Her childhood?
Tia couldn’t help but stiffen.
Perhaps because she was a fake, every time Earl Harris mentioned her childhood, she would fall silent and try to find a way to change the subject.
After all, she had no idea what the real Tia had experienced when she was young.
However, Earl Harris didn’t wait for Tia’s answer this time.
Instead, he spoke each word with deliberate emphasis.
“You are my daughter, the Daughter of a Count. Our family has not fallen so far that you need to come and clean the utility room.”
Tia lowered her head, the lantern trembling slightly in her hand.
Then, like a frightened little rabbit, she whispered with a hint of panic and reluctance, “B—But, I heard a sound…”
Earl Harris’s gaze swept over the wooden floorboards.
He spoke in a flat tone, “You mean the sound coming from the basement? Hmph, probably just some rats gnawing on something. If it needs to be handled, the servants should be the ones to do it.”
As he spoke, he used his cane to usher Tia away, commanding her in an indisputable tone, “Go back to sleep immediately. It’s best if you don’t leave your room unless necessary.”
“…Okay.”
Tia did not resist.
She turned around and walked toward the hallway outside the utility room.
However, just as she stepped out, a gentle and slightly surprised female voice came from the other end of the corridor.
“Master? Miss?”
Margaret held a small lantern, wearing a plain nightgown with a thin shawl draped over her shoulders.
She had her hair loosely tied back, clearly having just been startled from sleep.
She looked at Tia in the hallway and then at Earl Harris inside the utility room, a flash of realization and helplessness crossing her brow.
“Master, Miss, it is late. You should rest early,” she said softly.
Earl Harris stepped out.
He turned to her, his voice still cold and harsh, though with a touch more politeness.
“Margaret, take her back to her bedroom.”
He paused, then reminded her, “Remember, for this next month, do not let her take a single step outside the Manor. It would be best if you check on her every night to make sure she doesn’t sneak away.”
Margaret gave a slight bow, a corner of her shawl slipping from her shoulder as she gently caught it.
“Yes.”
Tia’s lip twitched upon hearing this.
‘Just how much does the Count distrust me?’
Margaret walked toward Tia, gently taking the lantern from her hand.
She then walked ahead in silence, signaling for her to follow.
It wasn’t until they reached the second floor, completely away from Earl Harris, that she spoke with a hint of helplessness and heartache.
“Miss, you heard him. For now… just be on your best behavior.”
Her gaze fell on Tia’s slightly pale face.
“The Master is doing this for your own good.”
In her eyes, although Earl Harris’s desire for control was too strong and he was stripping his daughter of her freedom, it might not be a bad thing right now.
Hela City had been far too chaotic lately.
If she were allowed to run around wildly, something might very well happen to her.
Tia said nothing in response.
They entered Tia’s bedroom, and Margaret placed the lantern on the dressing table.
She didn’t leave immediately.
Instead, she cautiously glanced out the door.
After confirming that Earl Harris had not followed them, she took Tia’s hand and whispered, “That Inquisitor is very mysterious.”
Tia looked up in surprise.
Margaret frowned and continued, “Even though she came from the Imperial Capital, I’ve never seen her before. I’ve never even heard of her.”
As she spoke, her fingers unconsciously rubbed her ring.
That Imperial Ring had been gifted to her by the Imperial Royal Family, representing her former status and position.
“You haven’t heard of her either?”
Many doubts sprouted in the depths of Tia’s heart.
“But weren’t you an Etiquette Tutor for the nobles in the Imperial Capital?”
Margaret was a well-known Etiquette Tutor in the Imperial Capital.
At her peak, she had even taught etiquette to some members of the Imperial Royal Family.
She could be considered one of the highest-ranking Etiquette Tutors in the capital.
A woman like her had frequented the highest social circles of the Imperial Capital for years, witnessing countless powerful faces and secrets.
Yet even so, she still had no impression of this Inquisitor.
Clearly, in her eyes, this was not normal at all.
Margaret slowly turned around and said, “Therefore, I believe… she is either a hidden Imperial Blade or a member of the Imperial Royal Family.”
Tia’s fingers tightened slightly.
“Regardless of which identity she holds, contacting her is very dangerous for us.”
This was Margaret’s warning.
The reason was simple: if Mephia was an Imperial Blade, then her being dispatched to Hela City clearly had other intentions.
If she was a member of the Imperial Royal Family, it was even more dangerous.
If one had too much contact with her, they might get swept up in the internal struggles of the Imperial Royal Family.
A mere Daughter of a Count would be crushed instantly before the Imperial Royal Family.
After saying this, Margaret picked up her lantern and walked out of the bedroom, leaving Tia sitting alone by her bed, dazed.
In Margaret’s view, Tia clearly liked Mephia, which was why she had shared those concerns tonight.
She hoped it might extinguish the feelings in her heart and help her gradually mature.
But what she didn’t know was…
Not long after she left, Tia snapped out of her daze and lay listlessly on the bed, trying to sink into sleep.
As for Mephia’s identity being mysterious or whatever…
‘So what if she’s mysterious? It’s not like I want to associate with her.’
‘My Witch Gem is still with her. No matter what, I have to get it back from her hands!’
‘Liking her?’
‘That’s just a means for me to get close to her!’
***
After accepting the commission from the Witch Council, the Grand Witch Rose arrived in Hela City the next day.
The speed was so fast that even Tia felt exceptionally shocked.
Furthermore, it was only after coming into contact with a witch of the Councilor level that she learned there was actually a Witch Council stronghold in Hela City.
It was hidden deep within a relatively bustling street in the Old Town District.
From the outside, it looked like an ordinary tavern.
Its name was as simple as “Tavern.”
The wooden threshold was somewhat broken, and the door curtain was stained with a bit of grease.
However, upon lifting that curtain, another world lay inside.
An ambiguous purple glow diffused from the Magic Crystals hanging from the ceiling, making the entire tavern look slightly tipsy.
The air was thick with the smell of tobacco, cheap perfume, and an indescribable sense of strangeness.
The liquor shelf behind the bar reached all the way to the ceiling of the first floor.
Over 1,000 crystal bottles refracted an enticing light behind the counter.
The bartender casually shook a glass in his hand, looking quite dashing.
Most of the customers in the tavern were commoners.
Only one or two carried weapons and looked like mercenaries.
They were clinking glasses at the tables, making for a lively scene.
If no one had told Celeste that this was a stronghold of the Witch Council, she wouldn’t have been able to tell at all.
Late at night, she wore an inconspicuous set of dark plain clothes.
She pulled down the brim of her black hat to cover most of her face and sat in the most remote corner at the end of the bar.
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