Although there were many people at dinner, there was no lively atmosphere at all. Instead, everyone was quiet, as if they all had something on their minds.
This mood even affected Rosily, who deliberately imitated Estelle during the meal, maintaining the proper demeanor befitting her station.
Enya watched the unfolding situation and could not help but want to laugh.
However, her expression remained calm as she ate quietly, choosing not to liven up the atmosphere. Was this not perfectly fine as it was?
Dinner ended quickly.
After resting for a while, Enya suggested she escort Susia and Lilith away. Susia was clearly reluctant at the time.
“Brother-in-law, I don’t mind sleeping with you!”
Enya gave her a faint, sidelong glance, and Susia immediately shrank her neck, closing her mouth without daring to argue against Enya’s dismissal.
Enya picked up Lilith and went out the door, walking onto the main road with Susia under the dual gazes of Rosily and Estelle.
After they were some distance from the house, Enya suddenly stopped in her tracks.
She turned around to face Susia.
“We shall stop here.”
“…”
Susia was very reluctant, wishing they could walk a little further.
As long as she could walk with her Enya-sister, she was already very happy; this trip to Red Pine City was worth it.
But seeing Enya present Lilith to her, Susia hesitated before taking the girl.
Lilith was being carried back and forth like a doll, yet she seemed accustomed to it.
Other than having a look of utter hopelessness, she did not protest. It seemed this happened to her often, and she had become somewhat numb to it by now.
Although she was speechless inside and wanted to complain that she was a human and not a cat or a ragdoll—asking them to please respect her dignity and treat her like a person at least!—unfortunately, Lilith was too cowardly.
She dared not speak loudly in front of Enya, which meant that being passed around like this left her to swallow her own bitterness in silence.
Enya reached out and pressed her hand against Lilith’s head, stroking her soft hair, and a faint smile finally appeared on her face.
“Susia, you must prioritize your studies. Go back to Zephyr immediately; finish your schooling before coming to find me here. I won’t be leaving this place anyway, right?”
“This…”
Susia felt like she had been demoted a generation, having the feeling of a runaway child found by her brother-in-law, only to be kindly persuaded to return by the very person she loved most.
It was strange, yet it seemed entirely logical.
Enya’s eyes remained fixed on her. After thinking carefully, Susia finally agreed to leave Red Pine City.
When she agreed, her expression was incredibly sad; it was clear she genuinely liked her brother-in-law.
With tears in her eyes, Susia walked a certain distance while holding Lilith before setting the young blood elf girl down.
Squinting her eyes, Susia glared at Lilith and said angrily.
“You were laughing at me in your heart, weren’t you?”
“?”
Lilith had a look of confusion on her face.
She thought to herself that she had indeed laughed, but what did she intend to do about it?
Just then, Susia raised her hand, ready to strike Lilith’s bottom; it seemed she intended to use her to vent her frustration!
How could Lilith allow that? She immediately tried to run, but her arm was gripped tightly by Susia, leaving her unable to break free.
Lilith frowned and said in a soft, sweet voice.
“What, what are you doing?”
“Doing?”
Susia gave a cold smile; did that question even need to be asked?
“Obviously, I am going to bully you.”
“…”
Lilith’s mouth twitched.
She realized, ‘Good heavens, she really is going to use me as a vent.’ Looking at the hand raised high, Lilith hesitated whether to drink a potion to temporarily lift her restrictions.
Just as she was thinking this, she felt the scenery around her suddenly blur, and then it quickly restored itself.
Everything seemed unchanged, except for the fact that Susia had already disappeared.
The previously relaxed Lilith became vigilant in an instant. She frowned deeply and couldn’t help but mutter.
“What is going on?”
As she spoke, her hand moved to the pendant on her chest, prepared to drink a potion to unseal her power at any moment.
But just as she prepared to do so, a hand gripped her ear, and another hand reached out from behind to press her hand down, preventing her from bringing the potion to her lips.
It was a hand wrapped in a black lace glove, the fingers slender and perfectly proportioned.
Against the backdrop of the mystery of the black lace and Lilith’s small, fair hand, the scene was filled with an indescribable, exquisite beauty.
Gulp…
Lilith swallowed a mouthful of saliva. She felt the person behind her leaning against her shoulder, breathing the air that carried her own scent.
Then, a magnetic voice rang softly in her ear.
Enya gave a wicked smile and said.
“Lilith, remember, you are not allowed to have unnecessary contact with anyone in the future. This is an order.”
“…”
Lilith’s small body trembled.
The moment she was restrained, she already knew who had arrived; it was the bad woman, Ms. Moth, who controlled her.
Lilith resisted her fear and whispered.
“You won’t do anything to Phil or her daughter, right?”
“Hehe, I am not interested in married women.”
“…”
“My cute little pet, Miss Lilith Herna Asades, a reminder: you haven’t answered my question yet.”
Enya reached out and pinched her soft cheeks, offering a small, lighthearted threat.
Little yet mature types like this were either to be pampered or bullied severely, and it was clear that Lilith was the type meant to be bullied.
Lilith’s exquisite, adorable face, naturally fair and clean, turned ghastly pale. After a brief internal struggle, she lowered her eyes and said miserably.
“I understand.”
“When answering, you must say ‘Yes, Mistress’.”
Behind her demonic mask, Enya narrowed her eyes and lifted Lilith off the ground. Lilith said powerlessly.
“Yes… Mistress.”
“Mhm, very good.”
Enya was only teasing Lilith for a moment.
She did not continue to bully Lilith, but instead carried the blood elf directly to a room within the Crimson Academy.
Enya, dressed as a Black Nun, told Lilith a bedtime story by the small bed and left only after the extremely embarrassed girl had fallen asleep.
On the other side, Susia looked at her own empty, curled hand and couldn’t help but narrow her eyes, muttering to herself.
“The ability to manipulate space…”
“Is this Enya-sister’s doing? But why did she take Lilith away, and what is her relationship with that Lilith?”
“Long ears, an elf… I remember Enya-sister has a deep connection with that Saintess over at the Elven Kingdom.”
Susia naturally knew about the rumors between Enya and the Elven Saintess Eliv, and it was said that this Elven Saintess and her own sister had a rivalry between a “destined-encounter” type and a “childhood-friend” type.
After Enya was canonized as a Saintess by the Goddess Church, many storybooks became popular in Zephyr, including fictional stories about Enya meeting Vivienne and Eliv.
Although they were fictional, Susia had read the entire collection and felt heartfelt admiration for the author.
The main female leads in those books were all major figures in reality, not limited to the Elven Saintess and the Zephyr Princess; even the Queen of the Demon Race had a story with Enya.
Susia had even written fan fiction about Enya, with herself as the female lead, of course.
Even in her own works, she had set Enya up as a holy figure, so she never expected that her idol would have a daughter upon meeting her this time.
“Damn it…”
Susia lowered her head and gave a fierce stomp.
After a while, she turned to look at the lights of that distant house and sighed, whispering to herself.
“Do I really have to go back?”
She was naturally referring to Enya’s instruction to return and finish her schooling.
Susia had already beaten up everyone at the academy who was worth fighting, and there was really nothing left there for her.
However, Rosily had given her a small surprise.
Suddenly, Susia’s eyes brightened, and she clapped her hands in excitement.
“Right! There is a Grand Exam in one month, isn’t there? I can represent Moonview City in the competition then, and that will give me a legitimate reason to come see Enya-sister again!”
“Let me think, this time it seems to be held together with the Forest Elves. That looks like a high difficulty. I wonder what they were thinking.”
Susia’s joy slowly faded away.
The Grand Exam after the Harvest Festival decided the qualifications to go to the Holy City of Tarlonde.
In the past, each region conducted its own trials, but the Tarlonde Academy suddenly decided that there would be no subdivision this time.
Instead, there would be multiple large venues, and they would send specialized examiners.
Breaking the nobility’s monopoly on qualifications and allowing more of the lower classes to step onto the stage seemed like a formidable strategic move.
Susia knew this was Vivienne’s work, but she didn’t know how her seemingly frail sister possessed such heaven-defying influence to accomplish something that others thought impossible.
Looking toward Enya’s home in Red Pine City, Susia felt despondent.
“Enya-sister, why have you retired to live in seclusion? Is it because you have a daughter, and thus decided to focus on raising her?”
Susia desperately wanted to see that Enya who had been active on the world’s stage, the Silver Sword Maiden, the Ordinary-blood Sword Saint, the Legendary Saintess who would create legendary feats from time to time.
She took a deep breath and whispered.
“We will meet again in the Elven Kingdom, Enya-sister.”
That was correct; the academies of Red Pine City and even those in Moonview City on the Zephyr border would all head to the Elven Kingdom for that grand competition.
Elqi, wearing a light gray dress, sat before the dressing table, having just taken a bath at Enya’s house.
Her brown hair was particularly fluffy because she had dried it with wind elemental magic, and Rosily was brushing it for her.
She looked at the devoted Rosily in the mirror, parted her thin lips, but then slowly closed them, wanting to wait a little longer.
However, Rosily was very keen and noticed the minute change in her, slowly stopping the hand that was brushing her long hair.
Rosily looked at Elqi’s face reflected in the small round mirror.
“What is wrong?”
“I might have to go back…”
Just as Elqi said this, she heard a knock at the door.
“Rosily, someone is here for your friend downstairs. They are here to take her home, so tell Elqi to come out.”
“Right away.”
Rosily agreed readily and smiled at Elqi.
“Remember to take me to your home next time.”
“Mhm, definitely.”
Elqi felt relieved. Under Rosily’s infectious smile, she didn’t feel quite so terrible anymore.
Perhaps it was still too soon to be together today, but later… later, there should still be plenty of opportunities.