In the living room.
Aurora sat on the sofa, while Leonora obediently rested in her arms.
Aurora didn’t mind the girl sitting in her lap; after all, she wasn’t heavy.
Besides, holding her felt like hugging a soft, fragrant doll—it was quite comforting.
But standing before them, Lorebell was visibly displeased.
Her gaze toward Leonora was icy, as if she might pick the girl up and toss her into the sky at any moment.
Yet whenever anyone approached, this girl became wildly restless, causing headaches for everyone around.
Especially for Lorebell herself; Leonora seemed to harbor a strong hostility toward her.
That dagger of hers—no one knew where it suddenly appeared from.
Even after Aurora thoroughly searched her, no new knives were found.
But Leonora always managed to pull one out when others weren’t paying attention.
Could it be magic?
Yet Lorebell sensed no trace of magical aura.
Looking at the girl, a mixture of anger and fear welled up in Lorebell’s heart.
She was angry because Leonora sat so naturally in her sister’s lap—that spot was rightfully hers!
She was afraid that the magic used to alter her sister’s memories might be exposed, as this girl seemed to know Aurora and was obsessively attached to her.
Lorebell didn’t know what kind of relationship her sister shared with this girl, but she absolutely would not allow anyone troublesome to disrupt their lives again.
Taking a deep breath to calm her fury, she spoke up: “Sister, I’ll ask Albert to come take her away later.”
“You can’t let sister bear such trouble.”
“Yeah, yeah, this girl keeps trying to stab us—it’s too dangerous to keep her nearby!” Azalea, hiding behind the sofa, quickly chimed in.
Leonora said nothing; she was immersed in Aurora’s gentle caress and unwilling to engage with anyone else.
“I know, but there’s something I want to ask her privately.”
“Anything you want to say, Sister, you can tell me!”
Hearing her sister say she wanted to talk to this girl, Lorebell grew anxious.
She must have said something that deeply concerned her sister—maybe even made her suspicious.
What if the truth about the memory alteration came out? How would she explain it? Should she invent a new lie to fool her sister again?
But would her sister still believe her then? Would she still love her?
If her sister came to hate her, how could she hold onto her?
Just as Lorebell was lost in these troubled thoughts, the usually calm Leonora suddenly spoke:
“Aurora, come with me. Come home with me.”
“Father has always hoped you would return… Please, come back to me. I’ll take good care of you.”
Her voice was faint and trembling; it seemed she had mustered all her courage just to say that.
Before Aurora could respond, Lorebell interrupted:
“Go home? Where? This is her home.”
“But you, suddenly trying to snatch my sister away—what are your intentions?”
Lorebell’s tone was fierce as she tried to intimidate the girl.
Though she knew scaring a girl wasn’t the behavior of a true Paladin, the identity of ‘sister’ was far more precious to her than ‘Paladin.’
“You’re the ones with ill intent! You must have done something to my Aurora to make her forget.”
Leonora’s words suddenly caught, as if her mouth had been sewn shut.
She knew this was magic—this red-haired woman was definitely hiding something from Aurora.
“Sister, may I talk to her alone?”
“I think I can make her understand a few things,” Lorebell smiled faintly at Aurora.
“Why must you speak privately?”
“If others watch, it won’t work.”
“Well… no violence, okay?”
“Of course not.”
*****
Click.
The door was locked from inside.
A silent magical soundproof barrier sealed the entire room.
Lorebell turned to face the wary Leonora.
Sensing a murderous aura emanating from Lorebell’s body, Leonora pulled a dagger from her sleeve, pointing it at her.
“What do you intend to do?”
“What magical weapon are you hiding in your sleeve?”
Lorebell stepped toward her slowly, the gentle demeanor she had shown earlier completely vanished.
Her eyes burned with terrifying intent, the right pupil completely blackened, as if no light could pass through.
Leonora had never seen anyone like this.
Even the demons she knew did not possess such a complex aura.
“Don’t come near me, you demon!”
Leonora stabbed wildly at her with the dagger.
But this time, Lorebell didn’t dodge; the dagger pierced straight into her clothes.
The expected gush of blood did not appear.
Instead, when the dagger was pulled out, the skin underneath was completely unharmed.
“You can’t hurt me. Let me help you.”
She grasped Leonora’s hand holding the dagger and pressed it against her own heart.
In Leonora’s horrified gaze, the blade slowly sank into Lorebell’s chest, but Lorebell showed no reaction, staring coldly at her.
“You… you monster!”
Leonora stubbornly pushed the dagger deeper.
Even after it was fully embedded, no blood dripped out.
This was not some dark magic—it was the effect of a goddess’s blessing.
Lorebell’s blood dissolved all weapons.
When a weapon was stained with her blood, it would quickly dissolve and transform into her own blood, flowing into her veins—no matter the material.
So at the moment the dagger pierced her body, the blade that entered became part of her blood, circulating through her entire body.
Crack.
“Ahhh!”
A sharp sound rang out as Leonora’s wrist was twisted out of shape.
She clutched her own wrist in pain, curling up on the floor, tears streaming uncontrollably.
“I have questions for you.”
Lorebell’s voice was cold as she stared down at the sobbing girl on the floor.
“What is your relationship with my sister?”
Leonora did not answer.
Instead, she shakily stood.
Crimson flames appeared in her hand, elongating into a long sword she gripped tightly.
“What relationship… She is my maid, my sister, my most important person!”
“I won’t allow anyone to take her away from me!!”
She swung the flaming sword at Lorebell with one hand.
But before it even reached her, the sword suddenly extinguished.
A golden spear appeared around Lorebell’s body.
Before Leonora could react, the spear pierced her through, pinning her to the wall.