As a villain, he could do whatever he wanted.

"Okay, that's good. Let's go in quickly."

Nodding to his maid, Lius beckoned Lia and Diana to get off the carriage next to him. Holding Diana's hand, with his stepsister clinging to his arm, Lius and the beauties beside him maintained this posture as they headed back towards the mansion.

"I wonder how Lilith and Aunt Anne are doing, and whether they know we're back."

Upon reaching the door, Lius casually remarked something, and Diana responded in kind:

“I don’t know much about what Anne said, but if it’s Lilith… knowing that I’m back, she’ll probably run out of her room to greet me immediately, at least that’s how it used to be.”

"Was it like this before? Isn't it different now?" Leah blinked in confusion.

"Heh... You'll have to ask your good brother about that. If he hadn't deliberately distanced himself from my daughter, things wouldn't be so tense between me and Lilith now. In these matters, my dear, you're really quite 'cunning'."

"Forehead……"

Hearing Diana's slightly disgruntled words, Lius could only smile apologetically and move closer to her, constantly trying to comfort her:

"I'll explain things to Lilith properly later. I'll tell her that Diana and I are truly in love, and it's nothing to be ashamed of. Diana, you should also explain things to her. Once we've cleared things up, I believe Lilith, with her personality, will understand you quickly."

"Hmph... I know Lilith's personality. Once something is established, it is very difficult for her to change her mind easily, especially since I have been telling her that 'no man is any good.'"

Diana frowned slightly, a hint of worry and distress flashing in her eyes, and her complaints about Lius deepened.

"Lilith is already somewhat distrustful. If I were to be affectionate with you in person, I'm afraid Lilith would consider it a betrayal. Under these circumstances... I really don't know if I could accept this fact as easily as you say."

"Don't say that. I believe that the mother-daughter relationship between Lilith and Diana will not be so easily destroyed. After all, you are mother and daughter. The previous rifts can only be considered minor conflicts at most. Even though Lilith is acting strangely now, she actually cares about you a lot, Diana."

"Is it really……"

"Absolutely, don't worry!"

Lius offered this comforting remark, but Diana, still harboring some self-doubt and worry, sighed and then went with Lius to the door, preparing to enter.

"Pat-pat-pat..."

However, just as the door was about to open, a series of hurried footsteps came from inside the house. Then, before anyone could push it open, the door opened, revealing the figure of a girl with blonde twin ponytails swinging.

"Huh...huh..."

Lilith opened the door, panting heavily, her face flushed. She looked out of the room, and upon seeing the returning group, she seemed to relax and let out a soft sigh of relief.

"You... Phew... You're back! I heard you encountered something very dangerous... Are you alright?"

"Hey, Lilith, you're here too. Are you here to welcome us?"

Upon seeing the blonde girl suddenly appear at the door, Lius greeted her with a smile, while Lilith pouted and turned her head away, letting out a soft hum in a spoiled and somewhat arrogant manner.

"Hmph, I'm not worried about you. I was just afraid that Mom would get hurt. Since Mom seems to be alright, I don't need to worry about her anymore."

“I never said Lilith that you care about me. I just said I didn’t expect you to come and greet me. It was you who took the initiative to say you wanted to ‘care about me,’ right?” Lius reminded her with a smile.

"Ah...this...this..."

Upon hearing Lius's words, the girl blinked blankly, then blushed and shook her head repeatedly, saying:

"This... I just misspoke, it wasn't my true feeling at all! You young master, don't flatter yourself, hmph, forget about what just happened! Forget it, forget it!"

"So that's really what you're thinking? And your reaction is so cute, you really can't hide your true feelings..."

As Lius pondered this, his gaze toward Lilith softened with affection, an urge to hold her close and caress her gently. Meanwhile, Diana was somewhat taken aback, blinking before looking at Lilith with a hint of worry in her eyes, a sense of relief rising within her previously anxious heart.

"So... it really is as you said, my dear. The rift between Lilith and me isn't that deep. If she's in danger, she'll still care about me. That's good..."

As she pondered this, Diana's expression relaxed, her grip on Leus's hand tightened slightly, and a gentle smile played on her lips as she softly spoke to Lilith:

"Lilith, it's okay, everything is fine, don't worry."

"Mother……"

Hearing Diana's words, Lilith snapped out of her bickering with Leus and looked at her again. Seeing Diana and Leus's hands clasped tightly together, a look of grievance appeared on her face.

"Hmm... So... are Mom and this young master really lovers...?"

"This……"

Faced with her daughter's murmurs, Diana was stunned for a moment before she was about to answer, but Lius spoke first, patting Diana's back and explaining for her:

"Yes, Diana and I have been engaged for a long time. I was just worried that you, Lilith, wouldn't be able to accept it, so I revealed it now. I've already prepared for Diana's wedding, and Diana has said that she really hopes I will become her husband. We are truly in love, and there's nothing to doubt about it."

“My dear…you…”

Upon hearing Lius's statement, Diana blinked in surprise, seemingly not expecting Lius to acknowledge Lilith so directly. Lius then added to Lilith:

"I was the one who first suggested this idea. Diana was just following my lead. If Lilith wants to blame someone, blame me instead. Don't complain too much about Ms. Diana."

"you……"

Lilith's astonishment deepened at Lius's words, and she was about to say something more when a shout suddenly came from inside the room:

"Young Master! Young Master, are you back? A guest has come looking for you. He says he's from the church and wants you to come to the reception room. He has something very important to discuss with you."

"Oh? Have we had guests?"

Having received the message from a young maid, Lius nodded slightly, then continued speaking to the mother and daughter beside him:

"In that case, I'll go take care of some business first. Diana, you and Lilith have a good talk. Go back to your room first, and I'll come back to you after I've finished dealing with things. Make sure you talk things out in the meantime! See you later."

"Eh? Wait, I'll explain this to Lilith all by myself..."

Before Diana could finish her flustered words, Leus smiled and waved to her, then led Lilia, who was clinging to his arm, into the reception room, leaving Lilith and Diana alone at the doorway, looking at each other awkwardly, seemingly unsure of what to say...

Chapter 118 Meeting with the Bishop

After parting ways with Diana and her daughter Lilith, Lius pushed open the door to the reception room and led Lia inside, where he saw someone who surprised him.

"Oh? That's...Bishop Helen?"

In the guest seating area, the bishop, dressed in a nun's habit, sat in a chair. Her petite figure, combined with the slightly large chair, made her look like a doll, appearing somewhat playful and cute.

Opposite Helen was Anne, who had a smile on her face.

"Ha ha……"

At this moment, she was also wearing her usual nun's habit, sitting on the sofa, holding a cup of steaming black tea in her hand. She looked like she had been chatting happily with Helen earlier, and the atmosphere around them was very harmonious and warm.

“Ha… So, little Helen, you encountered these things at the church before. No wonder you looked so troubled. I didn’t expect Irina to be so hostile to you. She was very friendly to us when she came to the mansion last time. It’s really not like you are a high priest.”

"Sigh, teacher, you always like to see the good in others, and sometimes you can't even sense their malice. It's easy to suffer because of that. It's rare for us to have time to meet today, and I never expected it to be at Young Master Lius's mansion. I really didn't expect it..."

Helen shook her head as she spoke, then noticed the blond boy walking in from outside the door. Her eyes lit up, and she quickly stood up from her chair and gave Lius a slight bow.

"Ah, it's Young Master Lius. Hello, I am Helen Akshe, the bishop of the church in this area. I have long admired Young Master Lius's reputation, and it is a great honor to meet you today."

“Bishop Helen? I’ve often heard Aunt Anne talk about you. You must be one of her students. To become a bishop at such a young age is truly remarkable. It’s a pleasure to meet you here.”

In this "first meeting" that wasn't exactly their first encounter, after exchanging pleasantries with Helen, Leus turned to Anne, greeted her with a smile, and then brought Leah along with him.

"Good morning, Aunt Annie. We just came back from outside and didn't expect to run into such a rare guest as Bishop Helen. We'd be grateful if you could introduce us."

“Hehe, I don’t think there’s much need for an introduction. I’m sure with your personality, Xiaoli, you’ll quickly become friends with Helen.” Annie smiled maternally. “Come on, Xiaoli, you and Lia must be tired. Take a rest and chat while you have some snacks. These snacks were freshly baked this morning and they’re delicious. Have a taste.”

"Did Aunt Annie make this herself? Haha, it must be delicious! I won't be polite!"

With a cheerful smile, Leus pulled Lia to sit down next to Annie, and they began to enjoy the black tea and cake in front of them, chatting about this and that, joining in the lively atmosphere that had been filling the reception room.

"Eh? Young Master Lius, you... you actually had such a past with High Priestess Irina...?"

During their conversation, Helen listened to Leus's account of his love affair with Irina and asked him a question in surprise, to which Leus smiled and nodded.

"Yes, maybe she has this kind of fetish. She came over a few days ago to express her feelings and had some 'fun' with me. Her personality seems to have become much kinder under my influence. When you go back, Bishop Helen, you can try to spend more time with her. Maybe you'll see a completely new side of her."

"Hehe, Young Master Lius, you can just call me Helen. In that case, I'll have to keep a close eye on her changes and see if Irina has really corrected her personality. If she has, then I'll have to come and thank you properly, Young Master."

After taking a sip of tea, Helen composed herself, looked at Leus again, and said to him:

"Well then, before we continue with the love story between Young Master Lius and High Priestess Irina, there is something I would like to discuss with you, Young Master, regarding the recent outbreak of magic-related illnesses... Irina should have discussed this with you before, Young Master Lius, what are your thoughts on this?"

"A magical disease...?"

Listening to Helen's words, Leus closed his eyes thoughtfully. When he opened them again, he spoke softly:

"I do know a little about the Magic Disease, and the reason I went out to explore today was to investigate such incidents."

"Really? Do you have any clues?" Helen asked, leaning closer.

“There are indeed clues, but… I need to confirm further whether I can inform you, Bishop Helen.”

"Confirm? Confirm what?" Helen was taken aback.

"Of course, we need to confirm... Bishop Helen, are you someone we can trust? After all, such an important matter could have unimaginable consequences if we don't take it seriously. So before we resolve the issue, it's best to eliminate any potential problems to prevent future complications."

"So... if I want to cooperate, I must first gain your trust, Young Master Lius..."

Helen was taken aback for a moment, then understood the situation and nodded slightly to Lius.

"Then, please speak plainly, young master Lius. What should I do to earn your trust?"

“These kinds of things are generally not something that can be resolved by a lot of tests, and trust cannot be built in a day or two. Here’s what we’ll do: you and I will work together on the next investigation. I will observe your behavior, Bishop Helen, to see if I can completely trust you.”

“An investigation…” Helen was somewhat surprised by Lius’s statement. “Is it really appropriate for him to go on an investigation with me without trusting me…”

“Of course it’s appropriate. If it’s a joint investigation, we can share information, which can prevent some possible deception. Besides, I also have my own important information. Even if I really confront Bishop Helen, I won’t be at a disadvantage.”

As Lius spoke to Helen, he appeared extremely confident, and Helen pursed her lips, pondered for a moment, and then nodded.

“Since you say so, Young Master Lius, then I will trust you. I will put together a plan for the investigation later and send someone to invite you to participate.”

"Haha, I'm really looking forward to it."

With that, Leus nodded to Helen across from him, smiled slightly as he scrutinized her, and then continued chatting casually with his companions, thus bringing this conversation to an end.

"Well then, I've said everything that needed to be said. I won't linger any longer and will take my leave of Master Lius."

"Well, walk slowly."

Nodding to Helen, Leus stood up from his seat and stood behind the girl, silently watching her slowly leave the room.

"..."

Just as the girl was about to reach the door, Leus suddenly stepped forward and shouted loudly at Helen:

"Bishop Helen!"

"ah!"

Clearly, the loud call startled Helen, causing her to turn around with a frown and look at Lius with a somewhat shaken gaze.

"Young Master Li...Lius, what are you doing..."

"This, you lost it, didn't you?"

Just then, Lius tossed a cross badge to Helen, and before she could say anything, he said directly:

"Someone gave this to me, saying it was a lost item. Was it Bishop Helen?"

"Oh, this is... my badge?!"

Touching the symbol of her identity in her hand, Helen blinked, then revealed a look of surprise, repeatedly thanking Lius:

"That's wonderful! It's been lost for so long, I thought I'd never find it again... Thank you so much, Master Lius. Although I don't know where you found it, I'm very grateful for your help..."

"So, this is indeed yours?" Leus continued to ask calmly.

"Yes, it also contains my own magic power, so it's definitely not wrong. I accidentally lost it when I attended the church gathering last time, and I never expected to find it again. I am really grateful to Young Master Lius. I will remember this favor."

With a smile and a nod, Helen displayed a youthful energy, waving towards Lius and Anne:

"Well then, goodbye, young master, and also to Teacher Annie. Take good care of yourselves. I'll come again in a few days. I hope to have a good time with you then, young master Lius."

With that, Helen left the room, picked up a massive greatsword left outside, and departed from the Fren Manor.

"Um……"

Meanwhile, Leus, recalling the genuine smile on Helen's face earlier, gazed thoughtfully out the window at the girl's departing figure. In her long, fiery red hair, he gained a deeper understanding of her...

Chapter 119 The Beauty's Foot Tickling

"Xiao Li, what are your thoughts on Helen?"

At this moment, sitting next to Leus, feeling the boy's thoughtful gaze, Annie gently stroked his shoulder and asked him in a tender tone.