Chapter 12: Misbehave
"System, are you... crazy? What are you saying? What do you expect me to do?"
Ivy shrieked, glaring at the system, looking at it with a sharp gaze as if she could crush its fat body with her eyes.
She couldn't believe the system had said that, as if it didn't know the person it was asking her to bathe with.
"I have been carrying out all your ridiculous missions to get close to the villain. But this one is too much! Do you want him to burn me?" she declared, her arms folded, looking at the system with threatening eyes to show it that she was serious and determined.
Ivy saw the system looking at her coldly, puffing out gum. Yes, the system was chewing gum and looking at her unseriously.
"I have said it. I'm not changing my mind. This mission you must carry out. Nothing you do can stop me or change my mind,"
the system said, poking out its tongue at her as if it were playful.
"You must fulfill it, and that's it," the system said, turning its butt to face Ivy. It made Ivy wonder why the guy was acting like a ruffian.
Ivy furrowed her brow, trying to keep her voice lowered.
"Ah, come on, system, what is this? I read the book better than you, so I know how the villain is. What you are asking me is totally ridiculous, system!" she said.
Even though she tried to keep her voice low, her insides were burning with weird thoughts about the number of times she had caught the system spanking its butt at her. The system felt unbothered by her gaze.
"Ivy, let me ask you a question."
The system puffed the last bit of its gum, looking at Ivy seriously. Ivy was looking back at it seriously too.
Ivy narrowed her eyes in confusion about what the system wanted to say, but not bothering herself to think more about it, she said,
"Yes, what is it?"
"You kissed the villain on the cheek, right?"
The system's gaze bit at her, its tiny feet walking toward her, stepping on her sheets and leaning close to her face. Its bird mouth almost poked Ivy for a moment.
Ivy gulped as the system was too close. Shifting her gaze from it, she answered,
"Yes."
She clenched her knuckles, calculating what the system was thinking inside. The little guy was being a creep, she swore.
"You shared a bet with him, right?"
The system asked, raising its tiny brow at her, its feathers pointing at her.
"Yes."
Ivy gulped once more, responding with a beating heart. Inside, she screamed.
Why was the system being so intimidating?
"You tried opening your bosom to him, is that right?"
The system smiled slightly with its last question, its voice coming out like the devil's.
Ivy tried to shift away from the system, but the bird was pushing forward as if threatening her.
Oh yes, it was threatening her.
"Yes… Wait, when did that happen?"
Ivy's eyes widened, refuting immediately, not believing her ears. When had she done that? She didn't remember.
"It happened four hours ago. If you've forgotten, let me remind you, Ivy,"
the system sneered, pointing at her forehead and knocking it twice. Ivy flinched as it hit her forehead, but she couldn't resort to violence for revenge.
"Birdy, I know that I've done all that... but it was just for the mission. Those seemed so easy for me," Ivy whispered, trying to make the system understand her. She was sweating on her forehead as she begged. But the system only gave her cold eyes.
The system sneered at her reasoning.
"Then I assure you, Ivy, if you can do that, then you can do this too," it sneered and said. Ivy clenched her hand on her chest where the system couldn't see. It was so annoying that the system didn't want to listen to her.
For a moment, it made her wonder if the system was tired of a host like her and wanted to get rid of her and find another host.
No, the system couldn't find another host. If it did, it meant she would die. Ivy screamed in her mind.
"Ha, come on, Birdy,"
she said with a forced smile that refused to show her teeth. She tried one last time to make the system change the mission.
But the system's intense expression showed that it wasn't listening.
"Don't 'Birdy' me. Call me 'System' when I'm being serious,"
the system cut her off seriously, walking down the bed. Its weight pressed on her thigh intentionally as it came off the sheets.
"Okay, Mr. Then it seems that tomorrow morning, I'll have to wake up early to force Lucien to have a bath with me," Ivy said, giving hateful glances at the system. She had given up talking to it.
The guy wasn't fun to play with anymore!
"Tomorrow morning, I'll wake up early,"
she added, glaring.
"Oh, good night, annoying bird Mr. System!"
The system didn't answer her, and Ivy closed her eyes and went to sleep, ending up dreaming about the system like a small devil chasing her with a shovel.
***
"Wake up, Ivy. You've been sleeping for hours like a pig. Do you know what time of the day it is?"
The system's voice echoed in Ivy's ears, adding to the weight she felt bouncing on her.
The system was bouncing on her like a football. Ivy rose from the bed, her brows slightly furrowed, her eyes searching for the one waking her up in the morning. When her eyes landed on the system, she didn't take a moment before grabbing its body and squeezing it.
"Damn it, System, leave me alone! Let someone sleep. Can't you see that I'm injured?" she roared, knocking it on the head. The system couldn't escape as she held it locked in her arms.
The system struggled in her arms, wiggling its short arms and feet. It said hurriedly,
"Ivy, you were cured yesterday. Now look beside you."
Ivy raised a single brow in confusion for a moment, listening to the system. Turning to look at where it was pointing, it suddenly hit her.
"Oh no, Lucien, he's gone! I made sure to wake up first so I could bathe with him, but now he's gone!" she yelled, holding her hair and almost pulling it out in panic. Lucien had left.
Ivy stared at the system and said in a crying tone,
"Birdy, has he taken a bath? Maybe he hasn't bathed. Maybe he just put on his clothes like that!"
As she said so, she prayed in her heart that she was right and Lucien hadn't bathed yet.
The system sighed, shaking its head at Ivy, and sat on her head.
Its voice carried mockery as it told her,
"You are being ridiculous, Ivy. You are being ridiculous."
Ivy immediately glared at the system as she heard what it said.
"Instead of taunting me, Birdy, come help me and tell me where Lucien is."
With her question, Ivy hurried from the bed, cleaning off the drool from her face, looking at the system with hopeful eyes.
Ivy waited, but the system did not answer her, and she almost couldn't stop herself from doing something not meant for the audience.
But at that moment, the system said to her,
"Tsk, he is in the garden speaking with Rutor. It's official business. The Villain won't be happy if he sees you there."
Ivy rolled her eyes, not caring about what the system had said. The mission was for both their benefits, but she hated the way the system was acting as if it did not concern it.
She looked at the system and said,
"Who cares about his official business, Birdy? All I care about is making the mission happen. And besides, you should be the one worried about the mission more!"
Controlling her anger, she added,
"Now come on, let's go."
"No, I'm not going with you. This system wants to rest on its own," the system said, shaking its head and turning its back on her. It did not see her fiercely glare at it as it turned.
Ivy snapped,
"Ah, stop acting like you're on your period, System!"
Her hand was pointed at the system, her body shaking with emotion.
"If that's the case, I guess I'm on my period," the system replied, adding heat to the fire.
"Why, you annoying bird!" Ivy roared. From where the system did not expect, Ivy grabbed it, hitting it on the head ten times. To its luck, before Ivy could hit it the eleventh time, it disappeared.
"Show me the way to the garden," Ivy demanded as she saw the system reappear, resting on the window.
She took a deep breath, trying to look at the system like nothing had happened.
"Three doors from this room, the corner lane. You will find and meet the Villain," the system snorted, its face looking like an angry bird. Ivy almost felt bad for it, but she stopped herself when she remembered that it was the system that started acting weird earlier.
"Thanks for the help. You are annoying today," she said reluctantly, her gaze hesitating to meet the system's. The system ignored her this time around without saying a word, and Ivy refused to bother with it. While the system was still resting on the window, she opened the door and stepped outside to find the Villain.
On her way, she saw a maid.
A smile bloomed on her face.
"Excuse me, can you show me the way to the garden?" she said to the maid. She could not find the system's directions by herself, but luckily she met the maid.
"Oh Duchess, it would be my pleasure to help. Come, follow me, and I'll show you," the maid said, bowing to Ivy as she realized she was the Duchess.
"Thank you. You are nice, unlike someone else," Ivy smiled at the maid, her eyes full of honesty.
The maid simply nodded and said, "You are welcome." Then Ivy followed the maid as she led her to the garden.
***
Ivy smiled at the maid. "Thanks a lot for bringing me here."
"You are welcome, no problem," the maid smiled, waving at Ivy as she left.
Ivy admired the maid walking away for a moment before she turned, staring at the big garden on a mission to look for Lucien.
"Deal with it. Don't let them detect our move. We must distroy the Nexus Iceberg Territory today."
Ivy suddenly heard two voices behind the flower bush.
One of the voices was very familiar to her.
She heard another voice say, "Yes, my lord. I'll be on it."
Moving to see clearly who Lucien was talking with, Ivy peered her eyes further into the bushes.
"Wait. About the attacker that attacked my wife—have you found them?" Lucien said to Rutor, stopping him as he was about to leave.
Rutor stopped, saluting with respect.
"Not yet, Duke. But I promise I'll find them before dusk."
Lucien trusted what Rutor had said. Rutor was a man like a female. Why? Because any words of promise or declaration that left his mouth had never been left unfulfilled.
"Good," Lucien simply said.
He trusted Rutor; he could do just as he had said.
The bushes suddenly made a clicking noise like a tree had broken.
Lucien, being sensitive, heard it. "Who's hiding over there? Come out, show yourself," he said, swiftly sending flames to burn the place where the noise had come from.
"Hi, honey," Ivy said awkwardly, waving her hand as she stood on the burned stem of the tree. Her face was smoked into a blackened color.
Rutor looked at Ivy and said, "Greetings, Duchess," bowing.
"What are you doing here, Ivy?" Lucien got straight to the point, looking at Ivy with suspicious eyes.
"Ha, honey, I came here so I could take a bath with you," Ivy did not hesitate in stating it bluntly. She blinked her eyelashes twice, staring at him.
"What did you say?" Lucien's face cracked.