A soft rustle followed behind me.
I stopped.
The rustling stopped too.
I looked over my shoulder.
The earth fairy stood a few steps behind me.
'Is it following me?'
I took another step, It follows.
I walked farther, It follows again.
And again.
And again.
All the way back toward the estate, the little earth fairy continued trailing after me at the same careful distance. It never came too close, but it never strayed too far either.
I stared at it in disbelief.
The fairy only looked up at me calmly.
It would hop behind a stone, duck beneath a leaf, or hide behind the edge of a flowerpot before peeking out again with those same calm, unreadable eyes.
The fairy tilted its head.
I narrowed my eyes.
By the time I reached my room, the fairy was still there.
It entered behind me without making a sound, slipping through the doorway before I could close it properly. Once inside, it immediately hid near the corner of the room, behind the leg of a small table.
I stared at the corner.
The earth fairy stared back.
For a few seconds, we simply looked at one another.
Kel, who had been fixing the folded clothes on the shelf, noticed my silence.
Kel followed my gaze and frowned.
"My lady, what are you looking at?"
I let out a sigh.
"Nothing."
The fairy slowly leaned farther behind the table leg, as if hiding half of its body would somehow make it invisible.
Kel's lips parted, perhaps to answer, but before she could say anything, the earth fairy suddenly darted out from the corner.
It ran straight toward Kel.
'Oh?'
I look at it curiously.
'Is it because Kel is an Earth element?'
Something small moved near Kel's back.
Another earth fairy peeked out.
I froze.
Kel's fairy suddenly pops out behind her hair.
The two fairies stared at each other.
Silence filled the room.
The two earth fairies launched themselves at each other.
I gasped.
They tumbled across the floor in a blur of tiny limbs, fluttering leaves, and angry little squeaks. One grabbed the other by the head. The other kicked. They rolled beneath the table, bumped against the leg of a chair, and bounced back out again like two furious balls of moss.
"What in the—"
I rushed forward without thinking.
My foot caught against the edge of my skirt.
The world tilted.
I slipped.
"Ah—!"
"My lady!"
Her voice was full of panic as she hurriedly pulled me upright, one hand supporting my arm while the other steadied my waist.
The two earth fairies were no longer fighting.
They float near, steadily calm.
'What in the world...'
"My lady, perhaps you should sit down."
I kept staring at the empty space only I could see.
Kel really looks at me confused.
'One earth fairy following me was already fine.'
'But two fairies fighting in my room and pretending nothing happened was worse.'
I exhaled slowly.
For the past few days it just stand by the corner.
I stopped several times and tried to catch it.
Each time, the fairy slipped away.
Just far enough that my hand could not reach it.
As soon as a new batch of flowers arrives, it would eventually happily eat from there.
And for the past few days, I remain obedient.
Following the Former Duke's advice.
'I have no one to trust, nothing to escape from.'
I grip my hand tightly.
'One year is already too much.'
—Few days later—
—knock, knock, knock—
"Come in."
The door opened.
The moment I saw who stood beyond it, I rose from my seat almost at once.
"High Priest!"
Cassien entered with his usual composed and gentle expression, His robes fell neatly around him as he bowed.
"Hello Lady Velora."
I returned the bow.
The atmosphere shifted the moment the door closed.
I looked toward Kel.
"Kel, guard the door. Do not let anyone in."
"Yes, my lady."
She bowed deeply before leaving the room. The door closed softly behind her, and the faint sound of her footsteps stopped just beyond it.
Only when I was certain she remained outside did Cassien lift his hand.
White fairies emerged around him.
They drifted through the air like small pieces of light, silent and weightless. Their bodies glowed faintly before their elements collided in the middle of the room.
A sharp flash burst outward, like a flashbang from Valor ranting.
'AAAAA.'
I flinched and raised my hand before my eyes.
When the light faded, the room looked different. Threads of pale illumination stretched across the walls, ceiling, and floor, forming a thin barrier that shimmered like glass.
'I can never get used to his surveillance-blocking powers.'
Cassien turned toward me.
"Have a seat, my lady."
I sat back down, though my fingers had already curled against the armrest.
"I received your letter regarding the mines."
For the past few months, I had been relying on Cassien's help more than I expected. I knew the High Priest had influence, but I never realized how many hands could move quietly under his command.
'He never found the need to question me, and I never questioned his.'
'Though, I still cannot tell if he is some hidden boss villain working through the shadows, or someone quietly manipulating the whole world.'
But of course, even the High Priest could not investigate people for free.
When I asked what kind of payment he wanted, I had already prepared myself to offer jewelry and other valuables from my closet. I could have them sold quietly to provide funds for the people working under him.
But Cassien only shook his head.
"There is no need to worry, Lady Velora. I only have two requests."
I looked at him suspiciously.
I agreed, though not without caution.
"Fine. What is it."
Cassien looked at me calmly.
"Allow me to continue meeting you like this."
I blinked.
"That's it?"
"Yes."
Cassien looks at me not shifting the composed smile he's been wearing since.
I stared at him, confused.
"Sure…?"
His expression did not change.
"What is the other one?"
"I will tell you once your ban is lifted."
His expression finally change into a gentle smile.
'At the time, I accepted it without thinking too deeply.'
'But now that I think about it…'
'He still has not told me what the second request is.'
Cassien stepped forward and placed several folded documents on the table.
"I confirmed movement within Minerila."
I reached for the first page.
The moment my eyes scanned the contents, a scoff escaped my lips.
Not because it was amusing.
Because, after months of clawing through silence, I could finally feel the edges of my prey.
"Illegal trade."
"Not in the way most nobles would define it."
Cassien's gaze lowered to the seal.
"The records were altered. Quantities were reduced on paper, yet the mine output never decreased."
My grip tightened.
"What were they doing?"
Cassien's eyes lifted to mine.
"The better question is where the ores went."
I fell silent.
"Have you heard the old myth about fairies, Lady Velora?"
I frown.
"They say fairies were once minerals before they became spirits of nature. That their colors came from the earth before they learned to take form."
"And do you know what ore has six colors, my lady?"
I tilt my head in confusion.
Cassien finally opens his mouth.
"Bornite."
"Also known as peacock ore. Its surface is colorful and iridescent, almost like peacock feathers."
He placed another paper on the table.
"The only ore you will never find in Minerila."
"Huh?" I frowned.
"Isn't Minerila the largest mining territory?"
"If we look back at the records from years ago, it states that the bornite deposits had finally stopped being mined due to shortage. They were declared exhausted."
Cassien suddenly gives me more documents.
I eyes widened.
"They're still getting bornite?"
"Correct but from where?"
I lowered my gaze to the papers.
If bornite was lighter, perhaps it would have been easier to hide. But bornite was heavier than ordinary decorative stones. If it was still going in and out of Minerila, there were only a few possibilities.
"Either there was an underground mine hidden somewhere beneath the official one, or—"
I suddenly interrupt Cassien.
"They are doing something to recreate artificial bornite?"
Cassien looked at me.
"Oh my, my lady. You truly are sharp."
Without another word, he released another set of papers onto the table.
The sheets slid across the surface, filled with notes, diagrams, and copied records.
"When certain ores come into contact with elemental force, the minerals absorb traces of that element and become elemental conductors."
I stared at the words.
"What do you mean?"
Cassien's expression did not change.
"Fairies."
I froze.
"They use fairies, my lady."
The shock struck me straight to my core.
For a moment, I could not comprehend what I had heard.
The story I used to read had once looked like a cute, gentle shoujo world suddenly turned serious.