Chapter 8: Welcome Back

“You—you’ve got it all wrong! I’m not me… No, I mean, I have absolutely nothing to do with that person!”

As expected, it’s this kind of situation again. Lian was just about to explain, but Vera had no intention of listening at all.

She put away that chilling smile, returned to her frosty expression, and withdrew her hand:

“If you don’t want to talk, that’s fine by me. I have more important matters to attend to, so I’ll let you off for now. But don’t think this is the end of it. And you, Milin. Go back to your room and reflect on your actions. If I catch you misbehaving again, I’ll make your mother seriously consider your marriage.”

“You stand—mmph?!”

Lian intended to step forward to stop her, but was instantly grabbed by Milin, who clamped a hand over his mouth.

“Shh…! Haven’t you caused me enough trouble already?”

“I would also advise you not to anger Her Highness Vera any further. I have rarely seen her lose her composure like that.”

Feiyin echoed from the side. Their grave attitude finally managed to stop Lian. Only then did he realize, in his memories, Vera had never smiled like that before.

“Ugh, I’m so angry! It’s all your fault, my escape plan is ruined again! The next time I see Teacher Seifei, I’ll make sure she kicks you out!”

Milin let go of him and, spouting threats, slunk back to the tower in defeat.

Lian had more questions than there are stars to ask her, but seeing her so furious, looking as if she’d never speak to him again, he lost his nerve.

“Sigh…”

“If Lian Miss is troubled by anything, I would be happy to help.”

“What do I do now…”

“Lian Miss?”

Noticing Lian didn’t respond, Feiyin came closer and called out again. Only then did Lian remember that at this very moment, “Lian” was his name.

“Ah, sorry, I was spacing out. I was just thinking, I’ve just arrived, and I’ve already made her… the young lady, so furious. What should I do from now on?”

“There’s no need to worry about that. The young lady is a typical child—she never holds a grudge overnight. As long as you don’t provoke her with more… courtship-like behavior, I’m sure she’ll soon forget about today.”

“I told you, that was a misunderstanding! I wasn’t trying to court her!”

“I was only joking.”

Feiyin covered her mouth, as if hiding a smile. Lian… or rather, Lian looked into her emotionless eyes, and couldn’t help but worry about his own unfortunate fate once more.

“This is just… way too extravagant.”

That was Lian’s only thought after touring the major parts of the inner Honglian Palace under Feiyin’s guidance.

Even before coming in, she already had an idea of the grandeur of the palace complex that could be seen from anywhere in the city, but actually stepping inside, the shock was far greater than she had imagined.

“It’s getting rather late. You must be tired from all the walking, aren’t you?”

Even though they’d only seen the sights in passing, the two of them had walked from noon to sunset and still hadn’t covered all the facilities and areas in the palace.

And this was just the inner palace, where the Duke’s Household, close relatives, and honored guests lived.

If it were the outer palace, which was even more sprawling and complex, it would probably take a whole day and night to see it all.

Seles City, once just a humble rural town, now had a palace to rival an imperial residence? The scale of change left him speechless.

“I’m fine. But Feiyin Miss… Head Maid, are you all right? You’ve spent half the day guiding a newcomer like me.”

This level of activity was nothing to her as a member of the Brave’s Party.

What surprised her was that the Head Maid, who appeared so slender and delicate—so beautiful she looked as if she’d shatter at a touch—showed no sign of fatigue at all.

“Ah, please don’t worry about that. Even setting aside your status as an honored guest introduced by Teacher Seifei, helping new servants become familiar with the palace is part of my duties.”

They stopped in front of an impressive residence.

This building stood in the southwest corner of the inner palace, surrounded by lush greenery and a garden full of rare and exotic plants, creating a tranquil, peaceful atmosphere.

Gazing at the brightly lit interior, Lian couldn’t help but wonder what sort of distinguished guest could possess such a perfect abode within the inner palace.

“This is the main residence where the inner palace maids live—Youlin Courtyard, and it will be your future home. It’s said that the design was inspired by Iyue Naierfu’s home in Fenglin City.”

“This is where the maids live? Now that you mention it, this kind of layout really is the sort of style Iyue would like…”

The person mentioned was also a member of the Brave’s Party—Ranger Iyue Naierfu.

She was the scout and archer of the party. Lian had seen her at the wedding just the day before yesterday.

After giving her blessings to the newlyweds, she and her fairy companions had returned to their homeland, the Wind Forest Sea.

The tree canopy cast a cool shade, and a gentle breeze rustled through the leaves; even in the heart of autumn, the courtyard remained lush and green.

Looking at the scene, Lian’s mind drifted back to the time she first met that fairy ranger—

“Although I personally would like to assign you to the guest residence, Teacher Seifei’s letter instructed us to ‘make use of you as we please’… As a mere servant, I cannot defy her wishes.”

“Hahaha… Just do as she says and work me as you like.”

Faced with the Head Maid’s respectful bow, Lian was pulled from her memories back to reality and forced a smile.

“That’s good, then. Let me show you to your room.”

Feiyin led her inside the residence. In the first-floor hall, several maids were cleaning.

As soon as they saw Feiyin, they all greeted her with bows. The two passed by them and stopped in front of a somewhat familiar frame—

“What’s this… Even here?”

Having seen it once already, Lian wasn’t as surprised as before.

Still, she hadn’t expected even the servants’ quarters to be equipped with an Elevator.

And the design seemed identical to the one in the Sephy Tower.

“Have you seen this device before? It was jointly developed by Teacher Seifei and the Duchess. They say the inspiration came from something Master once mentioned—a machine used for transportation in his world.”

Inside the rising Elevator, Feiyin noticed Lian’s unease and explained. Hearing that title, Lian didn’t immediately react.

“The Master you mentioned is…”

“Isn’t it obvious? The Duchess’s husband, the real head of the Duke’s Household—there has only ever been one. And that person, isn’t he also someone connected to you, Lian Miss?”

Feiyin gave a flawless smile and bowed deeply to Lian.

Then she placed her hands neatly at her sides and knelt on one knee before Lian.

In Yilansiya, this was the highest courtesy a servant could show to their master or the master’s direct kin—

“Honglian Palace will always welcome your return, dear Lian Miss.”