Chapter 46: An Enemy at the Door?

When Lin Shu looked back at the roof, the helpful wolfkin girl was already gone.

‘She just left like that?’

Lin Shu had no choice but to let it go. She took the note and left the square to return to the shop.

“Thank you, Miss Lin Shu,” the shop assistant said, taking the box with a surprised smile.

Saphina had just finished her conversation with the shop manager when she noticed Lin Shu holding a crumpled piece of paper.

Something about the paper felt vaguely familiar. Saphina asked, “Little one, what do you have there?”

“Ah, Master,” Lin Shu explained, “when I went out just now, a paper airplane suddenly flew over. A foreign beastkin thought I was in some kind of trouble, so she passed me this note.”

“A foreigner, huh? No wonder they misunderstood, haha,” the assistant joked.

“After all, humans are rarely seen in the capital. It’s normal to find it strange,” another assistant chimed in.

As they spoke, Lin Shu unfolded the note and showed it to Saphina.

When Saphina saw it clearly, she felt as though she had fallen into a pit of ice.

She took the note, confirming it was a page torn from her own study, and…

Saphina slowly turned the paper over. Her pupils constricted, and her heart skipped a beat.

There was no mistake. It was her own handwriting—the word “Yes” that she had written with her own hand.

A chill crawled up Saphina’s spine.

The note she had sent to her informant had reappeared in Lin Shu’s hands after the informant had been captured by the Saint Race.

This meant… the Saint Race was already here.

“Little one.” Saphina forced herself to remain calm and asked with a smile, “What did that beastkin look like?”

Lin Shu recalled, “It was a female wolfkin wearing a cloak. She was quite tall.”

“A wolfkin…” Saphina murmured, her attention immediately snapping to the word “cloak.”

The Saint Race members she had encountered at the ball had been wearing cloaks.

Was the identical attire just a coincidence?

If the other party belonged to the Saint Race, like the cloaked woman from the last ball, then their goal should be the key or Lin Shu.

Yet, they hadn’t kidnapped Lin Shu. They had only given her the note.

‘Are they testing me? Or are they wary of acting in the capital because there are too many eyes?’

A wave of immense fear flooded Saphina, but she closed her eyes and quickly regained her composure.

Hiding her emotions, Saphina spoke in a light tone. “It seems the wolfkin have a strong sense of justice.”

Regardless of their intent, they had seen Lin Shu’s face. Moreover, they might still be nearby.

They couldn’t stay here any longer.

Saphina had already decided to keep the matter of the Saint Race and the key a secret. She pretended as if nothing had happened and smiled at Lin Shu.

“Everything has been handled. Let’s head back, little one.”

While speaking, Saphina crumpled the note into a ball and hid it in her palm.

Lin Shu nodded in agreement, but she noticed that Saphina’s expression seemed a bit shaken.

On the carriage ride back, Lin Shu also felt that Saphina had become much quieter.

Sitting beside her, Lin Shu saw Saphina leaning against the window, staring at the scenery outside. Her thoughts seemed miles away.

Just like when her family was in trouble, she looked weighed down by worries.

‘Is she tired? Or is the pressure of officially becoming the family head too much?’

Lin Shu silently planned in her heart: ‘Once we get back to the manor, I need to prepare some tea and snacks for Saphina to help her relax.’

The carriage traveled along the road, and Saphina only breathed a sigh of relief once they returned to Drago Manor.

“Little one, I’m going to the study to handle some documents first,” Saphina said, pausing at the foot of the stairs and turning to Lin Shu.

Lin Shu nodded. “Alright, Master.”

—

The study door closed, and Saphina leaned her back against it. Her frayed nerves finally went slack.

She lowered her head, her long, purple curls veiling her face, but her eyes betrayed a deep sense of anxiety.

Saphina smoothed out the crumpled note, and her familiar handwriting came into view.

She had been careless. She shouldn’t have taken Lin Shu out after the Saint Race had started moving, yet today she had brought Lin Shu to the crowded capital.

Just by letting the little one leave her sight for a moment, she had likely been noticed by the Saint Race.

If Lin Shu had been kidnapped right then…

‘No! I won’t allow it!’

Just imagining the scene of losing Lin Shu made Saphina feel as if she were suffocating. She clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms.

She couldn’t passively wait for the Saint Race to investigate. She had to strike first.

She had long intended to resolve all these problems on her own without letting Lin Shu get involved.

Saphina walked to the window and saw Lin Shu’s small figure in the distance.

Lin Shu had walked alone to the garden gate of the manor and was fussing over a cluster of roses. Her silhouette in the maid dress, paired with the roses Saphina loved, looked so beautiful.

Saphina raised her hand, touching Lin Shu’s figure through the glass of the window.

‘I must protect her, no matter the cost.’

The little one said the person who gave her the note was a female wolfkin.

Using that lead, she could utilize the Drago family’s resources in the Demon Capital to track them down.

Before the Saint Race could act, she would wipe every last one of them out.

A murderous intent flickered in Saphina’s blood-red eyes.

—

The next day.

Saphina had just finished breakfast and changed her clothes to go out.

“Master, are you going to negotiate with those families today?” Lin Shu was still holding her small notebook, which was filled with a dense schedule and various reminders.

“I’ve already prepared the necessary items. We can leave—”

“Little one,” Saphina interrupted.

“Yes?”

“Stay in the castle today,” Saphina said with a smile as she ruffled Lin Shu’s hair. “I can handle the negotiations on my own.”

“Eh? But during the last negotiation, I went with you, Master.”

Lin Shu paused, instinctively finding it strange.

Why wasn’t she being taken along? Had she done something wrong last time?

“That was then. The person I’m seeing this time is an old man with a very stubborn personality. The atmosphere won’t be very pleasant.”

Saphina placed her hand on Lin Shu’s shoulder, her smile carrying a reassuring weight.

“I’ll feel more at ease if you stay home.”

“…Alright. Then I’ll stay behind and help organize the documents in the study.”

Lin Shu blinked and agreed. She still hoped she could do something to help Saphina.

“Don’t work too hard. Just stay home and relax, okay?”

Lin Shu looked at her.

Saphina stood before her in a solemn, elegant gown. The smile on her face was as beautiful as ever, and her gaze was just as tender.

Saphina’s words were full of concern, just like always.

Yet, Lin Shu could always see a hint in Saphina’s expression that suggested she was hiding something she didn’t want to say.

Though it felt strange, she chose to trust Saphina.

‘She probably just doesn’t want me to be too exhausted or stressed…’

The castle gates slowly closed, and Saphina’s figure disappeared behind the doors.

This was the first time Saphina had traveled alone since Lin Shu became her familiar.