## CHAPTER 78: The Hospitality
The large, polished double doors at the end of the corridor were burst open by Zerav, and the four young nobles crossed the threshold into an entirely new wing of the estate. Once again, the sheer scale and meticulous decoration of the room left them completely jaw-dropped.
The walls were painted a deep, striking crimson red, soaring high toward the immensely vaulted ceiling. Massive, arched windows lined the outer perimeter, allowing the brilliant afternoon sunlight to practically bleed into the space, illuminating every corner with a warm, amber glow. Arranged perfectly in the center of the room were plush, red-velvet couches that practically oozed luxury. This was the left wing of the house, a grand reception hall specifically tailored to accommodate, comfort, and entertain visitors.
As they walked further into the room, their initial shock only deepened. Lyra unconsciously turned her head upward, her sharp eyes tracing the silhouette of a spectacular, crimson-colored crystal chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling. It perfectly matched the dramatic decor of the room, with absolutely no irregular colors or mismatched tones to disrupt the visual harmony. It was a masterclass in interior design—cohesive, imposing, and deeply sophisticated.
"Make yourself at home," Zerav said, stepping aside and gesturing toward the seating arrangement.
Surprisingly, his tone had shifted into something polite, fluid, and remarkably noble-like. The sudden change from a brooding, silent guide to a flawlessly courtly host found the young nobles feeling somewhat unsettled. They stared at him for a beat, wondering how a boy from the lower rings could mimic the mannerisms of the high court so effortlessly when he chose to.
Before anyone could comment, the secondary door connecting to the adjoining wing swung open, and Louisa walked into the room. The very moment her golden eyes landed on the group, an incredibly wide, radiant smile illuminated her beautiful features.
"Oh, dear guests!" she said, her melodic voice instantly melting the lingering tension in the air.
She quickly made her way toward them, her bright, sun-yellow hair tied elegantly to the back into a neat ponytail. Like Zerav, she had opted for something casual today—a simple, flowing white gown that reached well below her knees. Over it, however, she wore a heavily stained cloth apron, looking exactly like someone who had just frantically emerged from a bustling kitchen.
Louisa stopped a few feet in front of them, instinctively reaching out her arms to usher them into a warm, welcoming hug. But just as she stepped forward, she glanced down at her stain-filled apron, gasped softly, and immediately drew her hands back with a sheepish chuckle.
"How are you guys doing?" she asked, her golden eyes scanning each of their faces with genuine warmth.
"Very good," Lyra replied, a soft, rare smile gracing her lips.
"Fine," Elisa replied, her posture relaxing completely under Louisa's gentle aura.
"I'm always good!" Casel added with a bright grin, his confidence returning in full force.
"....."
The room fell into a brief, expectant quietness. Lyra, Casel, and Elisa all turned their heads to face Alium, who was yet to reply to her greeting.
But Alium didn't notice their stares. The young heir of the Castamir family found himself completely lost in Louisa's beauty. He truly hadn't expected this at all. The casual way she had tied her golden hair back gave her an innate, elegant beauty that simply could not be overshadowed by something as mundane as housework. Even with the conspicuous stains marking the apron wrapped around her waist, she looked utterly stunning—radiating a kind of pure, unpretentious grace that none of the high-born girls in the central district could ever replicate with all their expensive jewelry and silk gowns.
Finally snapping back to reality after what felt like an eternity, Alium noticed the heavy, expectant gazes of his peers locking onto him. His face instantly turned a deep, burning shade of red as he cleared his throat nervously.
"I'm... I'm fine," he managed to let out, his usual aristocratic articulation completely failing him.
Louisa smiled wholeheartedly at his flustered reaction. Unlike Zerav, who had spent the entire walk trying to bore a hole through Alium's skull with his eyes, Louisa didn't seem to harbor a single ounce of hatred, resentment, or hostility toward the noble boy.
"If you all had only informed me you were coming sooner, I would have had a proper dinner ready for your arrival," Louisa said, dusting her flour-draped hands against her apron with a theatrical sigh.
"Oh, that won't be necessary," Lyra replied quickly, maintaining her polite, diplomatic boundaries. "We really don't want to impose. We are just here to check on Caspian and see how he's recovering."
"Oh, Caspian is perfectly fine! In fact, he'll be down to join us in a few moments," Louisa insisted, waving off Lyra's polite resistance with an authoritative flick of her wrist. She clearly wasn't going to take no for an answer. "But I absolutely insist that you stay for dinner. We rarely get company out here, and it would break my heart to send you back on a long carriage ride empty-handed."
Seeing her fierce determination, Lyra looked at Casel and Elisa before finally nodding. They eventually agreed to the invitation.
"Wonderful!!!" Louisa said excitedly, clapping her hands together. She turned back toward the door she had entered through. "Oh, Lucy!!!" she called out in a melodic voice that sounded incredibly sweet, echoing beautifully through the high ceilings of the building.
A distant, sharp voice echoed back almost instantly from the hallway behind the door. "Yes, Lady Louisa?" the voice replied.
"Please bring out some fresh refreshments for our guests. We have company in the left wing!" Louisa commanded.
"Right away, Milady," the voice answered promptly.
Casel's eyebrows shot straight up into his hairline. "Lady...?" he muttered under his breath, leaning over toward Lyra. "Did that voice just call her *Milady*? Since when do commoners have staff?"
"Oh, please, have your seats!" Louisa ushered them warmly toward the crimson red velvet couches.
As she did, her golden eyes drifted past them, falling upon Zerav. The beast-kin had retreated to the back of the room, his broad back resting casually against the wooden doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest. He was watching Louisa with a distinctly devilish, handsome grin playing on his lips, clearly amused by her frantic hospitality.
"I do hope Zerav wasn't rude to you in any way on your way up," Louisa asked, casting a warning glare at the beast-kin.
"Not at all," Lyra lied flawlessly, offering a smooth, sweet smile. "He was such a perfect gentleman."
Casel and Alium violently snapped their heads around to look at Lyra in utter disbelief, their expressions screaming *are we talking about the same person?* But Lyra completely ignored them, never meeting their gazes as she elegantly took her seat on the velvet cushions.
As they finally settled down into the deep couches, which surrounded a pristine, transparent glass coffee table in the center of the room, Elisa's gaze suddenly fell upon a very familiar figure.
Laid back carelessly on one of the larger couches across from them was a girl, completely unbothered by their grand entrance. Her eyes were tightly closed, and she seemed to be fast, deeply asleep. She was dressed in a casual red shirt and simple brown shorts. Her short, crimson hair was incredibly rough and messy against the velvet cushion, sticking out in several chaotic directions. She looked remarkably peaceful while asleep—a stark contrast to her awake self at school, which was always so rowdy, loud, and aggressively chaotic. Yet, even in her resting state, she gave off a unique, savage, yet undeniably cute beauty that was altogether breathtaking.
A moment later, Lyra, Casel, and Alium's gazes followed Elisa's, and the exact same realization struck all of them. It was Edna.
"I hope our talking wouldn't wake her," Lyra whispered softly, leaning forward so as not to disturb the sleeping girl.
"Oh, no worries about that at all," Louisa said with a knowing smile. She walked over to the edge of the couch, leaning down slightly. "Edna, darling? Time to wake up, sweetie," she called out with her characteristic melodic voice.
Edna, who was completely fast and deep into the realm of sleep, merely groaned. She turned sideways on the velvet couch, pulling her knees up slightly, and murmured out a response in a tiny, remarkably babyish voice. "Just... five more minutes..."
"We have guests from the academy, Edna," Louisa said, her patient smile never wavering from her face.
"And so?" Edna muttered back, her eyes remaining completely closed as she hugged a velvet pillow tighter.
Louisa let out a soft, exhausted sigh, shaking her head. "Would you at least open your eyes to greet them properly? Let's not be rude to people who traveled all this way."
Edna groaned again, lazily rolling onto her back. Her eyelids fluttered open slightly, her vision foggy and lazy. As her eyes slowly adjusted, taking in the overly familiar faces of Lyra, Casel, Elisa, and Alium sitting directly across from her, she remained entirely unmoved, unbothered, and completely unfazed.
"What's up..." she forced herself to mumble, letting out a few lazy words before immediately rolling back over, closing her eyes, and drifting straight back to sleep.
Louisa sighed deeply, looking thoroughly exhausted by the display. "Oh dear... I am so incredibly sorry on her behalf. She can be a little... well, honestly, I have no words to describe her behavior sometimes."
"That's completely fine," Elisa said quickly, a bright, genuine smile illuminating her face as she looked at the sleeping crimson-haired girl. "She was the very first person to stand up for me at the academy when everyone else was laughing. She even defeated Storm Ciarus for me."
The room went dead silent for a fraction of a second. Alium's eyes went wide, his posture stiffening violently against the couch cushions as his jaw practically dropped.
"She... she beat Storm Ciarus?" Alium asked, his voice laced with a deep, profound shock. "She actually managed to defeat that absolute monster? The head of the lightning faction?"
Elisa nodded her head firmly, her eyes full of pride for her friend. "Yes. She completely crushed him."
Alium stared blankly at the sleeping, pouting girl in the red shirt, his mind wildly spinning. First Caspian, and now this girl. Just what kind of terrifying monsters were hiding under the banner of commoners?
Lyra, however, remained focused on the bigger picture. She adjusted her posture, looking up at Louisa with a serious, inquiring expression. "Where is Caspian? And... where is Silas?"
Louisa's cheerful demeanor softened slightly at the mention of the two names. She gently smoothed down the front of her stained apron.
"Oh, Caspian will be down to join us shortly. He's just finishing up his treatment upstairs," Louisa explained softly. Then, her eyes drifted toward the large windows, a faint shadow of gravity passing over her golden eyes. "As for Silas... I'm afraid we won't be seeing him around the estate for quite a while."
"Why's that?" Lyra asked her suspicion rising.
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