The Duke’s Castle—The High Tower of Honglian Palace soared high enough to overlook most of the inner city of Seles City, so before she hit the ground, Milin had plenty of time to ponder where to run away to this time.
“The Farm is out of the question. If Mother catches me again, she’ll definitely try to marry me off. Maybe I should just escape to the forest and find Sister Iyue… No, no, going to Aunt Linxi’s Holy Nation would be better. She’s the Pope, even Mother can’t do anything about her—”
The wind howled. In Milin’s mind, her destinations drifted from the fairy tree sea in the northwestern borders all the way to the Holy Nation at the center of the continent.
Those people from the Brave’s Party who used to visit her house often when she was little had all become her backup options for refuge.
“Whatever, I’ll think about it on the way. Vera will notice soon. If she catches me, I’m in trouble.”
Decision made, Milin twisted her body mid-air, adjusting her posture to land in a corner of the Flower Court directly beneath the High Tower.
The impact from falling from such a height made the earth crack beneath her feet, but her lithe, delicate body was completely unharmed.
Everyone said she inherited this power from “that person,” but Milin never admitted it.
“All right, time to slip away. Ah, you won’t tell Mother, will you?”
A flustered maid stood in front of Milin. In fact, Milin had noticed her standing in this corner before she even jumped.
To avoid injuring her on landing, Milin had purposely adjusted where she fell.
“Uh…”
“Hey, hey, I’m talking to you. Did you hear me?”
“Y-yes, understood.”
The maid bowed awkwardly. This action only made Milin more suspicious:
“Eh, you’re new, aren’t you? No need for all that with me. Didn’t the others tell you?… But why do you look kind of familiar?”
Milin began scrutinizing the maid before her, then suddenly recoiled in shock:
“You’re that madwoman from the Farm the other day?!”
…
……
…………
Upon being recognized, Lian—disguised as a maid—lowered her head even more awkwardly, trying to hide her embarrassment in the maid uniform’s billowing skirt.
Sephy, that girl, actually gave me such a hopelessly bad idea…!
If there had been a hole in the ground right now, Lian would have dived in without hesitation.
Even during that legendary adventure that spanned the continent, he’d never had to wear women’s clothes.
And to think, the first one to see him dressed like this was his own daughter.
“How did you sneak in here?! Unbelievable, what are the gatekeepers… the Housekeeper, and Fin Liers, what are they all doing?!”
Milin immediately tossed aside her plans to run away, glaring angrily at Lian. In her eyes, this guy was the culprit responsible for her mother locking her up.
“My Lady. Please don’t just jump down from such a height. It’s dangerous.”
“Eek!”
A sudden voice appeared behind Lian. He spun around to see a white-haired maid standing right behind him.
Had she always been there? Or did she just arrive? Lian was shocked at how he hadn’t noticed her presence at all.
“You’re lecturing me?! Didn’t you just jump down yourself?! No, that’s not important—did you hire this person? Fire her right now and throw her out!”
“This one? Hmm,” the maid scrutinized Lian’s face, then, as if remembering something, gently clapped her hands, “Ah, you must be the one Lady Sephy said would arrive today? I believe your name is—”
“I, I’m Lian. Sephy… Lady Sephy introduced me for work here. Are you the Head Maid?”
Lian hurriedly bowed and produced the introduction letter Sephy had given him. When he set out, Sephy had instructed him to hand this letter to the Head Maid in person.
Thanks to this letter, he had been able to walk unimpeded throughout the vast Honglian Palace.
The first steward he met took one look at the seal on the letter and brought him straight to the Innermost Palace without another word.
Then, citing inappropriate attire, the steward had forced him to change out of his old world’s clothes into this maid uniform.
“I’ve already spoken for you. The Head Maid’s name is Fin Liers. Her appearance is quite unique… She’s probably unlike any servant you’ve ever seen. You’ll recognize her at a glance.”
Sephy hadn’t exaggerated. This maid’s appearance was not just unique—it was stunning.
Her long silvery hair shimmered like silk in the sunlight, her elegant silver lashes trembled softly, and under them, her ocean-blue eyes sparkled with intelligence—
“My apologies. Lian Miss. I am Fin Liers, Head Maid of the Innermost Palace at Honglian Palace. On behalf of the Duchess and all of the Innermost Palace, I welcome your arrival.”
She bowed to Lian, then took the introduction letter, broke the seal, and carefully read the contents.
If not for the maid uniform, her figure reading the letter in the garden would have seemed more like a princess than a servant.
“What? You’re saying this person was introduced by Sephy? No way—let me see that!”
Beside her, the other so-called true princess, Milin, rudely snatched the letter and read it herself.
After quickly scanning the text, she glared at Lian in fury:
“‘This person is an old friend of mine, who has nowhere else to go and comes to your esteemed residence for shelter. Please feel free to put her to work as you see fit.’… It really is Sephy’s signature and Magical Seal.”
“What is it? Do you know this Lian Miss?”
“She—she’s the madwoman I told you about, the one who confessed to me at the Farm!”
Face burning, Milin whispered her answer to Fin Liers.
“Oh, so she’s my Lady’s beloved. My apologies. Allow me to thank you for looking after our Lady. Please take care of her from now on.”
“She is not my beloved!” Milin yelled, bright red, at Fin Liers, who bowed earnestly to Lian.
“No, no, it was a misunderstanding, I mixed her up with someone else…”
Lian waved his hands and shook his head in denial. Now that he knew this young girl was his daughter, he wanted to avoid even greater misunderstandings.
Still… she looks exactly like Melia, but their personalities couldn’t be more different.
“What are you doing here?”
As Lian was regarding her with such thoughts, a cold and solemn voice abruptly shattered the cheerful mood.
Milin and Lian turned at the same time to the source of the voice.
“Ve… Vera.”
“Vera?”
It was a name he could never forget. But the person approaching slowly was almost impossible to associate with that name.
The woman, about thirty years old, wore a spotless white military uniform.
Her striking ice-blue hair was swept up neatly behind her head; at her waist hung a slender round-hilted sword.
Just by standing in the Flower Court, she radiated an aura that seemed able to freeze all the lush greenery around her.
Aya Vera Yilansiya. The “Royal Blade,” the “Azure Ice Sword Saint.” Compared to before, the aura of this woman had been honed to an even sharper, more forbidding edge, like a blade carved from ice.
Yet even this presence could not freeze time—on the face of the woman who had crossed swords with Lian thousands of times, not a trace of girlish innocence could be seen any longer.
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