Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

Chapter 24: The Mess

The following morning, Lin En woke up with blank eyes, staring at the lavishly decorated ceiling above him.

How had things turned out like this?

With a trace of self-destructive resignation, Lin En yawned and sat up, getting dressed and preparing to freshen up.

At this point, he could be said to have completely boarded a pirate ship—every possible exit was blocked, and all retreat routes had been severed. As long as Ivyst’s tracking collar remained on him, he would never escape her grasp.

The thought of inevitably facing off against the protagonist group in the future filled Lin En with a sense of despair.

Though he wasn't sure if something like a "world consciousness" existed in this world, the very concept of plot deviation proved that they were walking the established path of the original storyline. This path ended at the edge of an abyss, with no chance of survival.

But now, it was too late. There was no other option.

For now, Lin En would have to play the part of a double agent, blending in with Ivyst’s team, and look for an opportunity to run when the time was right.

In order to escape from that woman, he might have to latch onto certain key characters from the original plot.

Of course, there was another method.

By altering the plot deviation around Ivyst and those close to her, Lin En could rack up massive system points, leveling up at an insane rate until he became stronger than Ivyst. At that point, he could break free on his own.

But this path was far more difficult.

In the past few days, Lin En had worked tirelessly, narrowly escaping multiple dangers, and had barely managed to nudge Ivyst's plot deviation by a small margin.

It was a long road ahead.

With a sigh, Lin En spat out the toothpaste foam from his mouth.

After washing up, he rang a bell.

A few seconds later, the maid Nina entered.

"Young Master Lin En, Her Highness has asked for you to meet with your companions in the dining hall once you wake up."

It was clear Nina hadn't yet shifted from her "guest" mindset, as she occasionally stole glances at him.

Unfortunately, Lin En wasn't in the mood for small talk. With a heavy expression, he nodded curtly. "Got it. Lead the way."

...

Augusta Manor was vast.

It took nearly ten minutes before Lin En, following Nina, arrived at the so-called dining area.

Though it was referred to as a "dining hall," the scene before him was nothing short of opulent.

Upon entering the main hall, he saw long dining tables made of expensive beech wood, with silver candleholders and fine tableware laid across the cloths.

At this moment, several people were already seated at the tables, chatting quietly while eating.

Lin En scanned the room and noticed that, besides Reinhardt and the maid named Kesha, he didn’t recognize anyone else in the room.

Oh, and there was a black cat crouching in the corner, licking meat paste off a plate.

The atmosphere was quite lively.

Even Ivyst, the princess, was sitting at the head of the table, wearing a half-mask that covered her face, leaving only her delicate chin exposed. She held her knife and fork with elegant precision, cutting her food in a rhythmic manner, bringing each bite to her soft red lips with grace. ȐàNO͍ВƐs̩

At the dinner table, she looked like a well-mannered noblewoman.

Lin En sneered inwardly.

Seems like she’s a “people person” after all, sitting here eating with her subordinates.

As if sensing Lin En’s judgmental gaze, Ivyst suddenly opened her eyes, locking onto him with unnerving accuracy.

Lin En’s expression immediately turned serious.

"Add another serving of breakfast," she said, ignoring Lin En and speaking softly to her maid Kesha.

Soon, a new plate was brought to the table, steaming with sausages and lamb chops.

Lin En looked around at the beechwood table, and chose a seat at the farthest corner.

At this moment, he felt several pairs of eyes from across the room subtly looking in his direction.

It seemed that with the arrival of a stranger and Ivyst’s implicit permission for him to sit, everyone was now eyeing the tall, handsome young man with varying degrees of curiosity.

Lin En didn’t care about their stares. He picked up his knife and fork and began to eat.

He had been starving all night, so the food tasted divine.

Seeing him eat so heartily, some of the people around him couldn’t help but display expressions of disdain.

Most of the people at the table came from noble backgrounds, with a few of them being knights who had followed Ivyst for years. While they didn’t hold titles, they were at least knighted.

But this unknown kid, who apparently just appeared out of nowhere, had no right to sit at the same table as them!

A few of them had their curiosity piqued.

Reinhardt, seated closest to Ivyst, looked at Lin En’s eating manner with disdain.

At the same time, his mind wandered back to the night a few days ago, when his anger flared up once more.

He vowed that one day, he would get back at Lin En for this humiliation.

Reinhardt, proud by nature, almost broke his fork in anger.

But with Ivyst present, he couldn’t act out.

He had no choice but to hold back for now.

"Let it go for now," he muttered bitterly to himself, hiding his frustration.

What he didn’t expect, though, was that trouble would come looking for him first.

"Homosexual, pass me the pepper, thanks!" Lin En suddenly called out loudly, his voice carrying across the table.

Too shameless!

This thought immediately flashed through everyone’s mind.

It was clear that the incident from that night hadn’t been forgotten by the residents of the manor. At least, most of the people in the room were now aware of it.

Though Lin En had later vaguely tried to explain it away, few people believed him.

As expected, Reinhardt exploded with fury.

“You!!!”

He was about to slam his hands on the table and stand up, but upon seeing Ivyst quietly eating in the distance, he instantly restrained himself.

Yes, Ivyst was here. How could he possibly lose his composure in front of her?

His forehead bulged with veins as he clenched his fists, but in the end, he bit back his anger.

"Enough, stop causing a scene," Ivyst suddenly said, cutting through the tension. "Let me introduce the new guy. His name is Lin En. You’ll be working together from now on."

“By the way, remember to go to the ‘cellar’ later to get your extraordinary equipment. You’re too weak right now. You don’t even have the means to protect yourself... Reinhardt, take him there.”

Reinhardt froze for a moment, then an uncontrollable joy spread across his face. "Of course, Your Highness."

If he got to take Lin En to the cellar, that would make things much easier.

Though he didn’t know why Ivyst had chosen to involve Lin En, it was undoubtedly a good thing.

With that thought, Reinhardt looked at Lin En with a cold smile.

Feeling the hostility in Reinhardt’s gaze, Lin En pretended not to notice and smiled brightly back at him.

This little episode was soon forgotten by most.

"Your Highness, Duke Tirus has once again rejected your invitation. What do you think...?"

Someone in the group began talking to Ivyst about political matters.

Seeing this, Ivyst furrowed her brows.

That old man.

She suddenly lost her appetite.

Bailor Tirus, one of the seven electors of the Saint Roland Empire, had the supreme power to elect the emperor. He was also Ivyst’s ultimate goal in coming to Olwen City.

Unlike other princes and princesses, Ivyst had never been favored by Emperor Roland VI or the major ministers.

She didn’t have the powerful maternal family they relied on, either.

That was why Ivyst needed support from external forces.

Her sole purpose for coming to Olwen City was to win over the middle-aged Duke Tirus.

With his backing, her position in the royal election would no longer be so tenuous.

Unfortunately, the old man was stubborn and, like most others, had a poor impression of Ivyst.

"This matter... we’ll discuss it later. Is there anything else urgent that needs attention?" Ivyst asked, trying to shift focus.

"Yes, Your Highness." The man nodded gravely. "You recently eradicated the Genesis Sect, which is a great victory for Olwen City. But the 300-plus innocent civilians you rescued from the sect have become a headache."

"It’s as if they’ve been brainwashed. They’re completely devoted to the teachings of the Genesis Sect, and they’ve become a danger to the city’s safety."

"Neither the City Council nor the Security Bureau are willing to take responsibility, refusing to let these 300 civilians enter the city."

"What should we do about this mess?"

Another troublesome issue had emerged.

Ivyst wasn’t good at handling matters involving common people.

After all, over 300 lives couldn’t just be discarded outside the city to die, and abandoning them would likely lead to other problems.

But killing them off was impossible.

What should she do?

Ivyst frowned in thought.

After a moment, she decided to pass this thorny task onto one of her subordinates.

She raised her head and glanced down the long table.

Soon, the unlucky candidate was chosen.

She looked at Lin En, who was sitting at the far corner, eating his meal.

Ivyst’s lips curled into a faint smile.