That day, Robin spent it in hellish agony and vigilance.
She checked every exit of the small cabin, planned three different emergency evacuation routes, and packed her most essential books and notes into the 'Cloud Package,' ready to grab and run at any moment.
She didn't light a fire, only gnawed on some cold, hard bread. Most of the time, she hid in the shadows behind the window, like a startled bird, staring intently at the alley entrance.
The sound of patrolling Marine boots stepping on the flagstones made her heart stop every time.
Time passed second by second, but only ordinary poor people came and went at the alley entrance.
As the sun set and twilight deepened, the expected arrest never materialized.
As night deepened, Robin's heart grew heavier.
Could Seraphilia plan to bring people in at night to catch her off guard?
She shrank into the darkest corner of the wall, tightly clutching a small knife Seraphilia had previously given her for self-defense. The cold handle was almost embedded in the flesh of her palm.
Just as her nerves were stretched to the absolute limit, the window was pushed open very lightly.
The familiar Cloud Mist, carrying the chill of the night wind, poured in and quickly condensed into a human shape.
It was Seraphilia. She was alone.
She was wearing a brand new, crisply laundered Marine Third Class Private uniform: a white shirt and dark blue trousers, with her jacket draped over her arm.
The uniform carried the scent of cheap soap and ironing, looking exceptionally jarring in the dim cabin. Her silver hair was neatly tied back, and the whole person looked... different.
She lacked the dusty look of a vagrant, possessing instead a disciplined uprightness, although that uprightness was still permeated with an indelible, bone-deep fatigue and detachment.
-
Robin held her breath, her entire body tensed. Her pale blue eyes were sharp as blades, staring at Seraphilia without blinking, trying to find even a trace of falsehood or conspiracy on her face.
Seraphilia seemed unprepared for Robin still being awake, or for her being so vigilant. Her movements paused for a moment, then she hung up her jacket as usual and walked to the stove to check it. "You didn't light a fire? Are you cold?"
Her voice was somewhat hoarse, as if she had shouted too many slogans during the day, wearing down her vocal cords.
Robin did not answer, merely staring at her like a young beast ready to lash out or flee at any moment.
Seraphilia looked at her silently for a moment, said nothing more, and skillfully started a fire.
The flickering flames illuminated the cabin again, and also illuminated the uniform that made Robin extremely uncomfortable.
She began to pull things out of the small cloth bag she carried—not weapons or communication equipment, but several small packages carefully wrapped in oiled paper, faintly emitting the aroma of food and... something sweet and cloying.
"I received my first month's allowance today."
Seraphilia stated calmly, with her back to Robin, as she opened a package. "It's not much. I bought some flour, a little sugar, and this—"
She picked up a very small ceramic jar containing thick, golden honey. "I heard it's rare. I traded for it with a beekeeper on the other side of town."
She rolled up the overly wide uniform sleeves, revealing slender forearms that already showed thin lines of muscle, and began to busy herself near the stove using the cabin's simple cookware.
------------------------
I've posted 70+ chapters in advance on Patreon.
Webnovel updates will still be daily, as usual.
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
[email protected]/SolyuraMT
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"