As soon as Phyllis saw Lorin return to her original loli form, her lips curved into a mocking smirk.
Drawing out her words with deliberate sarcasm, she sneered, “Oh? So it was my dear little niece. Here I was wondering how an outsider managed to sneak into our heavily guarded royal palace.”
With a light, playful gait, Phyllis walked up to Lorin and, without the slightest sense of courtesy, reached out and aggressively tousled her head.
The once-smooth silver strands were instantly a mess.
Lorin frowned in annoyance, her wide eyes glaring as she slapped Phyllis’s hand away with a sharp smack.
Puffing her cheeks in frustration, she shouted, “Get lost!”
Then, without another word, she spun around and stomped off in the direction of her room.
Now that even her false identity had been seen through by Phyllis, Lorin didn’t dare imagine how long it would take before Phyllis uncovered her true identity.
As far as she knew, she’d been hiding it well—there hadn’t been any signs of suspicion from Phyllis so far…
“Wait!”
Phyllis called out behind her.
“Hmm?”
Lorin turned, puzzled.
“Forging a palace access permit is a serious crime, you know.”
Lorin froze, her face stiffening as she stared blankly at the smiling Phyllis.
“Hmph! It was Lin Luo who forged the pass, what’s that got to do with me, Lorin?”
She shot back without missing a beat.
“No, no, no. The permit is on you now, which makes you an accomplice. That’s a crime, too.”
Phyllis spoke slowly, unhurriedly walking toward Lorin.
“Miss Lorin, you wouldn’t want your dear mother to find out about this, would you?”
“You—!”
Lorin stood frozen, momentarily speechless.
She was genuinely terrified that Claire might return without warning.
And if that photo of her in bed with Phyllis ever came to light… she was as good as dead.
“What do you want?”
Lorin bit her lip, her tone wary.
“Nothing much. Just remember that I now have two things to hold over your head.”
Phyllis gave her that parting line, then sauntered off—heading, it seemed, toward the alchemy workshop.
So she really did walk straight into a trap trying to make an excuse…
“Hmph! You only have the upper hand because you’re Seventh Tier. Just wait until we fight fair—then we’ll see who wins.”
Lorin muttered fiercely under her breath, waving a tiny fist in Phyllis’s direction before finally retreating to her room.
Ten thousand gold coins still took priority. She could endure this—for now…
“Is it really just Seventh Tier?”
Phyllis let out a cold laugh as she heard Lorin’s grumbling.
…
Sunlight filtered through the ornate stained-glass windows, casting a mosaic of colors across the Persian rugs in the grand hall.
Mr. Hode stood impeccably dressed in a black tailcoat, the lace at his cuffs fluttering slightly with every movement.
He bowed slightly, placing his right hand gracefully before him while his left hand hung naturally at his side—executing a perfect noble’s salute.
Lifting his head, he smiled with warm respect, his gaze sincere as he addressed Queen Phyllis in a steady, pleasant voice.
“Your Majesty, good afternoon. May I ask what service you require of me today?”
It was well known that Phyllis had no love for alchemy—she’d once said she’d rather study arithmetic than touch the subject.
“I heard you’ll be heading back soon. I’d like you to bring these to Lord Elek for me.”
As she spoke, Phyllis raised her hand, and a soft glow shimmered.
A delicate little box appeared from her ring, which she handed gently to Hode.
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
Hode nodded and accepted the box, storing it in his own ring.
Elek—more formally, the Duke of Wilson—was his older brother, and a key ally who had earned great merit for the Lin family.
Hode had a good idea why Phyllis was asking this favor.
She was likely trying to stabilize Elek’s emotional state.
After all, the old man had few hobbies in life, but teasing his granddaughter was one of them.
Now that she’d gone missing, he’d nearly lost the will to live—even as a Seventh Tier mage.
The man had barely survived… It was a close call.
Hode had almost been named the next Duke.
The Wilson family was already teetering on chaos.
If he didn’t go back to restore order soon, the gossip would only grow worse.
And yet… it was such a shame.
His peaceful days of sipping tea and coffee, casually mocking the alchemy students’ pathetic theses, were coming to an end.
“By the way, Your Majesty—rumor has it you went out this morning. Did you find any clues?”
Hode remembered seeing Phyllis sneaking off earlier and asked curiously.
There was a hint of comfort in his voice, too.
Ever since the princess returned, the Queen seemed to be doing a little better.
“Oh, that… Lorin will handle it.”
Phyllis couldn’t promise she’d find anything herself, but if it was up to Lorin, the girl could probably locate the person directly.
After all, she had personally witnessed just how deep Lorin’s mastery of destiny-based magic ran.
“Oh? The Princess?”
Hode was slightly surprised.
He hadn’t expected their little princess to possess such skills.
“Speaking of the Princess… she came to me yesterday asking for a piece of chromatic oil crystal…”
“Did she? I see… Thank you for the trouble, Mr. Hode.”
Phyllis nodded.
She had meant to ask about that.
If Hode had given it to her willingly, that was fine.
But if Lorin had stolen it… well, that would be yet another piece of leverage she could use.
Oddly enough, she almost found it a little disappointing.
She needed to exact her revenge for the Northern Continent while Lorin was still weak.
Otherwise, once Lorin grew powerful, who knew how arrogant she’d become?
Especially since Phyllis knew exactly how low the girl’s bottom line could sink.
“No trouble at all. It’s my honor to serve Your Majesty.”
After speaking, Hode paused in thought, then turned and picked up a lavishly decorated teapot nearby.
“Would Your Majesty care to try this fine tea? It’s a premium blend from the Holy City.”
“Oh—no, no,”
Phyllis quickly waved her hands.
“Mr. Hode, I believe your student is looking for you. I won’t keep you any longer.”
Seeing Hode about to pour her a cup, Phyllis made a swift exit.
There was… considerable room for improvement in Mr. Hode’s tea-making.
And until that improvement happened, she’d much rather enjoy a pot with Lord Elek.
“Te… teacher…”
A blonde girl in a blue dress approached Hode, stammering nervously as she handed him a report.
Hode took a sip of tea, savoring it with a sigh of contentment, before finally glancing at the paper.
He had already noticed her trembling hands earlier, so he was mentally prepared.
Still, when he read the report, the tea came spewing from his mouth.
“Two hundred percent yield?! You graduate tomorrow! Immediately!”
“Teacher, there’s a decimal point…”
“Then you graduate the day after tomorrow! I, a master of Equivalent Alchemy, who shone for half a lifetime… ended up with disciples like you?!”
“Uuu…”
Tears welled at the corners of the girl’s eyes.
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