As a symbiotic being, I raise children amidst the chaos.

"Unauthorized intrusion?" Rita slightly raised her slender, willow-leaf-like eyebrows, a peculiar smile curving her lips, exuding an alluring yet dangerous aura. Then, she parted her lips slightly.

"If Your Highness doesn't mind, then I am willing to serve you wholeheartedly, anytime, anywhere. Whatever your request may be~"

"Rita will do her best to complete any task given by her master, just like the lovely Principal Theresa, who is obedient and well-behaved."

Hearing this, Chen Yuan couldn't help but shake his head slightly, a hint of helplessness in his eyes. Regarding matters related to Theresa, Chen Yuan had basically never deliberately concealed anything.

He knew perfectly well that even if he wanted to hide it, it would be futile. With Rita's intelligence and keen insight into various intelligence sources, these things couldn't possibly escape her notice.

"You... you already know everything?" Chen Yuan sighed softly, a hint of helplessness in his voice. However, Rita did not give a direct affirmative answer to Chen Yuan's question.

Her wine-red eyes suddenly flickered. Then, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense, she said coquettishly, "Oh dear~ what is it you're talking about, Master? Rita still doesn't understand!"

"Could it be... that you and Dean Theresa have a secret that no one knows about?" Rita teased as she gently rubbed her palm with her slender fingers.

"Master, please don't misunderstand. Rita isn't the kind of person who likes to spy on other people's privacy! It's just that when she occasionally discovers something interesting, it's hard not to pay more attention."

"Especially when I saw Dean Theresa suddenly display such a shy and adorable expression."

"Sigh, so be it." Chen Yuan sighed helplessly, then shrugged slightly, indicating that he had accepted the fact. Then, as if he suddenly remembered something important, his expression instantly became serious.

His gaze was fixed on Rita in front of him, and he said in a very serious tone, "However, Rita, this matter must absolutely not be known to anyone else, especially not that guy Otto, understand?"

Just kidding, if Otto found out that I actually "ate" Theresa, he might go crazy and fight me to the death!

Although the possibility is extremely slim, even the slightest chance is enough to cause him serious trouble! After all, who can guarantee that Otto won't completely lose his mind after learning about this?

Seeing Chen Yuan's nervous expression, Rita couldn't help but smile slightly, but still nodded obediently and replied, "Of course, Rita will definitely keep this secret."

"After all, it's my duty to protect Your Highness's secrets." She finished speaking, blinking her beautiful, captivating eyes, her face always radiating a sweet smile. "I'm very good at keeping secrets, Your Highness."

"However... if you want me to keep quiet, there might be a few small conditions~" As she said this, she deliberately dragged out the last syllable, and a strange light flashed in her eyes.

"Conditions? What conditions?" Chen Yuan rolled his eyes at Rita, annoyed. Although he knew she was probably joking, the thought of the so-called "conditions" she was about to propose still made Chen Yuan feel uneasy.

Just as he was about to ask what the conditions were, a series of hurried and heavy footsteps suddenly came from the stairs.

"Hey, who is it? Making such a racket so early in the morning, can't a person get any sleep?!"

Along with the complaint, a familiar figure appeared at the corner of the stairs—it was Himeko. She was wearing loose pajamas, her hair was slightly messy, and she walked towards them sleepily.

Upon hearing Himeko's signature loud voice, Chenyuan and Rita exchanged a glance, both looking surprised and embarrassed. A brief silence fell over the room.

Then Himeko slowly walked over, yawning. Her sleepy and drowsy appearance made it seem as if she might fall asleep again at any moment.

Upon closer inspection, he suddenly noticed Rita perched on Chen Yuan's shoulder. "Oh my! How come I see you so early today? I was thinking you'd be sleeping in for a long time!"

Chen Yuan smiled slightly and replied casually, "I just happened to wake up." As he spoke, he naturally stretched out his arms and stretched comfortably.

Immediately afterwards, his casually sweeping gaze quickly scanned the entire room, making sure Theresa hadn't been disturbed and woken up.

"Himeko, you should cheer up. After all, you're a teacher, you have to set a good example for Kiana and the other students."

Himeko paused for a moment after hearing this, then raised her hand and gently rubbed her still somewhat squinty eyes, muttering a complaint.

"Hmph, why don't you talk about Theresa? She's the dean of the academy..." However, despite still muttering to herself, she ultimately chose to compromise.

"Alright, alright, I know! Since you've already said that, there's nothing I can do with you. You're such a hypocrite!"

Himeko continued rubbing her eyes as she slowly walked towards the living room. Her steps were somewhat dragging, as if each step required considerable effort.

After finally reaching the sofa, she couldn't help but let out a long yawn, then casually grabbed a soft pillow from the side, leaned back against it, and half-reclined on the edge of the bed with a slightly helpless smile on her lips.

"Honestly! I just woke up from a sweet dream this morning, and you two are already acting all lovey-dovey." Himeko said, glancing at Chenyuan and Rita.

There was a clear hint of mockery in his eyes. "I have to say, I really think what you guys are doing is pretty boring!"

Upon hearing this, Rita's lips curled into a slight, elegant smile. She gently raised her eyebrows and softly replied, "Boring? Perhaps a little... but life always needs a few little pleasures to spice things up."

"Think about it, there are far more monks than porridge these days, so it's naturally best to seize every precious opportunity to be alone with His Highness. Don't you agree, Himeko-senpai?"

"Oh? Is that so? So it seems you know quite a bit about this~" Himeko raised her eyebrows as she listened to Rita's words, and glanced at Chen Yuan intentionally or unintentionally. Then she continued.

"However, as a maid, is it really appropriate for you to be so intimate and inseparable from your master?"

Just then, Chen Yuan, who had been silent all along, finally couldn't help but cough lightly, interrupting the increasingly tense conversation between the two. He shook his head slightly helplessly and spoke.

"Alright, alright, can you two stop arguing? Himeko, tell me, do you have any plans for today?" You know, if these two women continue arguing like this…

Just kidding, if they really keep causing trouble, it'll be impossible for anyone to stay at St. Freya Academy in peace!

Himeko stretched lazily, then slowly opened her eyes. She gently scanned every corner of the room. Finally, her gaze settled on the warm sunlight streaming in through the window.

--------

Meanwhile, in the deep and dimly lit basement of Shencheng Pharmaceuticals, Gray Snake sat quietly on a dilapidated metal chair, staring at the terminal screen tightly held in his hand.

His other hand seemed somewhat casual as he lightly tapped the equally worn and scratched wooden table in front of him, producing soft but crisp sounds.

His already chilling red eyes were now flashing with an extremely eerie red light as he fell into deep thought and unconsciously muttered to himself.

"According to the information revealed by Hua Zhu, my father has joined the Destiny organization and successfully become the vice-captain of the Undying Blade... This is truly unexpected!"

After a moment of silence, Gray Snake seemed to suddenly realize something and then muttered to himself, "Since things have developed to this point, the original plan to meet with Father is probably not going to work."

"It seems we need to quickly devise a more reliable and feasible plan..." Thinking this, Gray Snake sighed softly, tapped the terminal, and after a few beeps, a female voice came through. "Gray Snake, what's going on?"

"Raven, how's your mission going..."

(Today is December 13, 2024, the eleventh National Memorial Day for the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre.)

从1931年9月18日到1945年9月2日，中华民族历经艰苦卓绝的十四年抗战，最终战胜了日本侵略者，但也为此付出了巨大的代价。

The cruelty of war is heartbreaking. We remember history not to perpetuate hatred, but to warn future generations and prevent such tragedies from happening again.

May the departed rest in peace, and may peace prevail forever.

(Silence)

(Please give this poor author some free gifts!! A few clicks to urge me to update!! Thank you, readers!! Please~ Please~).