"Lady Shogun, are you alright?"
Luo Qing asked timidly, pretending to be clueless about what had transpired.
On the other side, the Raiden Shogun's brows furrowed as she pressed the tip of her sword into the ground, deliberately avoiding Luo Qing's gaze. She found that whenever their eyes met, an uncontrollable joy would surge in her chest—a sensation so strong that she had the absurd urge to draw closer to him.
Just a single glance, and she was already like this. If she looked any longer...
"Is the Shogun feeling unwell? Perhaps you should sit and rest for a moment?"
Luo Qing's voice was full of concern, though he feigned innocence as if none of this had anything to do with him.
"This body..."
The Raiden Shogun glanced up at Luo Qing once more. In just that instant, the overpowering feeling flooded her again, forcing her to turn away.
No, she couldn't bear to look, not even for a second.
"How could this be..."
From the moment of her creation, her heart had only been dedicated to one purpose: fulfilling her mission and ensuring Inazuma's eternal stability. Yet, after merely looking at Luo Qing a few times, a strange and foreign emotion had taken root inside her—an emotion that was beginning to shake the very foundation of her beliefs.
Logically, anything that might obstruct her path to eternity should be removed. Even her own superfluous emotions needed to be severed.
By all rights, she should have cut down Luo Qing with a single stroke, erasing any lingering thoughts from her heart. Just moments ago, she had been determined enough to draw her sword. But now... why did that resolve waver after just a few seconds?
For a warrior, hesitation when holding a blade was an unforgivable error.
"Lady Shogun?"
Seeing her standing motionless, Luo Qing cautiously ventured another question.
By now, he understood that the solid 15-point increase in her affection had pushed this puppet to her limit. Although her mental acuity might not be the best, her martial prowess was unparalleled. If it had been any other girl, Luo Qing would have already offered a comforting hand to help her sit down. But this was the Raiden Shogun—a being capable of splitting mountains with a single stroke. If he overstepped and she reacted out of instinct, it could end badly.
"Perhaps... we should sit down and have some tea first?"
Luo Qing suggested gently as he called out towards the door.
"Natalia, come and bring some tea!"
Moments later, the creaky sound of footsteps echoed from the wooden hallway, accompanied by a tired yawn. Natalia, still half-asleep, rubbed her eyes lazily as she slid open the door.
"Uh, Luo Qing... why are you asking for tea so late? Won't it keep you up all—wait, who is...?"
Her sentence trailed off when she noticed the other presence in the room—a stunning woman, her face flushed, with a presence as commanding as it was alluring.
The deep cleavage of her chest, her smooth and snowy white shoulders... Natalia knew exactly who this was! She had spent hours poring over intelligence reports about the Raiden Shogun, and now here she was in the flesh!
Even her photos had almost been licked clean by Natalia's enthusiasm!
"Why are you just standing there? Go fetch the tea!" Luo Qing quickly shot Natalia a warning look, hoping she wouldn't do anything rash.
"Y-yes, Lord Luo Qing!"
Natalia scrambled out of the room. A few moments later, she returned, carrying a steaming teapot.
However, when she entered the room, she saw that nothing had changed. Luo Qing and the Raiden Shogun were still standing exactly where they had been, in the same positions as before. Puzzled, she asked:
"Lord Luo Qing, are you... planning to drink tea while standing?"
"Ahem, you're right. Lady Shogun, why don't we sit down and talk over tea?"
Luo Qing made a show of casually sitting down at the tea table, extending his right hand to invite the Raiden Shogun to join him.
The fact that the Raiden Shogun had suddenly come to him in the middle of the night meant she didn't want anyone else knowing about their encounter. As a god governing an entire nation, her actions needed a legitimate pretext. Even if she wanted to kill Luo Qing, she would need a justifiable reason.
By bringing Natalia into the room for tea, Luo Qing ensured that there was a witness present. The Raiden Shogun couldn't act rashly now without just cause.
After a brief moment of hesitation, the Raiden Shogun glanced at Natalia, then waved her right hand. Her sword vanished in a flash of lightning, and she silently sat down across from Luo Qing. Yet, she kept her gaze lowered, avoiding his eyes.
Seeing that she had finally sat down, Luo Qing shot Natalia another meaningful look—one that said to stop ogling the Raiden Shogun and hurry up with the tea.
"O-oh, right! Coming!"
Natalia snapped out of her daze, set the tea set between them, and carefully poured hot tea into their cups. Every now and then, she stole glances at the breathtaking woman before her—truly an image of an ideal wife.
Sluuurp...
After serving the tea, Natalia reluctantly left the room. However, she didn't go far. Instead, she tiptoed back to the door and pressed her ear against it, eavesdropping.
Being her long-time superior, Luo Qing knew Natalia's tricks well.
"Natalia, if I catch you eavesdropping, you know what will happen."
Immediately, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the hall, fading away.
Confident that Natalia was gone, Luo Qing adopted a soothing tone.
"Lady Shogun, I still don't understand what I've done to offend you..."
"Don't play dumb. If you hadn't meddled with me, why would I..."
The Raiden Shogun's voice trailed off, and she prepared to confront Luo Qing directly. However, the moment their eyes met, that strange emotion surged through her again, causing her to lower her gaze.
She now looked more like a girl who had made a mistake but was too stubborn to admit it.
"What do you mean, I meddled? Lady Shogun, what exactly have I done?"
Luo Qing played the innocent, realizing by now that she was merely guessing. She hadn't actually detected the use of his system's item.
So long as he kept denying it, she had no proof to pin anything on him.
"Earlier at the Tenshukaku, I merely caught a glimpse of your divine visage. Is it truly a crime to admire you from afar?"
"I..."
Caught off guard by his relentless questions, the Raiden Shogun was momentarily thrown off balance. No one ever dared speak to her like this. She had never practiced the art of conversation, and now Luo Qing had the upper hand.
Of course, this advantage was purely because it was Luo Qing. Had it been anyone else, she would have cut them down long ago.
Frustrated and overwhelmed by feelings she didn't fully understand, the Raiden Shogun found herself in a dilemma—she couldn't strike down the person who was disrupting her heart, yet she also couldn't retreat.
Seeing her hesitation, Luo Qing knew his life was safe for now. His task was to buy enough time for these new emotions to settle, knowing they might stabilize soon enough.
Just as he was about to press his advantage further, the Raiden Shogun's eyes shifted, as if receiving a silent command.
"She... wants to see you."
Before Luo Qing could react, the Raiden Shogun's sword reappeared in her hand, crackling with lightning.
With a single slash, darkness swallowed the space around him.
---
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