Around 9 PM at night, in Sedona City, inside the castle's study.
Annie was holding a pen, poking her chin with it as she stared at the government affairs written in her notebook. Ever since the young master left, it had been over ten days without snow in Sedona City.
The daily government work kept the fox-eared girl extremely busy and overwhelmed. She was terrified that a single mistake in the paperwork might lead to a major incident, so before approving each document, she would carefully consider every detail.
"Done." Annie calculated in her mind for a while, found the best solution, pulled out a sheet of paper and started writing, then sealed it in an envelope with fish glue. All she needed to do was issue the order tomorrow.
"Your Highness, please take a break. You haven't rested properly in over ten days," Freya said softly from the side, trying to persuade her.
Since Lucas left, Annie hadn't stepped outside the castle. Two-thirds of each day was spent in the study, handling government affairs.
"Don't worry, just one more task to finish, then I'll rest," Annie replied without even lifting her head, flipping open another notebook on the desk. This one was related to the safety and security of Sedona City—usually Mina would pass it on for Lucas to read.
"…" Freya shook her head and shrugged at Helen, expressing her helplessness. She knew the princess well—once Annie got serious, she was rarely swayed by others.
"Honestly…" Helen twitched her rabbit ears and shook her head with a sigh. Ever since the lord left Sedona City, the atmosphere in the castle had become much more tense. The smiles on everyone's faces had noticeably faded.
She glanced down at Ayesha, who was dozing off, and gave a bitter smile. That one was even more diligent—patrolling the streets every day, even eating lunch at the pizza shop, saying it was the young master's order to keep a close watch over Sedona City.
Ayesha leaned against the chair, her head tilted onto the backrest. Her ample chest rose and fell with each breath, and a glimmer of drool clung to the corner of her mouth. She smacked her lips from time to time, as if dreaming of something delicious.
This sight made Helen shake her head. She set aside the student assignments she had been grading, stood up, and gently picked up her coat, softly draping it over the horned girl. Ayesha had been working far too hard these past few days.
As for Amelia, she had gone to the hot springs with Hazel. It was actually the deer-eared girl who had dragged Amelia along. The two got along surprisingly well—though it was mostly Hazel chirping away while Amelia listened quietly, or more accurately, zoned out.
"Huh? This is…" Annie's fox ears perked up in alert. She said with surprise and suspicion, "There's a new rumor going around Sedona City—something about elf slaves in Moth City???"
The fox-eared girl frowned, the tip of her pen between her lips as she pondered the meaning behind the rumor. It felt to her like a deliberately spread tale—one with a hidden agenda.
"This is bad. It's a baiting rumor!" Annie's eyes widened as she grabbed the notebook and began studying it more closely. The more she read, the more wrong it felt. Even Ben's analysis was written in the margins.
"Freya, run over to the Guard Division for me," Annie said as she lowered her head and began writing quickly. She had to act before the rumor spread further—cut it off at the source.
"Yes, ma'am." Freya straightened up, flicking her long hair as she strapped the greatsword slung nearby onto her back. Clearly, something serious was about to happen.
"Give this letter to Andrew. He should be on duty today. Tell him to arrest the source immediately," Annie said sternly, handing the letter to the wolf-eared girl.
"Yes." Freya took the letter, stuffed it into her pocket, and strode out of the study in long, purposeful strides, heading straight for the Guard Division.
"Damn it, who's the rumor meant to lure? Elves? But are there even elves in Sedona City? Or is this being spread across nearby cities too?" Annie shifted her slightly numb backside and scratched it absentmindedly—she had been sitting far too long.
The young master will be back tomorrow. I just hope nothing major happens—nothing that would disappoint him at the last minute.
The fox-eared girl lay sprawled over the desk, her sore arms twitching now and then—she had been writing too much.
"Annie, let me massage them for you," The rabbit-eared girl said gently, a trace of sympathy flickering in her pale red eyes.
"No need, you still have tons of assignments to grade," Annie replied, shaking her head.
"Is the lord really coming back tomorrow afternoon?" Helen stepped forward and began gently kneading Annie's small hand.
"That's what the reply said yesterday," The fox-eared girl muttered, pouting. "He's already three days later than expected."
"Didn't they say he made a stop at Riverden City midway?" Helen smiled slightly—this side of Annie was just too adorable.
"The young master said that in a little over a month, we'll have lots of mutton to eat," Annie said, licking her lips. Ever since the young master left with Nicole, their food supplies had taken a hit in quality.
"Well, isn't that great?" the rabbit-eared girl said softly.
"It is… but I'm still jealous of those who get to go with him."
"What's so great about the outside world? If it were me, I'd rather stay in Sedona City…"
"..."
Meanwhile, at Elisa's residence.
"Hoo…" Elisa pulled a wooden chest out from under her bed. She opened it and stared at the contents inside—a black cloak, a longbow, and over a dozen arrows.
"It's been a long time since I've used these." Elisa pursed her lips slightly, a flicker of determination flashing through her emerald green eyes. If she hadn't heard that piece of news, perhaps she could've continued living peacefully.
Now that her kin were suffering, she couldn't call herself noble or especially kind—but she was at least willing to lend a hand within her ability. Otherwise, to live a peaceful life while watching her fellow people being sold as slaves… that thought made her deeply uneasy.
Elisa stood up, took off her casual clothes, and put on the black cloak. She pulled up the hood, fastened the quiver at her waist, and gripped her longbow tightly as she stepped to the window.
"Creak…"
The wooden window, reinforced with animal hide, swung open. With a swift motion, Elisa flipped out through it. Her emerald eyes, hidden beneath the hood, scanned the surroundings as she slipped into the shadows between buildings, heading toward the residence of the man in the gray robe. She had followed him earlier in the day and tracked him to that location.
She was going to force the two of them to reveal the truth behind the rumor spread earlier that day—and what was really going on in Moth City.
Soon, just ten minutes later, Elisa arrived at a relatively secluded area on the northern side of Sedona City. It was an old courtyard, part of a cluster of cheap rental units.
She had heard that these would be demolished next year to make way for new buildings. With the housing shortage in the city, many outsiders had temporarily settled in these courtyards—and the two gray-robed men were living in one of them.
.
.
.
.
You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
pat reon.com/GreenBlue17
300 Power Stones for 1 extra chapter.
5 New reviews for 1 extra chapter.