The next day, as the first ray of sunlight penetrated the room, Laine opened his eyes.
He got out of bed, changed his clothes, and began another day's work as a butler.
Laine had adapted to his role as a butler quite naturally and quickly.
After last night's magic tutoring session with Nanaly, Laine discovered that he had grown fond of this proud yet resilient little girl.
If his butler duties only involved taking care of Nanaly, it didn't seem so bad after all.
When he opened the door, he saw the maid sisters Daili and Daisy mopping the floor - they had clearly been working for some time already.
And here he thought he had woken up early...
"Good morning, Mr. Laine," the two sisters greeted him with bright smiles. Laine nodded and returned their greeting before heading off to fetch water to wash his face.
"I've already prepared the morning washing water, including your portion, Mr. Laine," Daili suddenly said.
Laine paused for a moment, then smiled and nodded at Daili: "Thank you for your hard work."
"It's no trouble at all. Please go ahead and wash up, Mr. Laine. You'll need to escort the young lady to the academy soon."
Olcott Academy allowed students to bring either a knight guardian or private butler onto the grounds, though only one was permitted - it was something of a status symbol.
After washing up, Laine went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.
Daisy drifted over, following the aroma, with drool at the corner of her mouth: "Mr. Laine, what's for breakfast today?"
"Why ask what it is? Just wait until it's time to eat." Laine put his hand on Daisy's face and pushed her away as she leaned closer to the pot. "Shoo! Don't drool into the pot!"
Just as Laine finished plating the food and was about to wake Nanaly, her door opened and she walked out yawning, her face showing clear signs of exhaustion.
Her usually smooth golden hair was now a messy bird's nest.
Nanaly was wearing the Olcott Academy uniform - a beige ensemble with a skirt, a red ribbon at the collar, and white over-knee socks. It perfectly suited the noble academy's atmosphere.
To Laine's eyes, it made Nanaly look even more adorable.
"Young lady, it's time to wash up."
Seeing Nanaly in this state, Laine had already guessed that she probably hadn't slept all night.
As Laine suspected, after finally mastering the magic she had long dreamed of learning, Nanaly had tossed and turned in bed all night, too excited to sleep.
"Coming," Nanaly replied, rubbing her eyes as she walked toward Laine.
The maid sisters Daisy and Daili exchanged glances with strange expressions.
Since Butler Lamb's passing, they had spent the most time with Nanaly in the mansion.
They understood Nanaly's personality very well.
Usually, when called to wash up, Nanaly would at most respond with a nod, never showing a pleasant expression to anyone.
Yet now, facing Laine whom she had only met yesterday, young lady Nanaly actually said "coming"?
The sisters blinked and then looked at Laine with admiration.
As expected of Mr. Laine!
Laine didn't know how difficult it was to get Nanaly to say "coming," but he was happy that their relationship seemed less distant than yesterday.
After Nanaly finished washing up, Laine pulled out a chair for her and let the still drowsy Nanaly sit down, preparing to dry her hair.
After absorbing most of the moisture from Nanaly's golden hair with a towel, Laine silently recited a spell, and gentle breezes began flowing from his palms.
"Laine," Nanaly's eyes finally showed some life as the wind magic dried her hair. "Where did you learn your magic?"
This was something Nanaly had been curious about since the previous night.
"The one who taught me magic was an elf," Laine answered honestly.
An elf?
Nanaly grew even more curious.
However, due to her personality, Nanaly suppressed her curiosity and didn't ask further, avoiding being seen as overly inquisitive by Laine.
Still, to think Laine's magic instructor was a genuine elf - no wonder he understood magical theory so well.
After drying Nanaly's hair, Laine ran his fingers through her golden locks.
It was very smooth and felt nice, reminding him of the round furball monsters he often encountered in demon territory during his time in the Knights' Order.
Those furball monsters were only palm-sized, barked fiercely but were completely harmless. Laine would often catch one to play with during his breaks.
Sitting down, Nanaly took the knife and fork Laine handed her and began enjoying her breakfast.
Laine stood behind Nanaly, quietly watching her eat.
Suddenly, Nanaly turned to look at Laine, trying hard to maintain an aloof expression as she asked, "Have you eaten?"
Laine shook his head.
"Sit down and eat with me."
"Hmm?"
Laine paused, making a questioning sound.
"I don't mean anything by it, it's just... you need to take me to the academy later, and I won't have time to wait for you to eat breakfast..."
As she spoke, Nanaly turned away, her voice growing increasingly quiet.
"Wow..." the maid sisters whispered together, huddling close. Young lady Nanaly was actually being shy? How cute!
"It would be my honor."
Laine hadn't noticed Nanaly's shy expression, and after responding in proper butler fashion, he went to the kitchen to get his portion of breakfast.
What Laine hadn't noticed was that after his formal response, Nanaly's shy expression instantly fell.
After finishing breakfast in silence, Nanaly wiped her mouth and jumped down from her chair: "Shall we go?"
"Indeed." Daili stood with perfect posture, smiling with narrowed eyes. "The church bells should ring any moment now. If you two don't leave soon, you might be late."
Laine & Nanaly: "!!"
"Dong—Dong—"
The church's great bell rang right on cue, signaling that it was time for Atte City to face a new day, and for its residents to head out to work.
There were only ten minutes left until classes started at Olcott Academy!
Laine immediately picked up Nanaly and rushed out of the mansion to the stables.
The skinny horse Laine had brought yesterday was leisurely eating hay in the stable, and it whinnied familiarly upon seeing Laine.
Placing the now somewhat stiff Nanaly on the horse's back, Laine mounted behind her, holding the reins with one hand and securing Nanaly with the other:
"Hold tight, young lady!"
"Huh?"
Nanaly seemed to have just come back to her senses when she made this confused sound, and in the next moment, Laine had already raised the reins.
"Snap!"
The skinny horse let out a long whinny before charging out of the stable and through the mansion gates like the wind, galloping swiftly toward Olcott Academy.
Nanaly almost cried out in surprise but forced herself to swallow it back, her little face turning red from the effort.
With her eyes tightly shut, Nanaly unconsciously grabbed onto Laine's clothes, as if trying to burrow herself into his body.
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
Explosive Plot Song Gua crossed over into another world, bringing along a whole crew of his doppelgangers—all of them mischief-makers. This was a world where everyone could choose a class. Song Gua became a "Bondweaver," capable of borrowing power, while his doppelgangers took on a wide variety of classes, covering just about everything. The number of doppelgangers grew day by day, each one a talented individual with a charming way of speaking. Under Song Gua's brilliant leadership, they would "greet" each other daily and engage in friendly "sparring," pulling off one major scheme after another on Earth. Sometimes they were bandits—stealing bosses, plundering mines, snatching resources. Sometimes they were saviors—descending like divine warriors to face world bosses threatening to massacre cities. Sometimes they even went undercover, infiltrating various major factions to stir up trouble from within, keeping their enemies constantly on edge. To prevent their doppelganger abilities from being exposed, Song Gua made them wear masks with mahjong tile patterns and don Taoist robes in various colors. "Remember, in front of outsiders, call me 'The Dice.'" "Got it! Boss!" "Not 'Boss'—it's 'The Dice.' Think about the vibe, pay attention to the vibe." "Yes! Boss!" "For crying out loud..." From then on, whenever they appeared, they would have their own theme song playing: ~Hey~ paying respects at the mountain stronghold at night~ whose arm is draped over whose shoulder~ gather your courage and follow along...
esick Sect? Well, at least it's considered a respectable orthodox sect. Wait a minute— What kind of vibe are you all giving off? Shouldn’t this be a love-struck, romance-obsessed sect? Why does everyone here sound more like demonic cultivators? "Master, today he’s getting married. This disciple wishes to descend the mountain and crash the wedding, then toy with him to death right in front of his wife..." "Elder, I only got into your sect through connections, so why won’t you teach me anything?" "Because I also became an elder through connections." Thankfully, Su Ji was just an outer sect labor disciple. Surely, nothing too crazy would— "Junior Brother, you’ve broken through to Qi Refining. Once you sever your useless spiritual root, you can officially become an outer sect disciple." "The Great Dao is merciless. Don’t let a worthless spiritual root waste your essence and spirit, hindering your cultivation." Is this really the Lovesick Sect? ... Three years later, Su Ji sat in the seat of the Lovesick Sect’s sect master, sighing with emotion. His rise to this position all started when his junior sister adamantly insisted on preserving his "spiritual root." "Mmm... Senior Brother, what’s our relationship now?" "Stop talking. Keep going." "By the way, that newly promoted top-tier sect—didn’t they come to buy our Love Beans?" "One top-grade spirit stone per Love Bean—is that really so expensive?" "I suspect they’ve eaten too many Love Beans." "Now they’re lovesick." Well, this really is the Lovesick Sect after all.
nto another world, I bought a slave for the first time, never expecting the silver wolf girl to be so cute... Lin Feng: I know it's cold, but you don't have to sneak into my bed! Yuna: Just sharing body warmth, if you dare do anything naughty, I'll definitely...
