When Zero cautiously returned to the master bedroom, she found that Regulus and Sphinx were already awake. And not just awake—the two were actively engaged in a rather intense, breathless 'game' amidst the tangled sheets.
'So incredibly energetic first thing in the morning,' Zero thought, her cheeks flushing.
However, she wasn't overly concerned about that; they had played all through last night, so there was nothing new to worry about on that front. The main problem gnawing at her mind was that she was not only late in returning to bed, but she had also been practically caught red-handed in her espionage actions by the Gothic Lolita girl.
"Good morning..." Zero murmured softly, standing awkwardly by the door in the undersized black robe.
"Good morning," Regulus smiled, pausing his activities with Sphinx to look at her. "But Zero, as a dutiful wife, shouldn't you give your husband a proper morning greeting after waking up?"
"A morning greeting?" Zero blinked.
'Didn't I just say good morning?' she thought, deeply confused. And the word wife... Zero felt a tangled, chaotic mix of emotions. What she had just done on the roof was absolutely not something a loyal wife should do.
"Come over here," Regulus beckoned to the hesitant Ninja Girl with a wicked grin.
To be honest, this Ninja Girl was very good. Truly excellent. Especially right now, wearing a dark, oversized-yet-too-tight robe that completely clashed with her usual strict shinobi outfit. It was absolutely stunning. If he didn't already have the petite Sphinx currently occupying his lap, he would have definitely pinned this Ninja Girl down immediately and thoroughly dealt with her, making her understand just how alluring she was at this moment.
Zero walked over very obediently, her shinobi training warring with her newfound submission.
Next, Zero clearly and physically understood exactly what Regulus meant by a 'proper morning greeting'.
She was thoroughly bullied once again. Although she felt incredibly tired, her muscles aching, and she desperately wanted to just collapse and rest, as an elite agent with a mission, she couldn't simply refuse him. What's more, she had been discovered while delivering intelligence just now. In the time that followed, she had to stay as close to Regulus as possible to see if the little girl from the roof would report the matter to him.
The outcome was no surprise.
After having a lavish breakfast together and finally seeing Sphinx off on her flight back to the wetlands, the girl in the Gothic Lolita dress—the Great Spirit named Beatrice—actively sought out Regulus in the parlor.
However, she didn't mention the morning's espionage events at all. She came for entirely different reasons.
"Betty wants to see Mother, I suppose," Beatrice stated, making her request while crossing her arms. She couldn't help but shoot a sharp, knowing glance at the Ninja Girl currently hidden flawlessly in the room's shadows.
This Ninja Girl followed Regulus at all times now, diligently fulfilling her duties as a monitor. It's just that she was still far too naive. Others might be fooled, but if Regulus truly had something he needed to hide, no mundane spy in the world could ever discover it.
"No problem," Regulus smiled, easily picking Beatrice up and holding her in his arms.
As the two of them simply sat down and closed their eyes, Zero, observing from the shadows, felt very frustrated.
'Didn't they say they were going to see someone named Mother?' Zero thought. 'What are the two of you doing just sleeping in a chair?'
Just a few moments later, Zero looked at the two who had opened their eyes again. She immediately noticed Regulus's gaze shifting to the dark corner where she was hiding.
It gave her a very strange, chilling feeling—as if he knew absolutely everything she had done.
And indeed, Regulus did know. Not only did he know about the encrypted bird from his shared perception with Beatrice, but Beatrice was also very displeased about an ill-intentioned spy coming into their home.
But despite her displeasure, Beatrice didn't say anything about driving the Royal spy away or executing her. What needed to be done had been done; Regulus had already claimed her, so throwing her out was already impossible.
"Zero," Regulus called out casually.
"Yes."
The Ninja Girl, hearing the command, immediately materialized from the shadows, kneeling respectfully.
"Come stand in front of me and give Betty your hand," Regulus instructed.
Although the Ninja Girl was a little puzzled, she still carried out the instruction without any hesitation, extending her slender hand. Because, espionage mission aside, her body and loyalty technically belonged to this man in front of her since yesterday.
When she approached, her outstretched hand was immediately grasped by Beatrice. After a brief, firm hold, the Spirit quickly released it.
Zero had absolutely no idea what the purpose of doing that was.
However, what Zero didn't know was that in that split second, a profound Yin magic spell had been cast on her. It was a high-tier surveillance curse that allowed Beatrice to know all her physical movements, exactly what she did, and even what she whispered in secret.
From Regulus's perspective, he felt there was really no need to go to such lengths. He hadn't done anything majorly treasonous, and besides, even if he had done something bad, what would happen if the King found out? There were not many beings in this entire world that could tie his hands or threaten his life.
But Beatrice insisted on marking the spy, so Regulus had no reason to stop his protective Spirit.
"Alright, now I'll accompany you to buy some suitable clothes," Regulus said, rising from his seat with Beatrice still in his arms, and took the Ninja Girl's cursed hand.
"That... Lord Regulus, I think what I have now is enough. There's no need to specifically buy more clothes for me," Zero's words conveyed a hint of genuine urgency.
She was currently wearing a spare, highly conservative maid outfit she had borrowed from the staff. If the flamboyant man in front of her bought clothes for her, the result would definitely be some very bright, revealing, and eye-catching types! But she was a ninja! Unless absolutely necessary for a disguise, ninjas generally would never appear in public wearing flashy clothes.
"That won't do," Regulus wagged his finger. "Clothes make the man, or in this case, the woman. Even if you are naturally beautiful, if you don't wear suitable clothes, your excellent looks and figure will be completely buried."
"But..."
"No need to refuse, in fact," Beatrice interpreted from Regulus's arms, her tone deadpan. "He's only doing this because he definitely wants to see you in pretty, shameful clothes and then do some strange, perverted things to you later."
Zero looked nervously at Regulus and found that he didn't even attempt to refute this blunt statement. He just smiled proudly.
This meant it was entirely true.
She felt a deep wave of shyness, but if that was the case... there was indeed no reason to refuse him.
Not long after, Regulus led Beatrice and Zero into the commercial district, stepping into a high-end clothing boutique that exclusively accepted expensive custom orders.
"Welcome, Lord Regulus! The garments you ordered earlier this month are fully ready," a well-dressed woman in her thirties practically sprinted forward to greet them, bowing deeply.
"Excellent. Have someone pack them up and send them to my mansion later," Regulus ordered. "Oh, and take her measurements. Give her a complete set of all those previous custom designs as well."
"I understand immediately! May I ask if My Lord has any other specific requests?"
For her boutique, Regulus was definitely a 'whale' among big clients—the kind of outrageously wealthy noble who alone could financially support her entire shop for a decade.
"Of course," Regulus smiled, pulling out a small notebook. "I have a few new outfit ideas here. I'll give you a rough description, you draw the designs, and then make a few trial versions and send them to me for approval."
"Right away. Please follow me to the VIP lounge."
The boutique owner, who voluntarily chose to lead the way herself, had an ecstatic, glowing smile on her face. This meant another massive order of hundreds of high-end garments for his ever-expanding harem.
Similarly, as she prepared her sketchbook, she couldn't help but be intensely curious. Where on earth did this handsome, white-haired lord get so many strange, exotic ideas? To be able to consistently come up with so many bizarre, form-fitting, and incredibly embarrassing clothing designs... he truly was a visionary.
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