âdo you want me to come with you?â
âthat wouldnât be necessary,â seira shook her head, âitâs not something that would require two to carry anyway.â
rejecting the youngest oneâs offer, seira walked to the main building. the sunset was slowly falling, and the scene of everyone preparing dinner warmed her heart.
âit would have been nice if aven was with us.â
the twin sisters told seira he wasnât in the mansion. he seemed to have gone out of town for personal errands, and lucy and meilin couldnât go with him since they had a lot of work to deal with at the moment.
on the contrary, seira was slightly surprised that the twin sisters knew more of avenâs daily activities than she did. maybe they were much closer than she initially guessed.
âitâs none of my business, butâ¦â
if he was going to meet another omega, she wanted aven to choose someone close to askan. but seira wasnât happy still, so her selfishness seemed to be helpless.
âhe canât just take care of me forever,â she told herself.
having eaten so badly, had nathan askanâs spirit been tied tightly to the duchy? without even thinking of finding his body, seira stubbornly clung to her dead father, and acted like a child.
the same was true to her feelings for aven. because she felt like he was part of the family, and no one should be left. sheâd be unwilling to accept that aven would bring another omega as his companion, and get tied to a family that had nothing to do with her.
seira looked around as she descended to the main buildingâs basement with only a small candlestick. she tried to shake off her melancholic mood and tried to pick a suitable liquor. the storage used to be full in the past but was now empty. at least this was due to aven filling up every winter during the knightâs break.
âbeer would be better, right?â
putting the candlestick down on the floor, seira approached an oak barrel containing beer.
âi should just take out one and have it refilled if it wouldnât be enough.â
as she was about to lift the oak barrel, the room suddenly turned dark.
there was no way that wind would have leaked in, but the candle went out. a wave of familiar mana soon hit seira.
âavenâ¦?â
among those she knew, aven was the only one who could jump over space through shadows. although it was quite strange that the color of his mana was different from usual, seira didnât bother to ask.
was there anyone else besides aven who could enter the basement of the askan mansion unnoticed, where skilled knights were roaming around?
seira was confused why aven did this without saying much of a hello, but she trusted him more than anyone else. she never worried that he might do anything that would harm her.
âiâm glad he came early.â
seira felt well in an instant, thinking aven would help her take out the oak barrel, and surrendered herself to his power. by the wayâ¦
âughâ¦!â
she was thrown off guard as a body slammed into her from the shadows. she rolled to the floor, unable to foresee the unexpected.
she couldnât even use her powers in the first place. she had reached her limit when they were testing the black crystalsâ power during the morning.
of course, power wasnât infinite and only recovered with time. the only thing that could instantly get her to recover was baronâs blood.
seira got up and was surprised that someone was looking down at her.
âaven? no, itâs not.â
she knew it as soon as she rolled on the floor, but it was even more shocking after she saw it with her own eyes. seira observed her opponent, who was now unwilling to attack her immediately.
the man looked about in his late thirties. he didnât look too old despite his white hair with his robust physique and unflattering posture.
more than that, his cold and expressionless eyes caught seiraâs attention. she thought aven only had black eyes, but so was this man.
âthey look alike.â
were they brothers?
âdid the previous count helford have any other sons or relatives?â
it was all too coincidental, that even the nature and power of their manas were similar.
âwhere are we?â
the place he took her was a small stone chamber. there was some furniture, including a bed, but it had no windows and it was enclosed.
âitâs quite similar to the prayer room in the temple.â
âwhy did you bring me here?â
the man didnât answer seiraâs question and merely shut his mouth.
ââ¦â
âdo you have anything to do with aven helford?â
he raised his arm out before she could ask any more questions. at the end of his pointed finger was a bed.
âlie downâ¦?â seira guessed.
he nodded at her query. it was the first that he reacted to anything she said. seira pondered for a moment and slowly moved toward the bed.
she had the ability of a master-class slayer, but she canât use her power and there was no way to fight against him. didnât louis give her a ring-shaped magic tool?
but it was nothing but foolish to rush into a situation before you totally got a grasp of why it was happening.
âi first need to find out what his intentions are, and if thereâs anyone behind it.â