Chapter 26: Parting Ways and New Beginnings

Phew~

Yuli finally left.

At the moment of parting, she kissed his cheek…

Fran’s face turned a little red, and he nearly thought Yuli was going to kiss him again. Startled, he quickly averted his gaze, only to expose his cheek to her.

Or perhaps, Yuli kissed his cheek because she couldn’t reach his lips.

Well…

In a way, it feels like he won again.

Fran let out a long sigh. With this, he should be able to infiltrate the mansion in Purburg and gather information soon.

Hmm… A maid? A secretary? A trophy?

A smirk played across Fran’s lips. That foolish woman…

She believed his lies so easily, just because he put on a performance of being desperate and seeking help?

After all, that politician was already dead, and there was no evidence to contradict his story. He could say whatever he wanted.

Everything was going smoothly, even Yuli’s affection for him…

But…

Fran recalled the intense kisses and suddenly felt unsettled. He knew his reaction at the time was wrong, even though he was very compliant and sincere, there was no doubt that he was passively accepting Yuli’s advances.

If this situation were to penetrate his subconscious, if it were to affect his feelings for Yuli…

Even if he developed a real affection for Yuli, it would make this infiltration mission dangerous.

He couldn’t allow that. He needed to adjust his mindset.

But…

Yuli…

Her face appeared in his mind—her gentle gaze and her stubborn attitude. Everything about her…

Sigh—

He shook his head helplessly, realizing he still wasn’t mature enough. As a spy, he had to keep learning and stay resolute in his work.

Speaking of which…

That silly Yuli…

She was actually quite sweet.

The boy licked his lips, savoring the lingering taste.

……

Yuli exited the room, closing the door behind her.

She wanted to stay with Fran a bit longer, but there didn’t seem to be much left to say. After asking her questions and confirming a somewhat ambiguous relationship between friends and lovers, Yuli was left feeling bewildered.

What was Fran thinking?

Sometimes he responded enthusiastically to her flirting, other times he hid away shyly. Sometimes he spoke in ambiguous terms, and other times he was as cold as a stranger.

Fran was indeed a puzzling fellow, Yuli thought.

She felt a bit at a loss, unsure if she could fully grasp Fran’s personality. But once she brought him to the mansion to live with her as her maid and secretary, spending every day together, she was sure she could slowly uncover his secrets.

He would be hers eventually…

Yuli firmly believed this, so much so that when she bumped into Lyon, she hadn’t yet come back to reality.

Lyon stood before her, urgently asking,

“Has Fran woken up?”

Yuli furrowed her brow. “How do you know?”

Lyon quickly waved his hands, explaining, “I could tell from your expression. You seemed a bit excited.”

“Hmm, Lyon, when did you learn to analyze microexpressions? You’re quite the expert.”

Yuli chuckled and shook her head. Lyon, not one to boast, pressed on, “So, do we need to investigate Fran further?”

This time, Yuli shook her head decisively. “No, I’ve already asked him everything. Fran isn’t an anti-empire activist, and he has nothing to do with the politician’s death. That’s all. In a couple of days, once he’s recovered, I’ll bring him to the mansion to be my maid.”

“What?”

Lyon exclaimed, this time firmly refusing. “No way, Yuli! Even if he’s clean, he’s still a Francian. If he’s let into our mansion…”

“There are already local collaborators in the intelligence station, and they’re Francian too. Besides, I’m just hiring him as a maid. Do I need your approval to hire a maid?”

Yuli glared at him, and Lyon gave a wry smile, shaking his head.

Yuli continued, “I’m warning you, don’t investigate Fran anymore. There’s nothing to find, and it will affect our relationship. We’re colleagues now. If I catch you snooping on him again…”

Lyon scratched his head, sighing inwardly at Yuli’s commanding presence. He smiled awkwardly and nodded. “Yes, ma’am!”

“Alright, you can go now if you have nothing else.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Lyon nodded, adding as he left, “Oh, by the way, Purburg sent someone to our station to handle special operations. They should be arriving in Purburg soon. You should…”

“Sure, we’ll go meet them.”

Yuli nodded, dismissing Lyon. Alone in the hospital corridor, she sat on a provided chair, took a deep breath, and began to think.

She had lied to Lyon. At least two things she said weren’t true.

Firstly, the politician’s death was related to Fran, but it had nothing to do with his connection to Lyon. Fran had only killed the politician in self-defense.

The reason for lying was to prevent Lyon from digging deeper, since Fran was indeed the one who killed the politician. If Lyon became suspicious, it could lead to more trouble. It was better to avoid unnecessary complications.

Secondly, she wasn’t just bringing Fran to the mansion to be a maid.

There was also the position of secretary…

But Yuli knew Lyon would object. The secretary’s role involved access to too much sensitive information.

But why did she want Fran as her secretary? It wasn’t just out of affection; there were other reasons as well.

When she was first assigned to the Purburg station, she was unenthusiastic and negligent about her work. It was only after the station was mostly established that she realized the problem: she had no trusted allies inside or outside the station; most people were either appointed from above or chosen by Lyon.

In such a situation, she couldn’t trust anyone from the station to be her secretary. Choosing Fran, at least, would give her peace of mind, as she could feel he had genuine affection for her.

Moreover, Fran was a Francian, which was both a disadvantage and an advantage. The disadvantage was that she would need to train him extensively. The advantage was that he would be more familiar with Purburg’s affairs, potentially helping her a great deal.

All things considered, it was a good choice.

But…

She suddenly had an inexplicable feeling. Reflecting on her conversation with Fran.

Hmm…

He had chosen a powerful ally.

Yuli couldn’t help but shake her head. Fran claimed he shot the politician in self-defense after the politician tried to assault him.

But…

The politician was dead and couldn’t speak for himself.

She couldn’t completely trust Fran’s story, nor could she disbelief it entirely.

The key was…

Did that kid really have the courage to shoot someone?

Maybe she underestimated that little cutie.

She shook her head, pushing those doubts aside.

Without evidence, she shouldn’t make such assumptions. She believed in Fran, and that should be enough.