Although this butler was an elderly man with snow-white hair and beard, his posture was straight and his expression solemn.
Just standing there, he exuded a mountain-like steadiness, accompanied by an overwhelming pressure that loomed like a towering presence.
The moment Henna saw him, she felt that pressure.
In the brief clash of wills, she had already fallen slightly short.
This old gentleman was definitely more powerful than her!
Dressed in all black, the old man appeared capable and efficient, yet his face carried a faint weariness.
His resolute eyes were bloodshot.
It was clear he hadn’t rested properly for many days.
Henna met his gaze head-on, and couldn’t help but think that whatever could make such an elder show signs of distress was no small matter.
At that moment, the old man pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket.
About the size of a palm.
He handed it to Henna.
She reached out and took it, but as her eyes landed on the paper, she froze completely.
“This…”
It was a photograph—a silver-haired little girl dressed in a pure white dress, exquisite and delicate like a finely carved doll.
The entire image was unrealistically beautiful.
But Henna knew exactly who was in the photo; she had seen her with her own eyes before.
The silver-haired Sword Maiden who once saved her—Enya!
The old man frowned slightly upon seeing her reaction.
His dry eyes squinted as he took the photo back from her hand.
He solemnly said to Henna,
“Lord Asades, please find her.”
“This young lady’s name is Estelle. You only need to find her.”
“But, aside from confirming her safety, do nothing else.”
“Also, Princess Vivienne is willing to provide you with an interest-free loan equivalent to three years’ taxes from Redwood City as payment, with no fixed repayment date.”
“The general direction is near the northern gate of Redwood City.”
After hearing this, Henna nodded and agreed.
“Understood. I will.”
Henna still hadn’t recovered from her shock.
Her mind was in turmoil.
The old man called the child in the photo Estelle, but this girl looked so much like the young Enya she had glimpsed before.
They were practically identical… maybe she really was the same person?
Or perhaps her child?
Did she have a child now?
No, no, Henna—don’t jump to conclusions.
Henna blinked hard to steady herself.
She looked back at the old man and said,
“Tell Princess Vivienne not to worry. I will find her as soon as possible.”
“As soon as possible…”
The old man exhaled deeply.
His voice was hoarse.
Redwood City was truly strange!
He had been following Princess Estelle, watching her suffer alone.
But under Princess Vivienne’s orders, he was forbidden to interfere with Estelle.
All he could do was watch from a distance and step in only when necessary to deal with those who caused trouble.
Once Estelle entered Redwood City, he lost all trace of her presence.
It was as if something had cut her off completely.
He had been searching for days.
By chance, he heard from the Adventurers’ Guild that she had entered the northern mountains, so he immediately went there, searching tirelessly without rest.
But the area was so vast, it was nearly impossible to find her.
Half a day after losing her trail, he had already sent out word.
If he hadn’t found Princess Estelle by now, he would have been too ashamed to live and would have taken his own life.
He had no face to face Princess Vivienne, who trusted him!
After delivering Princess Vivienne’s orders to Lord Asades, the old man didn’t linger here.
He planned to head toward the northern gate again; maybe Princess Estelle had already returned to Redwood City.
After the old man left, a black-haired woman in tight-fitting clothing suddenly appeared in the room.
She glanced at the door the old man had just exited, then looked at Henna, who still stood there lost in thought.
“That old guy is incredible.”
Specializing in stealth, assassination, and intelligence, she had locked onto the old man’s aura the moment he entered.
His power was likely far beyond hers.
If he were an enemy, she wouldn’t stand a chance.
Henna shook her head and said,
“I might not be able to beat him, but when it comes to finding people, you’re the best, Lorraine.”
“Alright, Miss Henna~”.
Lorraine smiled gently and disappeared back into hiding.
Henna exhaled softly and was about to sit down for a cup of tea when someone came to report.
“Lord, there’s a big deal!”
Anna sat on the chair, unable to stop spinning the dish on the table.
The tea had been replaced several times, but no one had arrived yet.
She clenched her legs tightly.
She wanted to get up and move around, but as soon as her butt lifted less than a centimeter from the chair, she sat back down.
She glanced around with the corner of her eye.
She was alone in the room and sensed no other presence.
“Senior Ain?”
Anna called softly, but of course, there was no reply.
Since that beautiful woman had left, Senior Ain had gone silent.
Had she already left?
Anna twisted her neck, surveying the guest room prepared for important visitors.
Now, every little sound or movement set Anna’s nerves on edge, yet there was no sign of anything.
She could only keep herself tense.
The female mage shifted her position, crossing her long legs in a decidedly unladylike manner, arms wrapped around the Golden Book.
She looked down at it.
This Golden Book was incredibly heavy, almost like a weight of one hundred thousand gold coins pressing down on her, making it hard to get up.
Senior asked her to spend one hundred thousand gold coins…
Was this some kind of test?
But why would Senior Ain test her?
And to directly spend such an enormous sum on such an insignificant pawn—wasn’t that a waste?
Anna pondered deeply. Perhaps the hundred thousand gold coins had to flow into Redwood City for the plan to work; the method wasn’t that important.
Senior Ain was likely making a grand move next.
This opportunity was definitely a test to see if Anna could become a worthy piece on the board.
If not, she might be discarded immediately.
Anna couldn’t predict what fate awaited a discarded piece, but she had to grasp this chance no matter what.
It might be the only one she would ever have in her life!
Click The door opened.
Anna’s heart skipped a beat, and her eyes turned to the entrance.
She saw a woman in armor with striking wine-red hair and an imposing aura.
Under those narrow eyes staring at her, Anna’s heart pounded wildly.
“You’re Anna, a native of Redwood City. Your family were merchants for three generations but went bankrupt and fell into heavy debt. As a Fire Element mage, you became an adventurer to hunt monsters in the northern mountains and earn money.”
“…”
Anna swallowed nervously.
She kept telling herself to stay calm.
Senior Ain was watching, and she had to show her value!