’’[Evening - Heena and Samuel’s Quarters]’’

Everything was finished when Heena finally returned to her room to rest. Samuel was still out dealing with the aftermath of Driver Li’s arrest and the formal accusations against Maya—meeting with the constable, coordinating with Master Feng and Master Zhao on their official testimonies, managing the legal documentation.

Heena had left him to it. Politics and legal maneuvering were his strengths, and she trusted him to handle it properly.

She entered their quarters, already beginning to remove her outer robe, and immediately noticed something strange.

Her lovely System—that annoying lion form he’d taken—was sitting on the side of the room. Well, floating in midair technically, but positioned as if sitting. And his expression was utterly, completely depressed.

It looked like metaphorical mushrooms were growing on his head from sheer dejection.

Seeing this pathetic display, Heena looked at him and said flatly, "Why the heck are you growing mushrooms on yourself? What’s wrong with you now?"

She continued removing her outer clothes, hanging them carefully.

The System turned around, looking at her with a strangely curious, almost accusatory gaze, and said, "How can you DO this?!"

Hearing that dramatic question, Heena looked at him with confusion and said, "What did I do? What are you talking about?"

Hearing that, the System looked at her with what could only be described as profound frustration and said, "It’s SO boring here! There’s nothing good happening at all!"

Heena raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

The System began listing his complaints: "You haven’t publicly beaten any scumbags in dramatic fashion! You haven’t verbally destroyed anyone with cutting insults! You haven’t shown off your overwhelming power to make enemies grovel! It’s so BORING! I didn’t even get to see any good action scenes or face-slapping moments!"

Hearing this ridiculous litany of complaints, Heena looked at him incredulously and said, "Excuse me? What the HECK do you mean I haven’t beaten anyone? I literally beat that old Granny Wang unconscious! I defeated Driver Li in combat just a few hours ago! What, do you want me to beat YOU too?!"

Hearing that threat, the System quickly backtracked and said, "No, no, no! It’s not like that! I mean... when you were Empress Celeste, it was so entertaining! The political schemes, the dramatic confrontations, the witty comebacks, the epic battles! It was all so GOOD!"

He gestured with his little paws in frustration.

"But now, you’re always just PLANNING and not actually DOING anything exciting! Even tonight with Driver Li, you didn’t really beat him up properly—it was over too fast! Where was the drama? Where was the prolonged suffering of your enemy?"

Heena grabbed her own hair in exasperation. "You foolish System! At that time, I was an EMPRESS! Right now, I’m a former SERVANT trying to climb social ranks without getting murdered! Do you really think I can just go grab Maya by the hair and dunk her in the pond whenever I feel like it?!"

Hearing that, the System looked at her, tilted his head, and said innocently, "But... that’s what you usually do though? In most of your missions, you’re pretty direct about destroying your enemies..."

Heena looked at the System with an absolutely flat expression and said slowly, "System. Do you really want me to throw you into the gutter? Because I will. I will absolutely do it."

Hearing that genuine threat, the System quickly shut his mouth.

Heena sighed and sat down, speaking more calmly now. "I’m not doing flashy dramatic things right now because it’s not the TIME for that approach. This world requires subtlety and patience. I can’t just steamroll over everyone like I did as Empress."

She paused, her expression becoming more thoughtful.

"Anyway, there’s something strange about this situation. Something about Maya that doesn’t add up."

Hearing that shift in topic, the System replied with a confused tilt of his head and said, "Host, I think everything seems fine? Like, it’s an old-fashioned setting, marriages happen at young ages to older men sometimes, arranged marriages for family benefit—it all fits the world parameters."

Hearing that assessment, Heena shook her head firmly and said, "No, System. Everything is NOT in its proper place. There are inconsistencies that bother me."

She began pacing, organizing her thoughts.

"Like, I understand this is an old-world setting with different social norms. But from the world information I read in the mission report, Maya’s family should actually be decent people—not the type to casually throw their daughter into a terrible situation."

She turned to face the System.

"So why the heck would parents like that throw their young daughter at such an obviously bad match? And even if they ARE opportunists trying to climb socially, why would they aim for an aging merchant instead of a younger, wealthier prospect? It doesn’t make strategic sense."

She continued: "And Maya herself—she agreed to marry this old predator without any apparent resistance or escape attempts. A nineteen-year-old girl just... accepted it? That doesn’t match human psychology, even accounting for cultural differences."

Hearing that analysis, the System looked at her and said, "Well, that old Master IS a predator with money and influence. Maybe he forced the match somehow? Threatened the family?"

Hearing that suggestion, Heena shook her head again and said, "Nah. Even if he’s a predator with resources, it still doesn’t make sense for Maya to go along so easily, or for her family to allow it without protest. There’s something MISSING here—some piece of information we don’t have that would explain the situation properly."

The System tilted his head in confusion and asked, "Then what do you think we should do about it, Host?"

Heena paused, then asked carefully, "System, you mentioned last time that Maya’s parents are still in this region, right?"

Hearing that question, the System nodded. "Yes, they live about half a day’s journey from here, in a smaller town. Why?"

Heena’s eyes sharpened with determination. "Are they still there now? Currently?"

Hearing that follow-up question, the System nodded but then his eyes widened as he realized what she was thinking. "Host... you’re not thinking about—"

"We need to visit Maya’s parents," Heena said decisively. "Talk to them directly. Find out what really happened and why they agreed to this marriage."

Hearing that plan, the System frantically shook his head and said, "Host, that’s a CRAZY plan! What if those people are actually bad and you get caught snooping around? What if they’re secretly allied with Maya and they realize you’re investigating her past? What if they report you to the old Master?"

He continued listing concerns: "And even if they’re not hostile, what if they figure out you’re trying to uncover Maya’s secrets? It could backfire terribly! I don’t understand why you’re doing this—it seems too risky!"

Hearing all these objections, Heena raised her hand to stop the flow of worried questions and said firmly, "Listen, System. If my thinking is not wrong—and based on everything I’ve observed these past weeks—I can say one thing with near certainty: Maya’s parents have had NO contact with her since the marriage. None. Zero communication."

She began ticking off points on her fingers.

"From the mission report, it says Maya’s parents are supposedly open-minded, relatively progressive people for this era. But their behavior—allowing their daughter to marry an old predator—doesn’t match that characterization at all. Their bio doesn’t align with their recent actions."