The gentle voice seemed to resonate with the deepest thoughts in Audrey's heart, making her feel only the slightest resistance before she decided that this was the voice of her own heart, her most genuine thoughts.
Herwin Lumbis looked into her emerald-green, jewel-like eyes and continued at a measured pace: "Second, at the banquets and balls to come, be less resistant to the princes' advances, and say a few words of praise in front of Count Hall and his wife.
"Remember the above words — they represent your subconscious reflections. Then forget that I ever came here, forget that I ever said these things to you, forget that such behavior deviates from your normal conduct. Do not attempt to seek protection, and stay away from the key areas of the Church of Darkness's grand mass..."
After finishing, Herwin Lumbis withdrew his gaze from Audrey's eyes and instead planted suggestions in the minds of the maid
Having taken care of all this, his figure simply vanished inside the carriage without making a single sound.
Ding-ding!
Outside the window, another bicycle passed by, and Audrey's slightly unfocused eyes instantly regained their sparkle.
She glanced at the comings and goings on the street, then suddenly let out a small "Oh!"
Then, somewhat sheepishly, she turned back and said to Annie and the others: "I forgot something — I need to go to Glinart's place first."
At this point, the carriage had not yet left the Queen's District and was not too far from Viscount Glinart's manor. Annie and the other servants didn't find it strange or inconvenient at all and quickly instructed the driver to turn onto another street.
After rushing about until 9:40, Audrey finally arrived at Passfield Street, climbed to the second floor of the Loen Charity Scholarship Fund, and walked into her own director's office.
Seeing her personal maid Annie and the others either organizing document shelves or preparing black tea with spring water they had brought along, Audrey took the golden retriever
During this process, Audrey glanced at the keyhole and, in a rather relaxed state of mind, asked Susie: "Was there anything abnormal about my behavior today?"
This was only a habit she had developed in the last few days — ever since Herwin Lumbis went missing!
She knew that Mr. Fool's Angel's blessing did not last permanently and could only be maintained for a limited time, and she had no way of knowing whether Herwin Lumbis would come to find her, or when he would come, so she couldn't pray to Mr. Fool in advance to make the necessary preparations. Therefore, based on her knowledge of psychology and mysticism and her cautious nature, she not only examined her own behavior three times a day for anything abnormal and checked whether too many coincidences had occurred in her life, but she had also specifically instructed Susie to pay attention to her state and serve as her mirror.
This was to guard against being hypnotized or subtly influenced by Herwin Lumbis without realizing it!
The golden retriever Susie sat down nearby, thought about it seriously, and then said: "Yes."
Audrey's expression, which had been carrying a faint smile, froze instantly. She quickly looked at Susie, waiting for her to explain.
Susie twitched her nose, looked left and right, and then continued: "When you went out today, you had no plans to visit Viscount Glinart, but you changed course midway and went there."
"You've been telling me your approximate itinerary in advance these past few days, and you even said that any last-minute additions or changes to plans would be discussed with me first."
After hearing Susie's answer, Audrey's expression had turned grave.
She still didn't find anything abnormal about the situation itself, but this state of affairs was precisely what made it abnormal!
This gave her a near-certain judgment: Herwin Ramses had been here—after she left but before she went to the Glinart mansion!
He had already planted suggestions and performed hypnosis, erasing every trace!
However, he hadn't gone so far as to "instruct" a dog, making "it" think everything it saw was perfectly normal... Audrey instinctively wanted to send Susie out so she could pray to Mr. Fool, but she hesitated.
Is my current behavior being monitored by Herwin Ramses? Could he be sitting somewhere in this room right now, quietly watching me... No—if that were the case, he would have already discovered the problem when I was questioning Susie, and praying couldn't produce a worse outcome... Even if he really is here, Mr. Fool would be able to detect him. I could pledge a future sacrifice and beseech Him to directly impose divine punishment... But why do I still not want to pray? Why do I still not want to ask for help...
Audrey stood there, a flurry of thoughts racing through her mind, instinctively wanting to flee.
This made her notice the contradiction—the faint resistance lurking within her heart.
Drawing on her knowledge of psychology and the arcane, she formed a vague hypothesis, and hurriedly suppressed the thought of seeking help, settling her state into the one she usually assumed when praying to the Goddess—a prayer without expectation of a response.
This immediately reduced her inner conflict by more than half.
Audrey's expression grew resolute. She first gestured for Susie to leave, then turned to the mirror and began hypnotizing herself in a very soft voice: "You are not seeking help; you are merely performing your daily prayer..." "You are not seeking help; you are merely performing your daily prayer..."
After repeating this many times, the deep, soul-drawing green vortex in Audrey's eyes slowly dissipated, and her gaze returned to normal.
She then raised both hands, clasped them together before her mouth and nose, and began chanting in a low voice in the Hermeneutic language: