“Wow… The scenery here is completely different from the Holy Nation! Look, the street vendors, gathered together, ah, and there are even shops right under some apartment buildings.”
A young girl wearing a white hood pulled her hood down, looking all around like a country bumpkin entering the city for the first time.
The moment she revealed her face, it was truly stunning—her skin was a cool, porcelain white, surely as smooth as mutton-fat jade to the touch.
Her waist-length golden hair was sleek and soft, sparkling dazzlingly under the sun.
Her curved crescent-moon brows made her olive-green eyes especially striking, with a faint golden mist swirling around the edge of her pupils.
When she blinked, tiny flecks of light seemed to glimmer inside.
Her nose was dainty and exquisite, her lips a sakura pink, looking especially refined when she pressed them together gently.
When she smiled, a shallow dimple would appear, instantly softening her whole expression.
On her chest hung a delicate, sword-shaped pendant.
Another tall woman quickly stepped forward and pulled the hood back up over her head.
“Holy Maiden!” A hurried voice rang out, and the tall Beccas strode up, fingers quickly gathering the edge of the hood and covering that stunning face again.
Her voice was kept extremely low, “There are too many people, too many eyes around—your identity must not be revealed!”
“Ah… I know, Beccas.” Under the hood, Vivian Arlene’s voice carried a hint of grievance. “The Empire Capital of the Kalishi Empire looks quite safe, so why are you so nervous?”
Beccas furrowed her brows tightly and shook her head gently. “Even with me, a Transcendent, to protect you, we must not let down our guard. That Legendary Elf Magician is still in the Empire Capital. If she decides to make a move…”
The girl under the hood smiled. “I don’t really get why everyone in the Holy Nation is so afraid of other races. But I think, that legendary magician probably wouldn’t bother with a little nobody like me, right?”
“This place is not welcoming to us.” Beccas’s tone was laced with unyielding caution. “Even with the First Prince’s invitation, we must tread carefully.”
“I’m not here as some diplomatic envoy this time!” Vivian’s voice rose a notch, then she hurriedly lowered it again, full of displeasure. “I just want to have some fun! Beccas, you keep stopping me from everything—how am I supposed to experience the world?”
Before she finished speaking, the girl turned away in a huff.
Her skirt brushed over the cobblestones as she strode into the crowd, her steps fast and forceful, a flash of golden hair flickering past the edge of her hood.
“Ah…” Beccas watched the girl’s brisk yet stubborn back, and let out a helpless sigh, quickly following after her.
Holy Maiden Vivian Arlene had never liked being restrained since childhood.
A fervent longing for freedom was hidden deep in her bones, but no matter where she went, she was always wrapped up in the name of “protection,” even the surveillance disguised as noble concern.
Even though Beccas was her aunt who had cared for her since she was young, she had never truly entered her heart or earned her complete trust.
In Vivian’s eyes, Beccas was just another of her mother’s people sent to watch over her.
……
“What do you think? About this opera?” Floleen turned her head toward Charlotte, the skirt of her water-blue dress swaying gently with her movement.
Charlotte looked up, his gaze leaving the stage and landing on her smiling face.
After a moment’s thought, his tone was naturally doting: “It’s quite a good show.”
He paused, then added, “But it’s not as beautiful as you.”
That made Floleen’s eyes crinkle in laughter, her charm blossoming, the allure at the corners of her eyes almost overflowing.
Inside the Empire Capital’s largest Opera House, the crystal chandelier cast a gentle glow, velvet seats shining with a muted golden luster, and the singing on stage was clear and melodious.
Charlotte and Floleen sat together in a noble’s private box, watching the performance in the grandest Opera House in the Empire Capital.
Floleen gathered her skirt, her fingertips brushing the empty cup beside her—a maid would come to refill it every so often, but it remained empty, showing just how much she liked this drink.
“Charlotte, come with me to the washroom.”
“Mm.” Charlotte stood and followed her along the carpeted corridor.
Just as they reached the washroom door, the two stopped in their tracks.
A tall, hooded woman was standing guard at the entrance, her posture as upright as a pine, hood pulled so low that only a section of her cold, tense jawline was visible. Her whole aura radiated “strangers keep away.”
Charlotte raised his brow slightly, an inexplicable sense of alertness rising in him.
Floleen sensed something off as well. The Elf’s characteristic pointed ears quivered faintly amid her hair, picking up the undisguised hostility and a tension that was hard to describe in the other’s aura.
Charlotte quietly connected his mind to Aifel. “Aifel, what level is this woman in front of us?”
“Fifth-rank Transcendent warrior.” Aifel’s voice was a little teasing and casual. “What, you want to fight? This is the Opera House, if you start something here, it’ll probably get destroyed.”
“Nothing, just curious. But she seems very hostile to us.”
Charlotte’s gaze grew deep as he followed the woman’s line of sight—she was staring, like a nail, at Floleen’s ears, shock and wariness brimming in her eyes.
“An Elf…” The tall woman was inwardly shaken, and the three words slipped out from her lips before she could stop them.
Floleen frowned in puzzlement.
She was clearly in the form of an Elf, but Elven nobles weren’t all that rare in Kalishi.
Why was this woman so surprised? Had she never seen a beautiful Elf before?
Just as she was about to ask if the woman needed to use the washroom, the wooden door to the washroom suddenly clicked open.
A slender figure burst out, the hood falling away with the movement, and golden hair cascaded down like a waterfall, shining with a silky luster under the hallway’s lights.
It was Vivian Arlene.
She clearly hadn’t expected anyone at the door and stumbled, instinctively reaching for the doorframe for support, her exposed side profile pale as jade.
Vivian steadied herself and, as she looked up, her eyes happened to meet Charlotte’s—a pair of olive-green eyes filled with sparkling light crashed into a pair of gentle, deep emerald green eyes. For a moment, the air seemed to freeze.
“Forgive us, sir.” Beccas’s voice instantly tightened as she reached out to press the hood back onto Vivian’s head.
Her actions were hurried but deliberately gentle, fearing she might hurt her. “My little sister wasn’t watching where she was going, apologies for the disturbance.”
She didn’t dare linger, quickly pulling Vivian toward the end of the corridor.
Vivian stumbled as she was dragged along, but still couldn’t help glancing back at Charlotte.
A flash of golden hair flickered under the hood, and a string of hurried yet lively footsteps echoed away.
Floleen was a bit puzzled. Their appearance was clearly that of nobles, and this was a section of the Opera House only accessible to nobles, yet she had no recollection of such a girl among the Kalishi nobility.
Watching them depart, Floleen grew even more curious. “Whose young lady is that? Even going to the washroom, she has someone guarding her so closely. Besides… I don’t recall any noble like that in Kalishi.”
Charlotte chuckled and teased, “Aren’t you the same? Dragging me along to the washroom, isn’t that just to have me wait outside and guard you?”
Floleen suddenly leaned in, her fingertips tracing his Adam’s apple as she tossed him a flirtatious glance, her voice sly and enticing. “Having you come here isn’t just for you to wait outside, you know.”
“…What else, then?” Charlotte was taken aback, confusion filling his eyes.
Floleen didn’t give him a chance to think further, pulling him directly into the washroom with her.
The marble floor gleamed like a mirror, and the gilded mirror reflected the two of them. Floleen licked her lips, a trace of barely detectable longing in her eyes.
Only then did Charlotte realize what Floleen intended. It seemed she’d had too much to drink and wanted something sweet. “Not watching the opera anymore?”
“When I was watching the opera, don’t think I didn’t notice where your eyes were.” Floleen flicked her platinum hair and casually tied it into a ponytail, exposing her slender, fair neck. “The way you looked at me was way hotter than the stage.”
“Heh, that just means you’re prettier than the opera.” Charlotte wrapped his arm around her waist, voice indulgent.
Floleen smacked her lips and traced his neck lightly with her fingertips, her voice as soft as water. “Then I have to give my sweet-talking Charlotte a little reward.”
Her lashes trembled as she leaned in, her tongue first gently licking his neck, cool to the touch.
Then, she opened her lips and bit down softly. The delicate sensation that followed carried her uniquely brisk scent.
Charlotte’s breath caught for a moment, his hand pressing against the back of her head, his fingers threading through her silky hair.
Floleen’s movements were tender and lingering, a faint blush rising at the corners of her eyes.
A trace of sparkling blood glistened at her lips, casting an enchanting and bewitching beauty under the lights.
Floleen was indulging herself—she’d finished her drink, and now she was savoring Charlotte, both fresh blood and the taste of life.
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