Lloyd agreed without hesitation and walked to Monet's side.
Monet smiled softly before leading the way toward the bathroom.
Seeing this, Hancock and the others naturally followed behind. Whenever Lloyd returned home, scenes like this had long become routine.
Only Shyarly, Pudding, and Olvia remained in the hall.
Shyarly did not find it strange. As a Celestial Dragon herself, she had seen far more excessive behavior from noble men. Compared to them, Lloyd's actions were practically restrained.
Pudding leaned closer to Olvia and whispered,
"Aunt Olvia, how long do you think Saint Lloyd will stay in there?"
Since Pudding and Robin were close friends, and Olvia was Robin's mother, calling her Aunt felt completely natural.
Yet after receiving Lloyd's first embrace, Olvia looked far younger than before. Judging only by appearance, most people would find it hard to believe she was Robin's mother. Sisters would have been a more believable assumption.
Olvia lightly bit her lip.
"I'm not sure… but men should finish bathing quickly, right?"
Even as she said it, she did not believe her own words.
After all, she had already seen enough of Lloyd's habits.
Could she stop his overbearing nature?
No.
More importantly, Robin had willingly followed him in herself.
For the next stretch of time, Olvia remained seated on the sofa, her gaze fixed absentmindedly toward the bathroom.
Roughly an hour later, the bathroom door finally opened.
Lloyd stepped out alongside Monet after finishing their bath.
The moment Olvia saw them emerge, she quietly let out a breath of relief she did not even realize she had been holding.
Given Lloyd's absurd physique, she convinced herself that the time spent inside had only been for bathing.
Pudding, meanwhile, stared at them curiously, her eyes scanning them up and down with obvious interest.
Shyarly frowned slightly.
"That's strange… did they really only take a bath?"
Lloyd glanced at her briefly before shifting his attention elsewhere.
His gaze landed on Monet, whose cheeks were faintly flushed.
"Monet," he said evenly, "you're staying in my room tonight."
The moment those words left his mouth, Monet froze completely.
It felt as if lightning had struck her.
Before she could even react, Sugar moved first.
With clear disappointment written across her face, she pinched Monet hard from behind.
Monet let out a soft cry of pain.
Meeting Lloyd's gaze, she lowered her head, her voice barely louder than a whisper.
"…Yes, Young Master."
Hancock and the others exchanged glances.
They had all received guidance from Lucia and were not entirely ignorant about relationships between men and women.
Even Robin, despite her reserved appearance, had often shared books from her personal collection with the others.
Because of this, they all understood what Lloyd's words implied.
Without saying anything, they understood each other perfectly.
Their hearts raced in silence.
Soon after, the night deepened.
Everyone gradually returned to their own rooms.
Sugar, unwilling to sleep alone after losing Monet's company for the night, clung tightly to Hancock.
Even though she had not yet eaten the Hobby Hobby Fruit, her timid nature had always been part of her personality.
Sleeping alone simply was not something she liked.
Inside Lloyd's room, silence settled comfortably.
Lloyd leaned against the headboard, casually holding a newspaper.
Beside him, Monet rested quietly against him.
A faint blush decorated her beautiful face, and despite trying to remain composed, her heartbeat was noticeably fast.
Lloyd noticed.
The corner of his lips lifted slightly.
Without looking at her, he casually flipped through the newspaper.
"Monet," he said calmly, "what do you think about the article on that page?"
Monet blinked in surprise.
Truthfully, she had barely paid attention to the newspaper at all.
Although she appeared to be reading, she had actually been sneaking glances at Lloyd whenever she could.
And in her current state, how could she possibly focus on anything written on paper?
Seeing her hesitate, Lloyd did not press her.
Instead, he simply continued.
"There are fewer reports about pirates these days, but the entertainment section keeps growing."
Monet immediately nodded.
"That's because Young Master defeated so many major pirates! The ones left don't even dare stir up trouble anymore!"
Her eyes sparkled with admiration as she looked at him.
To her, Lloyd was untouchable.
Lloyd placed the newspaper onto the bedside table.
"Perhaps," he replied. "But there are still people who refuse to abandon their thieving habits."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"Especially the one wearing the straw hat."
Monet tilted her head slightly.
"Monkey D. Luffy?"
She hesitated before asking softly,
"Is there something special about him? Why does Young Master pay so much attention to him?"
Lloyd picked up a cigarette and placed it between his lips.
A tiny flame flickered at his fingertip as he lit it.
After taking a slow drag, he exhaled lightly.
"There's a parasite attached to him."
His tone remained detached.
"And that parasite carries a feud with the Figarland Family stretching back generations."
Monet blinked, confusion surfacing in her expression.
Lloyd had no intention of explaining Joy Boy to her.
Instead, he turned to face her.
A faint, unreadable smile appeared on his face.
"Monet," he said, "do you remember the day we first met?"
Monet's expression softened immediately.
Of course she remembered.
She slowly sat up, the blanket slipping slightly from her shoulder as strands of light green hair fell gently around her.
Her voice turned soft.
"I remember."
She nodded firmly.
"That day, Young Master saved me and Sugar from those slave traders."
Lloyd shook his head slightly.
"It wasn't a rescue."
His tone remained indifferent.
"I bought you. Even if I hadn't, someone else would have paid a high price for both of you."
"No."
For one of the rare times, Monet disagreed with him.
She looked directly into his eyes.
"It was a rescue."
Her voice carried unusual firmness.
"I still remember the way those people looked at me and Sugar."
Her fingers unconsciously tightened against the blanket.
"If someone else had bought us…"
She lowered her eyes briefly.
"What waited for us would have been worse than death."
Lloyd remained silent for a few moments, simply observing her.
Then he asked,
"Are you satisfied with the life you have here?"
Monet's face brightened instantly.
A radiant smile bloomed across her features.
"Yes."
Her answer came without hesitation.
"Here, no one can betray me or sell me again."
Her voice grew softer.
"No one can hurt Sugar or me."
She looked at him with complete trust.
"Not even those arrogant Celestial Dragons."
She was right.
Given Lloyd's standing in Mary Geoise and his notorious possessiveness toward those under him, no Celestial Dragon dared target his maids.
In fact, many of them went out of their way to remain polite around Monet and the others.
Within the Figarland Family territory, they were servants.
Outside of it, their status surpassed even many queens.
After speaking, Monet felt an impulse rise within her heart.
She slowly leaned closer.
Her hand gently brushed against Lloyd's face.
The admiration in her eyes softened into something warmer.
"Most importantly…"
Her voice became quiet.
"Young Master is here."
===
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