The Billionaire Twins Need A New Mommy!-Chapter 657: A Shrug and A Look of Pity

The fighting in New Gehran lasted for several long hours. The mercenaries and the rebels refused to back down, fighting for what they believed in until the very end. However, with the governor captured and Jarvis’s death announced, the rebels’ morale shot through the roof.

As for the mercenaries, they were slowly but steadily overwhelmed.

After all, the mercenaries were up against the people of the region. The rebels might have been weak, poorly trained, and exhausted, but their numbers were ten times greater than the mercenaries who had terrorized them for so long.

Some mercenaries eventually surrendered after their major leaders were captured. Others fought until they dropped dead.

Naturally, the battle should have lasted much longer.

A war ending overnight was almost impossible.

But when the army from Halvik arrived, it finally put an end to the meaningless bloodshed. It wasn’t as simple as the rebels had initially assumed—they thought the incoming soldiers were reinforcements for the mercenaries. However, that misunderstanding was quickly cleared when they saw the flag being waved.

It was the same flag the rebels carried.

With that, the remaining mercenaries finally conceded. Against the residents and rebels, they were already overwhelmed—but against Halvik’s soldiers in that state, fighting would have been nothing short of foolish.

The man in charge from Halvik quickly sought out Tomie to relay the message from the new governess. Together, they worked to quell the flames raging across the city and its surrounding districts.

And while all of that was happening...

"You are all dead!" Gehran screamed at the top of his lungs, bound in the middle of the main square. "Dead! Dead! Dead! How dare you peasants do this to me?! Do you know who I am?!"

The residents and onlookers only stared at him with disgust, ridicule, and every emotion his words had long forced them to swallow.

There, tied like a pig in the center of the square, was Gehran—wearing nothing but filthy white briefs. Dirt clung to his sweat-soaked skin, which only made things worse for him, considering he was a germaphobe.

After Gehran was captured, the townspeople unleashed years of resentment and anger upon him. Even after beating him until his face swelled grotesquely and most of his teeth were knocked out, they were careful not to land any fatal blows.

Why?

Because Lola had asked them to keep him alive so she could punch him herself. But even now, with Lola back in the square—crouching at the sidelines like a thug—all she did was stare at him with a twisted expression.

"Goddess, you should punch him," one resident nearby urged, throwing a mock punch into the air. "There’s barely any part of his face that isn’t swollen anymore, but the rest of his body’s still free."

Lola pursed her lips, conflicted. "Maybe later."

Sure, punching Gehran in the face would be satisfying, but she wasn’t a sadist. His face already looked like it had been attacked by an entire beehive. Even his body was covered in bruises. He deserved it, sure—but maybe when she felt more in the mood.

"Until now, he still thinks someone’s going to save him."

A voice suddenly came from beside her. Lola turned, her gaze landing on the two Bellemonte captives she had saved from public execution.

"What do you think he’d say if I hadn’t saved the two of you?" she asked—a strange question for someone like her. Anyone who knew Lola would’ve thought she was reminding them of her good deed.

The Bellemonte captives exchanged glances, then looked back at her.

"You know, the two of you..." she trailed off, still crouched as she faced them directly. "...this might sound dramatic, but I really felt like we had a connection."

The pair knitted their brows, watching her hand sway back and forth between them.

"I mean, it made me think that fighting all those mercenaries in that building, taking risks at the checkpoint, Gigante, and everything else—it was all worth it!" she listed, recounting every dangerous ordeal they’d shared.

"What in the world is she doing?" Billionaire muttered. He sat atop a barrel across the square, near where Haji was receiving treatment from Kean, staring openly at Lola.

Even from a distance, they could clearly hear her guilt-tripping.

Kean paused mid-treatment and glanced over at Lola, who was crouched and speaking to the Bellemonte captives like they were her next pyramid scheme recruits.

Scarlet, leaning against the same wall as Haji, also watched with quiet curiosity.

"Didn’t she dislike taking credit for things?" Scarlet muttered.

Haji replied without shifting his deadpan gaze from Lola. "She usually doesn’t. So when she starts keeping tabs, expect she’s up to something." He shook his head. "What does she need from them?"

Kean tilted his head. "They really did all that?"

The question landed like a slap. Both Haji and Scarlet mentally winced. While they had helped, it was only near the end, and Lola had still played a major role.

Between Gehran’s incoherent screaming and Lola’s scheming, everyone ended up listening to her anyway.

"All I’m saying is..." Lola placed a hand over her chest, looking straight at the pair. "...I’m really glad I saved you."

Unaware that the entire square was listening as if this were some kind of stage drama, the Bellemonte captives nodded earnestly. Though they already knew Lola had rescued them, the gratitude felt renewed.

"Thank you, Goddess," one of them said. "Once this is over, we hope we can join you and assist you in your other missions."

"He’s right," the other added. "We’ll do our best to repay your kindness. Though we’re not sure how, since this might cause problems considering the Bellemonte family has already forsaken us."

Everyone listening—especially those who knew the mission—knitted their brows.

"Forsaken?" Kean whispered. "Why would they think that? Aren’t we here because the Bellemonte begged the master to rescue his people?"

"What kind of nonsense did she feed them?" Scarlet muttered, while Haji shook his head.

Billionaire, meanwhile, nodded in realization. "So that’s why she’s saying all this."

"She made them believe she helped them out of pure goodwill," he continued.

"Probably—no, definitely—made herself their only hope," Haji added. "And now she’s doing damage control to protect the perfect image she built with lies."

"That’s right, that’s right," Lola nodded with a gentle smile, then froze when someone called out a name.

The Bellemonte captives turned toward the voice, eyes widening as they spotted familiar faces.

"Shit," Lola whispered as she watched them rush toward their comrades. "Time to yeet."

Slowly and carefully, she turned and tiptoed away. She barely made it a few steps before the Bellemonte members—who had botched setting up the signal earlier—started talking loudly.

Those watching from the sidelines could only shake their heads as confusion dawned on the captives’ faces, morphing into realization.

"Then why did she say—" one of them turned toward where Lola had been, only to find her already sprinting away.

All that remained was a passing breeze and the croak of a distant bird.

For a moment, the pair stared at the spot where Lola had been crouching. Then they turned to the members of the Order.

What did they get?

A shrug... and a look of pity.

The Bellemonte captives: "..."