Chapter 122
Aivina shook her head.
Though she didn’t know what had just happened to Shaer, the exhaustion in her eyes was unmistakable.
It must have been a fierce battle...
But where could such a fight have taken place?
Surely, he didn’t go to Dedun Manor and kill a bunch of people.
That was impossible; there was a second-tier extraordinary being guarding Dedun Manor.
This situation left Aivina feeling a bit anxious.
All three of them were in danger of being discovered by the cultists, yet Shaer had taken it all upon himself. This made Aivina feel a twinge of frustration.
It felt as if she had become a burden; if she didn’t step up her game, she might not even be able to keep up with Shaer’s shadow.
At that moment, Shaer was in Aivina’s bathroom, soaking in the bathtub, her canvas bag hanging by the door.
The pure copper bathtub swayed gently on its gilded cast-iron frame. It was her first time using a bathtub with a rocking feature, and Shaer found it a bit disconcerting.
She was nearly submerged in the water, and after a while, she slowly lifted her head, breaking the surface.
Looking down, she saw that the once-clear water had turned slightly pink around her.
This water was no longer usable.
Knock, knock, knock—
A series of knocks came from the bathroom door, and after a moment, Aivina’s voice called from behind it.
“Shaer, can I come in?”
“Please do.”
The bathroom door opened, and Aivina entered, holding a dress in her left arm and a bottle of light green potion in her right. She walked over to Shaer and handed it to her.
“Adele gave this to you. She said it can wash away the blood without leaving a scent.”
After placing the dress aside, Aivina turned to leave, helping Shaer close the door behind her.
Shaer uncorked the bottle and brought it to her nose, inhaling the faint minty fragrance wafting from the light green liquid.
Just as she suspected, it was indeed mint...
After using the potion Adele provided to cleanse her body, the smell of blood was gone, replaced only by a subtle mint scent.
At this rate, Adele would soon be pulling out the medicated oil... She might have already done so.
Dressed in the slightly oversized black-and-white dress Aivina had given her, Shaer picked up her bag and stepped out of the bathroom, where she found Aivina and Adele waiting for her on the sofa.
“I need to rest for a bit.”
Shaer looked at Aivina and asked, “Is the study still here?”
“Let’s stay here.”
Aivina fetched a clean towel and handed it to Shaer. “First, dry your hair.”
Shaer set her canvas bag down, took the towel, and began to dry her hair.
With the bloodstains washed away and a clean dress on, Shaer felt her mood lift slightly, but the weariness in her mind surged even more.
After drying her hair a bit, she sleepily made her way to the bed, kicked off her shoes and socks, and sank onto her pillow, pulling the blanket over herself.
“Aivina…”
Shaer’s voice drifted from the bed, prompting Aivina to look in her direction and ask, “What’s wrong?”
“Can you do me a favor?”
Shaer’s eyes had already closed, and she didn’t even realize that asking Aivina for help had shifted from a transactional exchange to something more personal.
“Of course.”
Aivina nodded, not even bothering to ask what it was.
“When the invitation arrives, wake me up…”
“What invitation?”
“Dedun… Manor…”
Aivina’s pupils constricted slightly.
Dedun Manor? An invitation?
Weren’t the cultists holed up there trying to investigate Adele? Had news of Adele’s presence here already leaked out?
As a top-tier black-gold member of Dedun Manor, Aivina often received invitations for new games or fresh shipments.
But receiving an invitation at this juncture made Aivina think twice.
Moreover… how did Shaer know an invitation was coming?
Before Aivina could voice her questions, she noticed that Shaer had already fallen into a deep sleep.
Though curiosity gnawed at Aivina like a relentless itch, she couldn’t bring herself to wake the obviously exhausted Shaer, so she swallowed her questions.
At that moment, Adele was also filled with confusion, but seeing that Aivina had stopped asking, she dared not speak up either. Instead, she picked up the “Physician” and “Plague Doctor” spiritual notes she had borrowed from Aivina’s bookshelf and began to read.
Time ticked by, second by second...
...
“Miss.”
“Miss, wake up.”
“Lady Aivina.”
In her drowsy state, Aivina felt a cool, armored touch on her face. She blinked open her eyes to see Nia half-kneeling beside her.
Aivina threw off the blanket covering her and sat up on the sofa. Through the dim candlelight, she spotted Adele curled up on another sofa, her blanket kicked onto the floor, shivering as she slept.
Shaer had looked particularly unwell earlier, and to avoid waking her, they had chosen not to sleep in the bed, leaving it solely for Shaer.
“What is it, Nia…”
Aivina spoke softly.
“Someone delivered a letter.”
Nia handed Aivina a black envelope, sealed with golden wax bearing the Dedun Manor chip emblem.
Instantly, Aivina’s mind cleared. She sat up straight on the sofa, took a deep breath, and reached for her neck.
She held the “Substitute Saint’s Remains” resting against her chest, lightly tracing her fingertip along the cage surrounding the remains. Blood dripped into the remains, igniting a purple spiritual flame.
Aivina’s body went limp, leaning back against the sofa. After a few seconds, she slowly propped herself up again, looking at the envelope in her hand.
She took the letter opener Nia had handed her, sliced through the wax seal, and unfolded the letter inside.
This… was just a regular invitation.
Aside from a few new games at Dedun Manor, there was also an event...
From noon on the 22nd until 10 PM on the 24th, the fee for exchanging chips at Dedun Manor would be reduced to 5%, and the commission for redeeming items would drop to 10%.
In other words, now you could exchange 100 pounds for 95 chips, and items worth 100 pounds that would normally be redeemed for 80 would now be taken back for 90 pounds.
This event was quite significant, but such promotions occurred every quarter, so it wasn’t unusual.
In the past, when such events happened, Aivina would often take a stroll to see if there was anything she wanted to buy, as Dedun Manor always had interesting items during these times.
But why was this event happening at this particular moment?
Wasn’t the 23rd the day the bishop of the Holy Ascendancy was arriving?
And Shaer… seemed to know all of this in advance. Before the event even started, she had mentioned that an invitation would be coming.
It was as if she had watched someone write the invitation herself.
Aivina glanced toward Shaer, her expression complex.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a delicate little wallet, opening the golden clasp to reveal a golden pocket watch.
Aivina checked the time on the watch, her brow furrowing slightly.
It was already noon on the 22nd.
How could Shaer have slept for so long?
“Nia, could you turn on the light for me?”
Aivina got up, and the book resting on her chest slipped from her silk nightgown, falling to the floor.
She slipped on her velvet slippers and walked toward the bed.
As Aivina reached the bedside, the oil lamp flickered to life. Looking at Shaer lying in bed, Aivina’s heart tightened.
At that moment, Shaer’s face was pale, her forehead beaded with sweat, as if she were trapped in a terrifying nightmare, curled up tightly, her lips devoid of color.
Aivina felt a pang of regret for not having slept beside Shaer.
If she had held her like before, perhaps she wouldn’t have had such a dreadful nightmare...
“Shaer…”
Aivina took out her handkerchief, reaching out to wipe the sweat from Shaer’s forehead. But just as the handkerchief brushed against her skin, Shaer’s eyes flew open like a startled rabbit, and she grabbed Aivina’s wrist with a sudden, fierce grip.
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