Hearing Count Laurien's words, Gwen showed no expression.
But from the way she kept nodding, it was easy to see that she was very satisfied with Count Laurien's arrangements.
Aurelian, meanwhile, stood to the side and blinked in confusion.
'Wait, what just happened?'
'Teacher Viktor is going to sleep in the same room as Teacher Gwen!?'
'And what did that larger bathtub mean!?'
Aurelian really wanted to ask exactly what was going on, but no one gave her the chance.
Because Viktor had already nodded and politely responded to Count Laurien, "Then I'll thank the count for the arrangement."
Before the stunned Aurelian could say anything, a servant had already arrived in front of her.
"Honored guest, please allow me to guide you to your room."
Aurelian blinked again. In the end, she could only nod, her mind somewhat confused as the servant led her into the castle.
Vanilla followed steadily behind Aurelian.
At this moment, Count Laurien raised his head again and looked toward Viktor.
To be precise, he looked toward the neatly arranged demi-human guards.
Seeing so many demi-humans made him feel a bit troubled.
The knights were easy to handle. Their horses could be placed in the stables, and the knights themselves could rest in a shared dormitory.
But these demi-humans… where should they be arranged?
Prepare rooms for them as well?
Preparing rooms for demi-humans would mean he had gone mad.
But before he could do anything, those masked demi-humans quickly scattered.
In the blink of an eye, they turned into several dark shadows and dispersed in all directions, disappearing without a trace.
The cat-eared guards leaped onto trees to perch, while the dog-eared guards slipped into the forests and fields, hiding their forms and presence.
These demi-humans possessed animal-like instincts and body structures, which meant they never cared about the environment they rested in.
Seeing them leave so quickly made the nobles gasp in surprise.
Even Count Laurien's eyes narrowed slightly, somewhat astonished by their speed.
When they disappeared, they had not made a single sound.
If one did not observe carefully, no one would even notice that under the night sky, a cat-eared demi-human might be hiding somewhere nearby.
If such agility and silence were used in assassination missions, these demi-humans would definitely perform better than humans.
Count Laurien was even more curious about why they had suddenly scattered.
Just as he was wondering about it, he heard Viktor calmly say, "I told them to find places to rest on their own."
"Tomorrow morning, they will gather here again. There is no need for the count to worry."
Seeing this, Count Laurien felt surprised once again.
The discipline and self-management of these demi-humans were even stricter than that of ordinary soldiers in the kingdom.
Could demi-humans really achieve this?
Although impressed, Count Laurien still felt a bit regretful.
'Ah, what a pity.'
'No matter how excellent they are, they are still demi-humans.'
Beasts were, after all, beasts.
They could not compare with humans.
Not having to prepare rooms for those demi-humans made Laurien feel relieved as he let out a breath.
He stopped thinking about the demi-humans and instead smiled at the group, extending a hand toward the massive castle.
"Everyone, please."
———
Aurelian was led through the enormous castle by a servant.
The grand castle was extremely magnificent. Although it was not as luxurious as the royal palace, it was still extravagantly decorated.
A red carpet woven with gold threads covered the entire corridor, while bright white lights shone down around them, clear and brilliant.
Vases stood one by one along the corridor, filled with all kinds of colorful flowers.
This environment made Aurelian feel quite comfortable. It clearly showed that Count Laurien had put great effort into receiving them.
Although it was most likely because he wanted to make a good impression in front of her grandfather.
Aurelian understood very well how these nobles thought.
When passing by a certain room, Aurelian suddenly paused.
It was as if she had sensed something, and she couldn't help walking toward the room.
Soft light leaked from the crack in the door, but a sign hung on the door itself.
Driven by strong curiosity, Aurelian stepped forward and turned the sign over.
But what appeared before her eyes was a string of alarming red words, like a warning.
'Do Not Enter. Leave Immediately!'
Looking at the door sign, Aurelian felt a sudden chill.
So she asked curiously, "This room… is there something inside?"
Seeing Aurelian's reaction, the maid calmly replied.
"This is the madam's residence. She has always rested here."
'The madam? Count Laurien's wife?'
'Why would Count Laurien's wife stay inside a room marked as forbidden?'
The servant seemed to notice Aurelian's confusion and explained again, "The madam prefers quiet, so she put up this sign to avoid being disturbed while resting."
The explanation sounded reasonable. Although Aurelian still felt something was strange, she returned to her senses.
After all, this was someone else's home. It was better not to be too curious.
Just as she turned the sign back over and placed it on the door again, suddenly the servant beside her let out a voice of great surprise.
"Miss, why did you come out…?"
Hearing the voice, Aurelian turned to look in the direction of the servant.
At some unknown moment, a girl about the same age as her had appeared at the corner of the corridor.
The girl had long silver hair identical to Aurelian's, but her white hair looked unnaturally pale.
Her equally pale face made her look somewhat weak, yet under the light her red pupils appeared even more enchanting.
Her delicate facial features carried a trace of sorrow.
Even though it was late at night, she was wearing an elegant black dress, with a red shawl slowly draping down her body.
She also wore a pair of black leather boots.
Aurelian could not help glancing downward, and immediately felt a slight sense of defeat.
Because the black dress tightly outlined her figure, accentuating its full curves just right.
When Aurelian looked back at her delicate face again, she noticed something in her expression…
Fear?
The two looked directly at each other.
The next second, the girl suddenly ran quickly down the path Aurelian had come from.
Aurelian quickly turned to look, but in the blink of an eye, the girl's figure had already disappeared into the long corridor.
This left Aurelian even more confused.
How did a living person suddenly disappear right in front of her eyes?
At that moment, the previously calm servant now seemed somewhat anxious.
She hurriedly explained to Aurelian, "Honored guest, please do not mind what just happened."
"That was the young lady, the count's daughter."
After saying this, she closed her mouth.
From her expression, it was clear she did not want to tell Aurelian anything more.
Aurelian naturally noticed her unusual reaction, but she simply waved her hand to show she did not mind, then continued forward with the servant.
After all, this was someone else's home.
Even if she was curious, Aurelian could not openly show it.
The servant led Aurelian and Vanilla into a large, spacious, and brightly lit room, then respectfully bowed to them.
"If the two of you need anything, please inform me at any time."
After saying this, the maid left without any hesitation.
Only then did Aurelian finally have the chance to look around the room.
The entire room was extremely luxurious and spacious, brightly illuminated so that it almost felt like a paradise.
The extravagant furniture constantly revealed a noble and refined atmosphere. Even the vase beside the bed was painted with exquisite oil paintings.
It was easy to imagine that Count Laurien was extremely wealthy.
Which was normal, considering he owned such a vast territory and so many farmlands.
Combined with the blessing of the Goddess of Fertility, every year allowed Count Laurien to earn huge profits.
Aurelian sat on the soft, elastic bed and leaned back, bouncing slightly in the softness, her mind filled with thoughts.
Who exactly was that girl just now?
And why did Count Laurien prepare a larger bathtub for Teacher Viktor? Does that mean Teacher Viktor and Teacher Gwen are going to bathe together!?
Thinking of this, she suddenly sat upright, the two thoughts clashing continuously in her mind.
So what exactly was going on with that girl just now? And why was that room forbidden to approach?
'Ah! This is unbelievable... Teacher Viktor and Teacher Gwen are going to spend the night together! I can't stand it!'
Aurelian's thoughts tangled like a knotted rope, making her roll around on the bed involuntarily.
Meanwhile, Vanilla stood in the corner of the spacious room, a deep green light appearing in her eyes.
In Vanilla's vision, the environment gradually became swallowed by thick darkness. Sticky blackness tightly wrapped around everything, and even Aurelian's face gradually blurred.
Only the flowing magic around her gently outlined the surrounding objects. Everything became hazy, leaving only vague outlines.
Aside from Aurelian, she could no longer see the presence of any other living being.
When her vision returned to clarity, Vanilla bowed respectfully to Aurelian.
"Your Highness."
"It can be confirmed that this place is safe."
Aurelian nodded gently, but worry still lingered on her face, and her brows remained slightly tense.
At that moment, Vanilla immediately moved closer to her, lowering her voice as she quietly said, "Your Highness, I just confirmed something. I believe I must inform you."
Aurelian slowly raised her head, her eyes filled with confusion as she looked at Vanilla.
Vanilla took a deep breath and said solemnly, "The one we saw just now, the count's daughter…"
"She is not human."
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