I came softly, just as I leave softly.
Li Yue stood up, recalling those lines. Although it wasn’t a perfectly accurate description of the situation, it felt right. She returned to the first-floor hall and saw Aestherin and Lane looking at her with strange expressions.
“Sister!” Melina was as sincere and adorable as ever, trotting toward Li Yue. Her violin remained on the stage, left behind for the moment.
“Sister Aestherin said you might not be able to make it, but I’m so glad you did.”
“I received an invitation from someone else. I’m very happy to be here and see you all.”
“Sister, it’s so warm here.”
“Yes, it is very warm...” Li Yue’s expression gradually grew heavy, and the smile on her face faded significantly. She rubbed Melina’s head and asked softly,
“The Inner Ring is willing to spend so much heat on this kind of luxury, yet they won’t spare even a fraction for the poor people who need it to survive.” Li Yue’s voice sounded cold.
Lane smiled. At this moment, he was certain that this young lady had never changed. The person he had spent time with before was her truest self.
“The people of the Inner Ring control all the lifeblood of Yakutsk. Compared to this small group, those in the Outer Ring are clearly easy targets.” Lane made a crushing motion with his hand. “Easy targets—you squeeze them, and they break. At most, you just wash your hands afterward.”
Li Yue nodded, and the atmosphere around them fell into silence again. Aestherin began to reflect on herself. As a member of the Inner Ring, she always talked about going to the Outer Ring for experience, yet it seemed she had never truly looked at things from their perspective.
Compared to Miss Li Yue, my thinking is still stuck in the Inner Ring. This faint sense of superiority is likely why I haven’t been able to truly integrate or grow.
“Oh, right, Sister Li Yue! The music I’m writing for you is half-finished.” Melina seemed to remember something, her voice tinged with excitement.
“It’s alright, no need to rush. I might be staying for a while longer.”
“The Cecilia flowers you wanted me to plant are growing in the prison greenhouse and in my family’s garden. They should be ready for harvest in a few days.”
“Thank you.” Li Yue smiled. “Those flowers often appear in my dreams. They’re one of the few beautiful things I dream about.”
Li Yue’s pinky finger unconsciously brushed against the ring on her ring finger. This tiny movement was caught by Lane and Aestherin, who both understood its significance.
“If there’s a chance, I’d like to make breakfast for you all again. I burnt the bacon last time.” Lane glanced at a lady walking toward them from a distance. She was heading straight for them, wearing an all-black gown adorned with a single white epiphyllum.
“There will be plenty of chances.” Li Yue fell silent for a moment, sensing the approaching footsteps behind her as well.
“My Lady, the meeting is about to begin. The head of the family has sent me to remind you to arrive early,” the lady in black whispered into Li Yue’s ear.
“I understand. Let’s go.” Li Yue brushed the dust off her clothes and smoothed the wrinkles in her gown. With a gentle pass of her hand, everything was back in perfect order.
She gave a simple wave as a farewell and then turned to follow the attendant toward the area with the most guards. Lane and Aestherin soon saw the crowds kneeling in rows, while others looked up as they departed.
The lights seemed to dim slightly. A melodious tune played from a nearby gramophone. Several elegantly dressed, elderly-looking people sat in two rows around a rectangular table.
The head seat was empty. Li Yue guessed it was reserved for Reinhardt. Even if he didn’t show up, the proper etiquette had to be maintained, though she didn’t think Reinhardt was the type to care about such things.
As the successor, she stood dutifully behind Helen, too lazy to find a chair or listen to the meeting. To her, these discussions were nothing more than the petty fluctuations of secular affairs.
It seemed everyone had arrived. Li Yue took note of the Ein family. A tall, dignified old man with a white beard was likely Aestherin’s father, and the man behind him was probably her brother.
She stood there thinking for a while, noticing that the eyes of everyone in the room were constantly flickering toward her. She remained indifferent to the attention.
“Helen, it seems you’ve chosen your successor.” A voice rang out, and everyone turned their gaze to Li Yue. They studied her appearance—a beauty radiating a powerful killing intent, clearly not someone belonging to the mundane world.
“Truly beautiful. The last time I went to the Royal Court for negotiations, the Chamber of Commerce President and the high nobles who met me also had white hair and red eyes.” A finely dressed man spoke slowly. He looked to be around Helen’s age, perhaps slightly older.
“Her white is purer, and her red is more vivid. A true beauty indeed.” He smiled. “Helen, she is even more beautiful than you were in your youth.”
“I thought the meeting had already started,” Helen said flatly. “Hasn’t that person arrived yet?”
She glanced at the head seat, and the men who had just spoken chuckled awkwardly.
“It’s just a small gathering, no need to be so formal. However, regarding the selection of a successor—such a major event—we didn’t receive any word at all.” A man wearing glasses smiled. The girl behind him had long, fiery red hair.
“After all, we will be ‘colleagues’ managing Yakutsk together in the future. It’s necessary to get to know one another.”
“I actually envy her. Working with you is nothing short of a disaster.” Helen arched an eyebrow.
“The mining accident last time was my fault, but the supplies were mostly intact. Only a dozen or so workers died, after all.”
Li Yue’s brow twitched. She looked at the man, suppressing her surging killing intent. If Helen gave the order, she was fifty percent sure she could kill everyone in the room before the guards downstairs could arrive. And if the guards did arrive, then no one would be leaving alive.
Most of the people present were only at the Magician stage. There were a few Mages and about a dozen Magicians gathered downstairs—likely members of the local Mages’ Association—but now they were nothing more than lapdogs for the great families.
“Let’s talk ‘official business.’ After all, Lord Reinhardt has not expressed any opposition to this matter,” a man with dark skin and white hair said slowly. He cut a piece of beef and stuffed it into his mouth. His ten fingers were covered in diamond rings of various colors.
“Let’s discuss the matter of cutting off the heat supply to the Outer Ring during the cold wave.”
The room fell into a dead silence. Everyone seemed to already know about this. Only Li Yue was stunned for a moment, before a terrifying killing intent, like a rising tide, swallowed the entire space.
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