Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

Chapter 8: Hypnosis Experiment

Upon hearing her words, Lynn fell silent.

After a moment, he spoke, his head still lowered. “Sounds…not too bad? So, what do you need me to do?”

The masked woman seemed to have anticipated this question and answered without hesitation, “I need you to return to the imperial capital, inherit your father’s title, and swear the entire Bartleon family’s allegiance to me.”

“The Bartleon family is an established line of merit, unlike those upstart nobles with no foundation. Your family has considerable influence in the military.”

“Though your family’s power is waning, it’s still a force that can’t be ignored.”

“And besides…” The masked woman paused, looking at Lynn with an unreadable expression. “Your family seems to be quite wealthy.”

“I need you to provide me with a steady flow of financial support.”

“As things stand, your father is gravely ill and on the brink of death, your elder brother died in battle, and apart from your younger sister, only you remain in the Bartleon line…of course, except for the child in your sister-in-law’s womb.”

Lynn shook his head. “Madam, you should know that I’m pretty much a public enemy in the capital. There’s no way they’ll let me inherit the title smoothly.”

“That’s my problem to handle. You only need to answer me: do you agree or not?”

With a shrug, Lynn replied, “I suppose I don’t have much reason to refuse?”

If this was truly why they’d captured him, then Lynn could agree to the proposal. He could always play along on the surface and find a chance to escape later.

After all, her demand was outrageous, practically swallowing the entire Bartleon family whole.

It wasn’t just her; the nobles in the capital were probably lining up for a share as well.

And it was all thanks to that fiancée of his.

Lynn sneered inwardly.

As if sensing his thoughts, the masked woman continued, “Wait a moment, I haven’t finished listing my terms.”

“This arrangement offers no guarantees, as you well know.” Supporting her chin with one hand, she revealed a slender, pale wrist, giving her cool demeanor an unexpectedly alluring touch. “So, before we proceed, you’ll need to assist us with an experiment.”

“What kind of experiment?” Lynn frowned slightly.

Of course, she wasn’t naive enough to base this level of collaboration on mere words.

“An experiment in mental control.” She tapped her forehead. “In other words, a hypnosis experiment.”

She stated it bluntly.

“You want to turn me into your puppet?” Lynn chuckled. “So you’d gain all the Bartleon family’s wealth without spending a single penny? Quite the bargain.”

“So, what’s your answer?”

“I refuse.”

Naturally, Lynn would never agree. Going through with the experiment would mean handing her total control over his life and death, making him a complete slave without any ability to resist.

“Care to share your reason?” The masked woman showed no surprise. “It doesn’t seem like the Bartleon family has any other way out.”

Lynn smiled. “I have no intention of becoming a prisoner without autonomy. I’d rather be dead.”

“What if I promised that as long as you didn’t actively betray me, I wouldn’t use hypnosis to control your will?”

“That still won’t work.”

Now the masked woman was genuinely intrigued.

In her view, the terms she’d offered should have been irresistible to a fallen noble thirsting for revenge.

She’d encountered many people driven by vengeance, willing to descend into hell to achieve their ends.

But this young man before her seemed to have no such desire.

“Why?” she asked directly, then seemed to realize something suddenly. “Perhaps you don’t know my identity, in which case I—”

“That’s irrelevant,” Lynn interrupted. “Let’s use an analogy, Madam. Would you board a ship destined to sink?”

“What do you mean?”

The masked woman frowned slightly.

“It means…” Lynn leaned back against the chair, his tone calm, “no matter who you are or what your intentions are, you can’t accomplish anything with the rabble you’ve gathered under you.”

Sensing his contempt, her voice grew colder. “Are you under the impression that I’m someone to be trifled with?”

“Lynn Bartleon, you have only two paths before you.”

“First, accept my proposal. After the experiment, become my subordinate.”

“Second, I’ll extract your memories and have someone impersonate you to take over as the new Bartleon family head.”

And the outcome of that second option went without saying.

She wasn’t running a charity. Once he lost his value, death would be his only fate.

“Or… perhaps there’s a third option.”

Suddenly, Lynn stretched lazily, then slowly pressed a fully-loaded revolver onto the table.

A sudden turn of events.

The masked woman’s gaze sharpened.

Although his shackles hadn’t been removed, Lynn’s right hand had somehow slipped free.

A closer look revealed the base of his thumb was noticeably swollen and red.

This was a dislocation technique Lynn had once read about, and surprisingly, it worked on his first try.

He looked at the masked woman, who’d fallen silent, grinning widely. “Well, was I wrong?”

“The people you have here are nothing but a useless gang of fools.”

As he toyed with the revolver, Lynn continued.

The gun originally belonged to Vorna, and had been confiscated long ago. This one he’d lifted from Rhine when he whispered in his ear.

With just a simple trick, it was easily done.

He’d known from the start that to handle someone like Rhine, he only had to let him think he was in complete control. Rhine’s arrogance would lead him to drop his guard and make a mistake.

And Lynn, of course, seized that opening.

“So from the beginning, you put on that act to lull Rhine into letting his guard down, to arrange this moment when we’re alone?”

The masked woman looked Lynn up and down, as if seeing him in a new light.

“Exactly.” Lynn opened his mouth, showing the bite mark inside. “He probably saw me spitting blood and assumed I’d lost all strength to resist. Foolish to the extreme.”

“Madam, after this is over, you might want to consider replacing your subordinates with some competent ones.”

“You think you can escape from this dungeon?” Her voice remained calm. “Even if you reach the surface, the area above is still our territory…”

“Spare me the bluffing.” Lynn interrupted her again. “Madam, those words won’t fool me.”

“Oh?”

She looked at him, intrigued.

“You think that blinding my sight and binding my hands on the way here left me helpless?” Lynn rose and walked toward her. “When I was captured, it was around 9:40 p.m., and when I woke, the central clock tower in Orne City struck ten.”

“With only ten minutes, it would be impossible to leave the city, and thanks to the chimes, I could estimate our relative location.”

“As for the rest of the way, I could rely on my sense of time and direction… Oh, and by the way, a person’s pulse, breath, even heartbeat, can be used to measure time.”

“With these factors and my memory of Orne City’s map, it was easy to pinpoint our current location.”

“Underground at 109 King’s Avenue. Am I right?”

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