The grand estate was the same as what Sera remembered, although she saw several changes that Anna had made during her brief reign. A massive family portrait was hanging between two grand staircases. Sera stopped on her track and stared at it while Rowan stood a few meters behind her.
The portrait showed a younger version of herself seated beside her father. If Sera remembered it correctly, it was before her 12th birthday in her previous life that her father commissioned a master painter to do it. It must be the same in this current timeline and before Anna took over her body.
'Analyze the entire estate and tell me if there are hidden enemies or places I can utilize.' Sera commanded the system discreetly.
She took the stairs and walked on the familiar dark hallways with Rowan following her like a shadow. Her fingers trailed over walls as the system maps everything. Suddenly, a wave of data flashed before her eyes. Thankfully, it was only visible to her and not to Rowan.
[INITIATING FULL SPECTRAL SCAN...]
[TOPOLOGICAL MAP GENERATED]
» 7 hidden passages detected. 3 are known only to the Duke.
» 1 secret room found: Behind the north library wall. Signature: [BLOODFIRE LOCK].
» 14 listening enchantments found (Planters, Mirrors). Source: [ARGENTHAL HOUSE].
» 2 assassination wards (poison-needle traps) on the host's bedroom door. Installed: [LAST NIGHT].
[SECURITY ASSESSMENT]
» Royal Guards: 12 (Barrier Anchors). Threat: Low.
» Mage-Knights: 4 (Church Loyalists). Threat: High.
» House de Lys Retainers: 23 (True Loyalty: 89%).
[VP OPPORTUNITY: "+200 VP" - Poison the wine reserve for the Mage-Knights. Blame the Church.]
Sera inwardly laughed at the system's suggestion. It surely knew how to stir trouble. Why would it suggest something so dangerous? Perhaps it was testing her limits, pushing her to consider options that she would usually disregard.
[RESOURCE INVENTORY]
» Duke's War Room: 3 blood-iron blades (compatible with Bloodfire).
» Anna's Old Room: 1 journal (Last Entry: "Cedrick is hiding something").
» Underground Spring: Mana-rich; could be used to bypass wrist-seals with a blood ritual.
Sera stopped in her tracks. How come she never knew these passages and secrets in her own home? The underground spring could have immensely helped her in her previous life if she'd been aware of its existence.
"Is there a problem?" she heard Rowan ask, pulling her back to her senses.
"Nothing. I just felt it's been a long time since I had a good night's sleep, Sir Ashgrave." She answered, as she resumed walking towards her room, but halted the moment she reached it.
Sera might be reckless at times, but she had always been cautious. She would always find ways to minimize her losses. So when the system alerted her about traps hidden inside her room, it immediately piqued her attention.
Rather than simply dismantling the traps herself, she thought it would be the perfect opportunity to test Rowan's skills. It might reveal something about his intentions.
She had always known Rowan as someone with sharp instincts and a keen sense of awareness, often demonstrating uncanny abilities to read situations and detect dangers. After all, he was the one who managed to track her down before her downfall in her previous life when no one else could.
"Do you mind checking my room, Sir Ashgrave? Feel free to take items you deem I cannot use to escape." She said with a sly smile.
Rowan's face remained neutral, but Sera could sense his hesitation. It was a familiar sight that Sera hadn't seen from him for a long time. Rowan usually makes this expression whenever she challenges his moral aptitude and patience in her previous life.
"It's improper to invite a man into a lady's chamber, Lady de Lys," he answered after a long silence between them.
Sera let out a laugh, amused. After everything he had experienced on the battlefield, didn't he bend his will? Why was he still concerned about propriety and social expectations towards him?
"I assure you, Sir Ashgrave. I have never invited any other man into my chambers. You'll be the first." She said with a mischievous grin, her eyes glinting with playful challenge.
Rowan scowled at her in disbelief, knowing she was trying to get under his nerves. He crossed his arms over his chest before leaning back against the wall, refusing to give her the satisfaction of a reaction.
"Look, Sir Ashgrave," Sera lifted her wrists, showing him the mana cuffs. "I'm already like this. How would I know I'm not stepping into another trap in my own home? You are my prison warden, right? You must keep me safe."
Rowan glared at her wrists, as if seeing the mana cuffs offended him.
"What a foolish thing to say, Lady de Lys. I didn't ask to be your keeper, nor did I have a hand in placing those cuffs on you."
Sera rolled her eyes, the playful facade slightly diminishing as Rowan remained uncooperative.
"You might not have cuffed me yourself, but you certainly didn't decline your role as my keeper. I doubt you'd hesitate to report even the slightest infraction I make."
"You want me to refuse a royal decree openly, Lady de Lys?" Rowan arched an eyebrow. "In case no one has told you, your infractions have consequences."
Sera's playful expression vanished. Her eyes locked with Rowan as she tried not to lose her patience.
The system analyzed the stalemate between the two.
[SOCIAL COMBAT ANALYSIS: IMPASSE]
» Target (Rowan) is using defensive positioning. Refusal to enter room is a power play.
» Host's taunts are 87% effective at agitating target, but 0% effective at gaining compliance.
» Suggested Pivot: Appeal to his core identity as a Mage of the Tower, not a warden.
» Predicted VP Gain: +50 for successful ego goading.
"I'm not asking for a favor, Ashgrave. I'm requesting an expert opinion. Or has the Tower stopped teaching its apprentices how to detect basic assassination wards?" Sera said, following the system's suggestion. She had unconsciously called him by his family name, something she used to do during their time at the academy.
Rowan's jaw tightened. The insult to his expertise was something Sera had repeatedly used against him before, and she hadn't expected he would still fall for it.
"Do not mistake this for concern, de Lys," he said coldly, pushing off the wall.
He stepped past her into the room, his posture shifting from relaxed to hyper-aware. His eyes scanned the room, not for escape routes, but for magical signatures left behind other than Sera's.
[OBSERVING TARGET: SCAN IN PROGRESS]
» Method: Unorthodox. Not using standard Mage-Tower detection chants.
» Technique: Demon-blood resonance. Target is using his blood as a passive sensor, allowing ambient magic to "ripple" against his unique signature. Highly advanced. Highly heretical.
» Efficiency: 99.2%. Two traps are located in three seconds.
[WARNING: This method is undetectable by Church seals. Target has been hiding the full extent of his capabilities.]
Sera stared at Rowan's back. She was living her life for the second time, a rare chance that other people could only dream of. And yet, she still couldn't understand the person before her. He was like an enigma, like a complex formula she couldn't decipher.
As she stood there, Sera wondered if there would ever be a day when she fully understood him, or if he was one of those people who were not meant to be understood. After all, some mysteries were better left unsolved than lose oneself trying to decipher them.