“Lady Anis, please allow us to enter for an inspection!”
At the door, two fully armed guards knocked urgently. If not for the final shred of professional courtesy they held for a Knight, they would have long since barged into a lady’s private chambers.
“The door isn’t locked anyway, so why not just barge in?”
The voice of “Anis” from inside sounded somewhat displeased. After the two guards exchanged a look, they nodded and pushed the door open together.
On the bed, a stunning young girl with disheveled hair clutched her arms tightly, shielding her slender, shapely figure covered only by a thin nightgown. She was tucked under a thick quilt, her expression dark and filled with annoyance.
“Forgive the intrusion, Lady Anis. The guards outside fainted for unknown reasons, so we need to inspect the room.”
“Guards? You mean jailers!”
Anis looked at them irritably. “I’ve been quiet this whole time. As for you, this is the second time tonight, isn’t it?”
“This is our job. Please understand.”
The Knights performed a knightly salute to Anis, but in her eyes, it was nothing more than an act of forced gentlemanliness. She watched as her wardrobe was opened and her desk drawers were pulled out. Although the items inside weren’t moved, Anis still felt a deep sense of discomfort.
“There’s nothing here.”
After searching the area, the two Knights huddled together and whispered.
“Not necessarily. There’s also the possibility…”
Anis couldn’t hear what they said next, but the final outcome was crystal clear. The two Knights walked to either side of the bed and looked down at her.
“You are going too far.”
Anis’s gaze was cold, and her hand already gripped her magic wand tightly.
“Please forgive us. We are simply following orders.”
The two Knights didn’t care whether Anis agreed or not. They forcibly “escorted” her off the bed and conducted a thorough search of the mattress and bedding.
Still, there was nothing.
“Are you suspecting that I knocked those two out? Or are you suspecting that after knocking out the guards, that person would actually hide in my room?”
“If you used your brains for even a moment, you’d know that’s impossible!”
“No… No, forgive us for the intrusion.”
The two Knights bowed and quickly retreated.
Once she confirmed there was no more sound outside, Anis finally breathed a sigh of relief.
‘Whew, that was terrifying.’
“Anis” pulled off her disguised headpiece, revealing Cybelle’s exquisite face.
‘The signal has already been sent to Lady Sherry. I hope they return as quickly as possible.’
Another ten minutes passed before the sound of two pairs of hurried, light footsteps came from outside. Cybelle did not put the headpiece back on, because she could tell those light footsteps belonged to the two young ladies.
“Cybelle!”
As she pushed the door open, Sherry called out softly.
“Lady Sherry, Lady Anis.”
Cybelle bowed elegantly to the two of them and spoke in a low voice. “They have already been here once for an inspection, and they rummaged through all of Lady Anis’s private belongings.”
“I know. It’s fine, thank you.”
Anis didn’t mind. There was nothing left here anyway. Furthermore, she was carrying her manuscripts and Magic Book on her person; it was a foolproof plan.
“Cybelle, we have to go. They will send people to guard this place again very soon!”
Sherry grabbed Cybelle’s arm. The two of them gave Anis a quick nod and left immediately.
Twenty minutes after their departure, the steady sound of metal clanking against the floor returned. The sound of armor stopped right in front of the door. Anis knew in her heart that tonight’s farce had likely come to an end.
—
Back in the second-floor bedroom, Sherry changed into her pajamas with Cybelle’s assistance.
“I went to see Her Highness Rubia. Her condition is very poor.”
Hearing this, Cybelle’s delicate body trembled. “Something happened?”
“Yes. Anis gave her a higher purity Mana Stability Potion, but her body showed no signs of improvement. Instead, it seems to have worsened.”
“Anis said her body has reached its limit. She will concoct the final antidote as soon as possible, but during this time, it would be best if someone stayed by the Princess’s side to look after her.”
“But I…”
Cybelle looked quite conflicted. Currently, she could not leave the estate at all. According to the orders of the House Frozenster head, she needed to monitor Lady Sherry’s every move. Of course, actual monitoring was impossible; at most, she was just going through the motions.
“No matter what happens here, the Princess’s matter is the most important.”
Sherry interrupted her. “I know it isn’t easy for you to leave right now, so I have another way.”
—
Sherry was summoned in the early morning. Not as a daughter, but in her capacity as the “Acting Family Head.”
As she walked through the corridor, her footsteps echoed clearly on the empty marble floor. The guards’ gazes did not avoid her, yet they held no extra respect either. They simply pulled open the study door for her as a matter of routine.
Baron Flenst stood by the window. The morning light fell from the high window, casting a straight shadow behind him that cut his silhouette into sharp, cold lines. He did not turn around, only speaking in a low voice when he heard the movement at the door.
“You’ve come.”
His tone was as level as if he were discussing the weather. Sherry walked to the desk and stopped without bowing.
“I will not discuss last night’s events with you first. I heard you decided to fire your personal maid?”
“Yes, Father.”
Sherry did not use any respectful titles. “Cybelle made a major mistake while performing her duties—an irreversible one. Therefore, I decided to dismiss her.”
The head of House Frozenster glanced back at Sherry with a trace of dissatisfaction in his eyes. Ultimately, he didn’t say anything, merely letting out a heavy snort.
“Fine. Do you need me to assign a new personal maid to you?”
“That won’t be necessary. I can take care of myself.”
“Then let it be.”
He shifted the topic. “Regarding what happened at the estate last night, I assume you are aware.”
“I have not received any reports concerning that matter.”
Sherry decided to play dumb to the end. Baron Flenst’s gaze landed on her face—there was no anger or dissatisfaction, only a habitual scrutiny.
“Last night, the two guards responsible for the estate’s security and the ones stationed outside Anis’s room were taken down with a single blow by an intruder. That intruder was highly skilled; not only did they neutralize the guards instantly, but they also erased all traces of the intrusion.”
Sherry did not respond, merely looking at Baron Flenst with a blank expression.
“Last night, a slight mana fluctuation appeared in Anis’s room. I sent men to search it, but the result was nothing.”
“Therefore, I intend to upgrade Anis’s management clearance once again.”
“I disagree,” Sherry stated bluntly.
The Baron was stunned for a moment, but he quickly reined in his emotions. “State your reasoning.”
“Regarding the further tightening of Anis’s management,” Sherry said, “there is no direct evidence to prove that last night’s events were her doing. To label it as her work without proof—isn’t that malicious slander?”
“Furthermore, as a Witch, her mana is naturally active. Slight mana fluctuations are within the normal range. We still need her power, so we cannot completely sour our relationship with her.”
“So you intend to shield her?”
“I have no intention of shielding anyone. I am simply discussing the facts,” Sherry said calmly.
This time, he did not respond immediately. Instead, he walked back to sit behind the desk, as if finally entering a formal conversation.
“You are looking at the problem too simply. As a Witch, any slight disturbance will become an opportunity for her to escape in her eyes.”
Sherry’s brow twitched slightly. “Are you afraid of her? Even when you already possess absolute control over her?”
“It is not a matter of fear, but a consideration of stability factors. Have you found evidence of a connection between her and the Second Princess?”
“No. If anything, such a thing doesn’t even exist.”
Sherry’s gaze turned somewhat cold. The look in this man’s eyes was becoming increasingly repulsive.
“Until definitive evidence is found, we cannot let our guard down. Once something becomes a fixed reality, the consequences will be irreversible.”
Sherry remained silent. She realized she and this old man were no longer on the same wavelength. In this old man’s eyes, there was only stability and the Old Noble System.
“We are not governing individuals; we are governing a structural whole. If an individual who possesses a sense of self and great power is allowed to break away from the management system, do you know what that signifies?”
Sherry did not answer immediately. She knew this old man was about to lecture her with his grand theories again. To put it bluntly, he was trying to brainwash her.
“Of course I know. It means the order will no longer be closed. It means the collapse of the Old Noble System and any potential instability factors that might arise.”
Immediately, she turned the question back on the Baron. “But what if this person with self-awareness, who might break away from management, is precisely the solution to maintaining stability?”
“If Anis can prove that Witches are not a danger, but rather the cornerstone for ensuring the stability of the Kingdom and the noble system?”
“Then she can never be released.”
The house head’s answer was direct. At the same time, Sherry’s fingertips tightened slightly.
“Why?”
“Because once that conclusion is established,” the Baron said, “every incident built upon the ‘danger’ of Witches will be questioned. Including the reason why we must imprison them.”
“We are not the only noble house that imprisons Witches. From Barons to Dukes, the possibility of imprisoned Witches exists everywhere.”
Sherry was silent for a moment. The old man didn’t say it explicitly, but he was indirectly suggesting that Anis might not be the only Witch trapped in a cage. After a moment of silence, she continued tentatively.
“Then is there a possibility… that the act of imprisoning Witches should have been questioned in the first place?”
The Baron’s gaze finally turned a bit colder. “You are acting on emotion.”
“You are denying facts using the Kingdom’s future,” Sherry countered.
She took a step forward. “Hypothetically, even if she truly has a connection with the Second Princess, so what? Isn’t what she’s doing also for the sake of the Kingdom’s future? And from the information I know, the Second Princess…”
“Enough!”
The head of House Frozenster slammed his hand on the desk and stood up. “I thought my education of you was sufficient, but it seems you haven’t learned a single thing I’ve taught you!”
“Remember this! His Highness the First Prince is the future of the Kingdom—the one everyone looks to! I do not want to hear you try to defend the Second Princess a second time!”
“I apologize.”
Sherry used a soft approach to deflect his anger. “I was only speaking about Anis.”
“Regardless of what you say, Anis Flenst must be further confined. Starting today, I will place three mana locks outside her door!”
When those words fell, Sherry finally understood. They weren’t talking about the same subject at all. She was talking about Anis; he was talking about the noble system. She was talking about the Kingdom’s future; he was saying that stability outweighed everything.
Sherry suddenly smiled. It was a very light smile, but it held no warmth. The conclusion was obvious. She looked up at him.
“For our sake, and for the ‘future’ of this country, Anis must never be free.”
The Baron did not deny it. “Yes.”
When that word fell, it sounded like a sentence. Sherry did not immediately argue. She just stood there, quietly digesting the sentence. Previously, she thought this was just the coldness of power. Now she understood it was a stance. A stance that did not allow for exceptions in the world.
‘What if I insist on her freedom?’
Sherry really wanted to ask that question, but she knew the time had not yet come. Once she spoke those words, trouble would surely follow. Sherry suddenly felt a strange sense of calm, like she had finally reached a point where she could no longer back down.
“I understand,” she said.
She turned and walked toward the door. She pulled the handle without looking back. As she walked downstairs, Sherry finally admitted that this man was pedantic to the extreme.
‘Old geezer.’
She cursed inwardly and began to sink into her own thoughts.