The fire illuminated the three people sitting in front of the fireplace, as well as the maids busying around behind them. The red-haired witch and the blonde writer noticed that Shade had fallen asleep almost at the same time. Miss Carina made a gesture to silence him, and then cast a silencing spell beside Shade.
Tifa, who was standing by, brought a black towel blanket. Seeing Mia lying on Shad's legs, the maid poked the cat with a smile. Mia was sleepy and wanted to lose her temper, but when she noticed that Shad was also asleep, she jumped onto the carpet obediently. After Tifa covered Shad with the towel blanket, she jumped onto his legs again and lay down to sleep.
"Ms. Carina, did you add something to the tea? Or did you use some kind of magic?"
Dorothy joked as she held her teacup, while the Witch looked at the leaping bonfire and shook her head:
"You really do know that I'm a witch. Was it Shade who said that, or was it Leicia who said that? No, it doesn't matter. I didn't do anything. He was probably too tired."
They both turned to look at Shad, who was sleeping in his chair, and Dorothy said softly:
"It seems that he has been in Randall Valley City recently and encountered a very difficult enemy, so he is busy making preparations every day."
"I heard from another young girl that the witches of the Fifth Age complained that the witches of our time did not take good care of him. Now it seems that what those old women said was not wrong."
Miss Carina sighed softly, then looked at Dorothy:
"You and Resia are very familiar with each other, right? You and Shade... I want to talk to Resia."
Dorothy tilted her head and looked at him.
"You are Leicia's great aunt. I think if you want to talk to her, you don't need to go through me to pass the message, right?"
"It's not about current affairs, it's about Xia De."
The Witch was a little embarrassed. After all, she was not familiar with Dorothy—at least from her point of view:
"There are some things I want to discuss with Leicia. My niece has never liked me since she was a child. I held her in my arms when she was born, and I even gave her suggestions for her name, but it was a pity that they were not adopted."
This was the first time Dorothy had heard of this. She resisted the urge to ask for another name. Although her date tonight was taken away, she was not angry at all.
"She hated you since she was a child?"
"Yes, I still remember the day when Leicia was born. It was a snowy day, and I was watching the snow in the courtyard of Yodel Palace with Leicia's grandmother, my brother's queen. I was very happy when I heard the news, but I instinctively felt that something was wrong. At that time, I had just touched the threshold of the extraordinary, so I didn't know what the appearance of the little girl born in the snow meant to my future."
She recalled the past with a smile on her face. Although Dorothy stood with Leicia, she actually did not have a big conflict with Miss Carina:
"I heard from Shade that Leicia doesn't like you because she thinks you are dividing the Kingdom of Drarion."
"Yes, this is what my father, Resia's great-grandfather, agreed to. My brother, Resia's grandfather, also agreed... My father knows that I am a witch."
The Duchess suddenly said, and Dorothy was not surprised. After all, such things could not be hidden from the closest people. The writer's eyes lit up. She liked this kind of palace secret very much. Under normal circumstances, such things could not be heard. Leisia did not like to talk about the past stories.
"My father, King Charles VII, was a truly ambitious man. At the age of 56, he voluntarily gave up the throne. By the time I became a witch and quickly climbed the Golden Stairs, my father's health was already very poor."
She looked into the fire and told her story:
"It's interesting to say that most extraordinary people don't know what a witch really means, but my father, an ordinary person, knows it very well. At that time, I already had the idea of emulating the witch emperors, and my father promised me to give me a county. But he also made me promise that I would spend my whole life protecting the Cavendish royal family."
He placed his right elbow on the armrest of the rocking chair, raised his forearm, and touched his lips with his fingers. There was a fire in his golden eyes:
"Thinking about it now, my father was really an amazing man."
"So that's how it is..."
Dorothy whispered that Leicia didn't know these things:
"A large piece of territory within the kingdom in exchange for a high-level warlock's lifetime commitment. From my perspective alone, it is difficult to judge whether this is worth it."
"But I think Leicia doesn't think it's worth it. She has ambitions no less than mine. Even though she hasn't even touched the crown, she has already regarded the entire Draarion as her own property."
The witch chuckled, and Dorothy blushed slightly, thinking of last Sunday's birthday party at Ajelina's house, when they took turns wearing the princess's crown and the king's crown.
"Oh, I've said too much. This is not what I want to talk to Lecia about. I just want you to understand what's going on between her and me. If possible, please tell her that we can go out of town together next week when we have time. We can enjoy the snow scenery outside the city before winter ends. Then, I'll tell her something about Shade."
The blonde's emerald eyes also reflected the firelight:
"Should I remind you, the hostess of No. 6 Saint Teresa's Square, and me as well? I heard Shad talk about his promise to Resia, and I know what you want to say to Resia."
"Are all the girls around Shad as charming and intelligent as you?"
The witch asked, but did not deny her statement. The firelight left some shadows on the witch's very three-dimensional face:
"And, as mistress of the Place Sainte-Teresa, have you ever asked Miss Luvia Annette's opinion?"
Dorothy frowned slightly, thinking about how to deal with it, while Tifa stood in the shadows behind Shad, watching the scene with a smile.
"Luvia Annat is not here right now, so this is a good opportunity. That girl with beautiful purple eyes is definitely not as simple as you think, even though you and she are in the same ring wizard group."
She took a sip of tea:
"So, I have to communicate with Lecia before Anat comes back. I will communicate with the female fortune teller when I arrive at the Randall Valley soon. You are a writer, and you also understand that the 'Demon King' should be dealt with last."
"I'm looking forward to seeing Luvia's expression when she knows you called her 'Demon King'."
Dorothy said teasingly, and then asked:
"Pardon my curiosity, but what are you going to do in Randall Valley?"
"For what Shade is busy with right now."
She didn't know anything about the demons, she just thought that Shade was still running around for the guardians and the chosen ones:
"You must be aware of the major events that have occurred across the Old Continent since last summer, right? And you should also know that all of these events are related to Xia De."
The blonde narrowed her eyes slightly:
"Can you protect Shad?"
The witch blinked, feeling that she had said the wrong thing. She had known Shade for such a long time, but Shade had never needed her protection. Instead, she had been protected by Shade:
"Yes, and help him accomplish what he wants to do. You and I can see that he has extraordinary pursuits. So, Shade needs me... to help him coordinate with the Witch Council. Also, with you and Leicia, can you really defeat that fortune teller?"
Dorothy also blinked:
"I'm just an ordinary writer. I don't understand what you're talking about. But if you want to communicate with Leicia, I can help you deliver a letter."
The witch smiled with satisfaction:
"See, I knew you would help me if I told you I could help Shade."
Dorothy also said:
"Or rather, because I know you can help Xia De, I give you a chance to try."
Both of them held their teacups and looked at Shad. The firelight from the fireplace illuminated his tilted face and Little Mia, who was curled up on his legs. The cat's back was facing the firelight, and its golden appearance seemed to be glowing.
"His other self is more sensitive than any ring wizard. Even with the silencing spell, I don't think the other Shad would be unaware of our conversation. So when Shad wakes up, he will know about our conversation."
Dorothy suddenly said that the writer was more thoughtful than a seventeen-year-old girl who thought that everything would be fine if Shad was unconscious.
"It's okay, just look at me."
Miss Carina said to the sleeping Shade:
"Please don't tell him for now. This is not a conspiracy against him. It's just... a private matter."
Naturally, she didn't get any response, she just felt a gust of wind blowing past her ears, but the flame in the fireplace clearly didn't flicker.
"By the way, you can tell Leicia in your letter that I got a very beautiful piece of clothing. She might be interested in it."
Miss Carina suddenly spoke again, Dorothy looked at her in confusion, and the witch smiled mysteriously.
Shad did not sleep directly in the chair all night. Dorothy was worried that he would feel uncomfortable the next day if he slept like this, so she woke Shad up at around nine o'clock in the evening and wanted him to go back to the bedroom to rest.
But Shad was still thinking about the evening class tonight, and insisted on discussing the fairy tale "The Princess in the Pumpkin Coach" with Dorothy until eleven o'clock in the evening.
They stayed at the manor tonight, but only Shad returned to the city early on Sunday morning, because Dorothy wanted to spend more time at the manor, as she was recently thinking of a clever murder case at Snowstorm Manor. Little Mia was also left at the manor by Shad, and Dorothy would take her to number six St. Teresa's Square when she returned to the city.
Shad did not stay at home for long. After returning home, he went to the Randall Valley and soon met Miss Benaness and Miss Lathers who had just finished breakfast at the Wilde Opera House.