Dekalorin’s gaze sharpened as she looked at Saint Eustacia.
“Speaking of that princess, is there still no clue at all?”
Saint Eustacia shook her head. A look of frustration quickly flashed across her face.
“Still none. The last reliable clue proved that she was abducted by slave traders during her escape, and after that she vanished as if into thin air. Our investigation yielded nothing… However,” she immediately added a key detail, “the only thing that can confirm her identity is a special mark on her body, proof of the Debisg royal bloodline, resembling a crescent moon. But… this is undoubtedly like finding a needle in a haystack.”
Dekalorin listened, then raised her hand to rub her brow.
The injured arm made even this simple motion somewhat strenuous for her.
She let out a long sigh.
“Five years already… I deliberately avoided inquiring about politics these years. I didn’t expect it to turn out like this… The entanglement is growing wider, yet the clues haven’t increased much. The longer time drags on, the easier the truth is to be buried under dust.”
“I’m sorry, teacher… My abilities are still insufficient…” From this, Saint Eustacia heard a hint of dissatisfaction from her teacher toward her.
Dekalorin raised her hand and interrupted her apology.
“If it were me, I probably wouldn’t have handled it well either. However, no, this isn’t your fault. It’s just that these matters happened to arise… If there are any difficulties, tell me. Whether it’s the elf side, the dragon side, or even the demon realm… I have connections.”
Dekalorin then lowered her hand, gathered some energy, and asked about another urgent matter.
“How is the academy’s aftermath handling? No troubles arose, I hope!”
Saint Eustacia immediately responded.
“I’ve already finished the necessary work. The rest are just daily affairs, which I’ve handed over to the other professors.”
Dekalorin nodded, expressing satisfaction with Saint Eustacia’s actions.
“Good. You’ve worked hard.”
She closed her eyes again and leaned her head against the soft cushion.
“I’ll rest for a bit. Call me if anything comes up.”
Inside the carriage, time quietly passed amid the turning wheels.
However, this peace did not last long.
The carriage speed noticeably slowed.
Finally, through repeated short stops and bumpy restarts, it jolted Seraphina awake from her slumber.
She groggily opened her eyes.
The first thing she felt was the soft, elastic sensation behind her head, along with Movira’s scent.
She instantly became alert, realizing she was still pillowed on Movira’s thigh, and hurriedly sat up in some panic.
“Awake?” Movira’s voice came from above.
One hand supported Seraphina’s back, helping her slowly sit upright.
Seraphina adjusted to the dim light inside the carriage and asked, “Where are we? Why does it feel like we’re stopping and starting?”
Movira naturally noticed the noise outside but did not rashly pull open the curtain, fearing it would disturb Seraphina who had just been in dreamland.
She used magic to inquire with the carriage ahead.
A subtle fluctuation of magical power shot from her fingertip, connecting to the front carriage.
A moment later, she withdrew her magic and explained to Seraphina, “Saint Eustacia says there’s a pass ahead undergoing inspection. Many carriages are backed up. The road is still very narrow, and other carriages can’t yield either. However, she sent someone to urge them on, but it might take some time.”
“A pass? Inspection?” Seraphina grew even more puzzled and couldn’t help but curiously and carefully lift a corner of the carriage curtain.
Immediately, the biting evening cold wind mixed with noisy sounds rushed in.
She saw dense carriages and crowds both ahead and behind, clogging the already narrow mountain path to the point of being impassable.
The forward speed was comparable to a snail’s!
“Good heavens… Why so many carriages? Is this the only road to the royal capital?” Seraphina shrank her neck back, shutting out the cold wind, her face full of gloom.
Movira shook her head and used magic again.
She soon received a more detailed reply and relayed it to Seraphina.
“Dekalorin says this country is naturally mountainous, and the manor we departed from is located in the area with the most mountains… This pass is indeed the nearest route. If we detour now, it would take even longer.”
“Alright.” Seraphina sighed.
Now there was no other way, so she had to accept it.
After an afternoon of sleep, hunger also followed.
Her stomach let out an ungraceful “gurgle.”
In the relatively quiet carriage, this sound seemed especially clear.
Seraphina’s face flushed red in an instant.
Her hands immediately covered her stomach as she lowered her head in some shame.
However, Movira had anticipated this.
As if performing magic, she took out a delicate small box from under the seat.
Opening the lid, inside were neatly arranged several pieces of cakes that looked very appetizing, emitting a faint fruity aroma.
“Hungry, aren’t you.” Movira picked up a piece and brought it to Seraphina’s lips. “Eat this first. Dinner will probably take a while longer.”
Seraphina looked at the cake so close at hand and reached out to take it.
“Mm.” Movira’s hand suddenly withdrew backward and shook her head.
“Huh?” Seraphina was puzzled and looked up at Movira.
The next second, the other party brought the cake back to her own lips again.
Now Seraphina understood.
“…Actually, I can do it myself.”
But the other did not respond to her, only shaking her head repeatedly and withdrawing her hand again.
Seraphina looked at Movira’s calm yet unyielding gaze.
Her heartbeat inexplicably quickened a bit.
She hesitated for a moment, then finally opened her mouth slightly.
Following Movira’s hand, she carefully took a small bite.
The fruity sweetness of the cake melted in her mouth.
The soft texture was just right.
But what attracted more of Seraphina’s attention was Movira’s fingers that still lingered near her lips.
That inadvertent delicate touch made her more restless than the cake in her mouth.
“Delicious?” Movira asked, her gaze falling on Seraphina’s moving lips.
“Mm… delicious.” Seraphina responded vaguely, still wanting to reach out and take it. “I should do it myself.”
But Movira twisted her wrist, avoiding her hand, and pushed it forward again.
“Then… alright.”
The cake was soft.
Under Seraphina’s bite after bite, soon only the last bit remained, held precariously between Movira’s fingertips.
Perhaps due to the carriage’s bumps, or perhaps due to Movira’s “accidental” negligence, in any case, this last bit slipped from her fingertip and fell onto the carpet.
“Ah!” Seraphina instinctively let out a low exclamation. “It… it fell.”
However, Movira’s next action made Seraphina’s eyes widen instantly.
“You!” Seraphina’s face turned red all at once, even more intensely than when she had been fed earlier. “That fell on the ground! It’s all dirty! And… and it was one I just ate…” The last few words, she almost muttered from her throat, carrying shyness.