In any case, after discussing the itinerary, everyone left Colin’s room and returned to their own rooms.
Nothing happened that night.
The next day, after seeing off the hurriedly departing Sifni, Liamy went with the others back to Colin’s residence in Kite City.
As soon as the mansion doors were opened, a furry white figure darted toward them. That figure quickly stood at attention before Colin and performed a standard welcoming salute. After finishing the salute, the figure grabbed Colin’s arm and pulled him into the house.
Of course, Liamy knew who that fluffy white figure was—it was Lola, the fox-beastkin girl she and Colin had rescued over a month ago.
The last time they met had been too rushed for Colin and the others to have a proper conversation with Lola. After that, they had gone out to handle a high-risk incident. All in all, it had been almost a month since they last saw Lola, so that probably explained her excitement.
But her excitement seemed a bit… off, didn’t it? Why was she clinging to Colin’s arm like that? Was this supposed to be some kind of strange trend?
Liamy felt oddly about the whole thing. Ever since she saw Lola holding onto Colin’s arm, she’d been struggling to focus, her eyes glued to the spot where Colin was being held.
Fortunately, Lola didn’t keep holding onto Colin’s arm. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, but rather that Eleanor came over and separated the two.
Not only was Liamy surprised by this action—even Lavinia, and even Colin himself, seemed a bit taken aback. After all, Eleanor had never done something like this before. What was going on with her? Why was she acting so suddenly?
Such questions surfaced in everyone’s hearts, but it was obvious that now wasn’t the time to ask.
After pulling Lola and Colin apart, Eleanor smiled at Lola and said, “Miss Lola, please don’t do that again next time, okay? You have to remember, Colin is a Holy Knight. He can’t act like that with ordinary women, or it could damage his reputation.”
There was nothing wrong with what Eleanor said, but even Liamy could sense the hint of threat in her words.
It was truly a little unbelievable; Liamy even wondered if this was reality.
Ever since she’d known Eleanor, she’d never seen her act this way. In Liamy’s impression, Eleanor had always been somewhat shy, bashful, not very talkative, and even a little lacking in presence.
If Colin hadn’t said anything, Liamy might never have realized Eleanor was actually the Saintess of this era!
That’s why, when she saw a scene she had never imagined unfold before her eyes, Liamy realized that she had never truly understood Eleanor at all.
She didn’t know what Eleanor usually thought or did—only that her presence was always faint. She really hadn’t expected that Eleanor had this side to her.
Liamy stared at Eleanor in surprise, but soon realized she wasn’t the only one. Lavinia’s reaction was almost identical to her own. It seemed Lavinia also hadn’t known about this side of Eleanor.
Colin, on the other hand, was startled at first, but quickly shifted to a frown, as if he was somewhat familiar with this side of Eleanor. At least, he wasn’t as clueless as the two girls were.
But that was only natural, after all. Colin and Eleanor had grown up together as childhood friends. How could they not know each other?
After pushing the bewildered Lola aside, Eleanor took the initiative and grabbed Colin’s hand.
Colin’s frown deepened at this, but he didn’t pull his hand away. He simply let Eleanor lead him into the mansion.
Seeing this, Liamy and Lavinia exchanged a glance, both sensing confusion in the other’s eyes.
Lola, dressed in her maid uniform, quickly bowed to Liamy and Lavinia after snapping back to her senses, then hurried back into the mansion.
Liamy and Lavinia couldn’t just stand at the door either. Even though they still didn’t quite understand the situation, they did their best to act as usual and entered the mansion as well.
It was only after stepping inside that Liamy realized the vast hall was empty—aside from her and Lavinia, there was no one else. Colin, Eleanor, and Lola had all disappeared, apparently off to attend to their own business.
Now, only she and Lavinia remained in the hall, both with nothing to do.
Seeing this, Lavinia had no choice but to bid Liamy goodbye as usual, then returned to her own room.
Liamy had no other choice either, so she did the same.
Unlike last month, she hadn’t received any assignments from the president this time, so she could really enjoy a period of rest.
That was what she had thought, but after what had just happened, she doubted it would be an easy, relaxing break.
Just now, when Eleanor pulled Colin into the mansion by the hand, Liamy noticed that Eleanor glanced back at her.
Maybe she was just being paranoid, but Liamy felt that look from Eleanor carried a sense of… mockery? Or was it a challenge?
Liamy wasn’t sure. In the end, it was just her impression. To suspect a companion based on such a vague feeling… Well, maybe it wasn’t just a simple feeling after all.
Ultimately, Liamy gave up on her wishful thinking and accepted reality. Judging by Eleanor’s behavior just now and earlier, Eleanor clearly had some inexplicable hostility toward her now.
But why? Had she ever done anything to make Eleanor unhappy? As far as she remembered, there shouldn’t have been anything. If there was anything that could possibly explain it, it would only be…
Liamy thought of Colin. Aside from being hostile to her, Eleanor had also become more affectionate with Colin. The old Eleanor would almost never display such overt intimacy. What had changed with her?
Liamy went up to the second floor of the mansion. On her way to her own room, she glanced toward Colin’s room and unexpectedly spotted Eleanor.
Eleanor was standing at Colin’s door, speaking to someone inside. From the silhouette in the doorway’s shadow, it was probably Colin. What was she saying to him?
After a few words, Eleanor revealed a joyful smile—one that was very different from any smile Liamy had ever seen from her before. It was as if this was a genuine, heartfelt smile from deep within.
Seeing this, Liamy felt a complicated mix of emotions.
A short while later, Eleanor entered Colin’s room, and the door closed behind her. It looked like the two of them had something important to discuss, because Liamy could sense a strange kind of magic lingering around Colin’s room—the kind that only appeared when Colin or Eleanor used divine magic.
Upon seeing this, Liamy, though feeling somewhat strange, left and returned to her own room.
After all, as much as she wanted to know what they were talking about, it was ultimately a matter between Colin and Eleanor. Without their permission, Liamy would never do something as underhanded as spying on a companion.
And even if she wanted to, she probably couldn’t—after all, the one talking to Eleanor was Colin. The captain of their squad, the strongest of them all, and, to Liamy, her assassination target.