"Proposing to play hide and seek… how childish, Mimi," Tiran's voice came through the contract.

"Don't be so cynical, help me, please help me," Aya whispered with Chirp in her arms behind the door, muttering fiercely about Mimi in her heart.

The maid head must be seeking revenge, definitely!

Deciding whether Vivian will stay in Gilliast Castle based on a game of hide and seek doesn't seem well-intentioned at all.

The scope is limited to within the castle, including the buildings and surrounding areas like flower fields, lakes, forests, and the back mountain. It seems quite extensive, but compared to someone like Mimi, a Demon skilled at least level eight or above, it's not challenging enough.

Moreover… while not losing if spotted, the difficulty of not being touched by any attack without using ChiMagic or rules, all the while carrying Chirp, is definitely on hard mode.

The only relief is that as a participant in hide and seek, the Queen Mother and Vivian, being ordinary human females, make it slightly easier to handle, with Mimi being the only tough one.

"I really want to help, but according to the rules, if I assist, it'll count as your loss directly."

"...Can I at least give a clue secretly?"

Tiran's bedroom tower in the castle is the tallest structure, and with her vision, she should be able to see most areas outside of the indoor spaces. Even high-transparency corridors and verandas can be spotted. If she had a radar, it would undoubtedly make things a lot easier.

"Alright, then leave it to me. It's for the happiness of this young lady."

Letting out a yawn, the princess who had been leaning on the balcony railing turned her head discreetly after glancing at her father and Brad reading in the room. She swiftly focused her attention and scanned the buildings.

"Oh, there's a discovery."

"How is it?" Aya perked up.

"It's my mom, seems... right outside your room's door?"

Knock, knock, knock.

"Aya, you're inside, found you."

"So fast?" Aya was taken aback; it had barely been ten minutes since the game started! Of course, she had hidden in the annex building near the tower, which was closer, but why was she discovered so quickly?

"Chirp! It's Grandma!" Chirp, seeming not to understand Aya's situation well, happily waved a greeting.

"Stop, stop, please stop calling me that," Aya heard a dreadful silence outside the door and nervously swallowed saliva.

Now there were two choices; either quickly subdue Vivian or make a run for it.

Before the door was pushed open, Aya daringly broke the silence. She swiftly picked up Chirp from her embrace, rushed towards the window ahead, and leaped out in a leap of faith.

"Whoa, we're taking off!"

Hey, kid, stop laughing! Mom is almost in tears.

As Aya sighed, she spread her wings behind her to cushion the landing, turned around, and ran back into the castle.

Compared to the open areas, the castle with more obstacles and complex structures was better for hiding.

After passing through the courtyard lawn and pushing open a side door, Aya reentered a long corridor.

"Now what? Any sight of Mimi or... uh, your, your mother?"

The address rolled off Aya's tongue, just having said it.

"...Wow, isn't it a bit too early to call her that?" On the terrace out of sight from Aya, Tiran's face turned slightly red, though no one saw, and subconsciously lowered her head.

"Then what should I call her?" Aya, holding Chirp, stealthily darted through the corridor and hid around a corner, starting to ponder over the matter.

"Should I call her 'mom' like me?"

"Isn't that even worse?" Aya couldn't help but click her tongue, shaking her head vigorously. "Wait, why am I thinking about this now?!"

"Well, this issue is quite significant, it might affect future family dynamics."

Tiran emphasized seriously. "Alright, no more jokes; my mom just left your room, and Mimi… huh, she's actually on the grass behind the castle, a bit far from you. Relax."

"You're admitting it's a joke now, right?"

Setting Chirp down, Aya also relaxed slightly.

Though temporary, delaying one's victory by a mere second within the total time increased the chance of winning. So, it was indeed something to be happy about.

"Why are we running away, Mom?" Chirp finally asked the question that had been bothering her for a while.

With the ability to scan memories like a scanner and comprehend the vast information stored akin to a small library, she wasn't unaware of the game rules. It's just that due to the lack of experience in social interactions, she struggled with matters involving "emotions and feelings," akin to AI.

- Of course, it was delightful that Mom would join her in playing hide and seek.

"Yeah, I mean... Ji... Aunt... Uh, Miss Vivian?" Walking hand in hand with Aya, Chirp cautiously gauged her reaction to the address, then raised the question perplexing her small mind.

She would certainly be unable to grasp this entirely, as a being unearthed from the ruins of an ancient civilization, if her life were counted from the day Aya and Tiran rescued her, she wouldn't even be a year old. So, it was quite challenging to comprehend all of this.