"The one behind the scenes?"
Ophelia furrowed her brows in confusion. "Isn't the one behind the scenes Laure, the Third Prince's trusted aide? Didn't Fred already kill him? Are you saying there's someone else behind Laure?"
Luo Wei nodded. "The incident was indeed triggered by Laure's attempt to summon an evil god, but you must understand, in the grand scheme of things, he was merely a pawn..."
Ophelia was instantly startled. She nervously grabbed Luo Wei's hand.
"You saw the being he tried to summon? You saw the evil god??"
Luo Wei looked at her seriously and nodded silently.
"Who is it? Which being is it?" Ophelia quickly asked.
Luo Wei decisively shook his head. "I can't tell you. If you knew its name, you would attract trouble too."
In many cases, simply knowing the name of an evil god or silently reciting its title in one's mind could lead to unpredictable consequences.
Countless investigators (protagonists in supernatural events, often professors, historians, or occultists) had been driven to despair or madness because of such knowledge. Faced with such terrifying entities, the only thing humans could do was to avoid drawing attention to themselves and suppress any unnecessary curiosity.
Luo Wei only wanted her to understand the gravity of the situation, not to bring unnecessary calamity upon her.
"Luo Wei..."
Ophelia was still sulking. She stared at Luo Wei with a mix of dissatisfaction and resentment.
"Can't we bear this together...? Don't you trust me...?"
Luo Wei shook his head again. "It's not that I don't trust you. How could I not trust you?"
"Then tell me!" she almost commanded.
Luo Wei simply looked at her silently, saying nothing more.
Their eyes locked in a prolonged silence until, finally, Ophelia let out an exasperated sigh.
"I guess I'm just useless. If I were as powerful as the great god Nodens, I wouldn't be afraid of these annoying creatures..."
Luo Wei, seeing her frustrated expression, thought she had come to her senses and smiled in relief.
But to his surprise, Ophelia's expression remained fierce. She crossed her arms and glared at him coldly.
"No matter what you think, you didn't tell me, so I'm angry!"
"So, you have to comfort me, or I won't let this go!"
Luo Wei chuckled and placed his hands on her soft shoulders. "How should I comfort you? Should I give you a shoulder rub?"
"Is a shoulder rub enough?" She raised an eyebrow, turning her entire chair around. Beneath her loose, white bathrobe, a pair of delicate feet stretched out toward Luo Wei's face.
Luo Wei stared at the pristine feet now inches from his face, momentarily stunned. "A foot rub?"
Ophelia nodded with a stern face. "Yes. Do it well, and there's a reward. Do it poorly—"
She narrowed her eyes dangerously. "There'll be punishment! A big punishment!"
Seeing Luo Wei's slightly dazed expression as he stared at her feet and his stiff posture, Ophelia thought this might be a humiliating act for him, or for any man.
She even began to wonder if she had gone too far, thinking that if he really didn't like it, she would stop pushing and choose a milder form of punishment...
But to her surprise.
Luo Wei's eyes suddenly lit up with fervor, and he eagerly grabbed her foot.
"Ah~"
Caught off guard, Ophelia couldn't help but let out a soft moan.
It tickles...
What is he doing?!
Luo Wei was now completely engrossed, his gaze fixed on the treasure in his hands as he gently "massaged" it, one motion after another.
His eyes grew bolder, traveling upward.
From the playful, delicate toes to the fair and exquisite ankles, and further up to the slender, pink-tinged calves and the firm, well-proportioned thighs with their graceful curves...
Luo Wei, the self-proclaimed foot masseur, shamelessly inspected the tantalizing glimpses of her pure white "absolute territory" beneath the loose bathrobe. It was all so breathtakingly beautiful.
This was no punishment—it was a reward!
"Luo Wei... Luo Wei!"
Ophelia was starting to panic. She had never noticed before that Luo Wei could be so...
Perverted?
What's so interesting about feet??
Ophelia, now both annoyed and embarrassed, tried to pull her foot back, but it was too late.
This guy! Just as she was about to scold him, regret filling her heart.
A sound of shattering glass came from the doorway.
Ophelia's gaze shifted to the side.
The maid, Susan, stood frozen in place, her mouth agape, her face as red as a ripe apple.
"Ah!"
"Sorry, sorry! Your Highness, please continue! I'll leave right away! I won't disturb you!"
She hastily bowed her head and fled the room like a startled deer.
Before leaving, she even thoughtfully closed the door behind her.
Ophelia sighed in exasperation.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Luo Wei hadn't even glanced at Susan. He was too absorbed, too lost in his own world to notice anything else.
"My skills aren't bad, right~"
He looked up at the blushing Ophelia with a grin, his hands applying more pressure with each stroke.
"Mmm... ah~ Wait! Wait!"
It did feel good, but...
This couldn't go on any longer!!
Ophelia finally managed to pull her foot back after much effort.
She glared at Luo Wei, both embarrassed and furious. When she saw his cheeky grin, her anger only grew.
Not only had her "punishment" failed to have any effect, but it had also made him so happy!?
This wouldn't do!
Ophelia pinched the flesh on Luo Wei's waist, making him yelp in pain.
"Ouch! Such an excellent foot masseur, and you're still not satisfied? Is this how you treat a respected therapist?"
"Hmph!" Ophelia snorted.
"You're so shameless, it's like the walls of the old capital! Disgusting and perverted!"
She tried to maintain a stern expression, but the corners of her mouth twitched, betraying her struggle to hold back a laugh.
"If I weren't shameless, how could I have won you over?" Luo Wei chuckled. "Isn't that right, my dear Fifth Princess?"
"Tch." Ophelia sneered. "You're such an idiot. What's so fascinating about feet, you fool?"
Luo Wei shook his head with utmost seriousness. "You don't understand."
With that, he returned to intently studying her feet, as if conducting some profound academic research.
Ophelia rolled her eyes in exasperation.
Then, she looked at Luo Wei again. "Had enough?"
"Not yet."
A slight smile crept onto Ophelia's lips.
"Really?"
"But next..."
"There's something even better to see~"
Luo Wei immediately looked up.