Looking at the villa glowing in the darkness, Klein took several seconds to mentally prepare himself before stepping down from the carriage. He walked up three steps to the front door and entered the house, surrounded by the general's guards and servants lined up on both sides.
Seeing that Cynthia was dressed conservatively at home because others were present, Klein silently breathed a sigh of relief, maintaining his serious and composed expression, and slowly approached her.
Cynthia's smile widened as she tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear, revealing her long, fair neck, where there was no trace of a necklace.
Seeing that Secretary Luan and members of the General's Guard either went to their own rooms or dispersed to guard the outside, Klein, before Cynthia could embrace him, said in a deep voice:
"No need to prepare hot water, just give me a quiet room; I need to be alone tonight."
"..." Cynthia expressed her confusion and bewilderment with her eyes.
Klein looked around and said in a low voice:
"Something went wrong, and I need to calm down to recover."
As he spoke, he raised his right hand and slightly pulled up his sleeve, revealing distinct, light-colored fleshy buds.
His poor physical condition and unusual reactions were an excuse Amyrius had prepared for the former homeless man's double, to help him avoid Cynthia's advances without revealing his problems. To enhance his persuasiveness, Klein deliberately used the " Faceless " technique to provide "evidence."
Cynthia opened her mouth, almost screaming, but thankfully, she managed to silence the sound with her hand.
"Are you alright? Do we need to see Doctor?" Cynthia asked anxiously as soon as she calmed down, her concern evident in her words.
"No, this is the necessary price to gain great power. I can recover in two or three days." Klein had already prepared his follow-up reasons.
"Okay, okay." Cynthia hurriedly led Klein upstairs to the second floor and into the quietest room.
As for the master bedroom, she didn't give it up because she had lit some incense and sprinkled some delicately scented hydrosol.
Watching the door close, Klein slowly exhaled, changed out of his general's uniform, and lay comfortably on the bed.
In the master bedroom not far away, Cynthia, feeling both worried and disappointed, took a hot bath and then got into bed.
Her eyes were unfocused as she stared at the ceiling, involuntarily recalling her father and mother's instructions from a few days ago.
They told her to curry favor with Amyrius, and ideally get pregnant with his child, so that the family could obtain a larger share of the Central Sonia Sea Naval Fleet agency.
The general seemed to be burdened with many things, to the point that his body was showing certain abnormalities... Cynthia's thoughts drifted aimlessly.
She fell asleep without realizing it.
She vaguely felt a burning sensation in her stomach and body, and in her dream she seemed to see a pitch-black night sky dotted with twinkling the Star.
One of them seemed to sense her gaze and shone even brighter.
The next morning, feeling refreshed, Klein enjoyed a lavish but unremarkable breakfast and, once again surrounded by the general's guard, arrived at the Oravi Naval Base, where he requisitioned the most luxurious and spacious office.
As was Amyrius's habit, he would spend some time alone every two or three days to study and master his extraordinary abilities more deeply and develop more practical skills. Therefore, Klein would have most of the day undisturbed, and only need to handle some simple official business.
In the quiet and spacious office, Klein would stroll back and forth leisurely, or pick up books from the shelf and browse through them. Every now and then, he would reach into his pocket and touch the " Ninth Law " talisman, causing it to exude an unusually deep majesty. This was to convince his blond secretary, Luan, outside that Amyrius was not acting strangely.
After some time, Klein felt sleepy and decided to take a nap.
Just then, he heard a knocking sound at the door.
Something very important... Klein frowned.
Something that could make Secretary Luan disturb Amyrius's focused practice must not be simple!
"Come in," Klein said in a deep voice, composed himself.
A handsome, blond young man named Luan turned the handle, Door Opening, and came in, seemingly holding a telegram in his hand.
He lowered his voice and said:
"Your Excellency, a telegram from Backlund."
"Mr. Aston has been relieved of his post as governor and will be temporarily replaced by the city council president."
"It is said that the new governor will arrive today."
Auston Rieveldt has been removed from his post as governor? Their conspiracy has been discovered? Yes, even the " Hermits of Fate " warned me—no, Amyrius —which means they already had the details. With the manipulation of certain members, the matter will likely be smoothed over through a series of personnel changes... They warned me the night before last, and they're already acting today; they've been preparing for a long time... Hmm, just the fact that the new governor will arrive today shows that... Klein was initially startled, but then realized it made sense.
He mimicked Amyrius's posture when facing a major issue, pacing back and forth a few times before speaking with a serious expression:
"I see."
Klein remained silent and gave no orders, appearing extremely somber.
However, in reality, he hadn't figured out what to do at all.
There's a saying in our great foodie empire, "It's better to stay still than to move." I wonder if Roselle ever translated it... Klein thought to himself, half-mockingly and half-sarcastically.
Luan glanced up at Amyrius, said nothing, and quietly left the office.
Hmph... Klein paced back and forth, pondering what choice the real Amyrius would make if he were standing here.
This was an unexpected and significant event, and there was no corresponding contingency plan. Therefore, Klein could only speculate based on Amyrius's personality, experience, and certain self-statements in the documents.
He was a conservative man, rarely taking any risks even when he was in the Low-Sequence or mingling on various ships... He considered himself a Loen nobleman who valued family, relatives, children, and emotions, a gentleman with great manners and popular with women. Well, that's debatable. Given his rank and status, even a curly-haired baboon would be popular with women and men, no, even more so. At least the curly-haired baboon wouldn't tell outdated jokes... A series of messages flashed through Klein's mind, intertwining to form the three-dimensional image of Amyrius.
Lost in this immersive experience, he heard another knocking sound at the door.
"Come in." Klein's mind immediately tensed up.
The blond secretary Luan, Door Opening and entered, pointing outside and saying:
"Your Excellency, Mr. Aston wishes to see you."
Why is Aston here? Does he want to see Amyrius for protection, or is he making a last-ditch effort? Klein narrowed his eyes, realizing he had to make a decision for Amyrius.
"What will he do? After receiving the warning from the ' Hermits of Fate,' he should understand that things have been exposed and the target was already prepared. Given his conservative nature, his choice is predictable..."
"However, he also valued family ties, even describing in detail some amusing anecdotes about Auston Rieveldt. It's not hard to see that this reveals the older brother's concern and affection for his younger brother... He didn't like marijuana or cigarettes, and drinking was just for social purposes. Apart from being a bit obsessed with women, he didn't have any major flaws..."
"He values his family very much... his family..." Klein quickly recalled, immersing himself completely in the identity of Amyrius, trying to understand the emotions and things he valued.
Family... At this moment, he seemed to transform into Amyrius, yet he analyzed various issues with a detached attitude.
After a silence of more than ten seconds, Klein heard himself say in a somewhat unfamiliar, cold tone:
Tell him I have a lot to take care of and don't have time to see him.
"Also, buy him a boat ticket back to Backlund."
As if he had expected this, Luan withdrew his gaze and responded without any apparent change:
"Yes, Your Excellency."
Watching Luan leave the office to search for Auston Rieveldt, Klein, just like the real Amyrius Rieveldt, sighed softly.
He knew that if the other person returned earlier, they would make the same choice.
Because his family is what he values most!
With his scheme exposed, Amyrius wouldn't risk his last gamble and put his family in danger of destruction. As long as he didn't get involved and as long as he remained Demigod, the Levitt Family wouldn't suffer too much damage, even if he no longer served as the supreme commander of the Central Sonia Sea.
Sending his secretary to buy the ship tickets shows that Amyrius still considers Aston a brother and warns others not to harm him before the matter is clarified.
Nearly a minute later, the blond secretary Luan, returned and said:
"Your Excellency, Mr. Aston has departed."
Amyrius values family ties very much... Klein paused for two seconds, then, with his back to his secretary, asked in a low voice:
Did he say anything?
Luan answered truthfully:
He said you really are a naturally cold person.
Klein listened quietly, a slight upturn at the corners of his mouth revealing a smile that held no real joy.
This was his instinctive reaction, but having already integrated into the identity of Amyrius, he believed the general would express the same sentiment.
The feeling and the emotion are the same!
For the rest of the time, Klein sat in his office, seeing no guests and handling no official business, only occasionally listening silently to Secretary Luan's reports on the situation on Oravi Island.
Nothing happened until the new governor arrived.
As evening fell, he canceled his dinner reservation and returned to the garden villa. Seeing Cynthia walking towards him, he hugged her.
Then, he calmly said:
Aston has been relieved of his post as governor.
All the sighs, all the lamentations, all the pain were condensed into this emotionless sentence.
"I heard that everything should be fine, right?" Cynthia asked nervously.
Klein closed his eyes, didn't mention the matter again, and only gave a soft "hmm".
That last sentence was the most obvious expression of emotion that a serious, rigid, conservative, and reserved person in a high position could make...