"Leaving again?"
The question echoed in Sylas's mind.
From Ravenhold to Lorynth, from Northspire to Ironpeak.
Never having a fixed abode, always at the mercy of others.
Going to Hanvale meant cutting ties with Stonewold.
It wasn't that he was reluctant, just weary.
Right now, he was being bullied by Mirabel. In Hanvale, he might just find himself under a different mistress.
He glanced at Seraphina, his heart filled with unease.
Would following her mean freedom from coercion?
Hah, unlikely.
He was practically traumatized at this point.
Sylas asked hesitantly, "Then… how would you treat me in Hanvale, Sister?"
Seraphina was slightly taken aback. "Treat you how? You'll help me cultivate the potion.
Once it's done, I'll pay you a sum of money, and you can go wherever you wish.
I have important matters to attend to.
My focus must remain on my spiritual cultivation."
"Sister… you don't covet physical beauty, right?" Sylas ventured cautiously.
Seraphina: "Preposterous! I am a woman of the cloth. How could I care for such trivialities?
Do I seem lustful to you?
Luna, you tell him."
Luna murmured: "Hard to say…"
"Nonsense! I am pure of heart!
Since when have I been known for lust?" Seraphina flared up in anger.
Luna hurriedly apologized: "I recognize Master's self-control, it's just…"
It was just that she also recognized Sylas's allure.
One couldn't help but be fond of him.
And, coincidentally, he tended to yield under pressure, becoming more pliant the more he was bullied.
This naturally gave people opportunities.
"So that's settled then! Good. The Puppet-Heart Potion is of great use to me; it is for the benefit of all mankind.
Let us act swiftly."
Seraphina gave Luna a talisman that allowed her to revert to her white cat form.
Afterward, Luna left the Chancellor's estate on her own, finding a merchant caravan headed for Hanvale to hitch a ride with.
Stonewold coveted Hanvale intensely.
But, hindered by the formidable Sanguan Fort, Stonewold couldn't easily advance into Hanvale.
Sylas had once discussed southern expansion ideas with Gwendolyn during casual conversation.
But Gwendolyn had said that because Aethelred was always looking westward, Stonewold simply couldn't spare the troops to plan an invasion of the western regions.
Now, although the internal strife in Aethelred had reached a fever pitch, leaving them no time for external affairs, Gwendolyn was bedridden, and the idea of moving south had to be shelved once again.
"Perhaps it's for the best not to go south. If it truly is as Seraphina says, and going to Hanvale means safety, then perhaps it's not a bad idea.
But…"
His thoughts were a tangled mess, and his mind drifted back to Northspire.
If he left this time, he would never be able to return.
He bid farewell to Seraphina and walked back, his spirit utterly defeated.
Then, an unfamiliar maidservant quietly approached him.
Sylas was slightly surprised.
The woman suddenly handed him a letter, then quickly walked away.
Before Sylas could say anything, she had vanished.
He was greatly alarmed.
Who was that?
Was the Chancellor's estate no longer safe?
He thought about ordering a search, but as if guided by a ghost, he quietly took the letter back to his room.
He closed the door, opened the envelope alone, and read it.
Inside was a single thin sheet of paper.
A short message was written on it.
[Lord Sylas, Selene has started speaking.
I am teaching her to say "Papa," but she cannot see her father.
If you wish to see the child, you can come to Eastriver City.
-Celeste.]
Sylas's breathing quickened drastically. He looked at the brief message, feeling as if pierced by ten thousand arrows. Tears streamed down uncontrollably.
Because of this child, he had nearly died.
And now, from her birth until now, a year old, he had never seen her in person.
His heart grew heavier and heavier, until he finally collapsed onto the bed, devoid of strength.
He wallowed in his grief until noon, when a maidservant coming to attend to him discovered he had developed a fever.
This thoroughly alarmed Mirabel.
Even the bedridden Gwendolyn was worried.
He was their precious jewel; he had to be taken care of.
Fortunately, Seraphina was there. She immediately began treating Sylas.
After an examination, Seraphina turned her cold expression towards Mirabel and said, "There's nothing seriously wrong with him. He is simply overexerted."
She instantly felt somewhat ashamed and said, "Thank you for your concern, Sister. Could you treat him?
Perhaps with some tonics?"
Seraphina: "He needs ample rest."
"Very well…" Mirabel conceded helplessly.
Since the Sister said so, she couldn't very well argue.
She looked at Sylas on the bed and said sincerely, "Then rest well. I will take care of Auntie Gwendolyn these days."
"Please tell Her Ladyship I am fine…" Sylas weakly instructed.
"Don't worry, I know what to say," Mirabel said, patting the quilt covering him before quietly leaving.
Once they were alone, Seraphina looked at him with amusement and said softly, "How will you thank me?"
"Thank you for what?" Sylas asked confusedly.
"I told a lie for you. You're not tired; you are afflicted by sorrow and depression. It's a sickness of the heart."
Sylas covered up: "Being like this every day, it's natural to have a sickness of the heart."
Seraphina shook her head: "No, this particular heart sickness only afflicts men.
Especially men who have borne children.
Not seeing the child for a long time leads to lovesickness.
The Crown Princess of Aethelred, Selene, is currently in Northspire Palace. You miss her dearly, don't you?"
"Sigh..."
Sylas could not hide it from Seraphina.
She was a highly accomplished master.
He said in a low voice, "Celeste from Northspire sent me a letter, asking me to meet her in Eastriver City.
I… I don't dare go.
I also don't want her to go. Eastriver City is Stonewold territory.
She is the Duchess of Arbor of Aethelred, and she would be bringing the child.
Although our nations are at peace, still…"
He seemed agitated, his face flushed abnormally from the fever.
Seraphina pressed two fingers together, forming a sword gesture, and touched his forehead.
A cool energy flowed into his mind.
It gradually calmed him down.
Seraphina said, "You overthink things. It is unnecessary."
With the help of her spiritual energy, Sylas gradually became clearer-headed.
He looked at Seraphina and suddenly said, "I understand. I know what I must do."
Seraphina looked at him curiously, waiting for him to continue.
But he kept his mouth sealed.
In the following days, to recover, he cooperated actively with the treatment.
Once his fever subsided, he proposed at court that he personally go to Eastriver City to supervise the restoration work on Jade Citadel and Sentinel Peaks.
During the campaign to halt the Aethelredian army, Jade Citadel had played an invaluable role.
But Sentinel Peaks to the east had fallen quickly.
It was only because Isolde had been somewhat overconfident and gotten bogged down at Jade Citadel.
Therefore, Stonewold must strengthen the defenses of Sentinel Peaks; at the very least, they shouldn't fall so quickly next time.
Mirabel did not want him to go.
However, Gwendolyn's health was improving daily, and Seraphina had advised her not to "overexert" Sylas lately, so she reluctantly agreed.
Thus, Sylas was fortunate enough to journey to Eastriver City.
His stay here would not be long, a fortnight at most.