No one seemed to know how to continue the conversation after that.
The lively atmosphere from earlier had completely disappeared.
Even Lady Maya struggled to maintain her smile.
Not long after, the gathering came to an early end.
One by one, the young ladies excused themselves and left the garden, their expressions awkward and unsettled.
Meanwhile, Katherine returned to her room completely unaffected.
After changing into something more comfortable, she picked up the book she had been reading before the tea gathering interrupted her morning.
The room fell into peaceful silence once more, save for the occasional sound of pages turning.
Time passed quietly.
Before she realized it, Katherine had already reached the final page.
She closed the book before letting out a small sigh.
"Well," she murmured, placing the book aside. "I guess I'll be returning this sooner than I thought."
"Lilly."
Lilly looked up from dusting the bookshelf. "Yes, Mlady?"
"Prepare a letter for Duke Stirling's household. Inform Lady Aurora that I'd like to visit and return the book she lent me."
Lilly blinked in slight surprise.
"Yes M'lady."
She left to prepare the letter.
"How long do you think it will take to get a reply?" Ker asked.
Katherine stretched a little, "I'm not sure, maybe a day? Who knows how letters work." she cracked her back, "There's nothing in Katherine's memories."
"Really?"
"I mean, the only correspondence she had was with the Crown Prince, and I just get the feeling he was deliberately giving her late replies."
"Oh, that poor girl." Ker sprawled lazily across the subconscious space, resting her chin on her paws.
"Yeah... I hope she's in a better place now..." Katherine stretched again, her shoulder cracking softly. "Damn, this body is so out of shape."
Ker perked up, "Let's start light exercise... we can start with simple walks through the garden."
Katherine stood up, "Yeah, that's a good idea. Let's start now, then draft up an actual routine later."
---
The rest of the day passed quietly.
Katherine spent part of it walking through the estate gardens as Ker suggested.
What was meant to be a light walk quickly turned exhausting.
By the time she returned to her room, her legs already felt sore.
"This body is unbelievably fragile," Ker grumbled.
Katherine didn't disagree.
After resting for a while, she attempted a few simple stretches Ciara used to do in her previous life.
The movements themselves weren't difficult, but Katherine quickly noticed how stiff this body was compared to what she had once been used to.
Even bending too quickly caused faint soreness to spread through her muscles.
By evening, she was completely drained.
Lilly brought dinner to her room shortly after sunset, quietly setting everything down while Katherine continued reading.
After finishing her meal, Katherine finally looked up from her book.
"Lilly."
"Yes, Mlady?"
"Can you prepare the same bath from this morning?"
Lilly blinked in slight surprise before smiling softly.
"The herbal bath with healing stones?"
Katherine nodded.
"I'll prepare it immediately."
The familiar warmth of the herbal bath eased the strain in her muscles almost immediately.
Katherine let out a quiet sigh as she leaned back against the edge of the tub.
"I can't get over how weak this body is... Are all human women this weak, or is this body weaker than average?" Ker muttered lazily.
Katherine closed her eyes briefly, "Why are you asking me? This is also my first time being human."
"Well, you have access to Katherine's memories."
Katherine nearly rolled her eyes, "Do you really think someone would have, 'I'm the weaker than your average female' in their memories?"
By the time she returned to bed later that night, exhaustion had fully settled into her body.
Sleep claimed her quickly.
The following morning, Katherine was halfway through another book when Lilly entered the room carrying a neatly sealed envelope.
"The Duke Stirling household has replied, Mlady."
Katherine set her book aside before taking the letter.
The dark wax seal stamped against the envelope immediately caught her attention.
House Stirling's crest.
Ker perked up immediately.
"That was fast."
Katherine opened the letter quietly.
Lady Aurora's response was surprisingly informal compared to what Katherine expected from a ducal household.
She mentioned having no obligations for the day and invited Katherine to visit whenever she pleased.
More surprisingly...
The carriage that delivered the letter had apparently been sent to escort her personally.
Ker let out a low whistle.
"Oh, I love this girl."
Not long after, Katherine left her room with Lilly following behind.
As they made their way toward the estate entrance, they happened to run into Rose.
Rose's steps slowed almost immediately.
Her gaze landed on the carriage waiting outside the estate gates.
The silver crest decorating its side was impossible to miss.
House Stirling.
A flicker of surprise crossed Rose's face before something darker settled behind her smile.
"You're going somewhere?" she asked lightly.
Katherine simply nodded once before walking past her without another word.
Rose turned slightly, watching as Katherine continued toward the estate entrance where the ducal carriage waited outside.
Her expression darkened.
"What exactly is wrong with her?" Rose muttered once Katherine disappeared from sight.
Ever since the fall, Katherine had changed completely.
She was no longer desperate for attention.
No longer eager to please.
If anything...
She somehow carried herself with even more pride than before.
And what irritated Rose the most was the fact that Katherine no longer seemed to care about anyone's opinion of her.
---
Upon arriving at the Stirling estate, Katherine was quickly escorted inside by one of the servants.
The atmosphere felt slightly different from what she remembered.
Last time, the estate had been lively from the tea gathering held in the gardens, but today the halls were much quieter.
Elegant silver detailing decorated the dark hallways, while large windows allowed soft spring sunlight to spill across the polished floors.
The estate carried the quiet dignity expected of a ducal household.
Katherine briefly noticed strange engraved formations etched discreetly into parts of the walls before the servant guided her away.
Ker looked around curiously.
"Oh, this is nice. How did we not notice all this the last time we were here?"
"Well, our focus wasn't on admiring the scenery" Katherine replied calmly.
The servant led Katherine into one of the drawing rooms before serving tea and excusing himself to inform Lady Aurora of her arrival.
Katherine had barely set her teacup down before soft footsteps echoed from outside.
The door opened moments later.
"Lady Katherine."
Aurora entered with a small smile, her dark brown hair falling neatly over one shoulder.
Unlike the overly polished elegance most noble ladies carried, Aurora's appearance felt... effortless.
"I must admit," she continued as she took the seat across from Katherine, "I'm not surprised you finished the book sooner than I expected."
Aurora accepted the returned book from Katherine before lightly running her fingers across the cover.
"Most people take at least a week to finish this one," she admitted. "Some never finish it at all. And it only took you a day?"
Katherine remained calm. "It wasn't particularly difficult."
Aurora stared at her for a moment before laughing softly.
"You really are interesting."
Ker looked smug immediately.
"Tell her we're gifted."
Katherine ignored her.
Aurora carefully set the book aside before standing.
"Come," she said. "I recently acquired several books from the Magic Tower archives that I think you might enjoy."
Aurora led Katherine toward the massive library tucked deeper within the estate.
Ker immediately looked pleased.
"Now this feels familiar."
Aurora moved toward one of the shelves before carefully pulling several books free.
Most of them revolved around magic stones, magical conductivity, and the theory behind artificial magic amplification.
Katherine quickly noticed Aurora's name referenced repeatedly throughout several sections.
"You wrote this?" Katherine asked while flipping through one of the pages.
Aurora looked slightly embarrassed.
"Only parts of it."
Ker blinked.
"'Only parts of it,' she says like her name isn't everywhere."
Katherine hid her amusement before continuing to read.
As the hours passed, the atmosphere inside the library gradually shifted from formal politeness into genuine discussion.
Magic circles.
Scroll inscriptions.
Mana conductivity.
Aurora explained each topic patiently whenever Katherine asked questions, though she slowly began noticing something strange.
Katherine understood far too quickly.
Most people needed weeks just to grasp the basics behind magic circle construction.
Yet after a single explanation, Katherine was already able to follow the logic behind it.
Aurora stared at her for a moment.
"...You understood that already?"
Katherine blinked once before looking down at the diagram again.
"It wasn't that difficult."
Aurora looked genuinely speechless for the first time that day.
Katherine glanced down at one of the diagrams showing mana flowing through a magic stone.
"If magic stones can amplify weapons," she began calmly, "has anyone attempted applying the same principle directly to the human body?"
Aurora paused.
For the first time that afternoon, genuine surprise crossed her face.
"The human body?" she repeated slowly.
Katherine nodded once.
"If mana can strengthen steel, theoretically, it should be possible to strengthen the body as well."
Aurora stared at her for several seconds before slowly leaning back in her chair.
"That theory has existed for years," she admitted quietly. "But the human body is far more unstable than weapons or artifacts."
Ker immediately perked up.
"Oh?"
Aurora tapped her fingers lightly against the table, clearly thinking now.
"Most mages avoid the subject entirely. The risks are too high."
Yet despite saying that...
She didn't sound dismissive.
If anything, she sounded interested.
Before Aurora could continue the discussion further, her gaze suddenly shifted toward the tall windows.
The sunlight that had once poured into the library had long since faded, leaving the room illuminated by the softer glow of crystal lamps.
Aurora blinked.
"...Have we really been talking for that long?"
Katherine glanced toward the windows herself.
It was already dark outside.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Aurora closed the book in front of her with a quiet sigh.
"I suppose we'll have to continue this discussion another day."
Yet despite her composed tone, Katherine could still hear the interest hidden underneath it.
Especially when Aurora's gaze briefly drifted back toward the diagram discussing mana flow through the human body.
Most mages avoided the subject entirely.
But Aurora clearly wasn't most mages.
Well, she wasn't a mage.
"I'll gather a few more materials regarding body enhancement before your next visit," Aurora added thoughtfully as they stood from their seats.
Ker immediately perked up.
"Oh, we're definitely experimenting with forbidden theories now."
Katherine ignored her.
"I'll look forward to it."
Aurora smiled faintly before escorting her toward the entrance hall.
By the time Katherine returned to the Mooncrest estate, the night sky had already darkened completely.
Just as she stepped out of the carriage, another carriage pulled up near the estate entrance.
Unlike ordinary noble carriages, this one carried the royal crest.
Rose, who happened to be passing through the front hall at the time, immediately stopped in her tracks.
Her eyes lit up.
"A carriage from the palace?"
Excitement flashed across her face as she quickly descended the front steps.
Katherine paused quietly behind her.
A royal footman stepped out first before another servant carefully lifted a large ornate box from inside the carriage.
Rose's smile widened instantly.
"I wonder what His Highness sent me this late in the evening."
The footman blinked.
"My apologies, Lady Rose, but this delivery is for Lady Katherine."
Silence.
Rose's expression froze.
"...What?"
The servant bowed politely.
"This delivery was specifically addressed to Lady Katherine Mooncrest."
Katherine, who had remained several steps behind, narrowed her eyes slightly.
Through her sharpened senses, she had already overheard the entire exchange long before reaching them.
Rose frowned before quickly reaching for the letter resting atop the box.
"That can't be right—"
"That letter isn't yours."
Rose stiffened.
Katherine approached calmly before taking the envelope from her hands without the slightest hint of urgency.
Only now did Katherine finally notice the unfamiliar seal pressed into the wax.
It wasn't the royal family's crest.
Nor did it belong to the Crown Prince.
For a brief moment, Katherine frowned slightly.
This seal wasn't present anywhere within Katherine's memories.
Ker tilted her head curiously.
"Do we know who sent it?"
Katherine glanced briefly toward the royal carriage again.
"No."
Without paying Rose another glance, she opened the letter.
Her midnight blue eyes scanned the contents calmly.
Then paused.
The royal family would be hosting an engagement banquet.
For her.
And Prince Liam Embercrown.
The banquet date had already been decided.
The large box accompanying the invitation was apparently a gift prepared for her attendance.
Ker blinked.
"...Oh."
Katherine folded the letter quietly before finally looking toward one of the male servants nearby.
"Bring the box to my room."
"At once, Mlady."
The servants quickly obeyed.
Meanwhile, Rose remained standing near the entrance steps, completely frozen.
Her gaze lingered on the royal carriage, then on the ornate box being carried away toward Katherine's quarters.
Confusion slowly twisted together with jealousy inside her chest.
Why would the palace suddenly send something to Katherine?
And why had it arrived so late in the evening?
Most importantly...
Why did Katherine look completely unsurprised by it?
Before Rose could stop herself, her nails dug slightly into her palms.
Something about this situation felt terribly wrong.
Yet Katherine had already disappeared into the estate without offering a single explanation.
The moment Katherine entered her room, Lilly immediately noticed the large box being carried inside.
Her eyes widened.
"Mlady, what's all this?"
Katherine handed her the letter casually.
Lilly glanced down at the wax seal first.
Then froze.
Her eyes widened dramatically.
"Th-That's the Everhart seal!"
Ker perked up instantly.
"Oh?"
Lilly looked ready to combust from excitement.
"This is the seal the First Prince uses!"
Katherine paused slightly.
The First Prince?
Before she could think further, Lilly had already hurried toward the box.
"Mlady, may I open it?"
Katherine gave a small nod.
The moment the lid lifted, even Lilly fell silent.
Layers of soft fabric rested carefully inside the box.
Elegant.
Refined.
Beautiful without appearing overly extravagant.
Lilly carefully unfolded the gown, immediately gasping.
The silver-blue fabric shimmered softly beneath the room's lighting while delicate silver embroidery traced elegantly along the sleeves.
Ker stared openly.
"...That's actually beautiful."
Even Katherine found herself briefly pausing.
Her gaze slowly drifted toward the silver embroidery woven subtly into the design.
Elegant.
Restrained.
And strangely familiar.
Ker tilted her head.
"...Why do I suddenly feel like we've seen that pattern somewhere before?"
Katherine's eyes narrowed slightly.
For a brief moment, the image of the quiet man from the library surfaced in her mind.