Once Enya’s group had disappeared from sight, the pressure that had been weighing on Katherine vanished along with them.
She couldn’t help but press a hand lightly to her chest, letting out a soft breath of relief.
She turned around, facing Parit, who was about to leave this place.
Katherine furrowed her brow and quickly stepped forward to block the old butler’s path.
Looking at Parit, who seemed even more aged now, she spoke.
“Don’t you have anything to say?”
“……”
Parit looked at Katherine standing in his way.
His slightly cloudy eyes were filled with hesitation. After a few breaths of contemplation, he ultimately chose not to explain and instead told her to ask for herself.
“This matter… it’s a long story. If you want to know, you should ask that person directly. My current position isn’t suitable for me to speak.”
Parit shook his head and walked past Katherine.
Katherine didn’t stop him again. Instead, she turned to look at the maids standing on both sides of the red carpet, serving as decoration for appearances.
Under her gaze, each of them was visibly nervous.
“Sigh…”
Originally, the servants of the estate had prepared to welcome the return of the master and the young lady. But they waited and waited without any news.
They did come back, but something wasn’t right.
Katherine was furious at Parit’s silence, but she couldn’t take her anger out on her subordinates. Finally, she let out a long sigh and dismissed them, telling them to return to where they came from.
The maids received the order and quickly paired up to leave. Once they were farther away, whispers began to spread among them.
“Hmph, do you really think I can’t hear you?”
Katherine snorted coldly, but she wasn’t in the mood to punish those gossiping fools right now.
Katherine wouldn’t believe that the silver-haired, golden-eyed beauty was the young lady. A person with that level of strength couldn’t possibly be possessed by someone so young.
Who is she really?
And what does she intend to do?
Parit had refrained from explaining the full story due to some kind of taboo, but Lucia would be different. She should tell me.
With that thought, Katherine silently ascended the stairs.
On the other side, Lucia had already led Enya on a tour around the mansion. After leaving the building, they also strolled through the back garden.
After making the rounds, all the servants and hired workers in the estate who hadn’t come to greet them now knew that a silver-haired lady had arrived.
She was incredibly beautiful, with an unmatched presence—truly a rare sight to behold.
Privately, they began to speculate whether this was the young lady they had heard was coming.
Once that idea took root, whenever they saw Enya, Lucia, and Wendy, they acted extremely humble and respectful.
Lucia had essentially grown up here. She knew every corner of the estate intimately, making her a perfect guide.
The three of them were walking by a small pond in the back garden. This area was an artificial corridor, topped with a canopy to block some rain and direct sunlight.
Not far ahead was a small dock, where a boat was tied to a wooden post extending into the water.
In the center of the pond was a small island with a pavilion built for shade and rain shelter.
Enya strolled leisurely, treating it as a relaxation after the long journey.
She looked at the birdcage in her hand and narrowed her eyes slightly, gently elbowing Wendy beside her.
Wendy turned to look at her, but Enya only glared. Wendy was confused, not understanding what that look meant. As Enya’s eyes narrowed further, she finally snorted coldly and handed the cage over to Wendy.
Enya felt a bit speechless. Her elf maid was too dim-witted. This wasn’t the first time she’d teased her like this, so why couldn’t she ever catch on?
What a blockhead!
Only after being pushed to this point did Wendy realize she had been letting her boss carry things the whole way. Reflecting on it, she noticed that Enya had hinted at this more than once.
“Gulp…”
Wendy held the birdcage, swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and looked at Enya with pitiful eyes.
Enya rolled her eyes at her and even reached out to pinch Wendy’s ear.
She had done it on purpose.
She knew Wendy was slow-witted and would struggle to pick up on hints, but she did it anyway—just so she could rightfully get angry!
In the end, she could use that anger as an excuse to take the upper hand and toy with Wendy, just like now.
After having her ear pinched, Wendy wore a pained expression, but Enya was gleeful. This was the elf maid she had bought with her money. If she couldn’t use her for fun, what good was she?
No one would treat a servant like a revered ancestor, would they?
Lucia secretly glanced at the “playfulness” between Enya and Wendy.
In the black-haired long maid’s mind, a hallucination flickered. She saw Wendy as herself and Enya as Kalian, the two of them frolicking just like this in the back garden of the estate, as carefree as the other girls.
It was a beautiful dream she had before setting out.
But when the black-clothed assassins attacked the convoy, the guards she had known for so long died, and even the master and the young lady perished.
Only she and the butler were left. That dream could never come true.
Lucia bit her lip and silently withdrew her stolen glance.
She didn’t show her grief on her face but hid it deep in her heart.
She also knew that this Dragon Tribe lady, Ms. Enya, had come here because she accepted the master’s revenge commission.
Just as she was lost in thought, Enya quietly approached Lucia.
She placed a hand on the black-haired maid’s shoulder and spoke in a soft, gentle voice.
“Lucia, do you often feel troubled by your weakness? You long for power, don’t you? Any particular thoughts? You can tell your sister all about it~”
Lucia’s heart skipped a beat.
She didn’t answer. Even though Enya’s words were gentle, they sent a chill down Lucia’s spine.
Those three questions sounded too much like a demon tempting someone with wishes.
“Hehehe~”
Seeing Lucia’s frightened reaction, Enya let out a sly laugh.
“Don’t worry. Even though I’m a dragon, I don’t eat people.”
“I… I…”
Lucia lowered her head, her forehead beaded with fine sweat. Her delicate hands tightly clutched her skirt, her small lips pressed together, and her panicked eyes didn’t know where to look.
Enya licked her lips.
She loved watching a young girl’s flustered discomfort. She reached out and pinched Lucia’s chin, tilting her face up to meet her eyes.
Her dignified pale-golden eyes locked onto the girl’s trembling pupils.
Even though Enya had restrained her Spirit Power, her high Order of Magic meant that even a stray ripple could feel like a crashing wave to a small fry like Lucia.
After just a second of eye contact, Lucia felt a sharp pain in her head, and she almost blacked out. Fortunately, Enya stopped in time and even considerately wrapped an arm around her.
Enya pulled her into her arms and asked with concern.
“Are you okay? Feeling unwell?”
Lucia quickly recovered and broke free from Enya’s embrace, stepping back a few paces before lifting her skirt to curtsy.
“Lady, I’m sorry…”
“That takes the fun out of it. I was hoping we could get closer.”
It wasn’t that Enya was deliberately flirting. Seeing Lucia’s sorrowful, bitter expression, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of pity. So, she teased her on purpose, that’s all.
It was out of kindness!
Enya’s smile gradually faded. She shifted her gaze from Lucia to the stone island and pavilion in the center of the pond.
“Lucia, is there an underground chamber here?”
“An underground chamber?”
Lucia was still caught up in the enchanting aura radiating from Enya. When she heard such a serious question, her mind struggled to catch up, and it took her a moment to respond.
“There are some underground chambers, Lady. Do you need me to take you there?”
“Yes, lead the way.”
Enya planned to remodel this estate.
She was going to absorb the fragments here.
The first fragment had been processed by Antiros, while the second was stripped from the Goddess’s Cicada Wing.
Their natures were vastly different, so she needed to prepare to avoid drawing trouble with the leaked aura.
At the same time, she knew she wasn’t the only one eyeing the Lord of a Thousand Faces. That Lord of a Thousand Faces seemed to have its sights set on her, too.
The Lord of a Thousand Faces… Audience… Hmph…
Enya didn’t plan to deal with that nuisance immediately, though. She had one more thing to do—complete Gro’s commission.