Chapter 14: A Seed of Doubt

“Go on, Xiluo’er.”

Before leaving, Rona patted Xiluo’er’s shoulder.

“Oh, right, your things.”

Rona handed a bag to Xiluo’er.

The bag contained the clothes Xiluo’er had been wearing previously.

Originally, after buying new clothes, Eve had intended to simply discard Xiluo’er’s old, worn-out outfit.

But Xiluo’er had insisted on keeping it, arguing, ‘These clothes, which I’ve worn for so long, hold great sentimental value.’

Consequently, after they left the clothing store, Xiluo’er had carried the bag containing the clothes. It was only before entering the interrogation room that Rona had taken the bag from her.

“Alright, thank you, Big Sister Rona.”

Xiluo’er calmly took the bag from Rona’s hand, glanced at the clothes inside, then waved and ran towards the main gate of the Lord’s Mansion.

Rona stood behind her, watching her depart.

****

“Xiluo’er!”

Upon seeing Xiluo’er emerge from the Lord’s Mansion, Eve, who had been anxiously pacing, immediately rushed forward to meet her.

“Are you alright, Xiluo’er? Are you hurt anywhere?”

Eve bent down, pulling Xiluo’er into a tight embrace.

“Mmmph mmmph mmmph…”

Xiluo’er desperately wanted to answer, but her mouth was completely muffled by Eve’s chest. The faint scent of Eve’s body wash flooded her nostrils.

Although Eve’s ‘facial cleanser’ wasn’t exactly abundant, her embrace was incredibly tight!

Feeling the full force of Eve’s strength, Xiluo’er felt as though she was about to be squeezed to death.

“Ugh, I-I’m fine, Big Sister Eve.”

‘Hmm, such a “facial cleanser” indeed has a unique flavor all its own.’

After finally managing to break free from Eve’s suffocating embrace, Xiluo’er looked up, only to meet Eve’s worried gaze.

Xiluo’er froze for a moment. It was the first time she had ever seen such an expression on Eve’s face.

From the very beginning, she knew Eve possessed a “three-no” stoic demeanor; even when Eve did show emotion, the change in her expression was never significant.

Therefore, a worried expression like the one she saw today was truly a first for Xiluo’er.

“I’m sorry, Xiluo’er. I didn’t watch over you properly.”

“You must have been terrified today, weren’t you?”

Eve’s words sparked a sudden pang of guilt in Xiluo’er’s heart.

It seemed she had made Eve worry.

She had caused this trouble on a whim, yet it had made Eve blame herself.

Although it wasn’t a major incident, Xiluo’er still felt a sense of apology towards Eve.

“I’m sorry, Big Sister Eve, it’s my fault.”

“I shouldn’t have caused trouble so carelessly.”

Xiluo’er lowered her head, speaking with a touch of remorse.

Watching the girl lower her head in self-reproach, Eve blinked.

‘Even when she’s blaming herself, Xiluo’er is still so adorable.’

Considering Xiluo’er had just been frightened by a group of ruffians today and was now apologizing to her, Eve felt a pang of tenderness.

Reaching out to gently stroke Xiluo’er’s head in a gesture of comfort, Eve spoke softly.

“It’s alright now, Xiluo’er. I won’t let you encounter something like this again.”

“Next time, I won’t let you leave my sight.”

Deep within Eve’s clear, grey eyes, a dark vortex was slowly gathering.

“Never again…”

Eve’s final murmur went unheard by Xiluo’er.

****

Within the Lord’s Mansion, Rona hurried through a long corridor and entered a room.

The door closed and locked behind her. Rona exhaled deeply, then unclenched the fist she had been holding tight.

In her palm, a small, brown seed lay quietly.

It was a Starblue flower seed.

Rona stared at the seed for a moment, then closed her eyes.

With magic channeled to her fingertips, Rona began to examine the seed she had secretly placed near Xiluo’er.

The aura clinging to the seed was fully exposed under the magical scrutiny. After several careful checks, Rona reopened her eyes, a frown creasing her brow.

‘Hmm… there’s nothing wrong with it.’

No matter how many times she checked, no strange aura clung to this seed.

‘Could it be that I’m just overthinking things?’

‘Perhaps Xiluo’er is simply a timid child, shy of strangers, and an oversight in the entry roster isn’t impossible…’

Rona gently twirled the Starblue flower seed between her fingers, contemplating inwardly.

A moment later, after another glance at the seed in her hand, Rona exhaled.

She found an empty flowerpot, carefully buried the seed within, and then covered it with soil.

Rona carried the flowerpot to the window, gently setting it down next to another pot, one already blooming with a Starblue flower.

On the windowsill, two flowerpots sat: one holding a Starblue flower, and the other, also a Starblue flower.

****

“Xiluo’er, come down for dinner.”

After a knock, Xiluo’er heard Eve’s voice from outside the door.

“Okay, I know, Big Sister Eve, I’ll be right there!”

Xiluo’er lowered her head, continuing to wipe the throwing knife in her hand.

Ensuring one’s weapons were flawless was a fundamental discipline for an assassin. Xiluo’er took this aspect very seriously.

After carefully re-concealing the throwing knife she had just finished maintaining and confirming everything was in order, Xiluo’er finally opened her door and stepped out.

However, to her surprise, the moment she opened her door, she saw Eve still standing in the hallway.

Seeing her emerge, Eve offered a serene smile.

“Let’s go, time for dinner.”

“Ah, oh…”

Watching Eve turn and descend the stairs first, Xiluo’er blinked.

‘Why do I feel like… ever since we returned from the Lord’s Mansion that day, Eve has been interacting with me much more frequently?’

‘It’s not a delusion; it shouldn’t be a delusion.’

The thought of her recent act of cleaning her throwing knife in her room sent a jolt of alarm through Xiluo’er.

‘Could it be that Eve suspects me too?’

‘Hiss… that shouldn’t be right, should it?’

‘In the days since returning from the Lord’s Mansion, I shouldn’t have revealed anything, right?’

Roughly recalling the past few days, Xiluo’er couldn’t pinpoint anything she had done that might have exposed her identity.

‘Still… it’s better to be cautious. This isn’t something to take lightly.’

With a sigh, Xiluo’er followed Eve downstairs.

“Xiluo’er, I’ve taken on quite a few commissions recently, so I might be rather busy. If you get bored, you can go out and play by yourself, but don’t wander too far.”

During dinner, Xiluo’er heard Eve say this.

“Oh…”

Xiluo’er nodded absently.

‘What a coincidence, how did you know I was just thinking about going out?’

Xiluo’er had already planned to go out for a while.

It was time to take the initiative and gather some intelligence.

Intelligence was the capital for survival, a fact Xiluo’er, as an assassin and an infiltrator, understood clearly.

Moreover, after her previous, more extensive contact with Rona at the Lord’s Mansion, Xiluo’er felt the doubts in her heart had only grown stronger.