The two stared at each other for a moment before Servini realized that her reaction had indeed been a little too intense. Her expression turned awkward.
"No... don't misunderstand. Xu Yi, it's not that I dislike Freya. I just... just think the two of them aren't suited to each other."
Xu Yi looked at Servini suspiciously, unconvinced by her explanation.
Of course he wouldn't think Servini disliked Freya. It was simply that her reaction had been so unusual that it puzzled him.
Sensing Xu Yi's suspicious gaze, Servini looked even more embarrassed. She opened her mouth but offered no further explanation. Instead, after a pause, she changed the subject.
"Xu Yi, how is the abolition of slavery going in your Stantin Duchy?"
The change of subject was so abrupt that even Xu Yi froze for a moment before catching up.
He gave Servini a long look, took a breath, and decided not to pursue the matter.
The circumstances surrounding Servini's child were very strange. Even now, she refused to reveal who the father was, so she clearly had reasons she couldn't discuss.
As her friend, Xu Yi certainly couldn't force her to reveal a secret she wanted to keep.
"Uh... not very smoothly. The lords in the duchy don't want their slaves to become commoners. They think that would mean losing those slaves and suffering a loss for nothing."
"That's only to be expected." Servini nodded. "Xu Yi, actually... even I think what you're doing this time is far too... strange..."
Seeing Servini hesitate, Xu Yi suspected she really wanted to call him crazy but had held her tongue.
"Slavery has existed on this continent for so long, yet you want to abolish it outright. That amounts to challenging the order of the entire continent. Lords who own slaves will