"Do you agree, my... fiancé, who will officially be engaged to me few months later?"
Celicia's voice, as cold and clear as a breeze carrying snow, echoed down the street filled not with spectators but a metaphorical pond of great white sharks. For a moment, the sound seemed to be stripped away by the divine, leaving the street in an eerily quiet stillness.
Moen's lips trembled as Celicia fixed him with a gaze calm yet laced with a trace of teasing. He dared not even turn around to look.
Because it was blatantly clear—the fuse of the powder keg had already been lit.
"What? Engagement?"
Sure enough, Anna's brows furrowed sharply.
She understood that Moen and the girl before her were bound by a genuine marriage contract, and their engagement was inevitable. It was an agreement personally decreed by the emperor, unlikely to be altered. But she hadn't expected it to happen so quickly.
And even more surprising was that this princess, famed for her icy demeanor, would openly announce it in public.
What was this supposed to mean?
Was this a declaration of war?
Anna's face darkened slightly, her silky hair beginning to billow despite the absence of wind. In the depths of her gemstone-clear eyes, a faint image of the rising moon seemed to appear.
She was angry.
On the other side, Ann appeared much calmer, as she had already known this information and thus did not react strongly to Celicia's words.
However—
Her fingers tightened their grip on the hem of her dress, and the soft hum of steel seemed to resonate faintly in the air.
As the young master's personal maid, she should have prepared herself much earlier for a scenario like this.
She should not have any objections.
Yet now, in this moment, she still couldn't help but feel—
Very unpleased.
Nightfall deepened.
A faint mist began to drift from the distant riverside but was soon dispersed by an intangible energy, leaving the air unusually crisp.
The chilly atmosphere transformed subtly into a quietly brewing sense of murderous intent, charged and ready to ignite in this tense standoff.
Drip.
Drip.
Time passed slowly.
Like the sweat dripping heavily from Moen's forehead, each moment thickened the suffocating silence.
Finally—
Celicia shifted her gaze away from Moen. Her fingers lightly brushed aside her silver locks, her beautiful eyes remaining as tranquil as a frozen lake, seemingly unimpressed by the tension emanating from her surroundings. She spoke with an air of detachment:
"What’s this? Are you planning to strike against me?"
No surge of magical energy.
No display of combat aura.
No sign of hostility.
No indication of intent to kill.
Her words felt as casual as an offhand remark.
Yet at this moment, those light and seemingly mundane words descended heavily, exerting immense pressure on Ann and Anna. The brewing sense of tension froze in an instant.
This wasn’t just due to the profound, unfathomable strength possessed by this famed prodigy of the empire—the so-called "Pure White Witch." It was also because of her status.
She was Celicia, the third princess of the Leopard Empire, the individual with arguably the most exalted rank in the entire country.
With their current positions, Ann and Anna were lucky enough to stand before her and exchange words. This was already a demonstration of her benevolence.
If they truly struck an imperial princess in the public eye, they wouldn’t merely provoke Celicia—they would provoke the entirety of the empire’s will.
Thus, it was only natural that the princess carried herself with such relentless arrogance.
...
"It seems that neither of you objects to me taking him with me."
Celicia's frosty expression betrayed no emotion.
"So let’s go, my fiancé."
"Wait… about leaving right now, isn’t that…"
Celicia cast Moen a cold glare, her silence carrying undisputed authority. Without saying another word, she extended an elegant hand, grabbed hold of his collar, and, like a cat grasped firmly by the scruff of its neck, dragged him away without hesitation.
Moen turned around miserably, folding his hands together in a pleading gesture toward the remaining two girls.
It’s not that I don’t want to resist; it’s just that this woman is *far* too dangerous to oppose!
Please, don’t hold a grudge against me—I swear I’m innocent in this!
...
As the two figures disappeared from sight, Ann and Anna remained silent, their expressions unreadable.
After a long pause, they exchanged glances.
Anna spoke first: "I’ll be leaving now."
Ann responded: "I’ll be leaving too."
"See you."
"Farewell."
Anna walked away, leading the departure.
Yet, she did not take the path back toward the academy.
Her chosen road led in the direction of the Silence Agency.
"I didn’t intend to fight."
Anna murmured softly.
In this world, where even someone as unabashedly obsessed as Ariel could openly maintain a crystal palace of female lovers—complete with spell-induced offspring—having multiple women around a powerful and distinguished man was nothing out of the ordinary.
Given Moen's status and his destined achievements, Anna had long accepted the reality that other women might stand by his side.
She wasn’t someone who cared for contention or titles of recognition.
As long as she could remain near the one she loved, that was enough for her.
Any semblance of greed was simply the hope for such love to spill warmer and more abundantly in return.
However—
In *this* moment—
Even as gentle and unassuming as her disposition might be, she could not allow *anyone* to step upon her pride, trampling her face with audacious proclamations under the guise of some so-called engagement.
Even if that someone was an esteemed princess.
"Well then, just wait—Princess Celicia."
Anna’s graceful features now carried an uncharacteristic authority, a regal composure even Moen had never witnessed before.
Moonlight scattered faintly through her gemstone-like eyes.
With each step forward, the surrounding shadows seemed to ripple and twist wildly, bowing one after another under the supreme dominance she emanated.
"I don’t care about some title like Duchess."
"But—"
A small, determined smile tugged at Anna’s lips as she whispered quietly:
"I *do* look forward to the day when you, my noble princess, will have to bow your head… and call me ‘elder sister.’"
...
After Anna’s departure—
Ann remained in place momentarily, watching Celicia and Moen’s retreating figures for a while longer.
On her poised and dignified face, a faint flicker of something sinister—a subtle trace of distortion and malice—seemed to flash almost imperceptibly.
"Indeed, if I want to eradicate these parasites clinging to the young master, the current me is still far from adequate."
She lowered her gaze to her hands, recalling the intense sense of crisis she had felt when confronting Celicia earlier.
It wasn’t just instinct but absolute clarity—she wasn’t yet a match for Celicia.
After all, despite both being a chosen-one blessed by the gods, Ann knew deep down that her innate talent wasn’t inferior to hers.
But the time Celicia had spent cultivating her skills and the resources at her disposal were things Ann couldn’t even begin to compare to.
And it wasn’t just Celicia—this "Anna" presented an equally formidable and concerning challenge.
Both were highly troublesome adversaries.
Not to mention, with the young master’s rising brilliance, there was no telling what caliber of rival women would flock toward him next.
"I can’t afford to delay any longer."
Ann climbed back into the carriage and quietly issued a command.
"Let’s go."
The carriage swayed gently, rolling toward the outskirts of the city.
Resting her chin lightly upon her hand, Ann gazed at the cityscape retreating behind her, her fingers absently tracing the blood-red, gem-like key now resting in her palm.
"Abyss…"
She murmured, seemingly speaking to no one in particular.
"I wonder—if I slaughter tens of thousands of demons—will I finally grow strong enough?"
