Chapter 47: Let Me Check!

Chloe sat primly on the edge of Silia’s bed, hands resting lightly on her lap, a gentle smile on her face as she gazed at Silia.

Moonlight streamed through the window, bathing Chloe in a silvery glow, her white hair shimmering.

“Little Chloe?”

Silia rubbed her eyes, staring in disbelief.

There was no doubt this was Chloe, but something felt… different today.

She seemed… too composed.

They locked eyes for a long moment until Chloe finally cracked.

Her straight posture collapsed, and she flopped onto Silia’s bed.

“Ugh! Come on, Silia, why aren’t you moving? Holding that pose is exhausting!”

Silia blinked, realization dawning.

Now that’s the Chloe she knew!

“Little Chloe!”

She shouted, charging at Chloe.

Chloe had just sat up when Silia tackled her back onto the bed.

Grabbing her shoulders, Silia rolled them across the bed, finally pinning Chloe down.

“Little Chloe! Where were you these past few days? How could you just vanish?”

“Abababa…”

Chloe’s eyes swirled like mosquito coils, too dazed to answer.

Being rolled around by Silia felt like being snatched into the air by an eagle, her brain practically scrambled.

Only Silia’s massive bed could handle such antics.

On Chloe’s small bed, they’d have tumbled to the floor.

“Little Chloe~ Say something~”

Silia grabbed Chloe’s chubby cheeks, tugging them as she pressed for answers.

“Wait, Silia… abababa…”

Silia realized she’d gotten carried away.

She gave an embarrassed giggle and plopped her head onto Chloe’s chest.

After a few minutes, Chloe’s head cleared enough to function.

“Ugh…”

She slapped her cheeks and shook her head, barely regaining her senses.

“I…”

“Little Chloe! Tell me where you went!”

Silia cut her off, sitting up and staring into Chloe’s eyes, brimming with anticipation.

“Let me finish…” Chloe said helplessly.

“…Oh, sorry, hehe.”

Silia stuck out her tongue, trying to play cute.

She covered her mouth and plopped back onto Chloe.

Chloe mulled over Larvia’s cover story, then said slowly, “Silia, I was sent on a secret mission by Her Majesty to investigate a traitor in Tarrilberg.”

“A traitor?”

“Yup.”

Chloe put on a serious face. “Tarrilberg’s been attacked by the human empire recently. Her Majesty, analyzing battle reports, suspected a traitor was leaking intel. So, she sent me secretly to gather clues!”

“Wow, figuring that out from reports alone! That’s Mother for you, hehe…”

“Yeah, Her Majesty is… wise and mighty!”

Praising her former enemy took some mental effort for Chloe.

“Then what? Then what?”

Silia’s eyes sparkled, eager for more.

“After finding some clues, I reported to Her Majesty.”

“About six days ago, right?”

“Uh… yeah, exactly!”

Chloe wasn’t sure when Larvia left, so she just went along with Silia.

“No wonder Mother left so suddenly!” Silia puffed her cheeks. “She just said, ‘I’ll be gone a few days,’ and poof, gone.”

She stared into Chloe’s eyes, serious. “Little Chloe, don’t you think Mother was wrong to do that?”

“Well… I think Her Majesty had her reasons. It’s a secret mission to catch a traitor—fewer people knowing is better, right?”

Only after speaking did Chloe realize something was off.

‘Why am I defending Larvia?’

‘Shouldn’t I be trashing her to her adoring daughter?’

‘Too late now. Next time.’

“By the way, Silia, did Her Majesty tell you why I left?”

Silia shook her head.

“I asked, but she only said you’d be back in a week or two.”

Chloe’s mouth twitched.

‘Damn! She had me pegged!’

Without running into Larvia, she’d have returned exactly a week after leaving.

“Ahem, anyway, back to the story!”

“After reporting to Her Majesty, I planned to keep tracking, but I got spotted.”

“Huh?”

“The enemy was strong—a fourth-tier mage. I’m only third-tier, so I wasn’t their match…”

Chloe said this, but inside, she was fuming.

‘I totally crushed someone a tier above me!’

She couldn’t say that, or the story wouldn’t hold.

“Just when I was about to collapse, Her Majesty appeared and knocked them out with a flick!”

“Whoa! That’s Mother! Even I, after years of magic training, can’t beat a fourth-tier mage!”

“That’s ‘cause you’re lazy, Silia.”

“Hehe.”

Silia gave an embarrassed smile.

For vampires, wealth could buy potions to reach third-tier.

That’s how Chloe hit third-tier in under a month.

But beyond that, potions were useless. Progress required diligent training or rare opportunities.

Silia, after years, hadn’t reached fourth-tier because she was lazy and scared to venture out.

“Did you get hurt, little Chloe?”

“A little, but not bad. Her Majesty healed me with magic on the spot.”

“What?! Hurt?! Where?! No scars, right?!”

“Of course not, just a scratch…”

“No way!”

Silia’s face flushed, her words stumbling.

“Little Chloe, let me check!”