Monet couldn't hold it in anymore. Fuming, she stormed forward and yanked Sugar by the ear, scolding angrily,
"You little brat! Put your swimsuit on now! What do you think this is, an all-nude convention?!"
Monet didn't hold back with her strength this time, and Sugar cried out in pain,
"Ow ow ow! I'll put it on, I'll put it on! Let go already, you're gonna rip my ear off!"
Only after hearing Sugar surrender did Monet let go. Folding her arms, she stood back and coldly watched as Sugar fished her swimsuit out of the water and started reluctantly putting it on.
"What's wrong? Struggling to tie a little strap? Want me to help?"
Sugar's big eyes rolled playfully, and with a sudden swoosh, she slipped up beside Carl, whining in a sweet tone,
"It's too slippery from the bath, help me out, Young Master~?"
Carl, playing along, raised his hands to help tie the strap. As his fingers brushed against Sugar's smooth, pale skin, she let out a soft, teasing hum—whether intentionally or not, it was hard to say.
Robin frowned deeply from the side, muttering inwardly,
Shameless! Absolutely no shame at all!
And yet, Sugar's antics were partially Robin's fault. She had a bad habit of sharing her collection of "literary classics" with the girl.
Now look—Robin was still stuck in theory, while Sugar had already moved on to hands-on application.
Sugar tugged at her swimsuit and pretended to pout.
"This one's a bit small, huh…"
Robin gritted her teeth and scoffed,
"Cut the crap! With that scrawny body of yours, the only ones you could even compete with is Boa's Seraphim!"
Just as the two were about to start another round of bickering, Carl clapped his hands and sighed helplessly.
"Alright, that's enough. As for the size issue, we've got plenty of time to research that later."
Robin and Sugar both blushed at his words—Robin looked down shyly, while Sugar leaned closer to Carl and murmured flirtatiously,
"Then I hope Young Master will study me thoroughly. I'll be more than happy to offer up some material~"
Carl smirked devilishly, pulled Sugar into his arms, and lowered his head to whisper in her reddened ear,
"Of course. Just make sure to cooperate."
"Total cooperation~"
...
Kalifa, watching from the side, was completely stunned.
This baby-faced vixen is way bolder than she looks…
Noticing Kalifa had been left out for quite a while, Sugar rubbed against Carl's chest and cooed,
"Young Master, Kalifa's been all by herself for a while now~"
Carl pinched Sugar's little nose and chuckled,
"Oh, and whose fault is that? You've been stuck to me like glue."
Sugar giggled mischievously and slipped out of Carl's embrace with a slick, practiced motion.
"I just love being around Young Master~"
Caught off guard by being suddenly mentioned, Kalifa didn't know what to do. She had seen all the flirting between Carl and the others just now, and honestly felt a little out of place. She'd been trying to reduce her presence as much as possible—who would've thought Sugar would just casually toss Carl to her like that?
Seeing Carl looking her way, Kalifa quickly composed herself and said softly,
"Carl-sama."
Carl smiled.
"Kalifa, you still look a little stiff. If this keeps up, you'll never really fit in here."
Kalifa blinked, surprised.
"Eh? Fit in here? Carl-sama, I…"
Carl tilted his head and asked,
"What? You really liked working for CP that much? If that's the case, you can leave after tonight. I'll have Stussy arrange a better position for you."
That was when Kalifa finally understood what he meant. But even knowing, she still couldn't quite believe it. Her voice trembled slightly as she asked,
"Carl-sama… you mean I can stay? Here in Mary Geoise?"
"Of course. More accurately, in the Figarland estate. Both Makino and Amara have taken a liking to you, and I have a good impression as well. If you're willing, this can be your home from now on."
A deep blush bloomed on Kalifa's face, her heart pounding.
Oh my god… living in Mary Geoise, in the domain of the mighty Figarland family—how is that any different from living in the heavens?!
It meant that even if she did nothing at all, she'd still be living better than any so-called king out there.
As for her role as a Cipher Pol agent… come on, who likes going to work?
Look at Carl's attendants—any one of them, placed outside, would be treated like royalty wherever they went. Some people spent their whole lives dreaming of wealth and promotion, clawing their way up to a high-ranking position in the World Government—only to still be no different from commoners in front of Carl's maids.
This was what it meant to leap straight to the top. Only an idiot would turn it down. Refusing would be enough to get her mocked by Gabra and the others for the rest of her life!
With that thought, Kalifa stood up abruptly and declared,
"Carl-sama, I want to stay!"
Carl smiled gently and motioned for her to sit.
"Good. But no need to get so worked up. Just sit and relax."
Kalifa forced herself to suppress the tide of emotions welling inside her. Right now, she was suddenly very grateful to be a woman—and a fairly attractive one at that.
She knew full well what staying here meant.
But so what?
This was Carl-sama.
The undisputed strongest man in the world—young, powerful, and holding a position higher than anyone else.
Forget queens and princesses from other nations—even here in Mary Geoise, there were plenty of female Celestial Dragons lining up, hoping to be invited into this very palace.
Not to mention, Carl had once pulled her and the others out of a hopeless situation.
She'd seen everything just now—how Carl pampered his attendants to the extreme. He was nothing like the twisted Celestial Dragons she'd heard horror stories about.
To Kalifa, staying here, becoming Carl's woman—it was a dream so far out of reach, she wouldn't have even dared to fantasize about it before.
The more she thought about it, the more excited she got. Bubbles began popping up all over her body from sheer delight.
Carl casually reached out and popped one with his fingertip. Pop!
The sound brought Kalifa back to her senses.
Realizing she'd lost control again, she quickly bowed repeatedly in apology.
Carl sighed with a helpless smile.
"Relax, relax. I'm not some grumpy old fossil like Garling-san."
Standing behind Carl, Lucia couldn't help but chuckle.
"Young Master, if Garling-sama hears that, he's definitely going to be mad~"
Carl shrugged.
"So what? Everyone here is family. Who's gonna rat me out?"
Hearing that, Kalifa's smile grew even sweeter.
"Family… huh…"
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+140 chapters on p@treon/tambeerg