Sophia looked toward the scene inside the wall.
Running along the base of the wall was a stone path, about five meters wide—enough for two carriages to pass side by side.
The stone path encircled the entire castle, following the Castle Wall.
Just inside this stone path was greenery and a Flower Meadow: a carefully trimmed, beautiful lawn dotted with Ornamental Shrubs, along with various kinds of Flowerbeds.
The whole Garden had been arranged beautifully.
Across this wide expanse, purely for ornamental use, several pathways had been planned, all converging on a large mansion atop a gentle slope.
That house still used a ring-shaped layout, hundreds of meters in length and width, and stood a full five stories tall.
The lines of the building’s walls were exceptionally intricate.
Each of the four corners of the mansion had been built into a pointed-roofed Watchtower.
The front entrance was raised by an extra story, and there hung a massive Bronze Bell.
“No one here?”
Sophia realized that, inside, there didn’t seem to be a single trace of a living soul.
How strange!
This castle not only had an outer wall, but also took up a huge tract of empty land, and a Garden like this would definitely require someone to maintain it every day.
But at this moment, not a single figure could be seen—truly bizarre.
“The people were probably called away. Let’s just head straight down.”
Enya glanced at the Lord’s Mansion standing on the gentle slope, then turned toward the nearby stairs, as if intending to descend that way.
Sophia, however, had a strange look on her face.
She took a light step closer to the edge of the Castle Wall, looked down, and thought to herself, This wall isn’t even that high, so wouldn’t it be faster to just jump down since we climbed in anyway?
But Enya really intended to take the stairs.
Enya supported Nina by the thighs with both hands, strolling leisurely down the stairs.
She exited through a little wooden door at the base of the Watchtower, coming out onto the Stone Path running along the foot of the wall.
The Castle Wall was supposed to have guards, but they’d all been sent away.
Sophia quickly followed down the stairs and joined Enya. After stepping out of the Watchtower, she looked around.
Leaving other things aside, the scenery inside this castle was indeed beautiful, especially when looking up at that magnificent building atop the slope.
It gave the feeling of admiring a painting.
Even Sophia, who had seen the beauty of nature countless times as an elven young lady, couldn’t help but praise, “This really is a lovely place.”
“It is,” Enya nodded slightly.
That was indeed the truth.
However, the cost of building and maintaining this castle and Garden was all shouldered by those at the bottom of White Stone City.
They lived in the dirty and chaotic Commoner District, facing endless troubles and hardship every day, while this place was a paradise of birdsong and fragrant flowers.
It was as if they lived in two different worlds!
But Enya was long used to these things, and she carried Nina on her back as they walked up the sloping path.
Nina poked her head out from behind Enya, looked around, then loosened her grip and legs, and hopped down from Enya’s back.
After jumping down, Nina even pretended to neaten her clothes. Before Enya could say anything, Sophia reached out and grabbed her by the ear.
“You finally decided to get down?!”
“Uwah, Nina was wrong! Sophia, please let go!” Nina wore a pitiful look.
Sophia was already used to this, but even so, she released her hand—only to pinch Nina’s cheek right after.
After pulling her hand back, she scolded, “Can you be a little more proper for once?” “Okay.”
Nina pouted and nodded in agreement.
But her eyes were looking elsewhere, with a clear “I’ll try but no promises” expression.
Sophia felt another urge to pull her ear, but in the end, she restrained herself.
Sophia sighed softly and sped up to catch up to Enya.
She glanced left and right, then spoke.
“Senior, is it really all right for us to just swagger in like this?”
“What could be wrong?” Enya shook her head, completely unconcerned.
One dragon, two elves—they strolled leisurely to the mansion’s door as if out for a post-breakfast walk. Sophia noticed the door was ajar.
Enya walked up the steps and pushed gently. The door opened.
Inside, the decor was opulent—gold and jewels adorned the hall, and a luxurious Beast-hide Carpet covered the floor.
At the very back of the hall stood a large door, beyond which lay the Inner Courtyard.
After entering, Enya’s gaze fell on the nearest staircase.
She led Sophia upstairs. On the third floor, they walked further down the corridor and stopped before a tightly closed door.
Enya stood a meter from the doorway.
Sophia peeked her head forward, eyeing the door handle.
Squinting, she identified the traces of Magic Power on it, then spoke.
“This is… a Sealing Spell?”
Enya reached out, gripping the door handle. A faint purple glow lit up, triggered by her movement.
Purple Light Tendrils slithered up Enya’s arm.
The aura they emitted would be unbearable for most people—even Sophia frowned at the sight.
The aura from this Sealing Spell was truly fearsome.
However, when the ghostly purple light tried to invade Enya’s body, it was as if it had slammed into a wall of steel.
The Purple Light Tendril’s advance abruptly stopped.
A Silver Aura rose from Enya, pouring into the Purple Light Tendrils and forcing them back, scattering and retreating swiftly into the seal.
With a sound like shattering glass, the handle in Enya’s grip turned.
Click—
As the wooden door swung open, the room within was revealed: a spacious chamber with a single woman sitting before a dressing mirror.
Her eyes were lifeless, staring at her reflection, muttering something over and over. If you listened carefully, you could hear her repeating a short phrase.
“I am Sylvia Eric.”
A beautiful woman with voluptuous curves sat facing the mirror, repeating that phrase again and again.
As Enya’s Silver Aura filled the room, there was the faint sound of snapping threads in the air.
The woman’s voice faltered. Suddenly, she sprang up from her chair, glaring at the woman in the mirror, and shouted,
“I am Sylvia Eric, Lady of Eric! That’s right! I am his wife!”
“I am the most noble and beautiful woman in White Stone City, born to be worshipped by those filthy commoners!”
Abruptly, her frenzied voice fell silent. Lady Sylvia stared at the intruder reflected in her Magical Mirror, her beautiful eyes turning cold.
She turned to Enya and scolded,
“Who gave you permission to open this lady’s door? Guards! Gouge out her eyes for me!”
Enya calmly looked at Sylvia, the beautiful, purple-haired woman, and slowly stepped into the room, her wings spreading slightly behind her.
Seeing this, Lady Sylvia of White Stone City frowned, bit her rosy lip, and glared at Enya with her beautiful eyes.
“You—you’re an assassin? A killer? Who sent you?”
“Was it those rebels again? I can pay you! Everything in this Lord’s Estate is my personal property—you can name your price!”
Sylvia’s delicate body trembled. She took a step back against the dressing table, frightened by the killer who showed no reaction to her offer.
Those horns, those wings, that tail—she couldn’t possibly be human!
Realizing no one would respond to her, Sylvia felt betrayed. Clenching her fists, she stepped back again.
As Enya drew nearer, Sylvia kept retreating.
Sylvia’s voice trembled, “Don’t… don’t come any closer! Whatever you want, as long as it’s not my life, I’ll give it to you. Do you want my body, or my dignity?”
Enya narrowed her eyes at Sylvia.
Her steps were unhurried, but she gradually closed in, and Sylvia, terrified by her icy presence, shrank like a frightened chick.
Sylvia kept retreating. In high heels and extreme anxiety, it was impossible to keep her balance.
So she collapsed to the floor.
When her peach-shaped hips hit the ground, her soft, fragrant body jiggled.
She was wearing nothing but a high-slit, elegant, light-purple formal dress, revealing a pair of smooth, plump thighs.
As she fell, Sylvia’s long hair became a mess, her dress even more disheveled, her shapely legs half-exposed, dangerously alluring.
Unfortunately, the one dragon and two elves present wouldn’t have any strange reactions to a sudden glimpse of a woman’s bare skin.
Sophia and Nina remained perfectly calm.
Enya’s aura didn’t change in the slightest, still cold and grim.
She wasn’t the type to touch just anyone.
Enya walked slowly to Sylvia’s side, crouched down, and narrowed her golden-red dragon eyes, carefully examining this woman she’d never met before.
Sylvia’s face was full of panic and unease.
She was truly afraid that beneath Enya’s mask was a giant, bloodthirsty mouth.
Enya scrutinized Sylvia’s face, but found the distance still a bit far, so she reached out and, with one smooth motion, ripped off Sylvia’s Face Skin.
Even in Enya’s hand, the Face Skin kept that terrified expression.
It was as if it were alive.
The woman on the floor shrieked, reaching for her face.
Then she realized her face was unharmed—there was no pain at all.
But her once voluptuous figure had shriveled up drastically.
Clutching her face, the woman muttered in a daze.
“I…I… I am Sylvia Eric, Lady of Eric, the most beautiful and noble in White Stone City!”
But seeing her like this, Enya simply drew a Magical Mirror from thin air.
She tossed it to the ground, but the mirror was of poor quality and shattered immediately.
The sound of the breaking glass startled the woman.
She covered her face with her arms, but in the end, curiosity got the better of her.
She lowered her head to look at the shards—and was horrified to see—
In every shard, her own face was hideously ugly!
“This… this isn’t me!”
The woman recoiled, her whole body jumping back.
Stiffly, she raised her eyes to Enya’s hand, to the delicate, beautiful Face Skin she was holding.
“Give it back! Damn you, wretch! Return my face at once, or I’ll show you what a fate worse than death means!”