## CHAPTER 79: The Lady of Winter
As the soft amber light of the afternoon continued to pour through the vaulted windows, the atmosphere in the room began to shift. Lyra sat forward on the plush velvet couch, her sharp, analytical gaze locked entirely onto Louisa. She wasn't about to let the subject of Silas's sudden absence drop so easily.
"If he's not at the estate, where exactly did he go, Louisa?" Lyra pressed, her tone perfectly balanced between polite curiosity and the authoritative edge of a seasoned investigator.
Louisa merely smiled, her expression remaining beautifully serene as she elegantly smoothed the front of her stained apron. "Oh, Silas is just handling a few personal matters in the lower territories, Lyra.I never said he wasn't in the estate"
"Then where is He then?" Lyra countered, narrowing her eyes.
"It is nothing you should put your mind into dear" Louisa interrupted smoothly, her melodic voice expertly twisting and swaying around the question. She offered a series of vague, comforting words, masterfully redirecting the flow of the conversation without ever providing a single straight answer.
Lyra's jaw tightened slightly. She could recognize a deflection from a mile away, and Louisa was doing it with the practiced grace of a high-court diplomat. But just as Lyra prepared to push harder, a sudden shift in the room's energy cut her off.
Zerav, who was still resting his broad shoulders against the wooden doorframe at the back of the room, watched the entire exchange with a wide, intense grin playing across his features. His purple eyes suddenly flickered toward the corridor, his smile deepening as he stepped to the side.
Slowly, a elegant figure walked right past the beast-kin, stepping gracefully into the brilliant light of the crimson-walled room.
"Oh, dear... I was never told we would be having such distinguished company today," the figure spoke. Her melodious voice instantly cut through the heavy tension of the room, carrying a rich, velvety warmth that caught everyone's immediate attention. All eyes fell upon her in unison.
Lyra and Louisa instantly ceased their quiet tug-of-war, turning their heads toward the new arrival.
"They are friends from the academy," Louisa replied, her tone shifting into one of profound, deep-seated respect. "They all traveled all this way just to check on Caspian's condition."
"That is very nice of them," the lady replied, offering a gentle, radiant smile as she made her way toward the large couch where Edna was currently resting.
Curiously, as if sensing the woman's exact presence, the sleeping, chaotic Edna immediately perked up. Her eyes fluttered open, still heavy and sleepy, but the moment the lady sat down on the edge of the velvet cushions, Edna didn't hesitate for a single second. She lazily laid back down, placing her rough, crimson-haired head directly into the woman's lap. The lady let out a soft, affectionate chuckle, her slender fingers moving to gently stroke the girl's messy hair, and Edna instantly drifted right back into a deep, peaceful sleep.
As the woman settled alongside them, the four young nobles found themselves utterly unable to take their eyes off her. She was breathtakingly beautiful. She possessed long, cascading hair of a light blue hue—a shade much lighter, purer, and more ethereal than Caspian's deep sapphire tone. Her eyes held striking, light blue pupils that seemed to reflect the pristine clarity of an untouched winter sky. She was dressed in a moderately plain, unornamented house gown, yet the simple fabric did absolutely nothing to mask the innate, commanding beauty and quiet majesty she radiated.
Lyra, Casel, Elisa, and Alium sat in a stunned, breathless silence, their eyes fixed entirely on her every movement. The lady stopped stroking Edna's hair for a brief moment, turning her gentle, brilliant gaze toward the row of couches.
"It truly warms my heart to see that Caspian has managed to find such loyal friends at the academy," she said softly.
Lyra, quickly recovering her aristocratic manners, straightened her posture and cleared her throat politely. "Yes, ma'am. Please, allow us to introduce ourselves properly—"
"Oh, no formal introductions are needed, my dear," the woman cut in gently, her light blue eyes gleaming with an ancient, terrifyingly sharp intelligence. "I already know exactly who you all are."
The group stiffened as the lady smoothly turned her head, her gaze locking onto the boy sitting nervously at the far edge of the sofa.
"Alium Castamir," she said, her voice carrying a weight that made Alium's heart skip a beat. "From the noble House Castamir. The 5th born son to Diablo Castamir."
Alium swallowed hard, unable to find his tongue as she gracefully shifted her gaze toward the elven girl sitting beside Casel.
"Elisa Moonshade, from the noble House Moonshade," she continued, her expression softening into one of gentle appreciation. "You are of pure Elven nobility. Your people's connection to the ambient flow of natural mana is a beautiful thing to behold. I trust the academy is treating your heritage with the respect it deserves."
Elisa blinked, dipping her head in a polite, slightly awed bow.
The lady then turned her striking blue eyes toward Casel, a faint, amused smile touching her lips. "Casel Ashbourne, from the noble House Ashbourne. Although, if I may be perfectly candid, you don't exactly portray the rigid, stifling look of typical nobility... and neither does your father, whom I once had the rare privilege to meet during the older days."
Casel's eyes instantly went wide, his entire body perking up with sudden, intense excitement. "Really?! You met my old man? Wait, he never told me he knew anyone this—"
Before Casel could finish his thought, the woman's gaze finally settled upon Lyra. The atmosphere in the room seemed to drop by a fraction of a degree, the air growing thick with an unsaid reverence.
"And lastly... Lyra Valerius," the lady spoke, her voice dropping into a tone of quiet, profound significance. "Quite frankly, I never for once imagined that the prestigious Valerius heir, the only daughter to the legendary Crimson Riot himself, would step foot inside my humble abode." She paused, her smile returning in full, radiant force. "I am deeply honored to have you all here today."
The four nobles were left entirely speechless. Silence stretched across the crimson reception hall, thick and heavy with bewilderment.
"Now," the lady said, seeing their bewildered expressions as she resumed gently stroking the sleeping Edna's crimson hair. "Since I have had my turn... why don't I properly introduce myself? I am Aurora Frostveil."
The name echoed through the grand room, beautiful. The rest of the group, still completely stunned by her, simply didn't know how to respond.
Lady Aurora turned her head slightly, looking toward Louisa, who had been standing quietly by the side of the couches with a soft, knowing smile resting on her face.
"Louisa, dear," Aurora asked gently, "have you gotten our young guests some refreshments yet? They have traveled quite a long distance to get here."
"Oh, Lucy is currently bringing them out from the kitchen," Louisa said, turning her golden eyes back toward the side door she had previously emerged from. A split second later, a soft rattle of porcelain could be heard approaching. "Ah, speak of the devil."
The door swung inward, and a figure walked into the crimson room. She had black hair, red pupils not as bright as Silas's and was dressed in a pristine, impeccably tailored maid's gown of stunning black and white silk, carrying a massive silver tray loaded with steaming teapots and delicate glass cups.
### AUTHOR'S NOTE
*We are officially moving into Chapter 80! I am so incredibly excited for those of you who have read this far into the story. If you are loving the journey and the mysteries unfolding around Caspian's family, please don't hesitate to leave a comment, share your thoughts, or just express yourself! Thank you all so much for the incredible support, and I really hope we see this story all the way through to its epic end! Stay tuned!*