While Sharron was lost in thought, Ariella and Susie let out a meow and a bark respectively.
Hastur, who had disappeared after leaving last time, had appeared once again. At this moment, he was standing outside the door.
Ariella pounced toward Hastur again. This time, a smile appeared on Hastur's face as he caught Ariella, held it in his arms, and affectionately stroked its head.
"Mr. Hastur!" Audrey greeted him happily, the young girl's bright smile exceptionally radiant.
Seeing this scene, Sharron gave Hastur a deep look with her azure eyes.
As expected, he had only appeared because Miss Audrey had arrived.
"Miss Audrey, long time no see." Hastur's attitude was completely different from when they had last met. He then looked at Fors and teased, "Miss Fors, secretly abducting Backlund's most beautiful jewel like this is a serious crime."
I secretly abducted Backlund's most beautiful jewel?
Hah, it was clearly Miss Audrey who kept tempting poor me with gold pounds. Can you blame me for having weak willpower?
Besides, Mr. Hastur, aren't you the one who secretly abducted Miss Audrey?
If it weren't for you, why would Miss Audrey have been bold enough to leave Backlund?
In that instant, Fors had already conjured up a touching story in her mind about a noble young lady who ultimately chose to elope for love.
But when her gaze drifted toward Miss Sharron on the other side, whose eyes contained a faint trace of sorrow, her imagined story gained another heartbroken character, Miss Sharron.
A young nobleman like Mr. Hastur was naturally popular with girls. If someone was happy, then naturally someone else would be heartbroken.
Some people became the protagonists, while others naturally became supporting characters.
As for her and Xio, they didn't even have the ability to enter the story as supporting characters.
"Miss Fors?"
"Ah, um, Mr. Hastur, you... you look quite normal today?"
Hearing her name, Fors snapped out of the story in her imagination. For a moment, she spoke without thinking, but she had expressed her meaning accurately enough. Mr. Hastur really was different today compared to the last time she had seen him.Hastur nodded. "Yes, the problem has already been resolved."
After returning from Backlund, he had remained in the Hall of Stars. The memories that came flooding back gradually filled the emptiness in his mind.
Only then did he truly understand what he had experienced during this period.
Not long after consuming the potion, he had successfully advanced to Sequence 4, the Lost One. There were two reasons why an emptiness had appeared in his mind and why he had lacked the corresponding memories.
On one hand, it was due to the effects of the ritual performed when advancing to Lost One. The instant he successfully advanced, he lost the place where his heart could find refuge, and memories were an important part of what constituted the heart.
Furthermore, less than two years had passed since he first became a Beyonder, yet he had already become a Sequence 4 demigod. His advancement had been far too rapid, leaving behind certain hidden dangers.
On the other hand, it was also part of the acting requirements for the Lost One Sequence, to lose the place where one's heart could find refuge, then slowly find it again.
That process itself was the key to acting as a Lost One and digesting the corresponding potion.
Had he not personally experienced it from beginning to end, he would have found it difficult to truly understand the actual acting requirements of this Sequence.
"Has Mr. Hastur's illness completely recovered?"
Realizing that her words carried a hint of regret and disappointment, Audrey's cheeks reddened slightly as she hurriedly added, "What I mean is, it's really wonderful that Mr. Hastur is all right."
Hastur merely smiled as he looked at the slightly flustered Audrey. "I really do need Miss Audrey's help."
"Really?" Audrey's eyes instantly lit up, sparkling like a flawless crystal.
"Woof!" Susie also announced her presence from the side.
"Really." Under the young girl's expectant gaze, Hastur nodded. Then his gaze passed over Audrey and landed on the silent Sharron. Before he could say anything, Sharron indifferently turned her back to him and walked several steps toward the windowsill, clearly having no intention of paying him any attention.
"Meow."
Ariella raised its head and meowed at Hastur before jumping out of his arms. It ran over to Sharron and burrowed into her embrace, seemingly wanting to share with the unhappy Sharron the warmth it had picked up from Hastur.
Knowing that he was partly at fault, Hastur didn't say anything more. Miss Audrey and Miss Salted Fish were still here, so he would wait until they were alone before talking to Sharron about what he had experienced during this period.
"Mr. Hastur, what do you need my help with?" Audrey showed tremendous interest in the matter of helping him.
"When I need it, I'll come find Miss Audrey for help."
"I'll do my best to help Mr. Hastur. Mm, and Susie too. She's also been looking forward to being able to help Mr. Hastur."
Audrey still felt somewhat regretful. She had always wanted to save Mr. Hastur at least once and had even proactively asked Mr. Hanged Man for advice during the Tarot Club. Yet when Mr. Hastur appeared again, she could no longer sense the confusion and emptiness within his mind.
Hastur chatted with Audrey and Fors for a while longer. As the sky gradually darkened, Audrey and Fors left first.
Inside the room, Hastur looked at Sharron, whose back was still turned toward him. He closed the door and walked over. Glancing at Ariella lying in Sharron's embrace, he gave it a meaningful look. Ariella immediately left Sharron's arms and tactfully slipped out of the room along the windowsill. It then secretly hid in a shadowy corner where it could spy on Hastur and Sharron's conversation.
By the windowsill, the evening breeze gently blew in from the sea, stirring the pale golden strands of hair beside Sharron's ears. Still dressed in her black dress, she looked at this moment like a doll that had been abandoned by someone, quietly standing there alone, filled with sadness and loneliness.
Hastur looked at Sharron's back and recalled the scene he had witnessed from the Hall of Stars, when he had seen Sharron's vulnerable side. He gently extended his right hand, brushing past Sharron's earlobe as he tucked the strands of hair scattered by the wind back behind her ear.
Sharron showed no reaction, except for the faint rosy flush spreading across her earlobe.
"Sharron..."
Hastur called her name softly. Sharron still didn't turn around. Her gaze remained fixed outside the window, though it was unclear what she was looking at, or perhaps she wasn't looking at anything at all.
After a while, Hastur stepped closer from behind and wrapped an arm around Sharron's waist. Her body instantly stiffened. One of her small hands, which had been hanging naturally at her side, was also taken into Hastur's palm, and he gently stroked the back of her hand.
She wanted to avoid such intimate contact, but at that moment, Hastur suddenly tightened his hold and pulled her into his embrace.
This time, Sharron's body went completely rigid. A clear expression of shyness appeared even on her usually expressionless face, while the look in her eyes became complicated. For a moment, she simply allowed Hastur to gently hold her.
"Sharron, during this time..."
Hastur was just about to speak intimately with Sharron and tell her about what he had experienced during this period when he suddenly felt the warm, soft Sharron in his arms disappear.
As if she had transformed into a wisp of shy cloud newly dyed red, she merged into the mirror on the table and hid inside, refusing to come out.
"..."
Hastur was stunned for a moment before chuckling softly. He walked over to the table and sat down. Looking at Sharron, who was hiding inside the mirror and refusing to come out, he didn't pay it too much mind. After briefly organizing his thoughts, he began recounting what he had experienced during this period.
He also deliberately explained that he had not appeared because Miss Audrey had arrived.
Outside the window, Ariella had its ears perked up as it listened. At first, it listened with an earnest expression, but later, a look of disdain appeared on its face.
Although its master had become much smarter this time and finally knew how to care about Miss Sharron's feelings, why couldn't he try a little harder?
Miss Sharron was hiding inside the mirror, so why didn't he enter the mirror too? Talking face-to-face was such a good opportunity to make their relationship warm up faster!
After secretly listening for a while longer, Ariella looked at the moon that had already risen above the sea. It stopped eavesdropping, found a comfortable place, and lay down to admire the moonlight.
It was beginning to regret refusing Miss Audrey's earlier offer of dried fish.
After Ariella left, Hastur picked up the mirror from the table and tucked it into his clothes. He then opened a Traveler's door. With a single step, he arrived on a small island in the middle of the sea, one that was deserted, quiet, secluded, and perfectly suited for admiring the moon rising over the ocean.
Although the moon carried a faint reddish glow, it was still beautiful and captivating.
Hastur placed the mirror in his palm and whispered a few words. Sharron's figure soon appeared on its smooth surface.
She still wore the same calm, placid expression, as though nothing had happened just moments ago.
But Hastur could clearly sense the embarrassment, annoyance, and confusion within Sharron's heart.
He made no further moves, afraid of frightening away the doll-like girl who had accompanied him for the longest time.
Hastur sat down on a rock and placed the mirror against his chest, its surface facing the direction of the rising crimson moon. He enjoyed the tranquility of the night while occasionally saying a few words.
Most of the time, Hastur did the talking while Sharron quietly listened. Only after a long time passed did Sharron occasionally reply with a sentence or two.
When the crimson moon had risen from the depths of the sea into the sky above, Hastur lay back, one hand behind his head and the other wrapped around the mirror resting against his chest.
On the mirror's surface, hidden from Hastur's sight, Sharron's gaze gradually softened. Although a trace of confusion still lingered in her azure eyes, they had gradually begun to brighten.
Her eyes curved gently with warmth, making her even more captivating than the crimson moon hanging in the sky.