Annie's Aunt: A Force to Be Reckoned With!

Kiin thought, *Miss Betty, your Battle God Physique suffers from a disruption in its plant-elemental secretions; you should adjust it with a Water-Element Stabilizing Secret Technique!* Yet, his face remained respectful. Though Miss Betty was an eccentric among eccentrics in the family, frequently infuriating the Old Master, she was still the mistress, and he had to accord her sufficient deference—at least outwardly.

Seeing Du Chen enter the courtyard, Betty cleared her throat, adjusted her appearance, and settled onto the rosewood chair, instantly reverting to the image of a radiant and refined noblewoman. Her change of demeanor was impossibly swift!

"Aunt Betty, I apologize for keeping you waiting," Du Chen said, settling into the chair opposite her, sitting upright and proper. He masterfully emulated the bearing of a noble lord, though inwardly, he despised such convoluted etiquette. "You mentioned earlier that you had something important to discuss. May I know what it is?"

Betty smiled faintly, then, ignoring Kiin's warning glances, she crossed her legs and folded her arms—a posture utterly unbefitting a noblewoman's ladylike demeanor. Du Chen stared, momentarily stunned. "Though you're Annie's 'good friend'," Betty chuckled, "you likely don't know her very well, do you? For instance, her family and background!"

Du Chen nodded. Even without others, the fact that Butler Kiin could stand as an equal, and even subtly gain the upper hand, against Deboning in terms of aura proved Annie's family was no ordinary one. Still, Du Chen couldn't fathom why such a mysterious and powerful family would seek him out. Was it merely to thank him for helping Annie with some minor matters? It couldn't be that simple, could it?!

Subconsciously, Du Chen sidestepped a possibility he could have easily considered, yet was unwilling—and perhaps afraid—to confront.

Betty continued, "You don't understand Annie, and similarly, as Annie's guardian, I don't understand you very well either." She glanced subtly at Deboning. "However, we're all from the Clandestine Circles, and you and I both know the rules..."

"From the Clandestine Circles!?" Du Chen was taken aback. Uttered by a noblewoman, those words sounded particularly jarring.

"Precisely, from the Clandestine Circles, Thirteenth Master!" Betty scrutinized Du Chen's surprised expression with an amused glint in her eyes.

Du Chen stared at the noblewoman, utterly shocked. He tentatively asked, "How do you address Adelman, the Lord of York Town?"

Betty smiled but offered no answer. Suddenly, she lifted her skirt, and to Kiin's almost despairing gaze, produced three... dice from its folds!

"Bet on high or low. Win against me, and I'll tell you!"

With a flick of her wrist, Betty sent the three dice soaring into an empty water glass on the table. She then slapped the tabletop, making the cup leap high before slamming back down, inverted, with the dice spinning madly within. "Before the dice stop," she declared with an arrogant smile and immense confidence, "you can change your bet on high or low at any time..."

When masters clash, words are superfluous. From the instant Betty flicked the dice, Du Chen realized she was a peerless master of gambling prowess, perhaps even surpassing Rogliff, who once gambled across the Three Continents! He immediately focused his hearing.

But a gambling table demands more than just skill. Betty leaned back casually in her chair, a playful smile on her lips as she watched Du Chen. One hand tapped the armrest, the other gently stroked her chin. "Francis, it might take a while for my dice to settle... While we wait, I have a question for you!"

Her voice suddenly turned cold. "Annie likes you very much. You're an intelligent man; you must be well aware of that, correct?" Du Chen nodded. "But are you also aware that her memory has been tampered with!?" she abruptly demanded.

Du Chen was horrified, instantly grasping the full implication. Who else could tamper with Annie's memories but Helen, using her Soul-Ensnaring Art!? Was Annie's admiration for him merely a result of Helen's interference? *Damn Helen! You've truly landed me in a colossal mess!*

If Annie's memory had been compromised, leading her to instantly fall in love with Du Chen, what would her family think upon discovering it?

Betty's smile returned, genial this time. "No need to rush, let me explain slowly... Annie's mother passed away early, and her father was busy all day, having no time to care for his daughter, let alone raise her properly! So, I raised Annie myself; she's like my own daughter to me."

"In our family, Annie's generation boasts many male descendants; the Old Master has over twenty grandsons and great-grandsons, several of whom are capable and promising, fit to shoulder great responsibilities! Yet, strangely enough, Annie is the only girl in their generation... Thus, she is the apple of the Old Master's eye and the entire family's treasure!"

Du Chen was truly exhausted, simultaneously focusing on the sound of the dice and trying to analyze the true meaning behind Betty's words.

Betty went on, "Last year, Annie secretly applied to Battle God Academy. The Old Master's view was that although Zigurd is somewhat rigid, Battle God Academy possesses a rich heritage and is an unparalleled training ground for Battle Gods, so he ultimately agreed! However, Annie, having been attended by Household Guards and servants since childhood, longed for freedom. So she insisted on attending school alone..." Betty smiled. "The Old Master, doting on his granddaughter, naturally wouldn't agree. Yet, Annie secretly ran away from home... Of course, I did the same thing in my youth, so I secretly lent Annie a hand."

"I believed that when children matured, they needed to venture out and gain experience, or they would never truly grow up! But then, two months ago, the family received a letter from Annie, mentioning you... The family's decision-makers discussed the matter, and eventually, I, the aunt who raised Annie since childhood, came here!"

"Then, Aunt, you discovered Annie's memory was compromised?" Du Chen asked, though his eyes and ears remained fixed on the dice. "Regarding this, I must explain—"

"You needn't explain," Betty interrupted. "I know it wasn't you or anyone you commanded. Had I not already confirmed your innocence in this matter, you would likely have ceased to exist by now!" She cast a swift glance at Deboning. "I myself have researched some Secret Techniques concerning Spiritual Power. After secretly investigating Annie's memory, I discovered the perpetrator was a woman! A woman with cultivation above Level Seven!"

"She could discern all that? How incredibly precise!" Du Chen thought, half-believing, half-doubting.

Seeming to read Du Chen's skepticism, Betty chuckled. "Heh, it's quite easy to discern. The Secret Technique employed by the perpetrator was peculiar, one I've never encountered. However, from faint traces, it appears to be a form of possession or soul manipulation—understand? Masters of Spiritual Power possess their dignity. A man would never possess or manipulate a young woman. That would be a disgrace! Furthermore, the Spiritual Power attributes between males and females differ vastly, making the difficulty of possessing or manipulating the opposite sex unimaginable! Thus, the individual must be female! And a very powerful woman at that, though... while she didn't harm Annie, her skill doesn't seem to be truly perfected, as she left some of her own deepest feelings within Annie's memory!"

Betty cast a knowing glance at Du Chen's face. "Deep within Annie's memories, I discovered that this person's feelings towards you were... boundless admiration, coupled with a hint of fear! You should understand," she spread her hands, "if a young woman harbors intense admiration for someone of the opposite sex, and that person is also exceptionally outstanding, then such feelings can very easily transform into love!"

*Heavens, if Betty existed in my previous life, she would undoubtedly be an outstanding psychologist!* Du Chen mused.

Du Chen found himself a little unsure of Betty's true intentions. "Aunt, you..."

"The dice are about to stop!" Betty observed, glancing at the cup.

Du Chen spoke while concentrating intently, having already gained a measure of certainty. He smiled. "Aunt, your skill is exceptional. One of the three dice was shattered by you, and the other two are leaning against the cup's inner wall. However, the points are quite unique; it should be..."

Betty's face betrayed no trace of pride or disappointment; she merely smiled serenely.

Du Chen was about to state his conclusion—nineteen points, 'Big'! A score even greater than the maximum possible with three dice! But just then, a loud, mocking voice echoed in his mind. *Fool!*

Du Chen's heart skipped a beat. This voice—he wondered how many times he'd heard it! Though arrogant and boastful, it had never harmed him, even saving him once in the Palkin Sea.

Had he heard wrong? Du Chen carefully recalled the dice's sounds... No, they were accurate! *Could it be...?* Du Chen suddenly remembered a legendary Secret Technique in Clandestine Circles gambling. Connecting it with Betty's continuous habit of touching her chin and lips, he risked speaking: "Aunt's ventriloquism is truly brilliant; I nearly lost! There aren't any dice in the cup at all! All those sounds were simulated by your ventriloquism and vocal mimicry! You are truly ingenious!"

"Ha, hahahaha!" Betty let out the unique laughter that Kiin had mentally labeled as a symptom of her "Battle God Physique's plant-elemental secretion disruption." "You win!"

Du Chen smiled, yet dared not relax in the slightest. While he had deduced the truth from that single word, "Fool!", and Betty's actions, he still had no idea how she had made the three dice vanish from the cup. In that regard, Du Chen had, in fact, already lost...

But Betty was unaware that a voice in Du Chen's mind had helped him cheat; she honored her bet.

"Back then, Adelman, the Lord of York Town, called me 'Big Sister'!"

Betty brushed off her skirt, shook her head, and sighed leisurely as she stood. "My subordinates from back then have all risen to become bosses themselves. I'm old now, and I've long since retired from the Clandestine Circles; there's no need to mention my old nicknames!"

She turned towards the door, then unexpectedly glanced back at Du Chen. That look was rich with meaning, profound in its implication, much like a mother-in-law eyeing her prospective son-in-law...

"Your marriage to Annie, I, her maternal aunt, approve!"