Aurelian was lying on the pure white velvet bed, wearing silver silk pajamas.
She felt the softness beneath her, tossing and turning, yet she simply couldn't fall asleep.
Her eyes followed the moonlight as it shone through the curtains and reflected in her pupils.
After thinking for a while, she finally sat up.
She gently pressed her forehead. Her mind was filled with Vanilla's words.
"That girl isn't human."
To be fair, staying in a strange place and hearing such a frightening piece of news made Aurelian feel a little uneasy.
Because when Vanilla said "human," she didn't mean that the other party wasn't human as a species.
She simply meant that the other party…
"I didn't sense any signs of life from her."
At the time, Vanilla's eyes were full of seriousness as she said that to Aurelian.
Every time Aurelian remembered Vanilla's solemn tone and serious expression, a chill would run through her heart.
'Not human, and without signs of life...'
'Wouldn't that mean an undead!?'
Aurelian gripped the blanket tightly and immediately lay down, pulling the blanket over her head.
She had absolutely no doubt about the truth in Vanilla's words.
Aurelian knew that Vanilla possessed a very unique ability. This power allowed her to detect whether living creatures existed nearby.
Even special existences like those believers couldn't hide from her sight.
Yet she hadn't sensed any sign of life from the girl in the black dress.
That could only mean the other party might be something like a soul.
That also explained why when Aurelian turned around, the girl had suddenly disappeared.
Thinking about this made Aurelian even more frightened.
Even if she had to face a magical beast dozens of times larger than herself, Aurelian would never look this miserable.
But that kind of thing was different.
A person without signs of life... wasn't that just a dead person?
Someone who had already died could come back?
How was that even possible?
But then she suddenly remembered what Vanilla had said.
"I can't really tell what it is either."
She remembered that when Vanilla noticed she was a little scared, she had taken the initiative to comfort her.
"Your Highness, please don't be afraid."
"If something does happen."
"Our master is still here."
———
Aurelian lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
She had to admit, Vanilla's words were very effective.
Just as she said, teacher Viktor's strength made it feel as if everything was under control.
He always brought everyone a sense of reassurance.
Thinking of Viktor's broad figure, Aurelian's heart, which had been tense to the limit, gradually calmed down.
'Right, teacher…'
She sat up straight.
'What is teacher doing right now?'
Aurelian raised her head and looked at the moon, which had already been covered by dark clouds, feeling a little curious.
She got out of bed, put on her slippers, and carefully walked around the room.
When passing the sofa, Aurelian deliberately slowed her steps and glanced slightly to the side.
On the sofa beside the fireplace, Vanilla was curled up like a small cat.
Her tail brushed past her feet as she hugged it in her arms.
Only the faint sound of her sleeping breaths could be heard.
Aurelian didn't wake her. Tiptoeing like a cat even more than Vanilla herself, she quietly walked to the door.
She carefully turned the lock on the door.
A soft "click" startled Aurelian.
She quickly turned to look and saw that Vanilla was still sleeping soundly. Only then did she relax again.
Aurelian stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her.
Standing alone in the lonely corridor, the only sound was Aurelian's footsteps echoing across the warm red carpet, circling through the silent stillness.
The surroundings were so quiet that it made her slightly afraid.
What if she ran into that ghost again?
Would it eat her?
The more Aurelian thought about it, the more frightened she became, and her steps unconsciously sped up.
However, as she walked, she suddenly realized something.
She didn't know where she was going.
This place was so big that she didn't recognize the way at all.
She wanted to find teacher's room, but from the start she didn't even know where Viktor was staying.
So where was this place?
Aurelian's mind was in chaos. She couldn't remember how many steps she had climbed or how many corridors she had passed.
She only knew that the surroundings were extremely quiet.
Quiet, quiet.
An extreme silence.
The swaying lights around her seemed to rise and fall with her emotions, flickering between bright and dim.
All of this made her heartbeat accelerate. A suffocating feeling spread quickly, causing her feet to stop in place, unable to move.
When the lights gradually stopped flickering, Aurelian finally realized something.
She had returned to a place she had been before.
That room with the sign hanging on the door.
The sign still read, [No Entry. Leave Immediately!]
Yet it felt as though some strange force was attracting her, urging her to ignore the warning and enter the room.
But Aurelian had strong willpower. She clearly understood that it would be wrong.
'No, no.'
If she went inside, it would definitely cause unnecessary trouble.
Aurelian's thoughts gradually cleared. She carefully stepped back a few steps, but accidentally bumped into a vase in the corridor.
Before she could react and catch it, a tall figure suddenly appeared in front of her and steadily caught the falling vase.
"Your Highness, are you alright?"
A somewhat familiar voice sounded. After hearing it, Aurelian shook her head.
'So fast…'
She hadn't even been able to react just now.
'So who is it?'
Aurelian looked at the figure in front of her. He was wearing a luxurious silk robe and exuded a calm and steady aura.
There was an indescribable solemnity and dignity between his brows.
Most noticeable of all, beside him was a magnificent cane with a gemstone embedded at the top.
She remembered that cane very clearly.
The moment she saw it, Aurelian immediately recognized the person's identity.
"Count!?"
Laurien placed the vase back on the shelf, then picked up the cane beside him and turned to look at Aurelian.
The moon, which had been hidden by clouds, slowly revealed itself again. The bright silver moonlight shone upon Laurien's pale face.
The only vivid color was Laurien's blood-red eyes, just like his daughter's, shining faintly.
"My apologies, Your Highness."
Laurien began explaining, "This is my wife's room. Because entering this room can be dangerous, I specially requested a powerful mage to set up a barrier."
"If you are a mage, it's very easy to be attracted by this magic."
"However, as you can see, most of the people who live and work in this manor are not mages, so others basically don't have to worry about being affected by this magic."
Aurelian nodded in understanding.
No wonder she had been drawn toward it. So that was the reason.
But now she couldn't help feeling confused again.
This explanation seemed a little different from what the maid had said before.
Hadn't the maid said that the lady liked peace and quiet, which was why the sign had been hung there to prevent others from entering?
At this moment, Count Laurien clearly didn't want to say more. He looked at her and said calmly, "Your Highness? Are you lost? I can take you back."
Aurelian gently shook her head and spoke in a gentle tone.
"I'm actually trying to find my teacher's room."
"Ah, that is Councilor Clevanna. You should know him."
Hearing this, Count Laurien nodded, "Of course. Councilor Clevanna's room was prepared by me."
"I can take you there."
Aurelian quickly nodded, looking very happy, "Thank you, Count. You've really helped a lot."
The two of them continued walking along the magnificent corridor.
With the count leading the way, Aurelian, who was looking forward to seeing Teacher Viktor sooner, gradually felt less afraid than before.
They walked along the exquisite red carpet, occasionally exchanging conversation.
"Count, why were you there just now?"
"Well…"
Laurien replied with a slightly embarrassed tone, "My daughter is rather mischievous. She easily slipped away from the maid who was accompanying her. If I can't find her, I would be very worried."
"After all, it wouldn't be good if she caused any trouble for everyone."
'His daughter?'
'So that means the girl Vanilla had mentioned, the one without signs of life?'
When Aurelian heard that, a trace of panic appeared on her face again.
To be honest, she really didn't want to encounter that ghost-like girl again.
Hearing the count say his daughter had gone missing made Aurelian want to find Viktor even sooner.
As they walked, Aurelian suddenly sensed a strong magical aura.
Her body paused slightly.
Someone had used magic.
Thinking about what Count Laurien had said earlier, among the people here who were mages, aside from herself and Vanilla, who was only a magic apprentice...
That only left Teacher Viktor.
Aurelian's heartbeat quickened. She began walking quickly toward the source of the aura, gradually breaking into a small run.
Seeing how anxious she was, Laurien also sped up and followed closely behind.
"Your Highness, please slow down!", he called out loudly.
Aurelian ran ahead and turned around a corner in the corridor.
The moment she turned that corner...
Aurelian suddenly froze.
The corridor in front of her was burning with terrifying and ferocious flames.
The teacher she had been thinking about was standing within the endless fire.
The crimson flames around him looked like long serpents, constantly moving around his body.
High temperatures and blazing heat mixed together. The flames burst into blooming crimson flowers, wrapping the long serpents within them.
Opposite him stood a white-haired girl without visible legs, fearfully leaning against the wall.
Aurelian opened her mouth wide in shock.
"Tea..."
Before she could call out to Viktor, the Count Laurien beside her suddenly rushed forward.
A crack opened about three centimeters below the gemstone at the top of his magnificent cane, and the remaining body of the staff was thrown aside.
A silver flash of cold light twisted quickly behind the flames and rushed straight toward the layers of fire surrounding the area.
Laurien stepped through the flames with one foot and swung a longsword with one hand, splitting the flames in front of him.
A powerful aura burst outward to both sides, creating an extremely wide empty space around the white-haired girl.
Count Laurien stood there, raising his longsword and confronting the surrounding flames, keeping them at bay.
He looked at Viktor, a few drops of cold sweat sliding down from his forehead, his expression serious as he spoke.
"Councilor Clevanna."
"This might be a misunderstanding."