A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

This caused Leiden's expression to change slightly, and he immediately explained to Ansel, "Sir, I assure you, I meant no offense to your daughter, please..."

"I don't want to stay any longer, Fa…ther."

Ravenna walked over to Ansel, taking his hand, "I want to leave now."

"Hmm? But I haven't found what I was looking for yet."

"But I don't want to... I..."

The petite scholar glanced at the man's astonished, panicked, and somewhat helpless expression, then closed her eyes, forcing herself to utter the nauseating words, "Please... Father."

"... Ah, well, if my little Helen says so."

Ansel rubbed the girl's head resignedly, then turned to Leiden, "I must be going, Mr.shopkeeper, sorry I couldn't buy anything, your shop is splendid though."

"Ah, no... no, no, no, the apology is mine to make, I might have indeed done something to discomfort Miss Helen, please forgive my rudeness..."

Leiden immediately responded in an even more humble tone, while Ansel simply smiled, "Perhaps my little Helen is just being a bit willful, but that can't be helped."

"After all, fulfilling a daughter's wishes is every father's duty, isn't it?"

"..." Leiden's expression stiffened slightly, but he still responded with a smile, "You are right, sir."

Ansel nodded slightly, leading Ravenna away from the shop.

Walking outside, down the street, Ravenna kept her head down, silent for a long stretch of road.

"What's the matter, little Helen?" Ansel inquired leisurely as they walked down a sparsely populated street, "You seem quite displeased. Was conversing with Mr. Leiden so distressing, my dear daughter?"

"Do not, address me, in that way, again," Ravenna replied icily, articulating each word with precision.

"Oh, you're angry."

The malevolent devil remarked, his face brimming with a smile

— A joyful, scornful, and indifferent smile.

"But do you have the right to be angry? Tell me, who was the one that volunteered to help me with my problems? Who was the one that brought me trouble? Who is the one now seeking my forgiveness?"

"My... daughter?"

If Ansel could feel pity for Ravenna's current plight, then Seraphina in the Red Frost Territory could have spent countless days earlier basking in blissful ignorance.

"What do you... know? About him, about my grandfather... what exactly happened... at that time?"

Ravenna's breathing was rapid, her voice betraying uncontrollable emotions, "This is what you wanted, isn't it? You wanted me to ask you this question, to make me pay the price... You've won, Ansel, you've won, I concede."

"You see, this is what I like about you, dear Miss Ravenna."

Ansel laughed as he pinched Ravenna's cheek, "Even amidst such chaos, you still manage to strike at the crucial point immediately, recognizing your place. Marvelous! In most cases, this is a commendable and impressive quality."

"—Except for the situation where one is powerless over anything."

His fingers slipped under her veil, feeling the fabric's texture and savoring the delicate touch of her skin, "However, I am actually enjoying this situation."

The young Hydral said with a radiant smile, "Because you know the answer, yet you still have no choice but to submit to my will, a scene that never fails to delight, no matter how many times I witness it."

"But you're still… lacking something now, Ravenna."

Ansel's expression turned cold again, "You haven't understood your current position, have you? You expect me to ask you for something? Is it I who need you, or... do you need me?"

"Do you think… anyone is entitled to pay the price to me?"

Watching Ravenna, who remained silent, Ansel's face quickly regained its smile.

"However, I'm pleased with this as well, because your emotional responses seem to be getting more severe. Hmm... Although it's moving further away from the rational abyss I desire, who can really say whether that's good or bad?"

"Come."

He said affectionately, wrapping his arm around Ravenna's waist and chuckling, "Do you know how you should address me? Compared to that man, that shopkeeper, who can give you nothing, who betrayed your grandfather, who hurted you severely, who's hopelessly foolish and arrogant... am I not more suited to that title, more fitting to be called by you... Hmm? What was it?"

But this time, Ravenna remained silent.

Ansel tilted his head slightly, "What's the matter, can't you even offer that bit of sincerity? This will make things difficult for me."

"Fa…father..."

Ravenna clutched Ansel's clothing, her trembling hand visible even through the lace gloves, her knuckles turning pale.

"Please... help me."

"Please... please..."

In uttering these words, was Ravenna positioning herself as a daughter?

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Whose daughter was she, and for whom did she speak these words?

Ansel was fully aware, as if Ravenna's choice had not deviated from his expectations.

Whether it was the pursuit of truth or the necessity of submission to Ansel, she would act this way, which is why Ansel found it disappointing.

Yet, observing Ravenna in her current state still offered a momentary amusement.

Leiden...Eileen, ha, look, our Miss Ravenna has once again the opportunity to delve into the truth about her grandfather's death. However, this time, she can only seek help from the person she least wishes to.

Even if the disturbance of fate temporarily rejected Evora's deal, removing her from that trajectory, I still have additional pawns to play, don't I?

If I hadn't stopped Leiden and his wife from sharing their grievances, if I hadn't completely severed the relationship between Ravenna and the Leiden couple in that manor, if Ravenna had harbored memories and intentions regarding the past events then... the outcome today would definitely not have been the same.

Although I followed Ravenna initially to prevent fate from exploiting her parents and to invest more of Ravenna's emotions in them, who says... the brief confrontation that ended, the chessboard that was set aside, cannot be reused?

It's just a matter of whether or not it's expected.

You have returned to the right path, my dear Ravenna.

The path I have laid out for you.

*