Vaelthorne Duchy
A glowing sigil unfolded at the gates, and in a flash of shimmering blue light, Gabriel, Cordelia, Lilith, Mimi, Sai, Luomon, Sig, Rex, and Nox materialized before the grand manor.
Gabriel bowed dramatically, only to Cordelia. "It's not as vast as your Nirvana, but welcome to my humble home, my lady."
Cordelia chuckled softly at his theatrical tone.
Inside her mind, Val finally stirred from his long nap, the jolt of ancient power snapping him awake.
Val (internally): Root!
Cordelia (internally): You lazy rat. Took you long enough.
Val: This place... it's drenched in Yerith's mana!
Cordelia flinched inwardly. That familiar presence she'd been sensing since arrival—this was it.
Cordelia: But isn't this the Vaelthorne Duchy? The house that sealed Yerith? Why would her mana be here...?
Val fell silent.
Still tangled in thoughts, Cordelia followed Gabriel through the iron-wrought gates. Servants rushed to greet their long-absent master, struggling to maintain decorum.
Oscar, the head butler, bowed deeply. "Master. A message from the Emperor arrived."
Gabriel smirked. "He's quick."
Oscar's gaze flicked nervously to the group behind Gabriel—then landed on the hooded figure beside him. When Cordelia pulled down her cloak, his breath caught.
A hush fell among the staff.
Was this... their new mistress?
Their master had brought home a woman?
Gasps, whispers, and very imaginative scenarios flew through the servants' minds at full speed. Wedding preparations, a new lady of the house—this was huge.
Before the gossip exploded—
Luomon cleared his throat. "Prepare baths."
The staff scrambled, snapping out of their collective daydream.
As Cordelia stepped inside the duchy, her steps faltered. The mana. It greeted her.
No—it recognized her.
It was Yerith's mana.
It tugged at her, gently but insistently, trying to lead her somewhere. Not the direction Oscar was pointing toward.
Oscar asked politely, "My lady, the prepared chambers are this way. Or... would you like to freshen up first?"
Lilith waved a hand. "Freshen up first. I'm exhausted."
Sig stepped forward immediately. "I'll follow my lady and assist her—"
Luomon caught him by the collar, dragging him in the opposite direction. "You three. With me. Stingy snakes."
Sig, Rex, and Nox hissed in protest but followed, already bracing themselves for the impending battle of the bath.
Cordelia met Sig's eyes briefly, reassuring him silently. Then—
Gabriel stepped in front of her view.
"My lady, Mimi and Sai will be assigned rooms on the second floor."
Cordelia: "I'll follow them. You can join them for the bathhouse. See you then."
She tried to hurry off—the mana's pull growing more urgent—but Gabriel halted her with a small smile.
"Your chambers aren't on the second floor."
She raised an eyebrow. "Then where?"
Gabriel, with a glint in his eyes: "The top floor. Across from mine."
Cordelia stiffened. That's where the mana was leading her.
"Let me guide you."
She hesitated, then nodded. It was what she wanted anyway. She gestured to Mimi and Sai to head on without her and pass the message to Sig.
As they ascended to the top floor, sunlight poured through the ceiling-high stained glass. The corridor shimmered in gold and emerald tones, too serene, too silent.
Then the mana stopped.
Cordelia froze in place.
Val (internally): What happened? Why did it stop?
Cordelia: No staff. No presence. No noise. Something shifted.
Val: It changed when you stepped onto this floor.
Cordelia: No… (she looked back at the window) It changed the moment we crossed that window.
Her eyes narrowed, realization dawning.
So that's it.
She turned her head, calm but sharp. "Why did you bring me here?"
Gabriel had been unusually quiet throughout. Suspiciously so. The man who never stopped talking was suddenly mute.
And then—he laughed.
Dark, amused, utterly unbothered. "You felt it, didn't you? The mana. Filling every inch of this duchy. Demonic mana. Yerith."
Cordelia's eyes flashed. "I knew something was off the moment you told me I had to come to the empire to sign that treaty. Now it makes sense."
Gabriel tilted his head, studying her like a riddle he couldn't wait to solve. "Why? Why do you think I brought you here?"
She replied flatly, "To find out why the house that sealed Yerith is soaked in her mana. As the direct descendant of the Vaelthornes… you must be the only one who can feel it, right?"
Gabriel's laughter grew louder, wild almost. "You're far more interesting than I thought."
She ignored the compliment. "Is that window the source?"
Gabriel: "Oh no... don't underestimate it. That single window is enough to twist this holy duchy into a demonic lair."
Cordelia scoffed at the word holy.
But still… she could feel it. That window wasn't ordinary. The mana flowed through it. No, not through—from it.
The upper floor of the Vaelthorne estate was silent — unnaturally so — as the demonic mana shimmered from the cursed glass.
It pulsed in the air like a living breath. Her mana, to be exact.
Cordelia stood still, letting the black smoke curl around her fingertips, her lashes fluttering. It didn't sting. Didn't hurt. Instead, it caressed her. Like a familiar presence. Like Yerith's gentle pat on her head long ago.
So warm… So right.
Then, without thinking — or perhaps guided by something deeper — she breathed it in.
Gabriel's voice snapped through the silence.
"Cordelia!!"
He rushed forward, grabbing her shoulders, shaking her slightly. "What did you do?! Why did the black smoke get into you?!"
Cordelia blinked once, then calmly replied, "I sealed it. For now."
Gabriel froze, torn between awe and disbelief. He stared at her — this calm, beautiful girl who had just absorbed something that could drive others mad. Forgetting she is the demon who's mana was roaming around his duchy.
A deadly being… wearing such a pretty face.
Before he could say more, a voice echoed from below.
"Master." It was Oscar. "Lord Henry has arrived. He's waiting for you in the office."
Gabriel groaned. "Cassian really doesn't know when to relax, does he? Hah."
Cordelia turned away with a faint smirk. "Go. Deal with your stuff. I'll rest for a bit."
Gabriel exhaled through his nose and signaled a nearby maid. "Attend to her."
The maid bowed and followed Cordelia, who was already walking away — slow, serene, hips swaying with elegant confidence. Gabriel's eyes flicked downward, then upward, and he clenched his jaw with a godly amount of self-control.
Not now. Not now.
He turned and walked toward the office, where another kind of serpent was waiting — one with a charming smile and a venomous mind.
___________
Cordelia walked gracefully toward her room, her crimson eyes flicking to the quiet girl trailing behind. The maid—Hana, if she remembered correctly—had soft brown hair tied in a neat bun and wide doe-like eyes that screamed obedience.
"Draw me a bath," Cordelia ordered without a second glance.
"Yes, my lady," Hana bowed and scurried ahead.
By the time Cordelia entered, the marble bathroom was already filled with the scent of rose and jasmine. Warm steam curled lazily through the air as petals floated over shimmering water. Cordelia slid into the bath, the heat wrapping around her body like a lullaby. Her crimson hair spread like blood in water, drifting in lazy waves behind her.
"Hana," she called without opening her eyes, "stand outside. Don't come in unless I call."
"Yes, my lady."
The door shut quietly. Cordelia opened one eye.
A bluish screen blinked into existence above the water.
(Message Notification)
(Quest Alert)
Cordelia groaned. "Ah, shit. I had it on mute."
A smug little voice chirped nearby as a plushy black bat dropped onto the edge of the tub.
Val flapped once, puffing out his fuzzy chest. "You really should check the quest notifications, Root~"
Cordelia raised a hand and flicked water at him. "Yea yea, I'm doing it now, you flying rat."
She waved a finger and brought up the interface.
[The Hidden Story of the Sea – Pending]
[New Hidden Story Formed]
Her brows knit together. "Oi. What the hell is this supposed to mean?!"
Val preened his wing smugly. "It means, genius, since you ditched the forest without finishing that hidden story, it might evolve into a tragedy. Hidden stories don't like being ignored."
"What?! Why would it turn into a tragedy?! And why didn't you warn me earlier?!"
"Well, well," Val sang, floating in slow circles above the bath, "what's done is done. The story will unfold—with or without you. But for now, you've got something new to worry about."
Cordelia let out a sigh and clicked on the new notification.
—-
[Hidden Story – Glass Ore
Objective: Let your name—and even your shadow—be known throughout the Empire. Dominate the upcoming Harvest Festival massacre.
Reward: A glimpse of Yerith's memory.]
___
Cordelia stared. Then blinked. "...Why does it feel like your system is getting biased?"
"You've still gotta do it," Val shrugged, upside down now. "The festival is coming."
"A massacre, huh?" Cordelia murmured, swirling the bathwater with a finger. "Heh... Interesting."
And the promise of Yerith's memory? That alone lit a fire in her veins.
Cordelia leaned back in the tub, eyes closed, crimson hair spreading around her like a storm brewing in water. Outside the door, Hana waited silently for her mistress's next command.