Chapter 63 - 59: Sleepless Night

Chapter 63: Chapter 59: Sleepless Night

Although Anna didn’t have the Master of Deceit Entry, she used her wisdom and exceptional gift for words to pull everyone into the atmosphere she created.

Through her own experience, she subtly conveyed a single fact to the many Heartless.

Lian had the power to help the Heartless.

Anna walked over to the Heartless, lifted the sleeve of one of the red-haired women, and revealed rows of clearly visible scars.

The Heartless had powerful regenerative abilities, which meant that such injuries could only indicate one thing: the red-haired woman was being abused every day.

"You must hate staying at the dessert shop, having to face those men with their special proclivities every day, right? You could choose to snap their necks, yet you’ve always chosen to endure it."

The red-haired woman froze for a moment, then nervously pulled her sleeve back down to cover her scars.

A strange emotion flickered in the eyes of the other Heartless.

Anna then walked over to another woman, this one dressed in a magnificent gown.

"Viscount Jamal despises illegitimate children. It must have been agonizing to watch him kill your newborn child with your own eyes."

The woman’s brow furrowed, but she didn’t refute the claim.

Lian, too, was a bit stunned. This was unexpected.

’I can’t believe Anna knows most of the people here.’

But Lian was sure that Anna hadn’t known they were Heartless before. She had no reason to deceive him.

As Anna spoke, the Heartless, once like a series of lonely islands, gradually connected into a single landmass. Their emotions began to resonate as one.

They silently railed against Mary’s cruelty and the injustice of their own fates.

No words were spoken, but the same expressions appeared on their faces.

Expressions of sorrow, helplessness, indignation, and despair.

Just then, Anna spoke again. "Let Lord Lian help us."

Everyone’s expression was visibly moved.

Lian thought that if Anna were in modern society, she could absolutely be the second-in-command of a pyramid scheme.

"Is... is what you’re saying true?"

Lady Vanessa was the first to ask.

Anna nodded slightly. "Every word I’ve said is true. Besides me, my younger sister was also saved by Lord Lian."

"Lord Lian can get our hearts back for us?"

The red-haired woman, whose beautiful face contrasted with her revealing clothes and scar-covered body, asked hesitantly.

Though she didn’t want to admit it, she was truly tempted.

Unlike the nobleman’s mistress or the independent businesswoman, she was a girl who had been assigned to a brothel. She had to handle different clients every day, sometimes encountering perverts. It made every day of her life unbearably bleak.

If she could get her heart back, she felt that even a life on the run would be better than what she was enduring now.

Lian nodded. "Well then, are you ready to make a deal?"

...

Lian didn’t sleep at all that night.

As the only man capable of "Cleaning Entries," he was under even greater pressure than Prison Director John.

He made hearts grow back in one Heartless after another, giving them a new lease on life.

In return, these spies swore eternal loyalty to him, becoming his double agents.

Lian promised that after Mary was dealt with, he would give them the chance to choose a new profession. If they no longer wanted to be spies, they could transfer to other departments.

And Lian only let them leave after confirming that they had all acquired the new "Heart of Loyalty" Entry.

And with that, Lian had his own team of spies.

Though they were no longer Heartless, lacking their superhuman Healing Power and frenzied bursts of strength, they had still undergone harsh training from a young age. They retained formidable survival skills and combat prowess comparable to a One-star Knight.

Most importantly, they were beautiful, skilled at socializing, and knew how to sway people’s emotions.

As for the red-haired woman from the dessert shop, Lian got her a new job: owner of the dessert shop.

That way, at least she wouldn’t have to face those customers with their strange kinks, and she wouldn’t have to suffer abuse any longer.

Lian harvested 15,000 Entry Points. Added to the 1,000 Points he had remaining, he now had a total of 16,000 Points, but it still wasn’t enough to unlock a new Entry.

That night, Catherine also lay awake.

Mina, hitching up her skirts, returned to Catherine’s bedroom, filled with righteous indignation.

"Miss Catherine, Lord Lian has absolutely no regard for you!"

"Mina, why would you say that?"

A flicker of disappointment crossed Catherine’s eyes. It was true that Lian had been incredibly busy lately, so busy that he could only occasionally spare a moment to see her. Their time together was extremely limited.

"Ever since he brought you to Green Shade Territory, he has barely come to see you! And he hasn’t announced your engagement to the whole city, much less held a grand engagement ceremony."

Mina plopped down on the sofa, her face flushed red with anger. "Today, today I saw him! I saw him take a whole flock of girls—so many girls—into his study! He’s just another one of those womanizers from the Moria Clan! He doesn’t care about you at all!"

"How many girls?"

Catherine rested her chin in her hand, watching Mina, whose cheeks were puffed out in anger like a hamster’s.

"Dozens, from the looks of it! I didn’t count. And the Guardian Witch was there too! That debauched Lord of Green Shade Territory... isn’t he afraid he’ll throw out his back?"

Mina planted her hands on her hips and fumed.

Hearing this, however, Catherine breathed a sigh of relief.

She knew Lian definitely wasn’t throwing the kind of orgy Mina was imagining.

"Miss Catherine, why aren’t you angry?"

Mina stomped her foot.

Catherine smiled. "Lord Lian is a Lord, and a Lord naturally has many matters to handle. As for the engagement ceremony, I was the one who suggested he postpone it."

"Why postpone it?"

Mina asked, confused.

"Because of the Red Itch Plague, the people of Green Shade Territory are already hostile toward Blue Moon Territory. Even though I’m from the Jackson Family, I can’t erase the anger in their hearts. Waiting until the Plague has completely subsided and then announcing the engagement after some time has passed is the only way the people of Green Shade Territory will be able to accept me."

Catherine explained rationally.

"Oh, so that’s how it is. But isn’t Lord Lian still too much of a womanizer? If he’s like this before you’re married, what will he be like after?"

Mina pressed on.

"Mina, you’re misunderstanding him. Since the Guardian Witch was also with him, that proves there was nothing improper going on."

"I think the Guardian Witch *is* the biggest problem between them,"

Mina pouted. Seeming to realize she had said too much, she lowered her head and mumbled weakly to Catherine, "I’m sorry, Miss Catherine. I promised you I would be more careful with my words."

"Mina, I know you genuinely mean well, but please don’t say such things in the future. Since I’ve decided to be his fiancée, I will choose to believe in him."

Catherine felt a pang of disappointment and resentment. Even though she knew a Witch could never marry, she couldn’t control the jealousy that welled up inside her.

Early the next morning, a knock came at Catherine’s door.