Chapter 24: Come on, follow me into the house!

The carriage finally turned onto a tree-lined path that felt incredibly familiar to Floria.

Passing through the neatly trimmed hedges, at the end of the road stood a grand and luxurious estate.

It was a garden far more splendid than Sylvie had imagined: lush green grass and trees lined both sides of the path, carefully pruned rose bushes stood in orderly rows, colorful flowers bloomed everywhere, and everything looked magnificent, elegant, and meticulously arranged, radiating an air of extravagance.

…Of course, adjectives like “grand” and “luxurious” only applied to Sylvie, who had little worldly experience.

Compared to other nobles of the same rank, this estate, modest as it was, could easily be considered shabby.

“This place…”

Floria squinted her eyes as she examined the view outside the carriage window.

She paid special attention to the few inexperienced female knights patrolling nearby.

“This estate was Sister’s former residence,” Sofia explained openly without hesitation.

“Ever since Sister ‘left’ the capital, this place has become ownerless, with only me living here.

“So, I decided to move the Saintess Knights’ administrative headquarters here too. That way, we no longer have to constantly grovel before the powerful and influential.”

“Hm… that does make sense.”

Though Floria still harbored some resentment towards Sofia, as the previous legitimate Grand Knight Commander, she nodded approvingly at this administrative decision.

When Floria built the estate back then, she had kept telling the architects it was too large, with too many rooms — living alone here would feel very lonely.

Therefore, at her insistence, the entire estate had only one three-story villa built at the center for living, while the remaining ninety percent of the grounds were just regular greenery and hedges.

The funds saved from this were all funneled by her into the knights’ reserve budget to create equipment and weapons for members, as well as prepare useful magical items and potions.

Because of this, Floria herself had become widely renowned as a model of frugality at the time.

If it weren’t for having to fulfill the system’s villainous role, Floria could have easily been regarded as a highly prestigious and popular wise leader in every sense.

So when she faked her death back then, it had caused quite a stir.

But what Floria didn’t expect was that after she left, Sofia had thoroughly renovated the unused areas of the estate from top to bottom, transforming it into what it looked like now.

“As for Sister’s accommodation, I thought about it for a long time and ultimately decided it would be best to arrange for Sister to return to the place you know best. Don’t you agree, Sister?

“Over the years, I’ve personally maintained and cleaned Sister’s residence meticulously, so I can assure you that the house is practically unchanged since you left. You can move in without worry~”

Sofia explained to Floria in a serious tone, her face soft with a smile, subtly seeking praise for her good deed.

“…Hmph.”

Floria snorted coldly, refusing to engage with Sofia’s words.

In truth, she did want to return to her old estate… but only because she hoped to retrieve the magical crystals and equipment she had hidden there.

After all, Floria had secretly stashed a secret vault in her bedroom, stocked with scrolls, potions, and amulets—all top-quality magical resources.

She simply refused to believe there was no way inside to dispel even a minor decay curse.

Once she could break the curse, restoring her former peak strength and turning the tables as the master rather than the serf would be just a matter of time.

That was something she absolutely could not let Sofia find out.

…In Floria’s eyes, no matter what scheme or sinister motive Sofia had for arranging her and Sylvie to live here—

As long as she could recover the treasures hidden in the secret compartment of her bedroom, everything would turn out fine.

The carriage stopped in front of the small villa at the center of the estate.

Sofia was the first to step down, then extended her arm to help Floria.

But Floria slapped it away.

“Xiaowei, help me down.”

Floria turned and instructed Sylvie.

“Ah, okay… okay, Teacher Floria.”

Caught in the awkward atmosphere between the two, Sylvie hurriedly stepped forward, linking her arm with Floria’s to help her off the carriage.

“Follow me. I’ll arrange your accommodations.”

Although Sofia’s outstretched hand was openly rejected with haughty disdain, her face showed no annoyance.

If anything… it almost felt like it wouldn’t be Sofia if Floria didn’t act so cold and proud.

…After all, Sister’s current strength was no match for her, so she could only put on a show of dominance verbally.

“Hoho~”

Recalling the wonderful experiences of bullying Floria twice before, Sofia’s mood was still quite pleasant as she led them lightly into the villa.

The hall they entered was filled with polished floors and colorful furniture, the ground tiled with densely patterned floral ceramics.

Small room doors, cabinets, and tables were neatly arranged in the square rooms, with a grand spiral staircase leading to the upper floors.

“Wow…”

Sylvie, following behind Floria, couldn’t help but exclaim again.

“This is the first-floor main hall. Through that door is the dining room and kitchen; the other side has the washbasin and bathroom.

“Directly opposite the front door is my office; upstairs along this staircase and corridor, the master bedroom is immediately on the right, and there are also…”

Sofia, acting fully as the hostess, enthusiastically introduced the layout of the villa as she led them around.

After touring the first floor, they arrived at the bedroom corridor on the second floor.

It was the same corridor Floria knew intimately—the same ceiling, the same familiar room doors.

“Several rooms here are empty. Little Sylvie, you can choose whichever room you like for your bedroom~”

“Yay—!”

Sylvie, who had been excited since arriving at the luxurious villa, couldn’t help but cheer.

“As for Sister…”

Sofia looked at the silent Floria, deliberately drawing out the last word.

“…What, I can’t move back into my own room?”

Floria couldn’t help but ask.

…Her carefully laid plan for turning her fortunes around depended on the magical items hidden inside her bedroom.

“It’s not that you can’t, but… well, Sister, you’ll see for yourself soon enough.”

“…?”

A strange question mark popped up over Floria’s head as she followed Sofia to the master bedroom’s door.

The room closest to the stairs on the right side of the corridor was the master bedroom Floria once lived in.

The décor inside was not much different from what she remembered, but there were subtle differences.

Every piece of furniture, the floor, dressing table, wardrobe, curtains—all were remarkably clean.

But Floria felt… something was off.

After careful observation, she noticed some small, disorderly details.

For example, a chair not neatly pushed under the desk, an unfolded blanket, a slightly wrinkled sheet, and crumpled tissues in the trash bin—all these small signs of daily life betrayed that the master bedroom had not been unused for a long time.

On the contrary, it seemed to be lived in regularly—

Floria furrowed her delicate brows and looked at Sofia with a scrutinizing gaze.

“To keep Sister’s bedroom tidy, I’ve been personally coming to clean regularly over the years.”

Sofia met Floria’s gaze with a smile and explained.

“…Then thank you for that. But…

“Sofia, are you really just here to clean my room?”

Floria asked seriously, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

“……”

Caught in that unblinking stare, Sofia shifted her gaze guiltily, glancing toward Sylvie nearby, who was busy choosing a bedroom.

“…Within today, I will arrange for this child to enter the Knight Academy early as an exchange student. With her magical talent, she will surely become an excellent Saintess Knight in the future, right?”

“Don’t change the subject! I’m asking you, Sofia, have you been—inside my bedroom—”

“Sister, what are you talking about?”

Sofia waved her hand, interrupting Floria’s accusation.

“This is no longer your bedroom, Sister, it’s mine~”

“What…?!”

Floria’s heart skipped a beat, her body trembled violently, a bad premonition creeping over her.

“Since you left, I’ve been sleeping on this big bed that Sister used to sleep on.”

Saying this in a light, leisurely tone, Sofia stepped into the room, bent down, and gently stroked the bed.

Then she turned to Floria with a half-smile.

Her gaze was sharp, as if piercing through Floria’s scheming thoughts.

Floria felt a vague sense of danger but remained outwardly calm, speaking coldly and sharply:

“Hmph… You won’t sleep in your own room next door but insist on sleeping in my bed… what kind of bizarre logic is that?”

In response to Floria’s cold question, Sofia laughed lightly and came closer, whispering into Floria’s ear:

“Because… just lying on the bed Sister has slept on, those pillows, sheets, and blankets—every scent left by Sister’s body—can instantly awaken my memories.

“Awaken those unforgettable memories we shared when we were together.”

As she spoke, Sofia’s hand restlessly slipped from behind to gently wrap around Floria’s slender, delicate waist.

“You… are you some kind of pervert?!”

Hearing this, Floria’s face went pale, and she could no longer maintain her composure, her expression showing panic and alarm.