Chapter 59: A Small Change
At the break of dawn, Lucia, rubbing her drowsy eyes, rose from her bed.
Despite it still being the time to sleep in, she had awoken because she sensed someone approaching.
While seated on her bed, Lucia focused on the sensation. The footsteps coming toward her were light yet relaxed.
Is it Shiron
Identifying the person approaching was easy. It was a bit embarrassing to admit, but within this mansion, it was easy to distinguish Shirons energy.
The energy of the two demon maids was too strong to be hidden. Therefore, by process of elimination, only Shiron remained.
What could it be?
The vast annex rivaled most mansions in size but housed only four. Except for meal times, encounters between Lucia and Shiron within the annex were rare. Without reason, Shiron rarely ventured near Lucias room.
Nows not the time.
Quickly, Lucia got up and moved to her dressing table. Back at Dawn Castle, a skilled maid would help her get ready at the ring of a bell. But with reduced help now, she had to manage herself.
Swoosh- Swoosh-
Seated before the mirror, Lucia began brushing her tangled hair.
Ugh, why isnt this working?
Having always relied on others for grooming in her past life, managing her tangled hair was more challenging than expected.
Thatll do!
Knock- Knock-
Just then, a knock sounded at her door.
-Are you up?
J-just a moment! Im up, wait!
Rushing to the door, Lucia greeted,
Hello!
Slowly opening the door, Shiron greeted her with a smile. As days went by, Lucia had to look up more to see Shiron.
Facing the increasingly handsome Shiron, Lucia greeted him.
You seem in good spirits today?
Oh, do I?
Yes, your voice sounds oddly high for the morning.
Did it show that much?
Clearing his throat, Shiron continued,
I came to ask you a favor.
A favor?
Her eyes widened. Lucia always felt bad for always receiving and never giving. Shiron smiled warmly at her reaction.
Its nothing grand. Would you like to join me at the training ground after so long?
Didnt you quit training? You havent been to the training ground lately.
Ive stopped regularly. But I havent missed a day swinging my sword.
Contemplating Lucias words, Shiron realized she mustve thought he had truly quit.
Oh, no! Im not refusing. I was just wondering what brought this on.
Seeing Shirons slightly furrowed brows, Lucia hurriedly gestured in appeasement.
I just want to check something. Get dressed; were heading to the training ground.
Chuckling, Shiron closed the door.
Having changed into more comfortable clothing, Lucia was met by Shiron, who then moved to the training ground.
Before starting his run, Shiron did some light warm-up exercises and took several deep breaths.
Do I just need to run?
Yes. I just want to see how much my stamina has improved.
[Protection of Vitality]
Did it say it was supposed to prevent my heart from getting tired?
He didnt have much opportunity to test protections like Rage or Focus. He didnt get angry easily, and his determination rarely wavered.
But endurance was easy to test.
Shiron looked at Lucia, who was moving her arms and legs, stretching her body. According to Siriel, she hadnt won against Lucia even once in their practice duels. She seemed a suitable comparison.
Lets test the buff.
Theres no time limit. Just run until youre tired. Choose your own pace.
Understood.
As soon as Shiron started, Lucia began to follow him.
They ran for a whopping 4 hours.
Shirons speed didnt decrease, and Lucia, who was running beside him, showed no signs of stopping. So, in the middle, Shiron decided to halt.
The performance is good.
The protection given by Latera was certainly outstanding, even surpassing his expectations. He started running at full speed from the beginning, and his speed didnt drop. The heated body even made the run feel smoother.
The most astonishing thing was that he wasnt out of breath. Even after finishing the run, instead of panting heavily, his breathing was calm.
How is this possible? You werent this fit before.
Hehehe. Curious?
Shiron grinned at Lucia, showing his accomplishment. Lucia looked slightly troubled seeing his face but chose not to comment since it had been a while since he smiled like that.
Running for a long time isnt that surprising, but not being out of breath after such a run is.
Unable to contain his smile, Shiron looked at Lucia.
Its fate.
Fate?
I had a dream where an angel appeared and gave me protection.
Really?
Yes, she said I had lived so well that I deserved a visit in my dreams.
After saying this, Shiron gauged Lucias expression.
Thats fortunate.
Lucia responded with a shy smile. Her lukewarm response made Shiron tilt his head.
I expected a better reaction.
He subtly mentioned the angel, but Lucias reaction was bland. He intended to test the protection and also hint at the angels existence from 500 years ago, but Lucia didnt seem too interested.
Becoming more assertive, Shiron approached Lucia with a broad smile.
I feel you dont believe me, but its true, okay?
Hearing this, Lucia took a step back.
No, its not that I dont believe, especially after seeing the result, but
Then why? Dont you want to meet an angel and receive protection?
First, keep some distance. Youre too close!
Lucia turned her head quickly, pushing Shiron away, who was very close. She felt a bit shy facing Shiron. They used to talk without any distance, even when sweating heavily, but lately, Shiron seemed different, especially after Siriels comments about him.
I dont need it. I dont even want to meet one.
Why?
Meeting strangers and letting them do things to me is creepy. What if, instead of protection, they curse me?
Lucia was suspicious of the angel that Shiron claimed to have met.
She recalled the succession ritual.
In front of the children of Prient, Yuma had said that Gods apostle, an angel, gave the Holy Sword to Kyrie 500 years ago.
At that time, Lucia had scoffed.
So that means Yura was the angel? But I got the Holy Sword from Yura. It doesnt add up.
The Yura that Lucia remembered was a normal human. She couldnt use sacred power and only had basic spatial magic.
After cooling down a bit, Lucia wanted to confirm a few things with Shiron.
Then, what did the angel you met in your dream look like?
She was an older sister with a shining halo on her head. She had black hair and purple eyes.
Even though she looked like a kid, she was probably around five hundred years old.
Shiron described Lateras appearance that he saw in that mysterious place.
After hearing the concise description, Lucia seemed to fall into thought and lowered her head. The Yura, she remembered, also had black hair and purple eyes. Lucia squinted her eyes, staring intently at Shiron.
I should live kindly
Master!
At that moment, an elderly man dressed in a neat suit rushed towards them amidst the fog. He was Philip, the head butler of the mansion.
Gasping for breath as he approached, his clothes looked disheveled, as if he had hurried too much.
Master! You need to change your clothes immediately!
Philip was shocked to see the two of them covered in dirt and sweat.
Why?
The 3rd Prince has come to see you at the mansion. The knights are with him!
Oh
Upon hearing about the 3rd Prince, Shiron let out a small exclamation.
What? He came faster than I thought. I didnt expect him to come right away.
Anyway, you must change into formal attire immediately. Miss Siriel is already there.
Even though he had rushed over, Philip, who looked pale, tried to hurry both Shiron and Lucia. Despite being an elderly man with white hair, his strength was evident.
Wait a moment, sir, let me help you.
But Shiron brushed his hand away. Philip, with wide eyes, looked down at Shiron.
I can meet him as I am now.
What? What do you mean by that?
I dont think he will mind, so its okay to go like this.
What, what do you mean?
As Philip stood there with a bewildered expression, Lucia, holding onto him, looked down at Shiron.
Why has the royalty come to see Shiron?
When Lucia expressed her confusion, Shiron shrugged and smiled.
Who knows? Maybe I looked easy to him.
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