Chapter 656
Tara felt a faint sense of loss in her heart, as if changing out of her maid outfit would mean she would have even less time to spend by Lord Shaer’s side...
All the other ordinary clergy wore simple church garments, while she alone had the privilege of serving in this outfit, closest to Shaer. Deep down, Tara was very reluctant to take off her maid uniform.
Her extraordinary abilities were not particularly remarkable, and she could foresee that more fervent followers of Lord Shaer would soon appear. Tara was afraid of losing her chance to stay near him.
This anxious mindset left Tara a bit dazed, and it wasn’t until Shaer walked past her that she snapped back to reality, instinctively glancing at his retreating figure.
“What’s wrong?” Shaer turned back, looking at Tara with a hint of confusion, and smiled as he said, “Let’s go.”
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting a warm glow on the carpet in the study. Dust particles floated in the air, reflecting the light, creating a shimmering effect that surrounded the person in front of her, and that bright smile made Tara feel almost breathless.
Tara quickly lowered her head, raising a hand to cover her chest as she hurriedly followed, stammering, “S-sorry... Lord Shaer, I got lost in thought.”
“Let’s go.” Shaer observed Tara’s reaction, lightly resting his fist on his chin, then shook his head.
Had his charm become too overwhelming?
It seemed she would need to be more careful about that in the future... Why couldn’t charm be turned off like a switch?
But Shaer didn’t change his plans much; he only asked Tara to help him put on his Dedun Group silver mask.
She wanted to see how his charm affected ordinary people, and whether it would have any impact on her friends, like Adele and the others.
Shaer thought it wise to assess the effects before deciding whether he needed to use any extraordinary items to mitigate this influence.
“Miss Shaer.”
“Miss Shaer...”
As they walked, Shaer’s maids stepped aside, bowing slightly in greeting, seemingly unaffected by the charm.
Shaer led Tara downstairs, and after leaving the house, they headed toward Adele’s location.
Today was a rare beautiful day in Ansu, and this area was one of the wealthier districts, with many people out for a stroll.
As Shaer walked along the road with Tara, they attracted quite a few glances.
Occasionally, she would glance back at those gazes, receiving smiles in return.
Shaer didn’t notice much of a difference in the effect of her charm...
After all, she often drew attention while walking down the street, as red hair was still relatively rare in Ansu.
If there was any change, it was that the gazes directed at her now were mostly friendly, lacking any aggression.
Of course, this could also be due to the area; after all, this was a wealthy district, and people generally maintained a friendly demeanor toward others.
If she really wanted to test the difference, she would need to go to a place like the Holy Church District or Bell Tower Alley.
Before long, Shaer arrived at Adele’s doorstep.
Just as she reached the door and was about to ring the bell, she happened to encounter the butler who was about to step outside—this was the same butler who had previously mistaken Adele for a maid.
“Miss Shaer? Are you here to see Miss Adele?” The butler recognized Shaer and opened the door, stepping aside. “Miss Adele is on the fourth floor with a friend. Would you like me to take you up?”
The butler didn’t choose to announce their arrival; he knew Shaer was an important friend of Miss Adele, so there was no need for any formalities.
“It’s fine, you go about your business. We can manage on our own,” Shaer replied with a nod, then led Tara toward the stairs.
On the second floor, Shaer could still see the maids bustling about, but the third and fourth floors seemed to be a “forbidden zone,” as she didn’t spot anyone there.
Upon reaching the fourth floor, Shaer noticed that the usual piles of wooden crates had been cleared away. Most of the experimental equipment appeared to have been unpacked and organized, giving the floor a more laboratory-like appearance.
In the corner, Shaer saw two figures still busy at work.
They seemed unaware of Shaer’s approach, completely focused on something at their experiment table.
Shaer didn’t want to interrupt; she quietly walked over and stood beside them, peering at what they were observing.
A half-wilted potato seedling?
Adele seemed to still be conducting experiments on “blight,” and with the results Shaer had brought back from simulations multiple times, the research was progressing rapidly.
One of the blonde figures seemed to notice Shaer’s arrival, turning to look at her with a hint of surprise. “Shaer!”
“Shh... Wow—!” Adele instinctively turned to Amy’s direction, then belatedly turned her head the other way, finally seeing Shaer and nearly jumping back, almost losing her balance.
She seemed shocked by Shaer’s sudden appearance beside her.
“You scared me to death... Shaer...” Adele clutched her chest, casting a somewhat reproachful glance at Shaer, then paused for a moment.
“What’s wrong?” Shaer asked, noticing Adele’s unusual expression.
“How strange...” Adele blinked, curiously sizing Shaer up from head to toe, murmuring, “I just feel something’s off...”
Shaer felt a bit uncomfortable under Adele’s scrutiny and shifted her gaze to Amy, only to find Amy was also examining her closely.
“It feels like...” Adele said, reaching out to gently pinch Shaer’s cheek, “Huh?”
Tara, waiting at the stairwell, felt her eyelids twitch at Adele’s disrespectful action, her teeth clenched tight.
If she hadn’t known this was Lord Shaer’s “friend,” she would have rushed over to reprimand such outrageous behavior.
“You seem... much more mature, Shaer.” Amy blinked at Shaer, her tone a bit surprised. “You’ve changed a lot since before...”
During this time, compared to Adele, Evina, and Tara, Amy had seen Shaer the least, so each time she met her, she could most keenly perceive Shaer’s changes.
The “maturity” Amy sensed wasn’t unfounded.
Initially, at the academy in Boren City, Amy’s impression of Shaer was “aloof.”
Back then, Shaer was polite to everyone, maintaining superficial relationships without drawing attention or making enemies, giving off a natural air of distance.
This “aloofness” seemed like a protective facade Shaer used to shield herself, which often left Amy feeling frustrated in her attempts to deepen their friendship.
Later, when she saw Shaer again after the graduation ceremony, Amy felt a shift; Shaer’s gaze then resembled that of a wounded lone wolf, wary of everyone and everything.
In the interim, Shaer’s demeanor changed several times, and now, Amy saw a quality in Shaer that had never been there before.
“Composure.”
Shaer’s gaze toward others remained indifferent, but it was no longer the self-protective coldness of before; instead, it exuded a calm that seemed to disregard everything, along with a sense of ease in handling all matters...
Like a true figure of authority—something Amy had only seen in high-ranking nobles before.
That’s why Amy felt Shaer had become “mature.”
Perhaps it was this aura that made Shaer seem even more beautiful than before... though she was already quite stunning.
But feelings like this are subjective.
“Mature?” Adele blinked, then stepped right in front of Shaer, resting her palm on her chin and leaning forward to touch a bit of Shaer’s hair.
She didn’t notice that her chest nearly bumped into Shaer’s face, and Shaer had to lean back slightly to avoid being knocked over.
“Wow, you really have!” Adele stepped back, looking at Shaer with surprise. “You’ve grown a bit taller, Shaer!”
“Is that so? That’s great.” Shaer replied, a bit exasperated, glancing at the potato seedling on the table. “Are you all conducting experiments?”
“Yes, we’re observing whether this new potato variety can resist ‘blight.’”
Adele nodded and continued,
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