Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

Chapter 26: The Show Begins

"Your Highness, you know how strained the relationship between Lynn and that arrogant fool is. Why did you arrange for them to work together?"

In the study, Afia, in her black cat form, sprawled lazily across Yveste's desk and asked curiously.

During breakfast earlier, Afia had sensed several times that Lynn wanted to greet her. However, remembering the unpleasantness between them, she felt a surge of anger and chose to ignore him. Yet, after the meal, she went straight to Yveste, voicing her curiosity.

Yveste, still reviewing documents, responded absentmindedly, "Do you think I’m favoring Rhine?"

"Aren’t you?"

Afia tilted her head in confusion, licking her sleek fur.

"You're overthinking." Yveste shook her head. "What you should be worried about isn’t his safety but rather how badly Rhine is going to suffer."

From the start, her arrangement had nothing to do with favoring Rhine. She simply wanted to give Lynn a chance to vent his frustrations. After all, Lynn had been badly beaten by Rhine that night, and judging from his behavior at breakfast, he was likely still holding a grudge.

This arrangement was Yveste’s way of compensating Lynn. As for the task she had assigned to Greya earlier, that was just a smokescreen. What she truly wanted was to see how Lynn would handle the placement of over three hundred commoners. To avoid drawing attention to her interest in him, she subtly delegated the task through Greya.

While pondering, Yveste extended her hand and gently scratched Afia’s chin. The little black cat squinted contentedly and purred in happiness.

---

After leaving the dining hall, Lynn followed Rhine back to the underground passage.

Compared to the entire underground facility, the prison area was only a small section. Passing through the maze-like corridors, they eventually reached a more spacious area.

Since it was daytime, few guards were stationed in the facility. Even so, Lynn and Rhine were subjected to several layers of security checks, including a full-body search. They even passed through lanterns capable of dispelling disguises to ensure they weren’t imposters.

Lynn looked up, finding himself in a deep corridor whose destination was unclear.

The corridor was narrow, and strange noises echoed through it.

Sometimes it sounded like someone scratching at a door with their nails; other times, it was the squishy sounds of slime. Occasionally, there were even low, guttural growls that clearly didn’t belong to humans.

The dim lighting and eerie atmosphere made the place especially unsettling. Just being there was enough to drive anyone’s sanity to the brink.

To cope, the guards stationed here were rotated frequently, and their mental health was evaluated daily to ensure they hadn’t been corrupted by the curses lingering in the air.

In the past, neither the estate nor the entire city of Orne had any way to deal with these terrifying anomalies. Thankfully, with the Princess's aid, they gradually uncovered methods to contain them.

In simple terms, items that could be safely used by humans and posed minimal or no danger were called extraordinary items.

Conversely, those extremely hazardous objects that could cause injuries or even disasters were classified as ancient cursed relics.

Most extraordinary items were human-made, ranging from trivial things like freezing bullets and magic stones to significant inventions like steam trains and ironclad ships.

Ancient cursed relics, however, were shrouded in mystery. Some even had sentient awareness.

Nevertheless, by understanding their rules and paying the necessary price, these relics could provide unimaginable benefits.

Standing amidst the dark, eerie surroundings, Lynn remained silent.

Clearly, he was mentally resilient. After all, he had endured nearly half a month of psychological torment from the system without breaking, a testament to his unyielding willpower.

Although the two men walked in silence, Rhine eventually spoke up.

"Straight ahead, then turn left. The armory is in the room at the end of the hall. You can choose a weapon for self-defense. If you pick a firearm, you can also get some extraordinary bullets."

Seeing Rhine’s sudden display of goodwill, Lynn gave him a look of genuine gratitude.

"Thank you, young master. I never expected you to be so kind. How about this? From now on, I won’t call you ‘gay young master’ in front of others anymore. Of course, if you want me to call you that, I still can. Personally, though, I hope—"

"Shut up!"

The moment Lynn mentioned that word, Rhine looked as if he had swallowed a fly. His expression turned sour as he shot Lynn a cold glare before storming off without another word.

Watching Rhine’s angry retreat, Lynn pondered silently.

It wasn’t hard for him to guess why Yveste had arranged for Rhine to accompany him here. If someone like Rhine wasn’t put firmly in his place, he’d only become a bigger nuisance in the future.

To Lynn, Rhine was nothing more than a petty clown.

Even though Lynn was well aware of Rhine’s malicious intent, he followed along indifferently.

After all, someone like Rhine didn’t warrant his attention.

No one in this world could truly make Lynn suffer!

Except for that damned woman.

He thought bitterly before stepping deeper into the corridor.

---

Sure enough, he’s too full of himself.

Watching Lynn stride ahead confidently, his face showing no fear but rather curiosity, Rhine smirked coldly.

At that moment, he sat in a small lounge, a quaint mirror resting on the table before him.

But this was no ordinary mirror.

In its center, a swirling mist-like particle condensed, displaying a clear image of the underground chamber.

Seeing Lynn enter the designated room without hesitation, Rhine finally relaxed.

As expected, Lynn had followed his instructions perfectly.

"You look so smug it’s disgusting," a voice suddenly sneered.

Rhine instinctively looked up to find a petite figure seated across the table.

The woman wore a loose white coat, her signature short brown hair messy and unkempt.

"Milanie? Why are you here?" Rhine frowned, clearly displeased.

"I ran into Miss Milanie on the way here, so I invited her along," a shadowy figure answered from the darkness. Morris, the shadowed man, slowly emerged from the wall.

Milanie yawned, speaking lazily, "That kid is a valuable test subject. Don’t you dare damage him."

Rhine scoffed. "Are you here to interfere with me?"

"No, just to watch." Morris glanced at Rhine. "I have a feeling things are about to get interesting."

Milanie shrugged. "I’m just here to see if that kid really has what it takes to stand by Her Highness’s side and assist her."

"Then stay out of my way!" Rhine snapped impatiently, waving them off.

He turned back to the mirror, a sinister smile creeping across his face as he watched Lynn, now standing uncertainly in the center of the room.

The show was about to begin!

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