Chapter 29: A New Plan and the Darkness That Brews

Lorne Campbell.

Head of the Campbell family, one of the Empire’s Four Ducal Houses.

And more than that—a Crowned-level warrior honored with the title “Lion King.”

Who could possibly be a better teacher than such a man? Someone powerful, vastly experienced, close at hand, and—best of all—willing to pass on his knowledge without asking for anything in return? His very own father!

No one. No one could be more perfect.

“Muen Campbell, oh Muen Campbell... no wonder you were doomed to such a pathetic end. Sitting on a mountain of treasure and never even realizing it.”

Grinning like a fool, Muen stared at the name he had written down on the page. For the first time in a long while, his future actually felt bright.

A top-tier powerhouse for a father, plus the Black Book to grind in whenever he wanted—how could his strength not skyrocket?

“Next is point number two.”

He dipped his quill again and wrote beneath the first item:

2. Safety.

As important as having a teacher was, safety—his own survival—was paramount.

But he’d still placed it second on the list.

Why?

“Well, because of Father, of course!”

Muen had been caught in a classic mental trap: thinking that safety meant power, and that meant his own power. That was why he’d obsessed over getting stronger so quickly.

But after remembering the comforting presence of his father’s name, he suddenly realized...

Why the hell had he been in such a rush?

His father was insanely strong. As long as he stuck close behind him and played it smart, who on earth could possibly hurt him?

The recent assassination attempt on Celicia had nearly cost him his life, true—but because of it, the ducal estate was now so tightly guarded that not even a mosquito could get in.

Heh. They want to carve me up? Good luck with that—Father’ll snap their knives in half before they even get close.

“It’s settled. From now on, I’m going full shut-in mode.”

The more Muen thought about it, the more thrilled he became—like a broke wage slave drowning in debt who suddenly discovered his supposedly-dead dad had left him five luxury apartments inside the Imperial Capital’s third ring. Life really was full of surprises.

“Yup. Based on these two fundamentals, I think I’ve finally got a solid plan.”

He reviewed the list on his newly drafted strategy sheet and # Nоvеlight # nodded, deeply satisfied.

→ Become a full-time shut-in. (School? What school? Do schools have cute maid girls? No? Then why go?)

→ Learn martial arts directly from Father.

→ Train and refine myself with the Black Book.

→ Only show my face again when I’ve reached Tier 5—and blow everyone’s minds.

“With this plan in place, no matter how cruel or unpredictable fate gets, I’ll survive it all by living in stealth mode!”

“Ha—hahahaha! I can’t wait to see the look on the protagonist’s face when she shows up at the ducal estate a few years from now... only to find out I’m no longer the pathetic yellow-haired waste she used to walk all over!”

...

Just as Muen was getting high off the sheer brilliance of his plan, a voice called from outside his room.

“Young Master, are you awake?”

“Mm? Oh, yeah, I’m up. What is it?”

“The Master is asking for you.”

“Huh? Father? At this hour?”

Muen glanced at the time—it was still early morning. He hadn’t even had breakfast yet.

“Why so early? Is something serious going on?”

“Probably not,” he muttered to himself. “Maybe it’s just something to do with the Celicia assassination incident...”

Without overthinking it, Muen responded to Anne and quickly washed up before stepping out of the room.

Anne was already waiting for him outside.

“Let’s go,” she said.

“Yeah.”

After exchanging greetings, Muen began walking toward the study, relying on his memory. His father always read the latest Imperial newspaper there in the morning.

But this time, Anne suddenly reached out and stopped him. “Young Master, the Master isn’t in the study.”

“Then where is he?”

“At the main gate.”

“The main gate? What’s he doing there this early?”

Muen was puzzled, but still followed Anne toward the entrance of the estate.

“Young Master, Head Maid,” the maids along the way greeted them respectfully.

Muen nodded in return—then paused.

“Head Maid?”

He looked at Anne in surprise. “Were they talking to you?”

“Yes, Young Master,” she said with a bow. “Not long ago, the Master appointed me the new Head Maid.”

“The new Head Maid... What about the old one?”

“She resigned, taking responsibility.”

“Oh... I see.”

Suddenly, it all clicked.

The adult ceremony’s staffing had been the Head Maid’s responsibility. Given what happened, it made sense that the previous one had to step down.

“I’m sorry. It was my command that—”

“There’s no need to blame yourself, Young Master. This wasn’t your fault.”

Anne spoke gently.

“Even without that incident, the previous Head Maid was already planning to retire in two years. She just... took an early break.”

“I bet Father’s really upset about it.”

Muen sighed.

Just like Anne now served as his personal maid, the former Head Maid had been his father’s. She’d been with the family for years, and unlike Anne—who was nearly Muen’s age—the previous Head Maid was more than a decade older than Lorne. For someone like his father, who lost his parents at a young age, she’d practically been a mother figure.

He must’ve taken it hard.

“But still, congratulations, Anne.” Muen smiled.

“There’s nothing to congratulate.”

Anne kept her tone low, almost subdued. She didn’t look as pleased as Muen expected.

“Being Head Maid is too busy. I hardly get to be by your side anymore.”

“That’s a good thing. We’re not kids anymore, Anne. We’ve all got to grow up on our own sometime, right?”

“Grow... up alone?”

Anne lowered her head, her expression hidden.

For some reason, her voice felt cold.

But Muen didn’t think much of it.

“Are you saying... we’ll eventually part ways, Young Master?”

“Well, yeah. Of course.”

Muen turned away and stretched, folding his hands behind his head as he looked up at the crisp, blue morning sky.

It was a beautiful day.

“We’ve all got to live our own lives, Anne. You shouldn’t let the label of ‘maid’ chain you down.”

Raised under the light of post-socialist youth education, Muen firmly believed that even being a maid was just a job title—not a destiny. Anne didn’t need to call him Master, nor should she tie her fate to a yellow-haired villain who could drop dead any minute.

Not like in the original novel... where she ended up hanging from a rope.

“So, Anne.”

He turned back around, flashing a smile that—paired with the handsome features he’d inherited from his mother—shone with the radiance of the morning sun.

“If you fall for someone, just tell me. I’ll let you go.”

“Chase your happiness. That’s what I want for you. It’s the least I can do, after everything you’ve done for me.”

...

“Part ways?”

Staring at Muen’s back, Anne’s eyes began to shimmer—not with warmth, but with a thick, trembling darkness.

“How could you say something like that... Young Master Muen?”

“We can’t be separated.”

“Can’t can’t can’t can’t can’t can’t can’t can’t can’t can’t can’t can’t can’t can’t...”

“Never.”

She bit down on her fingernail, a chilling smile curling across her lips like the edge of a knife.

“We’ll be together forever, Young Master Muen.”