This Trainee Fatui Harbinger is Too Unreliable [122]
Luo Qing awoke, feeling a weight on his chest. Blinking the sleep away, he found his view entirely blocked by dark purple hair.
Theresa lay sprawled across him, drooling on his chest while one of her legs rested suggestively on his thigh, rubbing against him even in her sleep. A satisfied, almost lewd expression adorned her face.
"..."
Luo Qing sighed. He distinctly remembered her being passed out from drinking too much last night. How had she managed to crawl onto him in her sleep?
Carefully, Luo Qing pushed her off, his hand slipping into his pants for a moment to check.
Nope. Doesn't seem like I've been tampered with.
It wasn't the first time Theresa had made advances on him, clearly enamored with his physicality. But Luo Qing had to admit, her persistence was getting ridiculous. Scanning the room, he found the others sprawled out in various positions on his floor. It seemed everyone had simply passed out where they'd been drinking, with no one making it back to their own rooms.
Not wanting to wake them, Luo Qing stood up and quietly slipped out of the room.
As he passed by Rosalyne's room, he noticed something strange—her door was wide open.
"Where did she go?"
Luo Qing frowned. It wasn't like Rosalyne to leave her room, especially if she didn't have a mission. Had something come up while he was distracted last night?
And then it hit him—yesterday marked the last day of their agreement. His absence at Tenshukaku had probably caused Rosalyne to move forward on her own.
"This woman... Does she always have to be so damn punctual?" Luo Qing muttered to himself, rushing toward Tenshukaku.
He couldn't afford to let Rosalyne meet with the Raiden Shogun just yet. If she went ahead with the meeting and struck some sort of deal, it'd ruin his plans entirely. Rosalyne was prideful and independent, making it hard enough to sway her loyalty away from the Tsaritsa. If she struck an accord with the Shogun and retrieved the Gnosis, convincing her to switch sides would be nearly impossible.
To bring her fully under his control, Rosalyne had to experience defeat firsthand and sever her ties with the Fatui. Only then could he offer her salvation and have her indebted to him completely.
He needed to act fast.
At Tenshukaku, Rosalyne strode confidently, led by attendants through the hallways. Today was the day she would complete her mission and return to Snezhnaya with the Raiden Shogun's Gnosis. The ship back was already prepared, and by tonight, she would be on her way home.
The doors to the throne room swung open, revealing the Shogun seated regally on her platform, her eyes closed in meditation.
Rosalyne took a deep breath, steeling herself. The moment their eyes met, an icy chill ran down her spine, a brief tremor of fear. But it passed quickly. She wasn't here as a supplicant; she was here representing the Tsaritsa. She had no reason to be cowed.
As she stepped forward to announce herself, her vision suddenly blurred.
In the blink of an eye, Rosalyne found herself no longer standing in Tenshukaku. She was on an island surrounded by ocean.
"What the...?"
Rosalyne's confusion lasted only a moment as she felt a hand on her waist. She immediately recognized the sensation—she was being carried over someone's shoulder.
"Luo Qing, you bastard!"
Rosalyne shouted angrily, slamming her knee into his back. She pushed herself off him, landing gracefully a few steps away. Her face was a mixture of fury and confusion.
"The two months are up! What do you think you're doing?!"
She snapped, crossing her arms as icy mist began to gather around her.
Luo Qing smiled casually, unfazed by her anger.
"Sorry, Rosalyne. I've still got some unfinished business. You can't meet the Shogun just yet."
"Who are you to decide that?" Rosalyne's voice dripped with venom, her regal posture exuding power. Ice began to spread across the ground beneath her feet. "Our agreement is complete. You have no right to interfere now."
Power crackled around her, a visible frost emanating from her body. She had tolerated Luo Qing long enough; now it was time to show him that her patience had run out.
Luo Qing, however, remained calm, folding his arms across his chest.
"Relax. I just need you to wait a little longer. Trust me, it's not the right time yet."
"Wait?" Rosalyne's glare intensified, the cold around her sharpening like a blade. "I'm not in the mood for your games, Luo Qing. Either move, or I'll make you move."
The ground beneath them crystallized with ice as Rosalyne's fury reached its peak.
"Sorry, but no can do," Luo Qing replied nonchalantly, his hands still crossed.
"This is your last chance," Rosalyne warned, her patience clearly at an end. "Either get out of my way, or you'll regret it."
She raised her hand, the air growing even colder.
"Bring it on then," Luo Qing teased. He wasn't intimidated—if anything, her temper only amused him.
"Hmph! You asked for this!"
Rosalyne's hand slashed through the air, and a towering pillar of ice shot toward Luo Qing.
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