NOVEL NEXT Chapter 235 The Second Step of Turning
Chapter 235 The Second Step of Turning
"Eh?"
"Eh—???!"
Observing Heloise's surprise, Tyler remained unperturbed.
This was precisely the reaction he aimed to elicit.
There is a psychological trick: when making a request, if you first ask for something excessive, then follow up with a more reasonable request, the latter is often more readily accepted than if it were asked alone.
Tyler's goal was to have Heloise agree that if "someone" came looking for her at night, she would call him and not meet them alone.
The proposition of sharing a room was merely the "excessive request" he made deliberately.
"Well... okay then."
To Tyler's surprise, Heloise actually agreed.
(Eh…?)
Observing Heloise's bashful demeanour and her inner thoughts, Tyler was momentarily speechless.
He hadn't expected that Heloise's desire to attract Felix's marriage proposal was sincere!
.
In the span of a single minute, Heloise mustered the greatest courage she had ever summoned in her life.
The implications of sharing a room with a member of the opposite sex were not lost on her!
— (So, it's true...)
— (Felix... he must be planning to... to hold my hand while I'm asleep!) ,
Although her tigermen adoptive parents had never explicitly told her, Heloise had heard from her friends that when a man and a woman of marriageable age held hands overnight, a baby would be born the next day!
— (Felix, that dumbass, feigning indifference to my marriage proposal, he's actually itching to become my husband!)
— (Audacious enough to make such a bold request!)
— (Very well, as the apostle of the Nefarious Tiger King, I'll go along with it!)
Feeling relieved after her response, Heloise couldn't help but feel a twinge of satisfaction. She cast a sidelong glance at Felix, hoping to see a hint of embarrassment on his stern face.
"As long as you're okay with it, let's go in."
To her disappointment, Felix's face remained as inscrutable as ever, showing no signs of discomfort.
The pressure now returned to Heloise.
.
With shaky steps, Heloise walked into the inn's lobby. Each step felt as though she was trudging through a swamp.
It seemed to her as if she was climbing a mountain as she scaled the inn's steps.
She followed Felix into the room with a shivering body, anyone who saw her might think she was about to embark on the ancient labyrinth.
The single bed in the room dealt a heavy blow to Heloise's tender heart.
— (Oh no, what am I going to do now?)
She stood at the door, her body rigid as she contemplated fleeing.
But she was the one who had agreed to this arrangement. If she backed out now, it would surely bring shame upon the tigermen race!
— (Oh, Nefarious Tiger King, what should I do now...?(〒︿〒))
Just then, seeing that Heloise was still standing at the door, Felix turned around and walked towards her.
This only made Heloise more nervous, her entire body shaking like a leaf.
"Helo…"
"F-F-Felix, do you prefer baby boys or girls?"
Heloise stuttered, interrupting Felix and leaving him to furrow his eyebrows in confusion.
"I-I-I mean, if you like boys, hold my left hand tonight, and if you..."
"Enough of this boy-girl nonsense, come inside."
Before Heloise could finish, Felix pulled her into the room.
Then, Felix brought a quilt and spread it on the floor, telling Heloise, "You'll sleep here tonight."
This time, Heloise was stupefied.
.
In the span of a single night, Heloise grappled with the revelation, ultimately realizing that she had misunderstood.
Felix had never intended to share the bed with her; the arrangement was merely to economize on lodging expenses.
Feeling slighted, Heloise loudly declared her intention to get a separate room, only to discover that she had forgotten to bring her money in her haste.
Defeated, she trudged back into the shared room.
Just when she needed a bit of gentle consolation, Felix inadvertently dealt a blow to her feminine pride, stating, "Don't worry, I won't touch a single finger of yours."
At this point, Heloise cast aside all her pretenses and shyness. She vowed in her heart to the Nefarious Tiger King that she would woo Felix until he was head over heels for her!
.
As night fell over Delis Town, Tyler was concocting potions in the inn's room while "chatting" with Heloise.
"Heloise, regarding the issue of your karmic imprint, if you're willing to be honest, you might be able to reduce the number of "Purification Rituals" needed."
Heloise was initially reluctant to engage with Felix, but his proposition was too enticing to ignore.
"What do you mean, honest?" she asked.
"That day, after you spoke to 'someone' in the forest, you knew my original name was 'Banning', right?"
Tyler brought up the topic directly. Now that they were in Delis Town, it was time to prepare for the battle against the "Earthly Ghost" and the "Shadow Serpent Society".
"Uh… no, no. That day was the day of destiny. I received a revelation from the Nefarious Tiger King in the forest, which is how I knew your former name…"
Heloise stammered out a completely unconvincing explanation. Tyler had anticipated this and began to shake Heloise's faith in the "Earthly Ghost".
"Heloise, lying to an 'Messenger of the Benevolent Deity' will only worsen your karmic imprint," Tyler said, delivering a heavy blow to Heloise's psyche.
"Also, I know all about your service to the 'Shadow Serpent Society' and how your 'great one' is actually known as the 'Earthly Ghost'."
This revelation was a fatal blow to Heloise.
The feeling was akin to a child caught playing on the computer while the parents were out, who had hurriedly turned off the computer and pretended to study upon their return, only to have the mother play back the surveillance footage right in front of her.
Right now, Heloise's heart was filled with iced popsicles.
"F-F-Felix…" she stammered.
"Mm-hmm, I know, you don't have to explain. Anyway, the 'Purification Ritual' will be extended by three days," he said, causing Heloise to never dare lie to "Felix" again.
Then, after wielding the big stick, Felix offered a sweet candy.
He told Heloise that he didn't actually intend to harm the "Earthly Ghost"; on the contrary, he was doing all this to help the "Earthly Ghost".
"Heloise, you should know that a benevolent god is merciful," Tyler continued, further utilizing his "Deceiver" skill, walking further down the path of playing the role of a con artist.