At noon, a torrential rainstorm descended upon Ragunna.
The gale howled across the land, carrying the sharp crack of breaking branches, the groaning of wooden rooftops straining under the weight, the violent clatter of window frames slamming against their casements.
Faintly, one could almost hear ghostly wails intertwining with cries of human suffering, adding a deeper sense of foreboding to the storm.
Heaven and earth blurred in the furious wind and rain, even the most majestic mountains vanishing into that near-world-devouring darkness.
The air in the room was so thick it seemed it could be wrung out; each breath felt unbearably heavy.
Carlotta sat on the living room sofa, arms crossed.
The young woman's posture still maintained its usual elegance, but a careful observer would notice something different about her today, the finger stirring her coffee was pressing harder than usual, the knuckles pale.
She lifted her cup, the silver spoon tracing slow circles in the dark brown liquid until the last trace of sugar had completely dissolved.
Ray stood before her, head bowed, silent as a mountain.
Anby, too, had its little head lowered, kneeling motionless on the coffee table like a tiny statue awaiting judgment.
"Cat's Eye." The young woman's voice was soft, light as a falling feather, betraying no trace of emotion. Yet it was precisely this excessive calm that made the anger permeating the air all the more chilling.
"Didn't you say yesterday that you and Anby were at home watching TV?" The silver spoon gently tapped the rim of the cup, producing a clear, crisp sound. "Then why, after waiting here all night, did I not see a trace of either of you?"
Ray broke out in a cold sweat.
No, why did the Second Young Miss suddenly show up at my place?
At the end of the call yesterday, hadn't she said she was going to rest?
Why would she suddenly come to check up on me without saying anything?
"...So why am I kneeling too?"
Anby muttered softly, twisting its body in grievance.
Though it didn't know what was happening, judging by this strange atmosphere, it must be because of Ray that it was somehow implicated without reason.
"Yes, why is that?"
Though the mutter had been as soft as a breath, not a single word escaped Carlotta's ears.
She tilted her head, smiling at Anby.
But that smile sent chills down one's spine.
"Why don't you guess why you're kneeling too?" Her voice was sweet as honey, yet made Anby's every strand of fur stand on end. "Do you remember what I said when I bought you all those snacks?"
"I..."
Anby's little paw scratched its head uneasily. Memory suddenly surfaced, those mountains of cakes and puddings had been given in exchange for it keeping an eye on Ray, making sure he didn't flirt with others.
"Well... I forgot." It shrank its neck, quickly distancing itself from blame. "But what happened yesterday really wasn't my fault! I didn't even want to watch TV!"
"Oh?" Carlotta elegantly crossed her legs, the sound of rain outside serving as accompaniment to her interrogation. "Then where exactly did you two go yesterday? And why do you both... carry the same unfamiliar fragrance?"
Carlotta took a light sip of coffee, letting the bitterness spread across her tongue. Her gaze finally settled on Ray, her eyes deep and dark.
"Especially you, Cat's Eye. Last night... you didn't happen to soak in a pool of perfume, did you?"
"....Gulp."
Ray swallowed involuntarily.
Who could blame Cantarella for smelling so good?
He meant her room, her bedroom, and those incense sticks after staying there all night, the scent had naturally seeped into him.
"Well, Second Young Miss?"
"Yes, I'm listening."
"The truth is, yesterday—"
Ray's voice suddenly stopped.
There was a saying: a clear conscience fears no knock.
Nothing had happened between him and Cantarella yesterday, and besides, he had indirectly saved Ragunna.
He should be confident, not groveling before Carlotta like this.
Well, perhaps not that confident.
After all, he and Cantarella...
had probably slept in the same bed last night.
Following the principle of "less trouble is better," Ray hadn't intended to let Carlotta know about his visit to Cantarella at the Fisalia estate.
After all, the Montelli and Fisalia families had been at odds for a long time. Besides, Carlotta knew nothing of Cantarella's responsibilities, nor of the abyss and torment she faced.
But now, there was no hiding it.
He took a deep breath and finally made up his mind.
"Here's what happened..."
Gritting his teeth, he laid out everything that had occurred the previous night, plainly and clearly before Carlotta.
Carlotta's originally dark expression gradually turned grave as Ray spoke. She lightly stroked her fair chin with her hand, nodding from time to time.
Of course, Ray didn't tell her everything.
He left out his experience of sharing a bed with Cantarella.
"So you went to her at Cantarella's invitation, to resolve the Fisalia family's crisis, all to repay the debt of her earlier help?" Carlotta lightly bit her lip, lost in thought.
"The Sentinel's true face, the Fisalia legacy, the Threnodia's invasion..." She murmured these key words. "I never imagined the secrets the Montelli family has pursued for years would have been held all along by the Fisalia."
"But..."
Carlotta paused here, raising her head to look at Ray again. This time, however, her gaze held more complex emotions.
"These kinds of secrets are probably unknown even to many within the Fisalia family. So why would Cantarella tell all of this to you?"
Ray shook his head. "I don't know either. Anyway, Second Young Miss, these secrets... are too alarming. The Order of the Deep's power is still immense. For now, you'd better not tell anyone else."
"Of course I know." Carlotta's gaze drifted to the rain-shrouded street outside the window, her voice turning ethereal. "Until we've rooted out the traitor within the family, I won't act recklessly. Ragunna isn't ready for this truth right now."
"But... even knowing all this, there's nothing we can do about it for now. Very well, we'll let the matter of you going to the Fisalia without telling me slide for now."
Hearing this, Ray's tense shoulders finally relaxed slightly.
"But—"
Several low rumbles of thunder rolled across the sky. The sudden downpour was torn by the wind into fine mist, spreading beyond the window.
The corner of Carlotta's mouth curved into a cold arc as she gently slid her terminal across the table toward him.
"Shouldn't you explain this?" Her fingertip tapped the screen. "What does this message mean?"
Ray looked down blankly, it was the communication interface between her and him.
In the late hours of the previous night, beneath a message from the Second Young Miss, a reply was clearly appended:
[Shh, he's already asleep.]
Ray saw those words and felt as if struck by lightning.