Clink, without any conversation, only the sound of moving the teacup quietly echoes.
As Sylvia watched the two people who had no conversation, it was hard to believe they were mother and son, and she anxiously tapped her foot.
She had already heard that Kyle had been quite oppressed by his family since he was a child.
She also knew that his mother, Roxanne, was just as uncomfortable as his father, Dver.
No, perhaps it was his mother, rather than his father, who felt more uncomfortable.
Still, for some reason, Kyle was following her to meet Roxanne, and Sylvia wondered what had changed.
She secretly hoped they might have reconciled and grown closer, but unfortunately, that did not seem to be the case.
“By the way, Kyle, when did you become friends with Duke Drake?”
“It was when we went to the Duchy.”
“You made a friend? How unusual. If there are others you’re close with, could you introduce them to me sometime?”
“Yes.”
Even the occasional conversation was just a matter of silence, with Roxanne breaking it first and Kyle responding gruffly.
Most of his answers were either one-word responses or extremely stiff.
Anyone who heard them would think it was a conversation between a lord and his vassal, not a mother and son.
“Sylvia, are you uncomfortable living away from home?”
“Huh? Oh, no… Mother. Everyone takes really good care of me, so I’m doing fine.”
Suddenly, the question was directed at her, and Sylvia was momentarily flustered, but she quickly nodded and gave a calm smile.
In fact, it was true that Sylvia also felt somewhat uncomfortable with Roxanne.
She could tell if someone was genuinely fond of her or just pretending to be kind.
And if she had to guess, Roxanne didn’t seem to treat her with personal affection.
Although she had asked Sylvia to call her “Mother,” Roxanne herself seemed to maintain some distance from her.
‘Could it be because I inherited the family head position?’
Sylvia didn’t want to think that way, but she cautiously suspected that this might be the reason.
Until recently, she had been nothing but a nuisance to the family, but overnight, she had risen to the position of head of the family.
Even though the Eleonore family had been hit hard by recent events, it was still going strong.
Roxanne probably thought Sylvia was a suitable candidate to be her son’s partner.
‘She’s still so materialistic.’
Meanwhile, Kyle also realized this and couldn’t bring himself to look at Roxanne with kindness.
At least with Dver, he had expressed his true feelings before, and after meeting Sylvia and getting to know her, he started to genuinely care for her.
But with Roxanne, it seemed she liked her only because of her position as head of the Eleonore family, not as Sylvia herself.
‘Come to think of it, when I first brought Sylvia here, it was only my father who treated her kindly.’
That was true.
When Sylvia first visited Friegh Castle, it was Dver, not Roxanne, who kept speaking to her and treated her with kindness.
Roxanne, on the other hand, never even spoke to Sylvia during meals and would often ask bluntly, “When are you planning to return to your family?”
To think that now, when Sylvia was no longer just a witch but the head of the family, Roxanne’s attitude had completely flipped.
Kyle couldn’t help but feel disgusted by that.
“Mother, unless there’s something urgent, may I take Sylvia and leave?”
“K-Kyle…!”
Not wanting to keep Sylvia seated any longer, Kyle asked a question that might seem rude to Roxanne.
Sylvia, who had been silently watching from the side, found herself completely taken aback.
Though Kyle’s words seemed polite, they practically screamed, “This is a waste of time, so I’m leaving now.”
“…Alright, go ahead. You must be busy. I apologize for holding you up.”
However, what surprised Sylvia even more was Roxanne’s response.
With a somewhat bitter expression, she nodded and allowed them to leave, and Kyle immediately took Sylvia’s hand and led her out of the room without looking back.
“K-Kyle…! Wait, this is too rude to Mother.”
As they crossed the hallway, Sylvia tried to stop Kyle by speaking up, as he forcefully grabbed her wrist.
Although she wasn’t entirely comfortable in that room, she knew that leaving in such a manner was improper.
If they had just said they were busy and promised to meet again, neither of them would have to feel awkward.
“I’m sorry.”
Kyle, after a moment, apologized sincerely.
Given Sylvia’s polite nature, he had guessed that she wouldn’t look kindly upon his behavior.
Still, he had acted this way out of his own desire not to leave her in that room any longer.
Kyle also didn’t want to face Roxanne for too long.
“I don’t want an apology. I just want to know why you acted that way, to hear your explanation.”
Sylvia gently took Kyle’s hand, which he had been trying to pull away, and spoke calmly as she looked up at him.
She wasn’t really angry.
She just wanted to understand why he had acted the way he did.
After a long silence, Kyle finally parted his lips.
“…It was just unpleasant.”
“What do you mean?”
“The way my mother, now that you’ve become the head of the family, is trying to be overly friendly when she had always looked down on you before.”
“…….”
That answer made Sylvia feel a mix of emotions.
First, she realized that Kyle still viewed his mother, Roxanne, in a very negative light, which made her feel both sympathy and sorrow.
Second, she realized that despite his cold words and actions, Kyle still cared for her, which made her feel grateful and affectionate.
Third, she felt a bit of irony—if he cherished her so much now, why had he been so cold to her before?
Just yesterday, she had tried to talk to him after dinner, but he had brushed her off saying he had something to do.
Now, suddenly, this morning, he had come to her room first and wanted to spend time with her.
She was completely confused by his change of behavior.
“…Kyle, you’re so sneaky.”
“What do you mean?”
Noticing how the conversation had shifted, Sylvia let out a small laugh and added,
“You pushed me away so much before, but now you’re trying to lure me in this way.”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“Hmph, so you’re saying you didn’t mean it? That’s even more malicious.”
She deliberately puffed up her cheeks, pretending to sulk to lighten the mood, but as she watched his flustered expression, the muscles around her mouth relaxed, and even that act didn’t last long.
“…Thank you, Kyle. But please don’t do that from now on. You never know. Maybe both you and I were just trying to learn more about Mother.”
“It sounds as if you’re saying there will come a day when we understand each other.”
“I can’t give you a definite answer, but I don’t think it’s impossible.”
Sylvia smiled brightly and turned away.
Of course, in her case, having Creed as a negative example prevented her from speaking with certainty.
But at least when it came to Kyle, she wanted to believe there was hope.
She had no solid reason to think so.
It’s just that it would be a more beautiful ending that way, so she simply wished for it.
Just like the miracle that had come to her.
There are watchers in the Dawn Eyes.
They are assigned to constantly monitor dangerous individuals and report to their superiors according to the orders from above.
However, it would be a mistake to think their role is merely espionage.
If an opportunity presents itself, these operatives, selected for their combat skills, are authorized to eliminate the target immediately at their discretion.
In other words, they are tasked with both reconnaissance and assassination.
— The Evil Eye is moving. I’ll wait for an opening and move in for elimination and retrieval.
Don’t act rashly yet. There’s a barrier surrounding the area.
— Kyle Lyard… It must be his doing. This will make it difficult to approach carelessly.
— If there’s a barrier, we’ll just have to break through it. It won’t take long.
The larger the number of watchers assigned to someone, the more important that individual is in the eyes of the higher-ups.
Among them, the number of watchers assigned to Sylvia — or more precisely, to her and Kyle Lyard — totaled eight.
Each one was said to have the power to take down at least a fourth-tier mage.
That meant that no fewer than eight highly skilled operatives were being deployed to capture these two individuals.
— They’re leaving with someone. Roxanne Lyard?
— What’s she doing out at this late hour?
— It doesn’t matter. If they reach the designated spot, we’ll strike immediately. Everyone, prepare yourselves.
— Understood.
As soon as the leader gave the order, the eight operatives simultaneously pulled out small, silver pill-like objects from their back pockets and swallowed them without hesitation.
These were known as Mahondan — pills that temporarily suppress the mana within the body.
Originally, they were a type of magical sedative used to prevent mana from going out of control or causing high fevers due to excessive magic use.
But the operatives used them differently.
Barriers are designed to distinguish between living and non-living entities by detecting the flow of mana within intruders.
By consuming the pill, they could move undetected within the barrier for a certain period.
The trade-off was that they would be unable to use magic during that time — but these were elite operatives who had been thoroughly trained for such situations.
— Split into four teams, just in case. Two teams will stay with me and monitor the situation.
— Yes, sir.
— Move.
Swish!
At the leader’s command, four watchers swiftly broke through the barrier and infiltrated the interior.
They ignored the guards on duty and rushed straight toward the two women.