The embers in the fireplace let out a few final, faint crackles. The dark red light flickered uncertainly at the edge of the ash.
Ailiya sat on a single sofa by the window. Outside, the garden was sinking into night, moonlight coating the laurel leaves with a thin layer of silver paint.
“I wouldn’t say I was waiting on purpose.”
Her voice was as calm as ever. The firelight reflected in her eyes, but it was impossible to read any emotion from them.
“I just happened to be sitting here for a while, and you came back. However, if Madame is willing to interpret that as a loyal servant’s late-night vigil, I have no objections either.”
Elsa’s smile deepened slightly. She still remembered their last conversation by the fountain.
They had discussed payment and clues to the bloodline awakening, each item calculated clearly like a shrewd merchant. And tonight, that shrewd merchant was waiting for her in the living room, but not to haggle.
Elsa shifted the arm draped with her cloak, walked around the tea table, and sat down on the single sofa opposite Ailiya.
She didn’t speak immediately, but reached out, picked up the teapot, and poured herself a cup. The tea was still warm. After taking a sip, she slowly spoke.
“Ask whatever you want.”
“Who did Madame go to see when she went out last night?”
“This is the Royal Capital. I just went to see an old enemy I haven’t met in a long time. We chatted about some trivial matters.”
Her tone was as relaxed as if she were discussing everyday household matters.
Ailiya repeated the word, her voice devoid of emotion.
“Enemy.”
“Worth making a special trip at this hour?”
Elsa leaned back into the soft sofa, elegantly crossing her legs. She was silent for a moment. A piece of fully burned charcoal in the fireplace collapsed, sending up a few fleeting sparks.
When she spoke again, the light veil of casualness in her voice had dissipated. Her tone was steady and calm.
She paused, her gaze meeting Ailiya’s eyes frankly, without any evasion.
“Tonight was just reminiscing. When you get old, you sometimes want to see people you shouldn’t. That’s all.”
Ailiya didn’t ask who that person was, nor did she ask how many unknown past affairs this reminiscing involved. There was only one thing she needed to confirm.
She lowered her eyelids, remained silent for nine breaths, then looked up again, her tone returning to her usual calm.
“Madame, when can I expect my awakening materials?”
Elsa set down the teacup and looked at her. The weariness from their time alone had mostly dissipated. She leaned back against the sofa, seeming to choose her words.
“They will all be delivered after the coming-of-age ceremony.”
Ailiya’s eyebrow twitched slightly. This timeline was much faster than she had anticipated.
“…That smoothly?”
There was a cautious doubt in her tone.
“Smoothly?”
Elsa picked up the teacup again and took a sip, her voice unhurried.
“For me, it’s not that fast anymore.”
“Why is it so smooth?”
Elsa put down the teacup, gently tapping the rim with her fingertip. She didn’t answer immediately. After a brief silence, she spoke, her tone lighter than before, as if recounting a past not worth boasting about.
“Some old friends I made during my adventuring days can still put in a word. A little bit of connections.”
She raised her eyes to Ailiya, a hint of a smile at the corner of her lips.
“But don’t get too excited yet. A few of the materials still need time to transport, after all, they’re coming from the Extreme Cold Land. Before the coming-of-age ceremony, I can get at most half. The rest will arrive in batches after the ceremony ends.”
Ailiya didn’t respond immediately. She lowered her eyes, silent for a few seconds, as if weighing something. Then she spoke.
“Madame, since the materials are settled, there’s something I need to tell you in advance. Tomorrow morning, I need to leave the Villa for a while.”
Elsa nodded thoughtfully, without asking further.
“Do you need me to have a carriage prepared for you?”
“No need. I’ll go on foot.”
The two returned to their rooms. The night passed without incident.
***
Early the next morning, just after dawn, the first wisps of smoke rose from the Villa’s kitchen. Ailiya changed into inconspicuous plain clothes, tucking her silver-white short hair under an ordinary dark wide-brimmed hat.
She didn’t alert anyone. She only nodded to Liz, who was wiping vases in the front hall, as a greeting. Then she pushed open the side door of the Villa and stepped into the cool morning streets of the Royal Capital.
Her pace was neither fast nor slow, like anyone going out on business early in the morning. But her icy blue eyes, hidden in the shadow of the hat brim, were silently recording every street corner, every side road, and every window that might conceal a watching gaze.
At the Villa’s backyard.
Leo stood in the center of the open ground, holding the short wand. He waited for over ten minutes, then another ten minutes. He glanced toward the entrance of the backyard. No one came.
Finally, he couldn’t help himself and walked toward the Villa’s guest room.
The corridor was empty. Morning light fell on the dark-carpeted hallway.
“Ailiya?”
No one answered. He raised his voice a little.
“Ailiya—?”
He reached the door of Ailiya’s room, hesitated for a moment, then raised his hand and knocked.
No response. He knocked twice more. Still no response.
He turned the doorknob gently. The door was unlocked. He pushed it open a crack and looked inside.
The bed was made neatly, the blanket without a single crease, as if no one had slept in it.
Leo was stunned for a moment, then turned and walked downstairs. He looked around the backyard, then searched the front hall. But he couldn’t find that familiar silver-white figure anywhere.
“…Where is she?”
He stood in the empty foyer, muttering to himself in confusion.
From downstairs came the sound of light footsteps. A moment later, Liz appeared at the corner of the stairs, holding a tray—presumably returning after delivering breakfast to the rooms.
“Young Master, is there something you need?”
“Where’s Ailiya?”
Liz was slightly taken aback, then recalled.
“Miss Ailiya went out early this morning. She said she had personal business to take care of and might not be back until evening.”
“…I see.”
Leo stood at the door for nine seconds, then turned and walked back to the backyard.
He gripped the short wand, standing on the stone floor bathed in morning light. After a few breaths of silence, he took a deep breath, raised the wand, and began practicing on the wooden target.
Water bullet after water bullet flew out—hit—shattered. A water bullet pierced the target’s center and splattered against the back wall, water flowing down.
But…
As he trained, he couldn’t help glancing toward the side door. No one was there. No familiar silver-white figure. No cold from the corner—
“Too slow.”
He scratched his wind-tousled hair. No one watching, no one commenting, no familiar wooden blade suddenly swinging in from some tricky angle.
But magic wouldn’t become stronger just because no one was watching. He understood that much.
“But I’m still weak. Without power.”
He muttered softly under his breath, then reset his starting stance, chanted the spell, and unleashed eight water blades toward the wooden target.
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