A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

"My current... position was entirely obtained through the information in the Garden Archives."

"I saw Mr. Ansel's multiple arrangements for the Western lands and extracted keywords like [Elder Princess] and [Zero Realm Enigma]. Since the Elder Princess's spiritual essence is related to space, I naturally associated it with the recent frequent openings of the Zero Realm Enigma in the Western Lands... Thus, Mr. Ansel's special attention to the Western lands had a reason."

"Based on this, I used Miss Rhine's thirtyfold acceleration field to gain a clear understanding of the entire Western lands in a limited time, and made timely plans, which earned Mr. Ansel's approval. However..."

Realizing a crucial point, Marlina's tone became more complex: "But all this is just information from the Garden Archives."

"The real-time situation across the Western lands, the constant new changes, the new intelligence that would help Mr. Ansel make judgments, I... do not know."

"But since Mr. Ansel approved my application, it means he acknowledged my preparations... He didn't bring me along for fun, but because he believed I could indeed be useful."

At this point, the girl's gaze slowly fell on the statue-like Nerilia.

"On this basis, it's impossible for Mr. Ansel to let me be completely ignorant of the Western Lands' situation. He must have instructed that the intelligence be handed over to me.

"Since it's only the second day, I haven't noticed this issue yet, but since Mr. Ansel brought Miss Nerilia, you, here, it means that... you are unwilling to hand over Shadewell's intelligence to me. No... you wouldn't act on impulse and defy Mr. Ansel's wishes.

You would find another way to achieve your goal."

What is Nerilia's intention? For Marlina, this was almost too easy to guess.

—She didn't believe Marlina was capable of handling affairs for Ansel, didn't think she was qualified for the position, so she was unwilling to hand over the crucial intelligence and numerous tasks from Shadewell to Marlina.

So, how could she hand over these matters to Ansel's "secretary" without defying his wishes?

The answer, of course, is only one.

Marlina's eyes lowered, her voice soft and melancholic:

"Miss Nerilia, do you wish... to replace me?"

—As long as she becomes Ansel's secretary, she can perfectly handle all matters for him. The woman kneeling before her must be thinking exactly that.

That's why Mr. Ansel brought me here. He wants Miss Nerilia to see my capabilities.

In less than a day, Mr. Ansel directly addressed this issue himself...

When it comes to critical matters, there is no waiting, no watching. Before Marlina even realized she had been "blacklisted" by Shadewell, Ansel had already sensed Nerilia's discontent and brought her here to resolve it.

Marlina admired and was grateful for Ansel's efficiency and decisiveness. She admired how Ansel, even without constant oversight, could see everything clearly at a glance; she was grateful that even in this situation, he chose her over his long-time follower.

But Marlina also knew... this approach wouldn't convince Nerilia.

"This is not enough, Master."

Sure enough, the girl heard Nerilia's slightly hoarse voice: "Handling all this for you, mere 'cleverness' is far from sufficient. If you need a secretary, I can serve. If not me, you should choose a member of Shadewell."

Yes, far from enough. Marlina whispered in her heart.

While chatting with Ansel, she hadn't noticed Nerilia behind them. If Ansel hadn't mentioned Worker Bee tailing them for a while, she wouldn't have known they were being watched.

Marlina Marlowe was not an extraordinary being; this alone could invalidate everything about her.

But at this moment, facing Nerilia, who wanted to negate and even replace her, Marlina felt little anger—despite the immense effort she had put into obtaining this position.

Because if she were in Nerilia's place, Marlina would make the same choice—how could she entrust such a heavy responsibility to someone who wasn't even an extraordinary being? Even if Ansel was the one leading everything, this position shouldn't be held by a mere mortal with some "cleverness."

Marlina even felt a bit of admiration for... Nerilia's courage.

"This is my personal decision, Nerilia." Ansel looked down at the woman who remained kneeling, unchanged, his tone somewhat indifferent, "Are you going to defy me? Just because of your 'presumption'?"

Nerilia finally lifted her head, gazing into Ansel's eyes: " Because you have never been a tyrant who acts arbitrarily."

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"And you have never sought blind followers."

Blind... followers.

Yes, I also understand that a mere mortal cannot bear such a position, and I would share Ms. Nerilia's thoughts.

But could I, like her… defy Mr. Ansel's will when he has already made a decision?

Marlina's mind was somewhat dazed, her sister's resolute words and determined expression from that day seemed to linger before her eyes.

As she was lost in thought, Ansel and Nerilia exchanged glances for a few seconds before Ansel shook his head with a sigh:

"I wonder if I've been too indulgent with you all."

Though he said this, he didn't seem to oppose much.

"You see, Marlina," the young Hydral turned to the somewhat dazed girl beside him, "if all the information from Shadewell is given directly to me without going through you, then your role as a secretary is almost redundant. And Nerilia's concerns do have some merit."

He spread his hands: "What do you think should be done?"

"I..."

Marlina, coming back to her senses, was silent for a moment, then looked down at Nerilia, her gaze gradually becoming resolute.

"Miss Nerilia," Marlina said earnestly, "what must I do to gain your approval?"

"It's not just me, it's all of Shadewell."

Nerilia looked at Marlina expressionlessly: "Since Master has entrusted this task to us, we will not let it pass through the Garden's hands."

Marlina was stunned for two seconds, then said incredulously: "You... you all care about that?"n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Of course, it's not just that. Your being a mortal is the greatest limitation. As for the differences between Garden and Shadewell... do you think it's merely internal strife?"

The woman sneered: "Conflict does exist, but the fundamental reason is that Shadewell and Garden have completely different ways of doing things, even... they repel each other."

"Growing up in the Garden, you are destined to fail at this job, even if you become an extraordinary being, Miss Lotus."

Marlina's eyes lowered, her voice soft and melancholic:

"Ms. Nerilia, do you wish... to replace me?"