Two months ago, as spring transitioned into summer. The afternoon sun faintly illuminated a study filled with stacks of documents and thick books. Maddie stood rigidly at the doorway, her hands clasped tightly around her arms, which were covered in thick white gloves. Before her, a young man with black hair was lost in thought, gazing out the window.

 

Maddie's face remained expressionless. She sighed at the young man's behavior, then slowly stepped into the room, approaching the man who was lost in thought by the window.

 

"I'm busy now, so please return to your residence, Aunt." The man said, turning around, his gaze appearing melancholic.

 

Maddie didn't immediately respond. She simply stood there for a few seconds, observing her nephew, her eyes tracing the lines of his increasingly mature face. She sighed, then closed her eyes.

 

"What is this, Young Master…" Maddie replied in a relaxed voice, tilting her head slightly and slowly opening her eyes. Her lips curved into a faint smile.

 

"You don't want to call me Mother anymore?"

 

Keith snorted, furrowing his brows and combing his hair back with his fingers. He then turned his gaze back to the window, letting the sunlight illuminate his melancholic face.

 

"You still call me Young Master," he said, crossing his arms behind his back. "A long time has passed, Aunt. I'm not a child anymore."

 

Maddie simply smiled slightly. She walked towards the long sofa in the room and sat down gracefully, maintaining an upright posture with her hands resting on her thighs.

 

"I know that," Maddie said, her lips curving slightly, though her tone remained calm. She closed her eyes again, tilting her head slightly, and her palm touched her cheek.

 

"But that habit is very difficult to change, Young Marquess… especially if that habit stems from affection."

 

She walked slowly towards the long sofa that stretched across the middle of the room and sat down on it. Her body remained straight; she then clasped her hands in front of her chest, as if putting on a dramatic expression.

 

"But I'm very sad," she said softly. "The little nephew I once considered my own child, cruelly didn't tell this to his beloved aunt." Maddie sighed softly, "I heard from Baroness Loraine that you held a wedding with the Lady from the Edeviene family."

 

She put her palm on her cheek again, then tilted her head slightly. Her expression was as if she was teasing someone.

 

"Did you finally move on from that Lady from the Ardent family?" she asked with a subtle glance that contained curiosity and a hint of mischief that couldn't be hidden.

 

The atmosphere fell silent for a moment. Keith didn't answer, but his lips trembled slightly as if he wanted to hold back something he was about to say. Maddie stared sharply at Keith, her dress neatly draped over the sofa. She then crossed her legs and leaned back against the sofa.

 

"Is that so…" she murmured softly, then snorted softly before continuing, "It turns out you're still the same when I visited you a month ago."

 

She sighed slowly, her fingers touching the edge of the sofa, then in a serious voice, she continued, "Young Master… could you sit in front of me? I feel like I'm talking to empty air."

 

Keith snorted, his breath heavy as if trying to suppress his rising anger. He turned around and slowly walked towards Maddie, who was sitting on the long sofa. He adjusted his long coat, then dropped himself into the chair in front of her.

 

His face was slightly lowered; his hands were clasped together. "This has nothing to do with you, Aunt," he said flatly but forcefully. "They kept sending marriage proposals to me when they heard Isabelle ended our relationship." His shoulders tensed slightly, his jaw tightened.

 

"Tck." He clicked his tongue, his gaze sharpening at the edge of the table. "Why are they so stubborn, even threatening me with that annoying debt of gratitude agreement."

 

His fingers clenched beside his knee, as if wanting to crush something. Maddie looked at him flatly while observing Keith's clenched fist on the left side of the small table in front of her. Then, quickly, she smiled faintly.

 

Keith was still looking down when Maddie's voice suddenly sounded light, almost like a subtle mockery.

 

"Who are you, hmm? Are you someone possessing my beloved nephew's body?" she said in a flat and informal voice, a faint smile playing on the corner of her lips.

 

Keith raised his face with slightly raised eyebrows, looking at Maddie with a mixed expression of annoyance and confusion. "Why are you rambling like this in broad daylight, Aunt," he replied with a heavy sigh.

 

Maddie simply raised her chin slightly, then adjusted her sitting position to be more upright than before. "The Young Master I know," she said formally again, her tone now firm and cold, "isn't this sad. He is the great knight I am proud of."

 

"But now, before me… there's only a coward," she continued without hesitation.

 

Her smile reappeared, this time accompanied by a soft laugh that seemed to slightly ease the awkward atmosphere.  "Of course not, hohoho… How could someone be possessed that easily? But, you know, Young Master, novels about bodies possessed by foreign souls are very trendy among noble ladies lately." Her eyes narrowed playfully.

 

Keith massaged his temples, clearly uninterested in following the flow of the joke. He sighed deeply before glancing at Maddie listlessly.

 

"Your talk is getting more and more rambling, Aunt. If you don't want to return to your residence now, go to your room in this mansion," he said, standing up again, his coat swaying gently, then slowly walking out of the room. "I don't have time to listen to your favorite romance stories."

 

Keith's steps were almost reaching the doorknob when he stopped upon hearing Maddie's call.

 

"Wait, Young Master…" Maddie said, slowly rising from her seat,

 

"If you allow it… may I be the temporary maid for this family's lady?" she said, folding her hands in front of her stomach. "Of course, I don't want suspicious people to easily enter the Hale family."

 

Keith fell silent for a moment. His hand was still on the doorknob, but his body didn't move any further. Then, without turning around, he said flatly, "It's up to you, Aunt."

 

The doorknob was pressed, and the door opened. He stepped out without saying anything more, leaving the room filled again with the hanging silence. Maddie stood silently for a few seconds before finally exhaling a long breath while smiling faintly.

 

"That child…"

 

 

 

"Madam Vernelle, may I ask something?" Lyra carefully tried to start a conversation. "Did Lord Marquiss tell you to serve me?"

 

Maddie slowly stopped walking and didn't turn her gaze away. The atmosphere, which had been slowly thawing between them, became awkward again instantly. Realizing this, Lyra's shoulders tensed. Her gaze glanced sideways, trying to read Maddie's expression, even just from her profile. She could feel the air that had been warm turning colder, stiffer.

 

"Lyra Martha, you fool, why did you ask her that when you're trying to build a relationship with her?!" she muttered inwardly, full of regret.

 

Maddie sighed, then turned to Lyra with the same flat gaze as before. "No, this is purely my request," Maddie finally said, her voice remaining calm.

 

She then calmly continued her steps, while Lyra followed again. The warm summer breeze blew on them as they walked through the corridors they were passing.

 

"If you think my presence here is because of the Young Master's orders, that's not true."  After a moment, Maddie diverted her gaze to her surroundings, then sighed softly, slightly embarrassed to have just realized something.

 

"Oh, unconsciously I led you to this place," she said, turning to the small gate that was now open before them.

 

Beyond the gate, there was a large stone field with several archery targets and replica straw dummies, as well as wooden racks where weapons and shields were stored. Several knights in training clothes were enthusiastically practicing swordsmanship and sparring with each other. The sunlight from the morning sky created long, moving shadows as they fought.

 

"This is the Hale family knight training area," Maddie said while explaining, "It seems this isn't suitable for someone like you, so I will take you to----..."

 

"No, Madam Vernelle." Lyra's voice quickly interrupted Maddie's sentence, "For some reason, I want to see that area."

 

Maddie snorted, then walked ahead towards the area, "Alright, if you insist, but I apologize if this is a boring place."

 

Lyra smiled, then followed Maddie's footsteps into the training area. For a moment, the wind carried the scent of dust from the ground and metal from the training field. Their steps followed the stone path leading to the side of the field.

 

Upon entering the area, the sound of clashing swords became clearer. Lyra walked slowly beside Maddie, observing the area. Suddenly, she heard a complaint from a knight who was resting under a straw replica statue. They didn't realize Lyra and Maddie's presence approaching from the side.

 

"How long will we just keep training like this?" one of them complained, wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. "It's been four months since the last expedition…"

 

"That's right," his companion replied in a lower tone, his eyes staring blankly at the ground. "And also, since that day, for some reason, the leader has rarely visited this area."

 

The first knight rolled his eyes, kicking a small pebble near his feet. "Before, every week he would give us direct evaluations. Now? Even his shadow isn't seen."

 

Hearing this, Maddie changed her direction, her shoes struggling slightly on the grains of sand and soil. She approached the two young knights who were still sitting leaning against the straw replica statue.

 

"How dare you gossip strangely about the lord you serve…" Maddie said, her tone flat.

 

The two knights immediately tensed, their eyes widening instantly upon recognizing the figure standing before them.

 

"C-Countess Vernelle…?!"