Having finished reading the notebook, Solana vaguely knew her next goal. She took out the silver ring she had previously obtained from Winster, put it on her finger, and gave it a gentle twist. Soon, she transformed into Camilla's likeness.
Next, she walked all the way out of the cellar, out of the slums, and arrived at the convent where her main body was located.
The Sisters were sorting hay under the cloister, preparing nighttime fodder for the livestock in the stables.
Just then, a faint, sweet fragrance wafted through the cloister, making them stop their work and look up.
They saw a woman with long purple hair walking toward them, and the Sisters began to whisper among themselves.
“Eh? Why is that Camilla? Why is she coming back from outside?”
“Yeah, I saw her inside the convent earlier. When did she go out?”
“Maybe she went to look for beautiful girls again. She does that all the time. Last time, I even saw her sneaking off to the rose bushes in the back garden with another girl, who knows what they were doing...”
While they were talking, one of the Sisters next to them had already turned bright red. Summoning her courage, she suddenly shouted toward the purple-haired woman: “Lady Camilla! I... I've liked you for a very long time!”
However, the response she received was a strange smile that was completely different from usual.
The Sister's expression froze first, and then she quickly knelt down, her shoulders trembling slightly.
The other Sisters nearby grew even more intrigued and continued their discussion:
“Eh, what's wrong with Camilla today? Her smile is so stiff...”
“Yeah. Although she usually rejects people too, normally, her smile is very gentle. Even if she rejects you, it should be a warm smile accompanied by a few comforting words, not a smile like this that gives you goosebumps.”
At this moment, they noticed that the fragrance had grown even stronger.
They turned around and realized that Solana had already approached them. With the corners of her mouth curled up and a red flash in her eyes, she greeted them one by one: “Hello there. May I ask where Ignis is right now?”
However, to the Sisters, this appearance was even more chilling than the smile from before.
“She's... right at the door of that quiet room from before... Ever since she brought the Saintess back, she has been guarding there...” one of the Sisters said, pointing tremblingly toward the corner of the cloister.
“Oh? Is that so?”
Solana tilted her head slightly and turned her gaze toward another Sister, seemingly seeking confirmation from her.
“Yes, yes! Lady Camilla, don't you remember? Last... last time you even went there!” The Sister who was being stared at nodded repeatedly and chimed in.
“Great, thank you!” The corners of Solana's mouth curled up even more, her smile becoming increasingly eerie. She said, “Don't mind me, I just forgot for a moment...”
With that, she turned and walked toward the corner of the cloister without looking back.
Soon, the sweet fragrance dissipated. In the blink of an eye, Camilla had already disappeared into the shadows of the cloister around the corner.
But the Sisters were all left frozen in place. Every single one of them felt a chill run down their spines from being stared at, as if they had been gazed upon by some demon...
“What's wrong with Lady Camilla? Was... was she like this before?” one of the Sisters asked.
“I don't think so. She usually smiles quite normally...” another Sister said.
“Could it be that she went through another breakup recently and is in a bad mood?”
“Yeah, that's possible...”
“Maybe Ignis stole her girlfriend again this time, and she's going over to demand an explanation. We'd better stay out of it...” the Sister who had confessed to Camilla earlier said, her voice trembling slightly.
Thinking of Camilla's expression at that time, she felt a wave of lingering fear in her heart.
“By the way, do you know which number girlfriend this is for her?”
“I think... the tenth...” the Sister replied, still in a trembling voice.
“That's not too bad, then. Why did she suddenly become like this?”
“Because that's her tenth since she arrived in Leytin City...”
Following the direction they pointed, Solana turned around the corner. After walking another twenty or thirty steps forward, she quickly found Ignis.
Seeing Camilla's hurried manner, Ignis frowned slightly and asked, “What is it?”
“Hehehe, Lady Ignis, look what I found over by the convent entrance!”
Saying so, Solana took out a letter and waved it slightly. “It's a love letter for you!”
Hearing Solana's words, Ignis frowned even deeper. She took the letter, opened it, and began to read.
【Big Sister Ignis, long time no see...】
【I wonder if you've missed me...】
【Whenever I think of those distant memories, I can't help but burst into tears. Those tears... even the blazing fire that is still burning in the Zandalar Wastelands to this day cannot burn them away...】
【Indeed... we once spent a rather wonderful time together at the High Tower...】
【It's just that... time flies... and we can never go back to how we were...】
【I became a demon of the Abyssal Order... while you became the protector of the Northern Territory...】
【I know you want to kill me. You have never shown any mercy—not in the past, and not during that last incident at the underground exchange. I am truly so very sad, so very sad...】
【Sigh, whatever... let's not mention these sad things anymore...】
【Sister, you know how much I fear death. I don't want to be hunted day and night, nor do I want to die just like that, let alone die right in front of you—because that would make you sad too...】
【So, I need some leverage to secure my survival...】
【Next... I will tell you my general plan. Think of it as my compensation for those past betrayals...】
【My plan is very simple... In a little while, I will kidnap the Saintess you are guarding in the quiet room... I will walk in through the front door in broad daylight, and walk out of this quiet room just as openly... But I bet you won't notice at all, Big Sister... Hehehe, it's a bit like hide-and-seek... But since leaving the Northern Territory, I haven't played like this in a long time. Will you play with me one last time, Big Sister?】
【Oh, by the way... I have certain divination methods, you know... Even if you hide her somewhere else, I will still find her...】
【So, Big Sister, you must prepare well...】
【—With love, Solana.】
This handwriting... it was indeed hers.
Ignis gently caressed the handwriting with her hand, falling into deep thought.
She said she would walk in through the front door of the quiet room... Could she be planning to confront me head-on?
But hasn't she lost her power? This was obvious from the previous incident at the underground exchange.
And she even said she wouldn't be noticed by me...
But how is that possible? Could she evade Camilla's divination?
Thinking of this, Ignis turned her head and asked, “Where is she right now? How long will it take for her to get here? Have you performed a divination?”
“Mhm, I've already done the divination. She'll arrive in about an hour, around three in the afternoon,” Solana smiled. “For now, we still have time.”
“Alright. I will wait for her here. You take the Saintess to a safe place. Also, take the Interference Compass I left in the convent's storage room and have the Saintess carry it with her. That way, most divinations can be evaded.” Ignis's tone became uncharacteristically serious.
Although Ignis believed that Solana's plan was almost impossible to succeed, she still made dual preparations just in case.
Solana nodded and smiled slightly. “Alright, thank you. Then I'll take the Saintess away!”
With that, Solana opened the door and walked inside.
Ignis glanced over, then paid it no more mind. She still needed to prepare to deal with Solana.
Yet for some reason, she suddenly felt that Camilla's smile before entering the room was slightly off...
It was as if... she had a look of having successfully pulled off a scheme?
Sigh, maybe she wanted to do something with the Saintess again. Previously, Camilla seemed to have a strong interest in the Saintess, having come to probe for information in front of the quiet room multiple times.
But she had warned her before not to have any crooked ideas about the Saintess, as it would be bad for the High Tower's image. She probably wouldn't act recklessly.
While she was thinking, Camilla had already brought the Saintess out.
Celia timidly hid behind Camilla, clutching the corner of her clothes with her head lowered, looking rather nervous.
Seeing this, Ignis also sighed, thinking, “This child has just survived an assassination attempt, and now the Witch of Flame is coming to kidnap her. She must be terrified. Fortunately, she's about to be taken to a safe place...”
Solana nodded in greeting to Ignis and quickly left with Celia.
Watching their receding figures, Ignis stood up from her seat once again. She walked into the quiet room and sat down by the window.
On the windowsill, a red rose stood quietly burning, water droplets still clinging to its petals.
Looking at the rose, Ignis couldn't help but recall the past once more, a nostalgic smile appearing on her face again. “Sigh, she really is just like before—reckless, naive, and always loving to do foolish things that are simply impossible to achieve...”
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