Aifel arrived at the deepest part of the Star Ring, “Dream of the Dark Moon,” in Charlotte’s hand—
That territory sealed since the Genesis Divine Era, untouched by any living soul, the divine realm of the God of Memory and Mist.
There was no light here, yet it wasn’t complete darkness either. Hazy mist, like flowing veils, shrouded the world; even time itself seemed to slow its steps.
Only a single towering palace stood abruptly in the heart of the sea of mist.
Her figure, as if made of fog, dissipated and drifted into a palace.
The vast hall was empty.
“Hehehe, come out already, see what Charlotte gave me?” Aifel turned around, her voice brimming with uncontainable pride.
She twirled gracefully, the Veil on her head tracing a beautiful arc, mist seemingly swirling on its surface—a unique aura belonging only to the Legacy of the Lord God.
As soon as she finished speaking, the mists on both sides of the hall began to stir—a clump of mist, denser than the surrounding haze and nearly tangible, slowly floated over.
From the other side, a gentle orb of light appeared, its glow flickering, clearly agitated by this sudden good news, becoming unusually lively.
“This is a legacy personally left by the Main God.”
Aifel emphasized again, her fingertips lightly caressing the Veil atop her head, her eyes full of pride as if showing off her most precious medal.
Yet the dense mass of mist appeared rather weak, drifting more slowly than usual.
It circled Aifel for a moment, the mist laboriously gathering and shaping itself.
Only after a long time did it reluctantly condense into the phantom of a young girl—her features blurred, her form ethereal, as if a gust of wind could blow her away.
“Stop showing off… Give it to me, quickly.” The girl’s voice carried a barely detectable fatigue, and a touch of urgency.
Aifel pouted, her face showing reluctance, but still she reached up, carefully unfastened the Veil, and handed it over.
“Yeah, yeah, I know. When you finish drawing out the divine power, you have to return it to me exactly as it was. Charlotte gave this to me on purpose, so don’t you dare damage it.”
“You, still such a child.” Of course she could see through Aifel’s posturing—this flaunting was just to prove her special place in Charlotte’s heart.
But at this moment, she truly didn’t have the energy for bickering.
The instant her fingertips touched the Veil, divine power seeped into the mist like a trickling stream, allowing her weakened form to stabilize a little.
She was the divine artifact, “Initial Mist,” born with the ability to shroud all things—capable of veiling mountains and rivers, even intangible concepts.
The Mistmoon Family had survived countless ages, hiding the secrets of their bloodline and their unknown faith, all thanks to her power.
More importantly, her core ability, “Causality Shroud,” could render things that had already happened vague and twisted in the memories of others, until they were utterly forgotten.
She had to gain divine power to keep herself running; Charlotte, the Mistmoon Family, and the truth of this world—all required her to hide them.
……
At noon, Charlotte and Bella were already sitting in the Reception Hall.
Bella sipped her hot tea while Charlotte busied himself with managing the territory’s affairs, as if nothing had happened before.
“Charlotte, is your house planning to become one of those haunted mansions?”
Bella finally couldn’t help but complain, “I haven’t seen a single maid serving tea or water. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were too poor to afford servants.”
A proper noble estate, spotless yet deserted—it was so absurd that she couldn’t help but raise her eyebrows.
“I just gave them a break, that’s all. I’ve been really busy these days and don’t have time to manage the servants. Anyway, it’s only a few days, the place won’t get too messy. I’ll have them come back to clean up later.”
“Busy, huh…” Bella massaged her forehead.
Charlotte really did seem busy; since he got up, he’d been endlessly writing letters, while she had been stuck on the Reception Hall’s sofa the whole time, not daring to stray out of Charlotte’s sight.
Bella really couldn’t sit still anymore; she was far too bored. So she walked over to Charlotte, watching as he meticulously wrote out every arrangement.
“Why do you have to personally check everything? Aren’t there a few assistants over at the territory?”
Charlotte could only give a helpless nod. “Didn’t you already figure it out?”
“The Mistmoon Family are Faithful of the Evil God; how could we have so many people to use? What, should I let outsiders in openly and tell the Holy Church about our worship of an evil god, and let the Holy Nation’s army storm into the Kalishi Empire? So everything can only be handled by me, the head of the family. My three elder sisters—one manages the money, one handles intelligence, and one… well… is like you.”
“Every family has its difficulties. No wonder you have such resolve at just 18.”
Bella was truly impressed. Compared to her useless younger brother, Charlotte didn’t seem like an eighteen-year-old at all.
Bella pressed right up against Charlotte without any sense of boundaries; after all, since they’d already shared such close contact, she had nothing left to resist.
Her soft hair brushed Charlotte’s shoulder, and she even deliberately leaned in closer to his ear, her breath carrying a hint of tea fragrance.
But just then, a woman’s voice and two footsteps came from outside the Reception Hall.
“Your Highness Princess, please wait here for a moment…”
At that moment, the door was opened. Floleen saw Charlotte sitting at the seat of honor, and Bella pressing up against him.
Floleen froze in place for a moment.
“What’s wrong, Floleen…”
A gentle voice sounded, followed by a flash of brilliant pink.
Princess Kresia was dressed in a luxurious gown, her silky pink hair draped over her shoulders, amber eyes as sweet as honey, though a subtle sharpness hid deep within.
This person’s status was, to put it mildly, anything but low.
She covered her mouth and laughed lightly, “Oh my, isn’t this Marquis Charlotte after all…?”
Charlotte looked up, his expression still calm, as if completely unaware of the awkward atmosphere among the three women: “Princess Kresia, what brings you here today?”
“Naturally, I have important matters to discuss with you.”
Kresia blinked, her long lashes fluttering like butterfly wings, her gaze circling between Bella and Charlotte, her tone playfully teasing,
“But Marquis Charlotte, you really do know how to hide people. There are actually two noble ladies in this mansion—one is the East March Grand Duke’s legitimate daughter, the other is the Weiss Family’s eldest young lady, wealthier than entire nations.”
She seemed to say this deliberately for Floleen’s ears.
Floleen’s face grew even more shocked—last night Charlotte had rushed away, and she’d thought he’d gone to handle some emergency, never imagining he’d brought a newly acquainted woman home, and they were already so intimate!
As for Bella, her mood at this moment was like drinking chilled honey water—pure delight.
Seeing Floleen’s look of disbelief, the pain and grievance of last night vanished at once, replaced only by indescribable satisfaction.
She obediently stood by Charlotte’s side, her smile almost overflowing, her inner self already dancing with joy: Floleen, so what if you’re prettier?
Last night, the one you longed for had his fill of pleasure with me! This round, I win! Have you ever kissed Charlotte? Last night, I did—countless times!
One win for Bella! And another! That makes it countless victories over Floleen!
“They’re just guests visiting the mansion.” Charlotte replied blandly, attempting to put an end to this dangerous topic.
But Kresia wouldn’t let it go. She threw him a playful wink, her tone coquettish: “Really? Would a guest sit so close?”
Charlotte’s brow furrowed ever so slightly. This pink-haired, sweet-on-the-surface princess was clearly doing this on purpose.
He simply stopped responding, only lifting his gaze to look at her, his eyes calm and unruffled.
Is she toying with me?
Kresia saw his unflappable demeanor and couldn’t help but laugh softly. “Hehe, just a little joke, Marquis Charlotte, don’t be so serious.”
She swayed her gown, her tone relaxing. “So, are you still busy now? Can I borrow you for a private conversation?”