A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

The black lady's fascinator was perched jauntily atop her head, and her elegant black pleated dress lent her an air of dignity. Black lace gloves enveloped her tender, petite hands, and the semi-transparent black tights clung to her slightly voluptuous legs, ensuring that even the little skin she showed was veiled in black. The round-toed ankle boots added a touch of playfulness to her ensemble.

This all-black attire focused on accentuating the upper waist, while the wide skirt concealed Ravenna's most alluring feminine curves. This gave our doll-like miss an appearance that truly resembled... well, a little girl.

Ansel looked down at the conservatively dressed and ascetic Ravenna: "It seems... something is missing."

He brushed his hand across Ravenna's forehead, and a piece of obscure black veil headwear obscured her mature face, which bore no trace of youthfulness.

After this adjustment, he stepped back to appraise Ravenna once more, then nodded in satisfaction:

"This is perfect now."

The young Hydral extended his hand to Ravenna with a beaming smile: "Anyone who sees you would fantasize about what kind of beauty this girl will grow into in four or five years."

Ravenna silently handed her hand, wrapped in black lace gloves, to Ansel. Truth be told, she couldn't accept this style of dress at all, but she had little choice. She thought to herself that Ansel still favored black as always.

"So—"

The wicked devil drawled with pleasure: "First, let's go meet your colleagues whom you see every day."

He felt the tender little hand he held twitch slightly. Clearly, Miss Ravenna was entirely unwilling for others to see her in this state.

Ansel's smile brightened even more: "Do you know what to call me?"

"...Father," Ravenna replied, her voice trembling slightly.

"Good girl."

Ansel stroked Ravenna's hair, and under the enhancement of his magic, her blue-gray hair turned black. She did not tie it up in the usual efficient high ponytail but let it fall softly down her back, adding to the ladylike aura about her.

Dignified, reserved, delicate... she was completely devoid of her usual decisive and stern demeanor, and even her voice fluctuated vividly with her emotions.

Truth be told, this contrasting version of Ravenna was indeed very tempting. Although she could not be like Seraphina, in terms of appeal, the current miss puppet aroused Ansel's appetite. However...

Even so, even though Ravenna was willing to submit to this extent, the principles rooted in her heart remained unshaken. When it came to the ultimate decision, she would still not choose him.

This left Ansel's emotions... somewhat complex.

Pure individuals are praiseworthy, and those whose purity is justifiable and even noble deserve admiration.

Undoubtedly, whether it was Eileen or Ravenna, the ideals they upheld were beyond reproach from a motivational standpoint, deserving of the term "noble" and could even be called great.

But this greatness had nothing to do with him.

The young Hydral now only wished to increase her submissiveness while pleasing himself and laying the groundwork for what was to come.

Ansel led Ravenna out of the alchemy workshop, with Ravenna acting obediently in her attempt to gain Ansel's "forgiveness." However, her obedience couldn't mask her unnaturalness, making her seem like a puppet being pulled along by Ansel rather than a daughter.

The Tower of Babel, where all the allocated alchemy workshops were concentrated in one area for the convenience of scholars to exchange ideas and assist each other, housed Ravenna's workshop in its most secluded corner. Rarely interacting with other scholars, no one could reach the heights at which she operated.

In a world dominated by the extraordinary, higher ranks signify greater power, broader vision, and richer knowledge. Ravenna, operating at a third-stage level yet possessing abilities surpassing many fourth and even fifth-tier sorcerers, was a rarity throughout history.

Of course, there lay particular reasons — Her unique focus on universal, accessible alchemical devices, which didn't demand great power or pursue traditional notions of "strength," required a higher level of creativity and invention.

This is why Ravenna held such a special status in the Tower of Babel, as her achievements over the years have proven her unparalleled talent within the tower, compared to anyone else.

When Ravenna provided various custom data systems to the "clients" the Tower of Babel had negotiated with, they all delved deeply into the technology. Among them were top-tier sorcerers and those with talented subordinates, but everyone found that the challenge wasn't the data system itself but its foundation—a completely independent logic system… unknown to the existing magical framework.

Unless one mastered this independent logic, it was impossible to reverse-engineer the data system.

Some are now attempting to understand and analyze this logic from scratch, and while fifth-stage sorcerers' power is undeniable, it's uncertain how far Ravenna could advance her data systems by the time they might succeed.

Ansel hadn't anticipated Ravenna could actually create such a device—he had only provided a vague idea, a whimsical notion.

This is the talent that even fate acknowledges, willing to bet on its success.

Now, the miss puppet with such talent… was stiffly brought to an alchemy workshop by Ansel.

"First stop," Ansel whispered, "Madam Ronger, who has always cared for and protected you. Let's not get discovered, or... I'll have to explain in my own way."

The young Hydral blinked, bending down to whisper in Ravenna's ear, "My... good daughter."

Ravenna trembled slightly, instinctively gripping Ansel's hand tighter.

Being discovered... How should she explain? How would Ansel explain? And how would she face Madam Ronger?

All these thoughts froze as the doors to the alchemy workshop slowly opened.

"I had not anticipated the honor of your presence, Lord Ansel. My sincerest apologies for not being able to welcome you upon your immediate arrival," said Ronger, who had been preoccupied until he came forward to greet.

Since the incident at the Etheric Academy, the upper echelons of the Tower of Babel have been exceedingly humble in their dealings with Ansel, always maintaining a posture of humility.

"It's of no consequence; my arrival was indeed unexpected and may have caused an interruption," Ansel responded, his gaze drifting to the slightly puzzled look in Ronger's eyes as they fell upon the delicate figure of the doll-like girl, his lips curving into a pleased smile.

"Allow me to introduce her to you, Madam Ronger. This is Helen, my... daughter."

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