Nighttime Encounters - Chapter 35
“And that guy?”
Luperne shrugged at Rosia’s question.
[He seems to have noticed you were there since the hair tie is gone.]
Rosia grumbled, twisting the ends of her hair in frustration. “He’s so quick to notice.”
[I heard the man’s aura is so fierce right now that even spirits can’t go near him.]
Just as there were people with hearts weak enough to be possessed by malevolent spirits, there were also others who were strong enough to repel them. It was clear that this man was radiating an anger so strong that even spirits were afraid of him.
“I feel a little sorry for drugging him but it was unavoidable. I just wanted to settle this peacefully.”
Rosia pulled her hair up and tugged at her ponytail. It was a precious item left by her deceased parents whose souls had been extinguished.
“I can’t sit idly by while my parents’ belongings are taken from me, and who was he to take someone else’s hair tie?”
Pursing her lips, Rosia resumed sweeping with her broom. As if to shake off the man, her hands tightened as she swept. In the bright sunlight, particles of dust danced, illuminated by the fine rays.
But until then, she hadn’t realized—that her parents’ legacy was more than just the hair tie.
Ding, ding.
The doorbell rang ominously in Rosia’s warm, cozy home. It was the sound of an intruder in her private sanctuary. The temperature in the room dropped instantly.
Her lips , which had been drawn into a thin line, snapped back into place. Her beautifully curved eyes narrowed with a sharp glint.
“Who could it be? I didn’t expect any visitors coming to our house.”
Apart from going out to purchase necessities, Rosia rarely went out. It was unlikely that anyone would come to visit her in the bright light of day.
The only people she had a deep and lasting relationship with were…
Those cute little guards who tirelessly pursued Trinity, even if it was in vain.
Rosia’s eyes widened at the thought. Was it a guard who had figured out Trinity’s identity? Or perhaps…
The man she tucked into bed last night?
“Have I been caught? That can’t be right.”
Luperne, who flew over to check the front door, shook his head.
[Doesn’t seem like it.]
“Then who is it?”
[From the way he’s dressed, I’m guessing he’s a Kantaean.]
“Kantaea?” asked Rosia, her eyes widening at the unfamiliar word. “What’s that?”
[Come to think of it, how old are you?]
“I’m turning twenty this June. Why the sudden interest in my age?”
[Hmm. Already? How time flies.]
“What’s going on?”
[Well, you see…]
Luperne’s expression grew pale as his words trailed off. His silvery hair fluttered uneasily in the air. It only took a moment for Luperne’s uneasiness to rub off on Rosia.
“What’s wrong? What’s going on? Is it worse than the Mage Bureau?”
As Luperne stared off into the distance, the doorbell rang once more, jingling persistently.
Rosia glared at Luperne who was avoiding her questions. “You. Be prepared to explain yourself.”
With that, Rosia darted down the stairs. Now that she had a visitor, she had to go and check it out.
Rushing past the living room toward the front door, Rosia rested a hand on her chest, catching her breath. When her breathing calmed, she left the safety chain on the door in place and carefully pushed it open.
The length of the safety chain connecting the door and its frame allowed only a glimpse of the outside world. She could only half see the person standing at the doorstep.
Peering cautiously through the narrow opening, Rosia inspected the intruder. “Who are you?”
Fortunately, it wasn’t a guard, and it certainly wasn’t the man from last night.
“Rosiana Delconda, right?” The sudden mention of her name made Rosia flinch.
How do they know my name?
Suspicion filled her amethyst eyes, glinting above the safety chain.
“Yes, but who are you?”
The intruder who had abruptly appeared at Rosia’s doorstep was a man in a sharply tailored coat. A golden emblem in the shape of a double-headed eagle was affixed to the left side of his black coat. In his right hand, he held an elegant envelope adorned with gilded embellishments.
“Oh, thank goodness. If we hadn’t met again today, the documents would have been forwarded to the Mage Bureau.”
The man removed the black bowler hat from his head and held it in his hand, a relieved smile on his face.
“I’m really glad we could meet today,” he continued, expressing his joy and relief to himself, leaving Rosia utterly bewildered by his elation.
“What’s going on?”
Why was he so glad to see her? Why was her peace being disturbed by a strange intruder?
But the man didn’t seem inclined to answer her questions. He took a step closer and abruptly handed over the fancy envelope.
“Congratulations on being admitted to the Kantaean Academy of Magic.”
