Chapter 24: Important Decisions

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you get too far from me.”

Iserin was very satisfied with Mowan’s performance.

The first step of her plan had already succeeded.

Mowan would miss her when traveling far away and would treat the place where she was as home.

“However, I don’t quite understand the feeling you’re talking about yet. All this time, I’ve been the one waiting for my family to return. When I was a child, I was always waiting for my parents to come back, waiting for my younger sister to come back.”

This was the first time Iserin had spoken about her family.

Mowan carefully observed Iserin’s expression.

“Has there never been a time when you returned and someone was waiting for you?”

“Does Croll count? But when Croll was little, we spent most of our time together, and we could see each other whenever we wanted. So, perhaps the feeling you mentioned wasn’t very strong.”

“Then besides Croll, what about your parents now?”

“They passed away a long time ago.”

“I’m sorry.”

Mowan was only testing the waters slightly.

She still didn’t quite dare to strike directly at the point Iserin might care about most.

“Come in, don’t just stand outside. Be careful, or we might be overheard by a passing Nun while we’re chatting here.”

“Okay!”

She followed Iserin into the master bedroom.

Iserin gave a wave of her hand.

The lights in the room brightened according to Iserin’s will, and the originally pitch-black space instantly became as bright as day.

Looking around the layout of Iserin’s room, Mowan could summarize it in one word: Grand!

It was about seventy square meters, with all kinds of furniture.

Unlike the somewhat messy courtyard outside, Iserin’s room was vibrant and kept in perfect order.

Just as Mowan had imagined, Iserin’s room had many wardrobes.

Mowan counted carefully; there were about three cabinets lined up against the wall.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to these wardrobes.

Iserin noticed Mowan’s every move.

Following Mowan’s gaze, she also looked at her own wardrobes.

She guessed what Mowan wanted to see.

Since she had intentionally guided her earlier and had Rosa help lay the groundwork, Mowan would likely imagine her as a morbidly obsessed person who missed her sister to a pathological degree.

“Inside are the clothes I plan to give you later.”

“Eh?”

Mowan’s eyes showed a bit of conflict.

“Shouldn’t… it be kept as a surprise?”

Yet she really wanted to see if there were clothes for younger ages inside.

“Yes, but this isn’t the only room where I keep clothes.”

“There’s more?!”

Mowan widened her eyes as she looked at Iserin.

Three wardrobes of clothes were already plenty; Mowan hadn’t even had that many when she was the Princess of the Demon Race.

“It’s fine to show you those clothes. After all, if I gave them to you now, they wouldn’t fit anymore anyway.”

Was it true?

Was it really… like she imagined, that Iserin cherished clothes for different ages?

Pinning her longing for her sister onto these clothes?

“I want to see.”

“Follow me.”

Iserin walked out of the master bedroom and went to the room next door, turning on the lights.

Mowan did a brief scan; this looked like a guest room?

An opening had been made in the wall of this room, connecting it to another room.

Curtains hung on both sides of the opening, and Mowan could clearly see that the other room’s decor was pink and cute.

If these two rooms were combined into one, it would be even more spacious than Iserin’s room.

Could it be the room where the Princess lived?

Iserin walked straight to the wardrobes lined up against the wall.

It was just a single wardrobe.

Iserin opened the cabinet doors, and inside were indeed clothes of all sizes, arranged from top to bottom, from small dresses to long dresses.

“Are these clothes you used to wear?”

Mowan asked, knowing the answer.

“No.”

“Then… are they the Princess’s?”

Iserin nodded, then shook her head.

“Croll couldn’t wear that many. These are all ones I didn’t have time to give her before she grew up too quickly and couldn’t fit into them.”

In other words, they were originally intended for Her Highness the Princess, but before she could finish giving them all, Her Highness the Princess had outgrown them.

Having her suspicion confirmed, Mowan felt both excited and sad.

She was excited because she had finally found a breakthrough point to enter Iserin’s heart, and sad because Iserin had been reminiscing through these objects for so many years, using clothes to fill the void in her heart.

“I probably won’t grow much taller now.”

“Mhm,” Iserin responded faintly.

She looked at the clothes, her eyes drifting as if she were reminiscing about the past.

Mowan suddenly felt a bit shameless.

How could she just unilaterally decide that Iserin would definitely continue giving her clothes in the future?

But she had brought her home.

She had avoided the Sun, hidden it from everyone in the Church, and secretly brought her home.

If her position in Iserin’s heart wasn’t like Her Highness the Princess’s, how could she have violated the Church’s rules to bring her back?

“It’s getting late.”

Mowan was startled.

Was Iserin kicking her out?

“Stay here for the night.”

Mowan breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at Iserin doubtfully.

“Is that okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be? You’ll sleep in that bed. That’s the bed Croll used to sleep in, but she’s moved away now. Although I’ve kept it as it was, hoping she might come back and stay again one day, I think that’s probably unlikely now.”

Iserin pointed to the bed in the room on the other side of the opening, which looked like it had been unused for a long time.

“Okay.”

“You need to change. Put on some new clothes. These clothes have been outside and have gathered quite a bit of dust.”

Iserin took Mowan back to her room and gave her a set of silk garments that were more comfortable for sleeping.

After changing into the new clothes, Mowan sat in Iserin’s room for a while longer before going next door and lying down on the large bed Iserin had designated.

Have I quietly replaced Her Highness the Princess’s position in Iserin’s heart?

Mowan thought narcissistically.

She knew this was wrong.

She also understood that the decade-long friendship between Her Highness the Princess and Iserin was definitely not something an outsider like her, who had joined less than a month ago, could replace.

But she couldn’t help thinking that way.

After all, she was more obedient than Her Highness the Princess, and Iserin tolerated almost everything she did.

It seemed she had already gained Iserin’s favoritism.

No…

Mowan shook her head, suppressing the greedy thoughts in her mind.

She couldn’t think like that.

Iserin was so good to her; how could she think about tainting the image of the two most important people in Iserin’s heart?

Mowan took a deep breath and lay quietly on the edge of the bed.

She wouldn’t imagine this room as her own; she was only staying here for one night.

I’m sorry, Her Highness the Princess.

I didn’t mean to occupy your bed.

I’ll try my best not to touch anything else.

Thinking this way, Mowan’s conscience finally found peace.

She closed her eyes and drifted into a shallow sleep.

***

When she woke up the next day, Iserin came next door.

Just as she walked to the bedside, Mowan opened her eyes.

“Good morning, Sister Iserin.”

Mowan quickly got up and yawned.

Her eyes looked very tired, with a hint of dark circles appearing beneath them.

Iserin hadn’t expected Mowan to sleep so uncomfortably.

Last night, Mowan hadn’t even turned over once.

Iserin actually didn’t mind at all; she had never expected Croll to come back and stay again.

Iserin leaned down and reached out to gently caress Mowan’s lower eyelid.

Her eyes met Mowan’s hazy gaze, and Mowan submissively pressed against Iserin’s palm.

Her fingertips slowly slid down from Mowan’s cheek to the corner of her mouth.

Iserin intended to make an important decision.