After changing clothes, Moya flew slowly, matching Aide’s pace.
Although they had agreed to leave immediately, Aide was not in a hurry. He strolled leisurely ahead, making Moya so sleepy she couldn’t help it.
She wasn’t incapable of sleeping while flying, but she worried that once she fell asleep she would start sleepwalking, causing herself a lot of trouble.
After changing, Moya wore a loose white dress and over it a cloak that concealed her angelic features. Although it was stuffy, the light breeze from flying made it bearable.
Walking slowly, flying slowly, they passed through the outskirts of the royal capital, entered the city gate, stepped into the noble district, and knocked on the door of the Sierfu Mansion.
The elderly butler seemed to have anticipated the arrival of Moya and Aide, waiting early inside the door. As soon as Aide knocked, the door was opened directly by the elderly butler.
“Welcome, the master has been waiting for you two for a long time.”
Compared to last time, the elderly butler’s gaze toward Aide and Moya held more respect.
Perhaps he attributed the Fake Lord’s increasingly authentic resemblance to the real lord to the “strange illness” treatment that Aide and Moya had provided.
‘As for the change in the elderly butler’s gaze, I have no obligation to tell him the truth. Regarding the rumors spreading in the royal capital about the body-swap turmoil, I personally support them. After all, it’s inevitable that someone like the butler, who holds a certain amount of power and is close to the victim, might do something extreme.’
Following the butler’s steps into the mansion, the Sierfu Mansion seemed livelier than last time.
In the front garden, this time servants could be seen tending to it, and the air was filled with the fragrance of newly cultivated flowers.
It seemed that the Fake Lord had begun to initially adapt to the noble identity of the Sierfu family head, under the guidance of the Qigai Nühai.
Aide observed the changes around him, silently evaluating in his mind.
However, as the true Sierfu family head, Qigai Nühai would not possibly teach the Fake Lord all the precautions, lest the Fake Lord truly manage to pass as genuine.
It was the same reception room as last time, and the same Fake Lord.
The difference was that this time the Fake Lord’s etiquette was vastly improved; upon seeing Aide and Moya enter, he actively performed a noble salute.
It was evident that the Fake Lord had been very diligent in learning this knowledge, afraid of being suspected even a little by those around him.
“Long time no see.”
If not for Moya’s ability to recognize people by soul fluctuations, seeing the current Sierfu family head, she would sometimes have the illusion that they had swapped back.
“Sit.”
The Fake Lord actively gestured, his movement already possessing some of the composure befitting a noble.
Moya was not polite either; she plopped down directly, not forgetting to rub against the leather sofa’s texture.
Aide, however, returned the salute with a calm expression, then sat beside Moya, not forgetting to pour a cup of black tea for himself and Moya.
“Go ahead, tell us what you want us for.”
As for Aide’s tea-pouring, Moya felt no burden at all; she picked up Aide’s cup of black tea and gulped it down, without any regard for etiquette.
She had no intention of learning the troublesome etiquette like that loan shark hero beside her.
But come to think of it, Aide’s salute looked pretty standard. Had he learned it from childhood?
During this time, Moya had never actually heard Aide talk about his childhood.
But it didn’t matter; she hadn’t intended to pry anyway.
The Fake Lord took the initiative to speak.
“I only recently learned that the Mr. Aide I dealt with last time was actually the Hero. Please allow me to apologize for my previous rudeness.”
Aide nodded.
“No matter. Just say what you want directly.”
“It’s very simple. I heard that you intervened in the ‘body swap’ because you accepted the king’s commission.”
“As it happens, I also have a commission for you. I wonder if you two are interested?”
The Fake Lord slowly began to speak.
“I wonder if you two can help me persuade His Majesty the King to give up on returning my body? I’m not asking His Majesty to ignore all victims of the body swap, but merely to grant me an exception and show leniency.”
“Hero, as long as you are willing to help, anything that the Sierfu family can do, I am willing to offer with both hands.”
Upon hearing the Fake Lord’s commission, Moya nearly choked on her black tea.
‘So desperate?’
‘It seems my initial judgment of the Fake Lord’s soul fluctuation was correct; this tenacity is well-deserved.’
“Mr. Aide, I’m not joking. As long as you can make His Majesty give up pursuing me and allow me to continue living as the head of the Sierfu family, the Sierfu family’s resources—including wealth, connections, and information—can all be at your disposal, Hero.”
The Fake Lord stared intently at Aide, speaking word by word.
“I only want to keep my current life, so for everything else, I can give it up.”
Moya’s feather ears twitched slightly under her cloak, and her eyes rolled around.
To be honest, if she were Aide, she would most likely accept the Fake Lord’s request.
The property of the Sierfu family, one of the four great families of the royal capital—that’s an endless wealth!
Just thinking that if Aide agreed, he could sleep on a mountain of gold, Moya couldn’t help but feel envious and jealous.
‘Why doesn’t this kind of good fortune ever fall on me?’
‘Is it too late to suck up to Aide now?’
“I’m sorry, but I cannot accept this commission.”
Just as Moya was thinking about how to earn Aide’s favor in the future, Aide’s gentle voice sounded in her ears.
“I have already promised His Majesty to help resolve this matter. Even if I am incapable of meeting His Majesty’s expectations, that is no reason to go against them and obstruct the completion of the commission for personal gain.”
“Mr. Aide, won’t you reconsider?”
The Fake Lord’s voice now carried a hint of urgency, and the noble composure he had honed through intense study in a short time was showing cracks.
“After these days of adaptation, I have deeply realized how immense the Sierfu family’s power is. The benefits for you are absolutely enormous!”
“Enough. No need to say more.”
Before the Fake Lord could finish, Aide had already raised his hand to interrupt him.
“Perhaps this is hard for you to understand right now, but for me, sometimes principles are far greater than interests.”
The Fake Lord’s face darkened.
“Mr. Aide, if that’s the case, then we can’t reach an agreement, can we?”
“You must understand, as long as I keep stalling and refuse to agree, the royal capital will eventually have to resort to extrajudicial punishment to force me to comply. However, that is something the real Sierfu family head would never agree to…”
“Who said it’s impossible to agree?”
Upon hearing the Fake Lord’s threat, Moya shouted loudly.