That night, at the Regis Family mansion. “Goodnight, Dear Younger Master.”
Ivena placed a cup of warm honey milk beside the desk and spoke softly.
“You must be very tired tonight; it would be best to rest early.”
El stopped his work, picked up the porcelain cup, and took a sip.
“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind.”
The rich aroma of milk and the sweet taste on his tongue allowed his tense nerves to relax.
As Ivena turned to leave the room, El called out to her, “Wait, Ivena. Do you really have nothing to say?”
A gentle smile appeared in the Elf’s eyes. “Why, does the Dear Younger Master want me to blame you? It is fine, I have already forgiven the Dear Younger Master.”
Even though Ivena was as gentle as usual, El felt an indescribable sense of strangeness.
“If there is something on your mind, you must say it. Don’t keep it bottled up inside,” El could only advise.
“Don’t worry about causing me trouble; that is never the case. In my eyes, Ivena is forever my precious family. There shouldn’t be secrets between us.”
Feeling the kindness in El’s words, a warm current flowed through Ivena’s heart.
“The Dear Younger Master is overthinking it. It is merely a small matter. Remember to rest early. Although you do not need to attend classes, the Academy will soon begin its testing, won’t it?”
With that, Ivena closed the door. She stood still for a long time, unable to calm her heart.
Forgive me, Dear Younger Master. It is not that I intend to hide things from you; it is simply that I find them too difficult to say.
Ivena had developed a fixed pattern of thinking. In her eyes, El had sacrificed too much for her, and the work she performed daily was far from enough to repay him.
This led to Ivena being unable to comfortably ask anything of El; she always felt as though she were of a lower status.
It was like an elephant tethered to a small post by a circus; limited by past experiences, it was unable to correctly perceive its current environment.
To outsiders, it seemed foolish, but the person involved found it hard to break free.
But recent events had caused Ivena’s seal to gradually loosen.
First was Aurelia. Ivena herself could not bear to let the Dear Younger Master feel even a hint of sadness, yet that woman had not only caused him heartbreaking pain but had also kissed the Dear Younger Master passionately at the ball.
It was disgusting. It was the perfect embodiment of the saying, “the bicycle you were too precious to ride is being pedaled standing up by someone else.”
Second was Vita. In terms of strength, she was currently far from catching up to Ivena. However, she was very good at flattery, and her relationship with El was warming up rapidly.
Yes, in Ivena’s eyes, such behavior was “flattery.”
Wasn’t protecting the Dear Younger Master a matter of course? To make it seem like some fated “Knight and Princess” scenario was truly irritating.
Through these encounters, Ivena’s heart had gained quite a bit of confidence. After all, if even women like those could approach the Dear Younger Master, why couldn’t she?
When it came to her love for the Dear Younger Master, she felt not a shred less than anyone else.
However, she only dared to say such things in her head… if she truly had to take the initiative, Ivena’s courage was still lacking.
El had intended to spend more time researching the techniques of the Withered Knight, Taiwen, but for some reason, he felt very sleepy after finishing that cup of milk.
Maybe I’m just too tired… he thought.
“Angell, if you ask me, you’re quite useless. I thought you could at least give me some clues…” Before sleeping, El couldn’t help but complain.
“I told you long ago, in your human terms, I am merely a Warlock. I know nothing of these spells. If you want to ask how to cause destruction, I could give you some suggestions,” the Demon answered seriously, not at all annoyed.
“What did you mean before when you said Wrath was inside my body? What kind of power does it actually have?”
“Literally. In fact, my authority is already held in your hands. But Wrath has not yet recognized you. You alone cannot mobilize it. As for power… hmph…” The Demon let out two contemptuous chuckles.
“The authority of every Great Sin corresponds to its name. Greed hungers for all things, so it can use Alchemy to forge everything. Lust toys with the hearts of men, so it manipulates human desire and disturbs the mind…”
At this point, the Demon paused, seemingly reminiscing about the past, before his tone quickly became high-pitched again.
“Wrath craves destruction, so it possesses supreme might. I am not an arrogant person, but I dare say that while every Great Sin’s authority has its own characteristics, if we are only discussing combat, Wrath is absolutely the strongest. There is no other.”
“It is the sharpest spear…”
The Demon was still passionately boasting about his authority when, suddenly, he stopped.
This kid… how did he fall asleep?
He laughed helplessly. Once El’s consciousness fell into slumber, the Demon could not even speak, let alone observe the outside world.
Fine, let it be for today…
***
In the dead of night, Ivena quietly pushed open the door to El’s room. She looked at the sleeping El on the bed, her gaze complex.
Dear Younger Master, I really am not a qualified Maid…
Yes, she had added something to that cup of milk just now. The purpose was to ensure El would not wake up midway.
“Angel Ivena” was currently tied up, shivering.
“Demon Ivena” tore the seal off her mouth: “At this point, do you have anything else to say?”
The moment “Angel Ivena’s” mouth met the air, she immediately shouted: “Stop, Ivena. There is still time, before you make an irreversible mistake.”
“Stop now… surely you must be joking?” “Demon Ivena’s” expression became playful. “I… can no longer turn back.”
Ivena’s tone seemed to carry a hint of sadness.
“No…” “Angel Ivena” wanted to say more, but her mouth was sealed shut again.
“Demon Ivena” dragged her down: “Alright, this is no longer your business.”
Ivena reached out, her slender, pale fingertips grazing El’s face. Gradually, her gaze moved toward El’s right hand, the place where Vita had kissed him.
A hint of bitterness stained her heart, and an indescribable emotion began to brew. Ivena felt both aggrieved and jealous.
Vita’s appearance had given Ivena a sense of crisis. She could accept El getting married and having children in the future, but the only thing she could not tolerate was El no longer needing her.
If Vita became the Dear Younger Master’s knight, then what about her? Would the Dear Younger Master still need her protection?
Her lake-blue eyes carried a hint of reproach as Ivena murmured to herself, “Dear Younger Master, just when will you understand? In this world, there is no one who loves you more than I do.”
She stared blankly at El’s slender fingers. As if possessed, Ivena’s soft, warm lips gently pressed against them.
Just as Saoirse had once remarked, Elves were a race of burning emotions.
Even such a transgressive and intimate touch felt like an electric current surging through her spine, exploding into a blank space within her mind.
The brief moment was stretched infinitely, and a shudder mixed with guilt and satisfaction seized her. She pulled her lips away, looking at El’s moistened finger as if she had just startled awake from a dream.
The sensation of that bold touch was still burning on her lips. Ivena subconsciously pressed her legs together, an uncontrollable, scalding flush rising to her cheeks.
A bolder, more transgressive thought began to sprout wildly and uncontrollably in the depths of her heart.