“Catherine, what on earth happened?”
Veronica stepped forward, pressing down on Lady Catherine’s shoulders, asking in disbelief, her tone and eyes brimming with unconcealed delight.
A Domain-level Monster using its last breath to cast a Curse—by all rights, that should be unsolvable.
Originally, Veronica had pinned her final hopes on the Pope of the Holy City, prepared to pay any price.
But now, this unexpected miracle had left her at a loss for what to do.
“It was that child by Luo Xiya’s side who healed me.”
Lady Catherine smiled.
Veronica blinked her eyes unnaturally—a rare, almost comical expression for someone so dignified.
She clearly didn’t believe Catherine’s words, yet couldn’t make sense of the facts before her.
“Who?”
Lady Catherine glanced toward the room behind Veronica and said directly, “It was that child named Roman who cured me.”
Roman?
The unfamiliar name made Veronica even more confused.
Suddenly, Veronica gripped Catherine’s shoulders, and the corridor fell into a long, strange silence.
“Didn’t you see him just now? He should be in Luo Xiya’s room…”
Catherine’s voice grew quieter and quieter, and then she too noticed the odd look on Veronica’s face.
“How did he heal you?”
Setting aside the lingering awkwardness, Veronica pressed further.
This time, Lady Catherine hesitated, not answering Veronica right away.
Roman’s secret—she believed that even if she told Veronica, the latter wouldn’t harbor any ill intentions; in fact, Veronica was even more cautious than she was when it came to keeping secrets.
But secrets, by nature, are best kept by as few people as possible.
The fewer who know, the lower the risk of exposure.
“What Sacred Seal did he awaken?”
At some point, Veronica had leaned in close to Lady Catherine’s ear.
With Magic as a conduit, her question echoed directly in Lady Catherine’s mind.
Lady Catherine frowned, not responding for a moment.
Veronica released her grip and turned to head back inside.
As soon as she entered the room, she ran straight into the two people who were helping each other get dressed.
In her memory, Luo Xiya had always been a child who never grew up.
Even after being granted the title of Count and becoming a local lord, she still seemed that way.
She had matured earlier than other children—like a little adult, never crying or fussing.
Later, Veronica learned that Luo Xiya had awakened a High-tier Sacred Seal, something never recorded in family history, which made her spirit innately far stronger than others.
As she grew, Luo Xiya became ever more steady, but this composure stemmed more from confidence—perhaps even arrogance.
Among her peers, her only true friend was Elise, who had grown up with her since childhood; with everyone else, she was merely acquaintances, unable to form deeper bonds.
At that Ten-Year Holy City Ceremony, she had trounced all her dissatisfied opponents like an adult toying with children.
Magical attacks were rendered useless against her, and those who fought her in close combat suffered even more miserably, like mice being toyed with by a cat—her reactions were on a whole other level.
Yet, as Luo Xiya aged, her personality became increasingly frivolous and aimless.
Her Magic grew simply with time and age, and the path to the Sanctuary was so clear and unobstructed that she found it dull and tedious.
Veronica’s dissatisfaction with Luo Xiya mostly stemmed from this: she matured early, but still hadn’t truly grown up.
Now, watching Luo Xiya—once frivolous and disobedient in her memory—gently and considerately helping that boy get dressed under her covert gaze…
Whether in her movements or demeanor, Veronica suddenly felt that Luo Xiya seemed a bit more mature than before, exuding a silent sense of responsibility.
Thinking back to how Luo Xiya had, for the first time ever, talked back and reasoned with her for this boy’s sake, Veronica couldn’t help but show a wry, helpless smile and shook her head, choosing not to disturb them.
Through the crack in the door, she caught a fleeting glimpse of Roman’s back.
“Catherine, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
She rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.
“I just wanted to surprise you!”
Lady Catherine, walking ahead of her, replied without looking back.
A surprise?
Veronica was indeed surprised, but after the shock faded, she couldn’t help but recall the harsh words she’d uttered in anger earlier, and her head felt even heavier.
The two of them entered the living room, where Elise thoughtfully poured Veronica a cup of tea.
Under Elise’s careful gaze, Veronica had none of her earlier bluster from that morning.
Instead, she looked like… hmm, an adult who’d made a mistake but was still trying to save face.
Before long, Lady Catherine, who had been quietly flipping through the Code of Law she always carried with her, suddenly brightened, looking up toward the staircase.
Luo Xiya was leading Roman by the hand as the two of them walked down side by side.
Now dressed in a dark uniform, Luo Xiya descended with sharp, resonant footsteps.
Her knee-high boots accentuated her slender, straight legs, making her look graceful and striking.
For once, she wore a single-shoulder cape over her right shoulder, which, paired with her tall, upright figure and the dignified expression she wore now, made her aura nearly on par with Duchess Kelden.
At her side, Roman was finally no longer dressed in all sorts of girls’ clothes, but instead wore a stylish, beautifully designed pure white ceremonial suit.
His right hand rested gently on Luo Xiya’s attentive left hand, and upon feeling everyone’s gaze, he lowered his head nervously.
Whether it was Luo Xiya’s handiwork or not, today Roman was no longer the disheveled figure he’d been upon first arriving.
Though his hair was still long, part of it had been braided by Luo Xiya and coiled atop his head, serving in place of a hairband.
When Roman first arrived, his unkempt hair made everyone itch to fix it.
Though it was a bit rude to think so, even the maids subconsciously felt that only wanton women would choose such a frivolous hairstyle—and it looked just as out of place on a man.
Now, Roman looked much more spirited. His flawless features seemed holy and radiant, making it impossible to harbor any profane thoughts.
Moreover, Luo Xiya had deliberately let down Roman’s bangs on the right side to cover the white flower over his right eye—a little trick of hers, not wanting others to see Roman’s ‘right eye.’
“Mother.”
Luo Xiya, holding Roman’s hand, calmly walked up to Duchess Kelden, not letting go for even a moment, and led Roman in a formal greeting.
Veronica took a sip of her tea, letting out a silent sigh.
How could she not know that her daughter’s attitude was actually her way of demanding an explanation?
Glancing at Roman beside Luo Xiya, she couldn’t help but feel a bit conflicted.
She had thought he was a bad influence on Luo Xiya, but if he could truly help Luo Xiya mature, what harm could there be in that?