Chapter 65: Elena’s Schemes and Liliana’s Call

“Hmm? Miss Lovelenica, did you just say something? Where are you staying?”

Even though Lovelenica had corrected herself swiftly, Elena still caught the unnatural pause in her words. This time, Elena’s expression became visibly serious.

Since Lovelenica had first noticed Elena days ago, she had never seen her look quite so stern.

“It’s, it’s just a slightly more upscale inn.”

“Only one room?”

“Of course, two!”

For some reason, Lovelenica blurted out ‘two rooms.’ Her intuition told her that if she had said ‘one room’ at that moment, something unpleasant would surely ensue.

“Is that so? Then why did you suddenly pause when you spoke just now? What was that ‘qing’ you almost said?”

“Ah, I just choked a little. I still had some cake in my mouth when I spoke earlier. It’s easy to choke when you talk while eating.”

“I see.”

Only then did Elena’s expression soften, and the invisible pressure Lovelenica had felt dissipated with it.

“Heh… Miss Lovelenica is truly adorable. No one is going to snatch it from you, so just take your time eating.”

Seeing Lovelenica’s embarrassed expression and the cream smudged on her small face, Elena let out a soft chuckle, teasing her.

“Hey, forget about ‘adorable’! This body of mine is already that of a woman in her thirties, and my true age is over two hundred. No matter what, I’m older than you, aren’t I? Don’t use words like ‘adorable’ to describe me!”

At Elena’s words, Lovelenica even forgot the oppressive feeling Elena had just exerted. She raised her small, pink fists in protest, asserting that she was clearly the elder, older than Elena in every conceivable way.

She certainly didn’t want to be spoken to like a child by someone younger than herself.

“Hehe, although this body of yours is already in its thirties, you look no different from a young woman in her twenties. If we were to go out together, people would probably mistake us for sisters, Sister Lovelenica.”

“Eh…”

Upon hearing this, Lovelenica paused, then scratched her cheek with a hint of embarrassment. Elena’s words had perfectly captured Lovelenica’s sentiments.

‘Lovelenica was delighted to be praised for her youth, but she couldn’t be called ‘adorable,’ as that would make her seem childish. Moreover, Elena had called her ‘Sister,’ which preserved her elder’s dignity while still highlighting her youth.’

“Ehehe, really? We’re ten years apart, you know.”

“It’s true. Ah, I just called you ‘Sister.’ Was that perhaps a bit presumptuous?”

Elena suddenly seemed to realize her words might have overstepped a boundary. She asked Lovelenica, who, however, appeared not to mind.

“It’s fine. I’m older than you anyway, and currently, I’m nominally a collateral member of the Crimson Family. It’s perfectly alright to call me ‘Sister.'”

“Then may I continue to call you ‘Sister’?”

“Eh? Of course, you can, as long as your family doesn’t object if they hear you.”

“I’ll just make sure not to call you that in front of them, Sister.”

Elena smiled sweetly, then picked up a tissue from the table. She stood and gently dabbed away the cream smudged on Lovelenica’s small face.

However, a completely different expression bloomed in Elena’s heart at that moment.

‘Plan successful!’

‘Through these two meetings, Elena felt that her relationship with Lovelenica had grown quite strong. In this household, she alone was friendly towards Lovelenica; everyone else seemed to despise her. Her next step was to sever Lovelenica’s other social ties.

Under the dual pressures of social isolation and mission execution, Lovelenica would surely become dependent on her.’

‘These ‘other social ties’ referred specifically to Lovelenica’s student, Lucia.’

‘How dare that person wipe Lovelenica’s body?’

‘She hadn’t even touched Lovelenica’s hand yet! Such a privilege should have been hers! Yet, that person had gotten there first!’

‘Since she had touched Lovelenica’s body, she had to die!’

‘Once Lucia was dead, Lovelenica would have no one left to rely on but herself. Then, she would make Lovelenica drink her blood, and finally, transform her into a plaything belonging only to Elena…’

“Sister, you’ve just rushed back from Cariso City; you must be very tired. I’ll take my leave now, so I won’t disturb your rest.”

“Ah, two days of carriage travel certainly has left me rather weary. Thank you for the cake, Elena.”

Leaning back in her chair, Lovelenica indeed felt a profound weariness. She watched Elena rise and offered her thanks once more.

“It’s nothing, as long as Sister enjoyed it. I’ll be going now. See you tomorrow, Sister.”

“Mhm, see you tomorrow.”

Elena picked up the silver tray and headed out. Lovelenica also rose and followed behind Elena, intending to see her to the door.

Elena slowly pushed open the door, and after bidding Lovelenica farewell, gently closed it.

After Elena left, Lovelenica let out a silent sigh in the room. She was incredibly grateful to Elena; Elena was the only one in the Crimson Family who didn’t harbor such strong disdain for her.

If not for Elena convincing Julie, Lovelenica suspected she would still be drinking those plastic-tasting blood bags.

However, the arduous journey had indeed left Lovelenica profoundly exhausted. She approached the bed, and just as she was about to lie down, a wave of magical fluctuation suddenly emanated from the crystal ball on the desk.

It was Liliana.