said, "I don't know if it's my impression, but I feel that people are looking at us strangely since we left that old man's tent, even the receptionist had the same look..."
"They must be impressed by my beauty. It's not every day they can see someone like me walking around," the young woman said proudly.
"Well, I guess this time I have to agree with you..."
The moment he entered the room, Emily greeted Sian cheerfully, but for some unknown reason, she suddenly ran away like a frightened puppy with her tail between the legs and hid behind Ophilia, who was looking the young woman up and down.
Though he bought clothes for her, she still hasn't had a chance to change the tiny fabrics that only covered her important parts.
"She's not what you might be thinking," Sian said nervously.
"I don't care if you have more women. Besides, she is so beautiful," Ophilia said, admiring the young woman.
"Really?" Sian asked, surprised and happy, but quickly suppressed his expression. "Ahem, I mean, she's not my woman."
"You don't have to hide it. I may not be from nobility, but I know it's common for men to have several women," Ophilia said calmly.
Emily, still hiding behind Ophilia, asked timidly, "Did Daddy use violence to bring this woman home?"
"Violence?" Sian looked confused. "Why would you think Daddy would use violence to bring her?"
"The teacher said that Daddy uses violence to get women and then plays with them," she replied.
Sian turned to the young woman and immediately understood Emily's concern. She had some bruises on her arms and abdomen.
While mentally cursing the old man for not trying to convince her using dialogue, Ophilia said worriedly, "I don't think it's good to use violence to get women, you know?"
"No-no, it's not like that. She is an old friend of mine that I met when I was coming back. She was robbed and lost everything. When I saw her, she was being beaten by some guys who wanted to take advantage of her, so I helped her and brought her here," Sian explained hastily, trying to maintain a calm expression to avoid exposing his lie.
'Agree with me, and I owe you a favor,' he sent a telepathic message to the young woman, who seemed slightly surprised.
"He tells the truth. He saved me from the bullies who wanted to take advantage of my beauty," the young woman said sadly as her eyes filled with tears. "*sniff* They wanted me to use my divine and perfect body to make money for them. *sniff* It was so scary. If Sian didn't show up at that moment, *sniff* I don't know what would have happened to me. *sniff* Just remembering it makes me want to cry *sniff*."
She started to cry softly, covering her face with her hands. Ophilia embraced her with a kind and welcoming expression, saying, "Don't worry, you'll be fine now. We're here with you."
As Ophilia comforted her, the young woman seemed even sadder, displaying convincing emotions.
She was a good performer. If it wasn't arranged, he would definitely believe it.
Sian crouched down and patted Emily's head. "See? Daddy is not as bad as your teacher says."
"Really?" She asked, still uncertain.
"Really really, Daddy would never lie to you." Sian offered her a cookie, which she eagerly took into her mouth.
"Yay, I knew Daddy wasn't a bad person." She jumped, hugging him around the neck.
Seeing her tail wagging at full speed, Sian sighed in relief. Children are so honest and easy to deceive.