Chapter 404

Thus, the girl could only force a smile and stammer, attempting to bluff her way through.

"Actually, actually..."

"Although I am a Rock ninja, I have long admired Lord Mizukage..."

"So, so when I encountered danger, I claimed to be your wife."

"Because I felt that with your reputation, you would surely protect me and keep me safe."

The girl said with a pained expression, forcing a smile that looked worse than crying at Mizunuki Ryosuke.

This answer was the best she could come up with after racking her brains.

Although it was still full of holes, this explanation was half-true and half-false, and could be considered a barely passable answer.

The true part was that she indeed wanted to use Mizunuki Ryosuke to make Hanzo hesitate; the false part was naturally this non-existent "admiration."

Such a clumsy answer, of course, could not deceive Mizunuki Ryosuke.

But upon hearing this answer, Mizunuki Ryosuke smiled—not his habitual official smile, but a genuine one from the heart.

"Little one, that's what you said, so don't blame me then."

Mizunuki Ryosuke said inwardly, his pitch-black pupils looking darker than the deepest seabed.

"Oh?"

"So, you have been secretly in love with me, is that right?"

Mizunuki Ryosuke looked at the girl’s exquisite face and said with a smile, though this time his voice lacked its usual gentleness, carrying a hint of directness.

Hearing his blunt question, the girl was stunned, and the inner shame and indignation made her face flush red instantly.

"Who asks a girl like that?"

She was furious inside, but helpless.

To answer "yes" was more painful than killing her! Even if Mizunuki Ryosuke froze her into ice shards and finished her off today, she would never agree!

But soon,

"Mm..."

The girl’s shame exploded, and she let out a trembling sound from her nose.

Even though the girl was full of unyielding spirit, the "True Fragrance" law was unforgiving.

Her attachment to life and the reverence for home forced her to submit.

After receiving the girl’s affirmative answer, the smile on Mizunuki Ryosuke’s face became even more pronounced.

"Come here, sit on my lap."

Mizunuki Ryosuke said to the girl, his tone carrying a hint of forcefulness.

Hearing this, the girl’s face turned bright red, her hands tightly twisted together, turning white from the pressure, but she stood in place without moving.

"Hmm?!"

Seeing the girl refuse to move, Mizunuki Ryosuke raised an eyebrow, his expression immediately turning unpleasant.

Seeing this, the girl moved slowly toward Mizunuki Ryosuke as if heading to the execution ground.

The distance of less than three meters took her two full minutes; Mizunuki Ryosuke was in no hurry, just waiting for her to act.

Finally, when she approached, he stopped being polite and pulled her into his arms again.

"Ah!!!"

The girl let out a cry, her face turning deathly pale.

As the saying goes, the first time is strange, the second time is familiar.

Previously, on Hanzo’s back and the spine of the Ice Dragon King, the girl had experienced being curled up in Mizunuki Ryosuke’s embrace.

Now, although she still felt her heart racing and her body trembling, she was gradually becoming accustomed to it.

For the girl, there was indeed only the path of compromise, so even if Mizunuki Ryosuke made some excessive demands, she could only "endure the humiliation" for the time being.

Holding the girl’s fragrant body, Mizunuki Ryosuke said with a smile, as if it were a serious matter.

"Mm, since that's the case, I quite like you too."

"As for being a wife, you're still a bit lacking; whether you can be promoted in the future depends on your performance."

"For now, just be a little maid by my side and let me see how you perform."

Mizunuki Ryosuke said very seriously; from his stern, deadpan expression, one could tell he wasn't joking.

Of course, the girl naturally failed to notice the mockery deep within his eyes.

"What?!!"

The girl, hearing this, was almost choked by her own breath.

"He quite likes her?" She had only admitted it out of necessity due to the situation, but who knew this person would shamelessly acknowledge it?

"Lacking as a wife," "can only be a maid first"—hearing this, the girl was both ashamed and angry.

Please, where was she lacking!

The girl lowered her head, looking at her long, curved, and alluringly white legs, filled with resentment.

Who wants to be a maid!!

No!!

Who wants to be with you anyway!

The girl shook her head, throwing all the messy thoughts out of her mind.

She cursed the devil beside her for completely leading her thoughts astray.

Seeing her reaction so intense, Mizunuki Ryosuke’s face turned cold, and a chilling aura seeped from his body.

"Hmm? What, you disagree?"

"Could it be that you were just deceiving me?"

Seeing this situation, the girl, feeling danger slowly approaching, was on the verge of tears. Who had she offended? Why was she the one to face such a disaster?

This man was truly detestable!

But the girl could only submit to Mizunuki Ryosuke’s might.

"No, no, I..."

"I... a... gree!"

The girl responded in a panic, her large, clear eyes full of struggle; finally, she gritted her teeth and said it word by word...

"Mm, that's more like it."

Mizunuki Ryosuke nodded with satisfaction, a hint of dark cunning in his eyes.

"Then, my little maid 'Haruko' who admires me so much."

"Do you have anything else you want to say to me?"

"I always feel that the name 'Haruko' is a bit awkward to say."

Mizunuki Ryosuke repeatedly mentioned the fake name she had given earlier, looking at her with deep meaning. Every time he read the two characters "Haruko," his tone would grow heavier, as if hinting at something. Seeing his gaze, the girl felt a wave of embarrassment; today was definitely a day that could be written into her black history.

How could she not know that he had long seen through that "Mizunuki Haruko" was just a fake name she had made up on the spot?

And now, every time she heard him recite this fake name, she couldn't help but feel a wave of shame.

This feeling was like getting a sixty on a final exam, changing it to a ninety, and then having your parents find out and talk about it in front of relatives every few days.

The feeling of being exposed but still having it deliberately mentioned made her inner shyness explode.

Not only that, in just one day, she had done almost everything she had never done in her first eighteen years of life.

She had first called a complete stranger "husband," and then had intimate physical contact with this "husband"!

Now, she had even directly admitted to being a "maid" in front of this man.

Although it was all under "coercion," it was still too shameful.

Most importantly, this man was Mizunuki Ryosuke! That shadow that loomed over the Rock Village and would not dissipate!

One can only lament the irony of fate; who could have imagined that just the day before, she was still thinking about how to use her cause to defeat this man?

And now, she had not only called him husband but also admitted to being his maid.