Early morning…
Opening her eyes amid the wafting freshness, Ileya felt her breathing gradually becoming more difficult, her body… a bit stiff.
She had slept soundly last night…
It was as if she’d been lying on a cloud the whole time.
But now she realized—she’d been hugged like a pillow by Mother all night long…
“Mm… Yaya?”
Just as Ileya awkwardly shifted her body, Lady Shudrian opened her drowsy eyes, smiled gently, and looked at the daughter in her arms.
“Good morning~”
“Mm… Good morning, Mother.”
The two exchanged a smile, choosing not to bring up last night’s topic again.
Besides… today wasn’t a rest day. Lady Shudrian indeed had many things to handle and no time to linger chatting with her good daughter…
So, Mother simply had a quick breakfast, reluctantly waved goodbye to her obedient Yaya~
And threw herself into handling the Marquis Castle and surrounding paperwork.
Hoo… So many things were settled last night…
But there were still some uncertainties, such as…
Ileya gently sipped the tea in her hands, her gaze turning downward.
Through the clear Crystal Window, she could see the white-haired old man standing in the Garden below.
Arthur Rhine.
He seemed to have a fondness for those white… uh… what had Mother called these flowers last night?
It was… Baiteer Yaluo?
After thinking for a moment, Ileya decided to go down for a look…
After all, last night she’d boasted in front of Mother that she’d take over this matter from him… That wasn’t just empty talk.
Besides… Ileya faintly sensed something.
This matter was likely related to the war in a year’s time; the sooner she could gather more information, the better her—and her family’s—chances of survival.
With such thoughts in mind, the Lady, accompanied by Yumina and a yawning Veil… walked unhurriedly to stand behind Arthur.
“Hmm? Oh~ Good morning, my beautiful Lady… and you two adorable maids.”
Arthur turned his head slowly, bowing with gentlemanly grace.
But… his gentlemanly manners were a bit unorthodox.
Neither his legs nor his gestures matched the fashion among kingdom nobles; it was a little complicated, but also bore a classical elegance.
“You… look like you’re in good spirits?”
Ileya raised an eyebrow, clearly unconcerned with etiquette, simply sizing up the white-haired, white-bearded elder.
At this moment, he was no longer the disheveled slave from before. Dressed in fresh clothes, his white hair tied back in a ponytail… revealing those pale blue eyes.
And the upper half of his face, not hidden by his beard… was indeed utterly free of wrinkles.
His appearance, like his voice, seemed restored to youth.
Or perhaps… he’d always been like this from the start?
“Weariness is often the best seasoning for peaceful sleep… and a comfortable bed is like adding a slice of sweet-tart lemon to clear water~”
He straightened slowly as he spoke, continuing to gaze at the white blossoms beside him.
“Are you a bard?” Standing to the side, Yumina tilted her head curiously.
His way of speaking was certainly reminiscent of those wandering bards in taverns, playing harps and drifting from place to place.
“Hmm~ Maybe~ But I’m not sure.”
Arthur spoke as he gently stroked the white flowers before him.
“You really like these flowers?”
From the start, his gaze hadn’t left these Baiteer Yaluo, as if he had a particular fondness for them…
“Very much~ I don’t know what they’re called, but when I see them… it feels as if the last piece of my soul has finally fit into a blank space in a puzzle… It’s an indescribable comfort.”
“These are called Baiteer Yaluo, named by the First Generation Hero King.” The Lady explained her newly learned knowledge to Arthur.
Upon hearing the name, Arthur’s body visibly trembled…
“Baiteer Yaluo… Baiteer Yaluo…”
He repeated the name, his gaze turning vacant and dazed.
Ileya was surprised by his reaction… She’d mentioned it in passing—could it really trigger a memory for this man?
But… the name originated from Tiyaluo, one of the adventurers from the “Golden Apple” expedition who discovered the gods during the Era of the Gods, the Tian Sheng de Fa Shi…
Could this man have a connection to such a legendary figure?
No, no… that’s absolutely impossible.
More likely, this flower left a deep impression in his memory.
At the Lady’s signal, everyone remained silent, careful not to disturb the stunned Arthur.
After about ten seconds, the bard-like old man slowly raised his hand and rubbed his head.
“Did you remember something?” Ileya asked with a calm face, though anticipation brimmed beneath the surface.
“Mm… I’m not sure. All that flashed through my mind was the silhouette of a beautiful girl. She… had hair as white as snow, but… her face was obscured.”
The more Arthur tried to recall, the lower his voice grew.
Clearly, that girl in his memory was important to him, but no matter how he tried, he couldn’t remember her face. It left him lost and full of doubt.
A white-haired girl…
As expected, her guess was correct.
This Arthur… was indeed closely connected to her maternal family. Before losing his memory, he might even have had a close relationship with her aunt…
That was clear from the tenderness he’d shown the Black Lady earlier.
However… Mother had said last night she didn’t know Arthur.
Following her own line of reasoning, Arthur might have been with her aunt during the years she was missing, and only left after her aunt’s death…
Of course, this was just Ileya’s personal speculation… Since he wasn’t only close to the “aunt” in the Crystal Window.
Toward herself, and even her half-sister, and presumably toward all the women of her maternal family, Arthur showed warmth and intimacy.
“Did that woman’s silhouette… have any distinctive features?”
Ileya stroked her chin.
Perhaps, she could start with this detail?
“Anything special…” Arthur tried to remember, the image of a girl walking forward flickering in his mind…
“She… wore a white robe… Oh! Her left hand… She had a ring on her ring finger!”
A ring on the ring finger… So, she was a married woman? Or had already exchanged rings and pledged her life to some man?
As she pondered, Ileya glanced at Arthur’s hands.
They were very pale, almost unhealthily so.
But there was no ring on them, of course… After being locked up as a slave for so long, even if he’d had a ring, it would have been stripped away by those bloodsucking Slave Merchants.
Moreover… there were many married women, and even with the white-haired trait, it wasn’t all that rare in this world…
So, this detail offered little to go on.
Just as Ileya was about to ask for more specifics…
Arthur suddenly seemed to recall something! He spoke, a little excited!
“I remembered… I remembered what set her apart from ordinary women!”
“Her ears… Her ears were pointed!”