Dinner, with one more person at the table, turned out to be rather unpleasant.
Alexandro wouldn't stop praising Cassane and her father; she responded with little more than nods or short replies, yet he seemed completely oblivious to the discomfort in the air.
Rosalind kept glancing at the two of us, as if trying to figure out what was going on between us. Margery, on the other hand, watched with suspicion, though knowing Cassane's personality, she didn't think too much of it.
Bethany, meanwhile, seemed delighted with our new companion. According to her, Cassane looked like an "ice princess," and she was fascinated by those frost-blue eyes.
Elric tried to strike up a conversation with her several times, without any success.
As for Eleanor—the woman who always shot daggers at me with her eyes, as if she couldn't wait to get rid of me—she remained suspiciously quiet.
I didn't stay long. The moment I saw an opportunity, I stood up and left for the room they had assigned me. I collapsed onto the bed as soon as I entered, letting out an exhausted sigh.
I was never the type to hold back with women—neither in bed nor when it came to killing them. But the fact that I was hesitating so much with her…
As I kept turning Cassane's situation over in my mind, the door opened.
I thought it would be Adela, as usual, but I was wrong.
I had already had plenty of arguments with this woman since arriving in this world, and none of them had ended well.
"Eleanor," I said, my tone cold and tired.
"Looks like your fiancée has taken quite a liking to you."
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't play dumb. I don't know how you managed to seduce her, but you should remember that Elric will inherit your father's position. Whatever you have with that woman won't change anything."
Despite her composed posture, there was a trace of insecurity beneath her words.
I really need to clear my head, I thought, irritated.
"I've told you a thousand times—I have no intention of fighting Elric over anything. Though if you keep pushing, I might just change my mind."
My words seemed to anger her.
"Hmph. Your father is in the palm of my hand. Don't think you can change this family's fate."
Tired of listening, I snapped my fingers. Time froze for her. I lay back on the bed again.
Absolute silence.
Adela appeared out of nowhere, breaking the stillness.
"Master, do you want me to get rid of her?" she asked, pointing at Eleanor with barely restrained fury.
I stared into the void, ignoring the frozen woman who despised me.
"Do you think Cassane is worth doing something for? Or am I making the same mistake again… like with Astrid?"
Adela stayed silent.
I glanced at Eleanor, still frozen in place.
"Take her back to her room," I ordered. "She'll return to normal in the morning."
…
Elsewhere in the mansion, Rosalind approached Cassane.
"I hope you understand that my brother can't help you anymore," she said coldly. "He's already done enough after you set the Sterlings on him. I hope you're not actually planning to kill him."
Cassane did not take the accusation well.
"And what if I still want to use him? It's not like you can stop me."
Those words seemed to ignite something in Rosalind.
"Maybe you're right… but if anything happens to him, I'll make sure you regret it for the rest of your life."
Cassane frowned, visibly tense, as Rosalind walked away without looking back.
She let out a quiet sigh of resignation.
"The Emperor betrayed us… there's no way out anymore," she whispered to herself, her gaze lost in the dim corridors.
…
Morning came, but Cassane had already left the mansion early.
Margery showed up alongside Bethany and Rosalind, excited to go see the festival that was already filling the air with energy.
"Elric, you're coming with us," Margery declared.
He looked surprised by the invitation. Normally, we didn't count on him—he always claimed to have more important matters as Alexandro's heir—but this time, crossing that first line seemed to have changed something in him, and he decided to join us.
Eleanor, for her part, didn't show up at breakfast. I had no idea what she might be thinking after what happened the night before.
The capital's streets were lively; there was no trace of the incident that had plunged everyone into fear just weeks ago.
Banners and decorations were everywhere, symbolizing the event to come. Shop and restaurant owners shouted about their activities and discounts for the celebration.
As soon as Bethany saw the masks being sold, she forced us to buy one each.
They picked a black wolf mask for me. Bethany wore a white rabbit one that suited her perfectly.
Elric didn't seem to like his and kept insisting he wanted to trade for mine, though in truth, the silver qilin mask they chose for him didn't look bad at all.
We wandered for a while until we decided to stop for lunch—but something caught our attention: a fanatic shouting about an impending catastrophe.
"The gods have abandoned us! They're conspiring with enemy forces to take over this world! What happened the other day was just a warning—the corruption will consume our land. There's no escape—we're doomed!"
Quite a crowd listened as if his words made sense.
"Make way! Make way! This heretic will be judged by the Church!" two cleric guards shouted as they pushed through and dragged the man away.
"Look! Look how those who worship false gods treat people!" the man yelled as he was taken away. "Everyone will learn the truth—it's only a matter of time!"
"That's scary… do you think it's true?" Margery asked, brushing her hair aside, her voice filled with concern.
"Come on, Margery, don't start," Rosalind said, skeptical. "Even if gods really exist, why would they want to destroy the world?"
"You're right, it doesn't make sense," Margery admitted. "But what happened recently was strange. If it wasn't a god… what kind of being could do something like that?"
Those words lingered in the air.
The Author of the Invisible Death considered the fanatic's ramblings for a moment. If the Black Widow Clan truly had its eyes on this world, the man wasn't entirely wrong.
Still, the role of the gods remained unclear. I hadn't heard much about them since arriving, and she wasn't the type to lower herself to using mortals as pawns. If she was doing so now…
At that moment, a sharp sense of alert ran down my spine.
Someone was watching us.
Not just a curious onlooker—this was someone who at least brushed the Seventh Circle.
While Margery and the others focused on choosing what to eat, I excused myself to find out what our observer wanted.
I stepped outside and into an empty alley across from the restaurant. The gaze followed me the entire time, and once it noticed I was alone—just as expected—it appeared before me.
The man looked uncertain, wary, and tense. When he realized his presence hadn't surprised me, his hostility increased.
"They told me this would be an easy job," he muttered. "When I saw you walking straight into an isolated spot, I thought the same… but seeing how calm you are, I'm starting to think I was lied to."
I studied him calmly.
"Who sent you to kill me?" I asked.
"Heh, you catch on quick. But there's no reason for me to tell you, is there?"
I nodded. Even if he didn't plan to talk, his intent alone was enough to narrow down the suspects.
He drew a dagger and began circulating aura through his body; his speed increased to the point he seemed to vanish within the alley.
He appeared behind me, ready for a clean cut to my neck—but before the blade could touch me, I simply took a step to the side.
It was a minimal movement, almost lazy, yet enough for his dagger to slice nothing but air.
Before he could react to his own momentum, my hand seized his wrist with the force of a hydraulic press.
The sound of his bones cracking under my grip was the only thing that broke the silence of the alley.
"Seventh Circle…" I murmured, as his face twisted in pain and shock.
Without giving him time to scream, my other hand struck his solar plexus. It wasn't an explosive blow, but an internal vibration that stopped his heart instantly.
His eyes locked onto mine, the light fading from them as his body collapsed like an empty sack at my feet.