[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-shut-up-young-lady-obediently-hand-over-the-mone":3,"chapter-shut-up-young-lady-obediently-hand-over-the-mone-shut-up-young-lady-obediently-hand-over-the-mone-chapter-203":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Shut Up, Young Lady, Obediently Hand Over The Money And Don't Confess!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1798556,2397,"Chapter 203 : The Root Problem","shut-up-young-lady-obediently-hand-over-the-mone-chapter-203",203,"\u003Cp>The banquet briefly reached a small climax with the appearance of Princess Dorothy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because she entered through the side door, most guests simply assumed they had missed her earlier. Not many realized she had just arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several nobles eagerly approached to greet her—but there was one strange thing…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dorothy never let go of Adelina's cheek. She clung to her like a shadow, never straying more than a few inches away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the guests, it seemed like Dorothy was proudly showing off her close relationship with Adelina. At the same time, she was sending a political signal to the more informed nobles: the Claude family held no resentment toward the royal family, despite the assassination attempt in the capital district.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was indeed part of Dorothy’s thinking—but her real reason?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she let her guard down for even a moment, Adelina might sneak off to find Felyn again!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Can you blame me?! I organized this banquet—there’s no way I’m letting those two have some quiet moment alone under my roof!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adelina played along with the performance. She smiled and greeted each noble lady one by one, chatting about daily life like nothing was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, the way Dorothy clung to her cheek made Adelina suspicious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her Highness and Felyn…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But didn’t they just meet for the first time? Or… no. Could it be?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adelina recalled that even someone like Zervanie had become Felyn’s client.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could Dorothy be one too?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Felyn, just how many people have you worked with?! Even the princess?! Why don’t you just win over the divine child while you’re at it!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adelina shook her head to dispel the wild thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There’s no way every beautiful girl around Felyn is one of his clients…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She looked around for him, but didn’t see him anywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, she had planned to catch him alone and finish asking the question she hadn’t gotten to earlier. But under the current circumstances…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She glanced at Dorothy’s hand still pressed to her cheek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Maybe this is fine too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as Her Highness stayed glued to her, if Dorothy tried to sneak off and find Felyn, Adelina would know right away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Viloti? Still sitting in a quiet corner—not with Felyn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, no girl was by Felyn’s side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Felyn watched the banquet progress in its usual noble fashion and finally relaxed a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no appetite left, so he slipped through a glass door and stepped onto the balcony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The night sky over Saiwa was stunning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Purple magic shimmered in the air, and from afar, the entire capital looked like it was floating above the clouds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried to find the direction of the neighborhood they’d walked through earlier. Tried to think like a poet. Reflect on life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But… he didn’t know east from west. He couldn’t even find his own house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaning on the balcony railing, Felyn let his arms dangle limply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this really the right path for me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t expected Adelina to ask such a question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She’d actually said the words:“Do you really like me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But hadn’t he followed every clause of the contract properly? Where had things gone wrong?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t figure it out, but he knew—he must’ve made a mistake somewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Viloti, Zervanie, and now Adelina…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he couldn’t identify the root of the problem, all his clients could end up hurt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Felyn couldn’t let that happen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That future… he didn’t even want to imagine it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stared out at Saiwa’s glowing skyline, replaying every memory he had with Adelina.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t see any mistakes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s just… too hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Felyn lifted a hand, letting the night breeze slip between his fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s too hard?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soft voice rang out behind him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Felyn turned slightly and immediately spotted the curve of a perfect waistline—so graceful, it looked like a work of art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beautiful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zervanie? What are you doing here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t look at her for long—just turned his eyes back toward the night sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just getting some air. I didn’t expect to find you here either.” Zervanie leaned against the railing too, deliberately keeping some distance between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Dorothy and Adelina were too busy patting themselves on the back, thinking they’d outmaneuvered the competition tonight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Neither had noticed Zervanie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had watched them cling to each other all evening and seized the perfect chance to slip away and approach Felyn—completely undetected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, she was alone with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Felyn glanced at her. She wore no expression and made no move to leave. He didn’t move away either.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your performance tonight was incredible,” he said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Zervanie had been a beastkin or a dragon girl, her ears and tail would be shooting straight up in the air by now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But alas, she was just a human girl. She had to settle for pressing her knees together and blinking rapidly to contain her excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He watched me perform tonight! And he thought it was great!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yay!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thanks,” she murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her heart was racing so fast, she wanted to run off into the night and scream with joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she couldn’t let any of that show. Not in front of him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Zervanie was around Felyn, her flawless acting skills weren’t used to charm him—they were used to suppress her love for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She had so many questions she wanted to ask:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did you like how I looked on stage tonight? Did you like the song I sang? Do you like… me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But right now, all she could manage was a quiet, “Thank you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aren’t you tired? You just finished performing, and now you’re here at the banquet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She wanted to scream,Of course I’m exhausted! If it weren’t for you, I’d be home and asleep by now!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve always had good stamina,” she said calmly. “I can last a long time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Felyn gave a quiet “Oh,” and said nothing more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his troubled expression, Zervanie took a couple steps closer to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you thinking about girls?” she asked innocently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“More or less.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me. Maybe I can give you some advice. And if it helps you win the girl, you can just pay me a little reward.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m broke,” Felyn said dryly. “The money you make in one night is more than I’ll make in my whole life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not that bad,” Zervanie said, taking two more careful steps closer when he didn’t back away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Actually… there’s something I want to ask you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh?” She tried to hide the flutter in her chest. “Nothing weird, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe a little weird,” he admitted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zervanie pursed her lips, coughed lightly, and feigned a hint of discomfort.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then you’ll have to pay up,” she said. “Or help me with something later. Then I’ll answer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve learned to negotiate, huh? Who taught you that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You did,” Zervanie replied with a playful smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Felyn didn’t suspect a thing. He didn’t notice her little schemes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I wanted to ask about our previous contract… Is that okay? If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The contract?” Zervanie blinked. She hadn’t expected that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was he… having second thoughts?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Had he sensed her regret?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was still willing to ask, at least.Felyn, I’ll apologize properly. I’ll tell you just how selfish and heartless I was back then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Go ahead and ask.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In our time working together, do you think I ever did anything… out of bounds?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Out of bounds?” Zervanie repeated, confused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She thought back carefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Felyn had always been respectful. Never overstepped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No. You didn’t.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then… was there anything outside the contract that I did which might’ve misled you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…No, nothing like that either.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Felyn sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he hadn’t done anything extra.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that was the problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Contracts like his felt emotionally fulfilling—and over time, clients naturally forgot they were even contracts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was unavoidable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the risk of his entire profession: that his clients would fall in love with him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you asking?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I just wanted some feedback. That’s all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zervanie didn’t believe him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She thought back to everything that had happened between them—and quickly pieced together the real reason for his question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re trying to figure out,” she said softly, “how to stop your clients from falling in love with you… right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1364,"2026-06-09T04:36:14.214Z",1,"novelbin.me","b7bf866ad35aeba89c98062f500c2a7d6303c8842081800a911fcb65af6a0983","shut-up-young-lady-obediently-hand-over-the-mone-chapter-204","shut-up-young-lady-obediently-hand-over-the-mone-chapter-202",727,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fshut-up-young-lady-obediently-hand-over-the-mone-cover.jpg"]