Chapter 185: Changes

Stepping through the side door of the great hall, they entered a small square.

A platform stood in the center of a circular pool, which had once held a statue that was removed before Enya arrived.

Enya walked along the smooth stone path.

Every step her black high heels took against the ground produced a crisp, rhythmic click.

Her pace was not fast, but light and graceful.

Her body was draped in a long purple dress that accentuated her captivating curves; the hem swayed with her stride as she lightly fanned herself with a purple folding fan, the gentle breeze stirring a few stray strands of hair.

On her exquisite and beautiful face, a pair of pale gold eyes looked toward the sky.

She then turned her head to address Madam Margaret at her side.

“The weather is lovely—a fine day for a stroll. I am quite happy that you were willing to accompany me, Madam Margaret.”

“Hehe, you are too kind, Ms. Ain. I am also very happy to be able to wander and chat with such a beautiful lady like yourself,” Madam Margaret chimed in.

Enya gave a soft laugh and returned her gaze to the path ahead.

“With what happened at the Lord’s Manor, I fear White Stone City is about to fall into chaos,” she continued.

“Madam Margaret, you came to find me because you likely want to know what I intend to do next, right?”

The destruction of the Lord’s Manor in White Stone City had been brewing for a day and a night; by now, nearly everyone in the city knew of it.

Those in the dark were constantly speculating about what had happened—wondering if there had been a rebellion and how they might protect themselves.

Those in the know had already begun to watch for an opportunity, hoping to seize this once-in-a-lifetime chance to grab power.

Of course, some had already fled. In other words, the wind and rain were the prelude to a new world; it was time for White Stone City to reshuffle the deck.

The ones who fled were the Ophield family.

Relying on the stone mines of White Stone City, they had earned a fortune and grown fat on the profits.

To the Ophield family, White Stone City had been completely sucked dry.

It was like a man drained of all his nutrients, weak and decaying.

His wife had already scouted out a new partner and finally found the opportunity; if they did not leave now, when would they?

Eugene had been beaten nearly to death by Enya.

Combined with the burial of the Lord of Mist Church in the Northern Mountains, it was a massive blow to him.

This underground emperor of White Stone City had, for all intents and purposes, completely fallen.

As for Madam Margaret… she wanted to seize this opportunity to reap benefits from the chaos.

Enya did not care about the power shifts in White Stone City.

If she wished, she could force Henna to send troops to swallow the city and spread the Dream World across this land. But she was unwilling.

Incorporating White Stone City into her territory brought no benefits—only various troubles—so there was no need to push her influence here.

Madam Margaret observed the woman beside her.

Enya was so gorgeous it made one’s heart ache with desire, yet she seemed as distant as the horizon.

She answered Enya honestly. “Yes.”

Madam Margaret’s reply caused Enya to fall silent for a moment.

The two of them, along with two maids, strolled through the beautifully tended garden, feeling the warm gusts of the summer wind.

“I have no interest in White Stone City,” Enya said as she walked.

“I do not care about the things you all care about. Immersing myself in such matters would only make me feel tired.”

“Ms. Ain means…” Madam Margaret’s eyes narrowed slightly as she asked, feigning a lack of understanding.

She wanted Enya to take a more explicit stance.

Although Madam Margaret understood the implication, she hoped Enya would state it even more clearly.

Enya smiled and added, “In short, I will not participate in anything within White Stone City, even if Madam Margaret wishes to take control of the entire city…”

As she spoke, Enya stopped and looked at the mature, glamorous noblewoman beside her.

“Madam Margaret, if that is truly what you think, I have no objection. If Sharon hadn’t insisted on giving me this estate, I wouldn’t have stayed here for a single moment.”

“I understand what you mean now, Ms. Ain.”

Madam Margaret’s smile grew even more radiant.

Having received the answer she wanted most, she lifted her skirt and bowed to Enya.

The noblewoman opened her rose-red lips and said, “Ms. Ain, we can be friends.”

“Friends… mm.” Enya agreed with a lukewarm tone.

Compared to Madam Margaret’s enthusiasm, she appeared particularly cold.

This angered the young maid Madam Margaret had brought along, but the girl did not dare show it.

She had seen with her own eyes how Enya had broken Eugene’s spirit.

Eugene was the underground emperor of White Stone City; for ten years, no one had been able to shake his throne.

Yet, when this powerful man faced the beautiful and slender young lady before them, it had been an utterly one-sided crushing.

Madam Margaret glanced back, her gaze landing right on the young maid.

The girl felt a chill run through her, and a shadow loomed over her heart.

She thought she would certainly receive a beating when they returned, but if it was Madam Margaret… she was more than willing!

“She lacks discipline. Please do not take offense, Ms. Ain. Don’t let a lowly servant like her ruin our good mood today.”

“Hehe, how could I?” Enya smiled faintly.

‘Who on earth thinks that I, Enya, would have designs on a widow? I’m not that kind of person… besides, it’s not as if I have to kill everyone who holds a grudge against me.’

Madam Margaret stepped a bit closer.

“You are truly generous toward these servants, Ms. Ain. However, even if you forgive her, I will still punish her properly.”

“There is no need to be too harsh,” Enya said casually, dismissing the topic.

Madam Margaret was also quite tactful and immediately switched to another subject.

“Ms. Ain, have you heard about the Hall of Shadows?”

“I don’t know about that. Has something major happened? Would you be willing to tell me about it, Madam Margaret?” Enya put on a puzzled expression.

In truth, she knew exactly what had happened, considering she was the culprit.

The Shadow Hall Master, the top leader of the Hall of Shadows’ guards, was dead! His branch would surely suffer a massive blow, and once weakened, they would inevitably be torn apart by the surrounding wolves.

Madam Margaret explained, “The Hall of Shadows is divided into two halls. One is dedicated to assassination, called the Hall of Slaughter; the other is known for providing secret protection, called the Hall of Shadows. It seems something has happened to the Hall of Shadows recently. Usually, after these shadow guards take payment, they protect those nobles and wealthy elites according to their contracts. But now they are leaving one after another. Something major must have occurred.”

After listening to the explanation, Enya nodded as if taking it all in.

Then, she suddenly laughed.

“Then let me congratulate you in advance, Madam Margaret, on becoming the true mistress of White Stone City, standing above all other authorities.”

“Hehehe~” Madam Margaret covered her mouth and laughed; it was clear she was very happy.

Having received confirmation that Enya would not participate in the division of White Stone City, the noblewoman felt confident in taking the entire city for herself.

They drank some tea in the pavilion and ate some pastries.

After chatting for a while, Madam Margaret rose to take her leave.

“Ms. Ain, you and I have hit it off today. Why don’t we consider ourselves sisters and treat each other as close friends from now on?”

“Uh, I won’t be staying here for long…”

Hearing the words ‘sisters’ and ‘close friends’ made Enya feel a bit nauseated.

It wasn’t that she disliked Madam Margaret… she carefully examined the woman before her.

Madam Margaret was definitely beautiful, but she had been married twice, and Enya didn’t even know if she had children.

Regardless, Enya felt it was inappropriate.

While Enya was still thinking, Madam Margaret’s soft, charming voice rang out.

“Then it’s settled, little sister~”

Enya did not force herself to smile.

Her relationship with this woman was only average; there was no need to cater to her.

Madam Margaret and her maid gradually walked away.

Enya watched their retreating figures while taking a sip of the cooled black tea on the stone table.

Her pale gold eyes slowly shifted into a pair of gold-red vertical pupils.

She stole one last glance at Madam Margaret’s back, and in the blink of an eye, her eyes returned to normal human pupils.

Enya’s expression did not change. She withdrew her gaze and set down the teacup, gently waving her purple fan to create a cool breeze.

“Eat if you want to.”

“Thank you, Mistress~”

Wendy swallowed hard and reached out to grab a peach-pink pastry.

She popped it into her small mouth, and the soft, sweet, and sticky sensation instantly revived her spirits.

She had been standing to the side acting as a birdcage stand for a long time.

Although she could understand what Enya and that woman with the large chest and hips were saying by reading the subtitles through those glasses, Wendy found that while she recognized the words, she couldn’t quite grasp the meaning once they were put into sentences.

‘I just can’t wrap my head around it!’

In the end, the elven maid could only let her mind go blank.

Enya waited there for a short while until the head maid led a woman over. Enya looked up and said with a smile, “Oh, isn’t this my sister Sharon?”

“I hope you have been well, sister Ain.”

A person who looked exactly like the previous Sharon appeared before Enya.

Even the aura she emitted was identical.

However, Sylvia was definitely still inside the Golden Crow Cage.

Therefore, there was only one possibility for the Sharon standing before her: after Sylvia’s failure, Golden Town had sent a new puppet to take over Sylvia’s duties.

However, this Sharon was slightly different. Her strength was one level lower than Sylvia’s. It seemed Sylvia was a high-end consumable—the kind where there was one fewer every time one was used.

Facing this second Sharon, Enya’s expression remained unchanged, treating her exactly as she had treated the original.

The purpose of this second Sharon’s visit was purportedly to return money to Enya on Eugene’s behalf.

The real goal was to determine if Enya was the one who had stolen the items.

They certainly didn’t dare investigate the Northern Mountains because of the terrifying power lingering there—power belonging to the Elven Saintess, Eliv.

Thus, they could only look for clues from Enya. After all, Enya had previously traveled with two elves, and one was still with her now.

“I haven’t done anything. I’ve just been staying here enjoying a leisurely life. Those two elves simply hired me as a guide,” Enya said, leaning against the back of her chair with an indifferent expression.

“…Very well, I understand.”

The second Sharon did not press further. She left the items and departed.