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Ten minutes ago.
In the early morning, a loud knock on the door shattered the peace of the Night-Glow Tower.
Lillian, who had just woken up and was preparing to simmer some soup, looked confused when she heard the knocking at the entrance.
“Hmm? Someone knocking this early? Who would pay a visit at this hour?”
Lillian put down the carrot she was about to slice and walked quickly to the door. She opened it to find Elsa was the one knocking.
“Morning, Lillian!”
“Lady Elsa?” Seeing Elsa, whom she hadn’t seen in a while, appearing at the door, Lillian couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised.
Elsa was the rival Charlotte had been competing with ever since enrollment, as well as the noble Second Princess of the Kingdom of York. Generally speaking, she wouldn’t bother to lower herself to visit their humble Night-Glow Tower.
But today, as if the sun had risen from the west, Elsa had come to visit early in the morning, and she hadn’t even brought Nicole, the maid who usually followed her. If Charlotte were here, she would have seriously suspected Elsa was here for a secret solo meeting.
After greeting Lillian, Elsa didn’t wait for a response before making herself at home, walking into the living room and sitting directly on the sofa, as if she were the master of the Night-Glow Tower.
“Um, Lady Elsa…” Elsa’s fluid, seamless movements left Lillian dazed. After several seconds of staring, she finally found her voice. “What business brings you to our Night-Glow Tower?”
“What? Can’t I just come and sit for a while even if I don’t have business?” Elsa frowned slightly, her tone tinged with a hint of resentment.
“No, that’s not what I meant. Welcome, Lady Elsa. I’ll prepare some black tea for you right away.”
“No need for that. Where’s Charlotte? Is she still sleeping? Go call her down here!”
“Lady Elsa, please wait a moment. I’ll go wake up Lady Charlotte right now.”
Under Elsa’s urging, Lillian went upstairs to Charlotte’s bedroom door and knocked gently.
“Lady Charlotte, Lady Charlotte, are you awake?”
However, no matter how much she called, there was no sound from inside the room.
Lillian pushed the door open just a crack and peered through the gap. She could clearly see Charlotte sleeping soundly in her bed.
Last night before bed, Charlotte had drunk a whole cup of her expertly prepared sleeping black tea. She wasn’t going to wake up that easily.
Exhausting every method to wake Charlotte to no avail, Lillian had no choice but to go back downstairs to the living room.
While Lillian was calling Charlotte, Elsa sat on the sofa, casually looking around the living room. Her gaze happened to fall upon a bag of candies on the coffee table.
“Hmm? What are these?”
Elsa curiously took one out. The candy was crystal clear and colorful; one look was enough to know it was delicious.
Without thinking, Elsa popped the candy into her mouth. However, before she could fully savor the flavor, Lillian returned to the living room after failing to wake Charlotte.
Elsa hurriedly swallowed the candy and pretended nothing had happened, sitting with poise and elegance as she waited for Lillian’s report.
“Hmm? Why are you back alone? Where’s Charlotte?”
“I’m very sorry, Lady Elsa. Lady Charlotte is still asleep, and I couldn’t wake her no matter how hard I tried.”
Elsa frowned, as if asking, “Did you really try your best?”
But then, she let out a soft sigh.
“Honestly, this is a commission Master assigned both of us to complete. How can she still be asleep at her age! Fine, if she wants to sleep, let her sleep. I can complete this commission on my own!”
Saying this, Elsa stood up from the sofa. After saying goodbye to Lillian, she mounted her broomstick and left the Night-Glow Tower.
Watching Elsa’s retreating back, Lillian, about to go back to slicing carrots, suddenly noticed something odd.
Behind Elsa, a furry cat tail seemed to be twitching restlessly.
“Eh? A tail? Did I see that wrong?”
****
After Lillian informed Charlotte about Elsa’s visit, Charlotte, who was sipping her tea, nodded thoughtfully.
“Oh, she must have come for the commission Instructor Mashiro gave us yesterday.”
“Lady Charlotte has received another commission from Instructor Mashiro? Then you’d better be careful, Lady Charlotte. Don’t cause another disaster like before and end up having hundreds of academic credits deducted again.”
“Uh…” Charlotte was momentarily speechless.
She had to admit, Lillian was absolutely right. All those incidents where she lost hundreds of credits had occurred during commissions assigned by Mashiro. She seriously suspected that the commissions Mashiro gave her were cursed with a bad aura.
“While that’s true, don’t worry, Lillian. This time is different. The commission was assigned to both Elsa and me. With Elsa helping as backup, even if I accidentally make a mistake, I won’t lose all my credits like before.”
Seeing Charlotte’s nonchalant attitude, Lillian sighed.
“Lady Charlotte, you’re always so careless. If the academy suddenly passes a rule that ties academic credits to the amount of clothes allowed, you’ll regret not working harder for those credits.”
“Lillian, you’re overthinking. The academy wouldn’t pass such a weird rule. If that rule existed, wouldn’t I be forbidden from even wearing panties?”
“So, Lady Charlotte, what kind of strange commission did you get this time?”
“Oh, there’s a report that signs of damage from the Ice Wolf Clan were found in a village near Tsumuguri City. Instructor Mashiro wants the two of us to investigate and confirm if the Ice Wolf Clan is indeed active near the city, and if so, to eliminate them.”
“The Ice Wolf Clan?”
“Lillian, do you know of the Ice Wolf Clan?”
“Mhm. I’ve heard my clansmen mention them before. The Ice Wolf Clan are the most skilled surprise-attack warriors among the demons. Their claws are incredibly sharp, capable of smashing rocks with ease, and their speed is astonishing. Even more formidable is their ability to hide their presence, allowing them to sneak up silently behind enemies and kill them all in an instant.”
“Wow, sounds pretty powerful.” Hearing Lillian’s description, Charlotte couldn’t help but exclaim.
“However, the Ice Wolf Clan can only survive in extremely cold environments. The summer heat hasn’t fully subsided here yet, so it’s quite unlikely they would appear nearby!”
“Maybe they carry portable refrigerators to cool themselves down!”
“Refrigerators? Lady Charlotte, what’s a refrigerator?”
“Uh… I was just talking nonsense. Don’t worry about it, Lillian. Alright, Lillian, hurry up and finish the meal. I need to go to the site to re-investigate after breakfast. Even though I’m working with Elsa this time, I can’t let her leave me behind!”
“Yes, Lady Charlotte! I’ll bring your breakfast right away!”
“Hurry up, I can’t wait!”
The adventure continues! If you loved this chapter, For the Emperor is a must-read. Click here to start!
Read : For the Emperor
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