After returning to the estate, Elise appeared beside the two of them without anyone knowing when, so silent that even Luo Xiya hadn’t sensed her approach beforehand.
“My lady, I’ve received a letter.”
Roman paused and glanced at Elise a few more times, curious as to what kind of Sacred Seal she possessed.
“Thank you for your trouble.”
Luo Xiya took the letter, and upon seeing the family crest on the envelope, couldn’t help but let out a scoff.
Casually tearing it open and unfolding the contents, Luo Xiya said, “Let’s see what tricks she’s up to this time.”
After spending a few seconds reading, Luo Xiya showed a puzzled expression.
“My lady, who is the letter from?” Elise asked.
“Tania Desmon.”
Luo Xiya shook the envelope with the crest for them to see.
Elise had heard of her before.
She frowned, fell silent for a moment, then couldn’t help asking, “I’ve heard of her, a spoiled noble girl with no discipline. What dealings could you possibly have with someone like her?”
Not knowing the details of the auction, Elise couldn’t understand the nature of the “feud” between the two women.
“At the auction, I had to spend a full one million Gold Bler just to win Roman.”
Luo Xiya patted Roman on the shoulder, her tone half-joking, half-pained.
Her fingers unconsciously pinched the hem of his skirt.
Roman could clearly sense the teasing in Luo Xiya’s tone, along with a faint hostility, and felt terribly awkward, given that this all concerned him directly.
Elise also glanced at Roman and then showed a look of realization.
She said calmly, “So she was your rival in bidding for Lord Roman. No wonder the final price was so absurdly high.”
At this, Elise couldn’t help but sound a little resentful.
A full million, used just for “pleasure.”
“I’m a countess of the empire. If I can’t even compete with some heiress without inheritance rights, even you would mock me afterward, wouldn’t you, Elise?”
Luo Xiya widened her eyes and said with feigned seriousness.
Elise pressed her lips into a smile and shared her honest view: “Truthfully, Lord Roman’s value likely far exceeds one million. Your judgment remains impeccable.”
“Besides, just thinking about that perverted heiress getting her hands on Lord Roman, it feels like a crime against beauty. Even Lady Fara above surely wouldn’t forgive you.”
Watching the two of them bounce off each other, Roman finally couldn’t hold back and interrupted, “So why did she write to Sister Luo Xiya?”
“Because she’s unwilling to let it go,” Elise answered immediately.
Luo Xiya nodded in full agreement.
“Tania’s desire for Lord Roman clearly hasn’t disappeared. And after watching him get ‘taken’ right in front of her, she likely didn’t give up, in fact, her obsession’s probably only grown stronger by the day.”
“Is she some kind of beast? Or is it because she’s secretly a worshipper of the Succubus Queen?”
Luo Xiya scoffed.
On the Yanglight Continent, the empire wasn’t the only human nation.
There were also other species and regions, such as the Dark Realm in the east, where dark beings had founded their own nations, some of them wielding power on par with Saint-tier existences.
The Succubus Queen Luo Xiya mentioned was one such figure.
“In any case, we need to prepare,” Elise said.
Luo Xiya hummed in agreement, then suddenly remembered something.
After a brief silence, she spoke, “Elise, do you still remember Annie?”
“That little girl? What about her?”
“What tasks was she responsible for before?” Luo Xiya asked.
Elise responded quickly, “All pretty ordinary stuff, mostly minor chores and errands, but…”
“But what?”
“She wasn’t in a good mental state before,” Elise murmured to herself.
“At the time I thought it was because of her family, but the more I thought about it, the more something felt off. Maybe it’s best if we investigate…”
“Not in a good mental state?”
Luo Xiya felt she was getting close to the truth.
“Elise, I’ll be direct. Today, when Roman and I went out, we ran into Tania’s carriage. And Annie was with her.”
Elise’s expression remained calm, but Luo Xiya, who knew her well, could tell she was deep in thought.
“Let’s go to Lady Catherine’s room,” Elise suddenly said after a while.
“Alright.” Luo Xiya agreed without asking why.
Roman quietly committed the name “Catherine” to memory and obediently followed beside Luo Xiya.
They arrived at a certain door.
Instead of opening it, Luo Xiya knocked gently.
“Auntie, may I come in now?” she asked softly.
“Luo Xiya? Of course, come in.”
The voice from inside was warm and melodic.
Pushing open the door, Roman followed behind Luo Xiya and Elise, and immediately saw the woman inside the room.
“Is your health alright?”
Luo Xiya asked gently.
“Much better since last night,” the woman replied with a smile.
Though she said that, the pale color of her face was impossible to conceal.
“But you, child… your Sacred Seal’s power isn’t meant to be used like that. If your mother knew, she’d give you a proper scolding.”
She couldn’t help but chide her.
Luo Xiya put on a sweet, clingy expression and wrapped herself around the woman’s arm, acting spoiled.
“As long as you don’t tell her, it’s fine.”
“Good afternoon, Lady Catherine,” Elise stepped forward and greeted politely.
“Good afternoon, little Elise,” she replied with a soft smile.
Lady Catherine carried the aura of a mature woman, calm from weathering many storms, yet clearly full of affection for both Luo Xiya and Elise.
The sunlight in Lily Territory was beautiful.
As it filtered through the window, it cast a golden hue over the room.
Under this light, Lady Catherine’s soft features looked bright and fair.
Not a single wrinkle could be seen, and her pallor was significantly softened, making it difficult to guess her real age.
However, her figure clearly wasn’t one a young girl could possess.
Both Luo Xiya and Elise had tall, elegant bodies, near perfection, but compared to Lady Catherine, they still seemed unripe.
Even in her loose robe, one couldn’t ignore the exaggerated curve of her waist and hips.
It didn’t look overweight, rather, it radiated a sense of voluptuous maturity.
“And this is…”
Her beautiful eyes shifted as she looked toward Roman, asking curiously.
“His name is Roman, he’s my…”
Luo Xiya paused.
“He’s the boy Lady Luo Xiya has taken a liking to,” Elise said flatly.
Roman: …
Luo Xiya: …
Both of them fell silent at once.
Lady Catherine, on the other hand, could no longer stay seated.
She rose with delighted surprise, her hands elegantly clasped in front of her, and stepped over to Roman in an instant.
Taking his wrist in a familiar, elder’s gesture, she looked at him up and down with affectionate eyes, especially lingering on the white flower in his right eye and the Adam’s apple at his throat.
“Lady Catherine…”
“Good child, from now on just call me Auntie.”
Her soft face broke into a gentle smile as she pulled Roman to her side, immediately slipping into the habit of asking all kinds of personal questions like any doting elder.
‘Elise, you…!’
Luo Xiya glared at Elise.
Elise still looked relaxed, fully aware that despite her expression, Luo Xiya was genuinely pleased inside.