Navia slightly tilted her head and saw the Black Moon, half-hidden by her sleeve, as she headed towards the room on the second floor.
When she had grabbed Margret's hand earlier, the Black Moon, infused with honed magic, cast a deep and dark black light.
"Just in case."
Navia was on edge, having stayed up all night in fear of assassins.
But something kept poking at her, an odd sensation all over, so she had prepared for an emergency.
As Edward climbed the stairs, he glanced at Navia, who was walking more slowly and awkwardly than usual.
‘Must be the wounds from that day.’
Edward unexpectedly recalled that day when snow fell from the sky.
It was as if the sky was celebrating Navia's victory, changing the gloomy rain to snow, sending shivers down Edward again.
It seemed as if even the heavens were on the child's side.
"How have you been?"
Navia answered strangely to that question.
"Yes. Have you been well, teacher?"
"I have been preparing a thesis. There's a presentation on a cure for magical reflux disease in a few days."
"Is that so."
Navia responded with a face showing no interest in that great achievement.
Edward felt belittled by her indifference.
What could possibly move this girl's emotions?
If there was such a thing, it would probably be something so surprising and significant that it would turn the world upside down.
"I've been granted a countship. Thanks to you, Lady."
At that, a thin smile appeared on Navia's emotionless face.
"How could it be thanks to me? We just exchanged mutual benefits. It's your achievement, teacher."
Navia stopped in front of her room and turned to Edward.
"And please call me Navia. I am not a lady, and soon you will receive a title too, won't you?"
"As you wish."
Navia looked at Edward strangely for being too humble, then spoke as she opened the door.
"I don't have a personal maid to serve you. Would you like some water?"
"Please."
Navia half-filled a cup with water and handed it to Edward before sitting down.
"Did you come here to intensify the brainwashing on me?"
Navia was immune to his brainwashing.
Perhaps only a magician born with exceptionally strong mind control magic in the Dufmann royal family could brainwash her.
Knowing this, Navia had a reason to ask.
Edward was now a completely severed ally, potentially conspiring with Agnes for greater gain.
It was time to clearly distinguish friend from foe.
Edward felt the nuance of her words.
"Is there something you desire?"
Navia tilted her head.
"Why do you ask me that?"
"I wish to cooperate with Navia, not Agnes."
Cooperation with him?
Navia smirked at the thought.
So he treats her with contempt, ready to sacrifice her when it's convenient, and now, seeing potential in her, he wants to join hands?
"I should be the one asking what you want from me."
Despite Navia's cold tone, Edward approached her and knelt on one knee.
He had been pondering all day until he came to Esceled today and finally made up his mind.
"Please allow me to serve you as my lord."
He was certain there was no one else worth serving but Navia.
Her eyes grew colder.
"What strange words. You want to serve me, a lowly born eight-year-old, as your lord?"
"If you overthrow a family, you become its head, and if you overthrow an empire, you become the emperor."
Navia was not someone to stop at just this level.
Great people show their exceptional qualities from a young age.
Navia's extraordinariness was already beyond a child's level, even surpassing competent adults.
"What matters is not being the head of a family, an empress, or an emperor."
What mattered was Navia herself as a person.
That was why she was worth serving.
Navia twisted the corner of her mouth.
"Sorry, Teacher. I don't have the magnanimity to take in someone who has already tried to harm me enough."
"…!"
"If you truly wanted to serve me, you should have first repented for your mistakes."
"Miss Navia."
"You're quite greedy. To treat an annoying fake lady like me as a tool for your benefit and now want to serve me as your lord."
It was a ridiculous idea to think that he still had the authority to act this way, thinking he could be her lord.
Edward had been deceiving her even in this life.
"Since you won't decide, let me decide for you."
Navia spoke calmly.
"Just keep despising and looking down on me as you always have. That's your role."
Edward hadn't expected to be rejected so decisively.
He was a competent man, an irresistible talent. He had been confident that Navia would join him.
Breathless, he couldn't believe this rejection.
He began in a suppressed voice, "Wouldn't pretending to be persuasive be more beneficial for you?"
Navia shook her head. "Maybe. But I don't want to."
'You didn't, so why should I?'
How useful she had proven herself to be in her past life. Navia had objectively been capable and useful. But what had that amounted to?
"You're a human destined to die at Agnes's whim. Why should I show you magnanimity?"
Looking back at her eighth life, Edward had always looked down on her.
Edward clenched his teeth. Yes, he had been a cowardly, vile bystander.
It was true he had changed his stance after looking down on Navia.
But he had sincerely sought a great lord to captivate him, and Navia shone too brightly before him.
He couldn't give up after seeing such a worthy subject of loyalty.
"Please give me a chance."
Edward knelt before Navia.
There was no shame.
How could it be shameful for a subject to kneel before their lord?
"Please give me a chance to repent my foolishness."
Navia fell silent. Edward had been her long-time teacher, probably knowing his personality better than her own family.
Despite her clearly drawing the line, his persistence was uncharacteristic of Edward.
But that didn't mean she intended to forgive him. No, there was no need to forgive or anything.
In this life, she had wanted to cleanly part ways with those she had been cruelly and dirtily entangled with until now.
Watching Edward behave so willfully amidst all this only added to her already exhausted mind.
Navia felt her energy draining uncontrollably, suddenly experiencing a dizzying headache blurring her vision.
"Ah, I want to rest..."
Her head felt like it was splitting, so she buried her face in her hands. Her hands were slightly trembling.
"Am I in such a situation that I can't even refuse to form connections?"
Edward, seemingly not considering that his forceful insistence on loyalty was violent behavior to Navia, kept pushing.
‘I am truly exhausted.’
Thud!
At that moment, Edward suddenly fell to the ground as if he had been harshly pushed on the shoulder.
"Ugh!"
He looked around in a panic.
'What? Did something just push me?'
It was too vivid to be dismissed as a mere illusion.
As if being tripped...
And that wasn't the end of it.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a water glass that had been perfectly fine on the table fell and soaked his clothes, but strangely, the water only sprayed on Edward's clothes, leaving only the empty cup on the carpet.
Edward quickly turned to Navia.
Navia, startled by the unexpected noise, lifted her face from her palms.
"Did you just do something to me?"
Edward asked, furrowing his brow.
Navia, not understanding the situation, asked in return.
"What do you mean?"
"You just pushed me and even threw water on me."
Edward said this even though he knew it didn't make sense given the distance between him and Navia.
But it seemed more bizarre to think that he had fallen and the water had spilled by coincidence.
"…I have no idea what you're talking about."
As Navia coldly responded with narrowed eyes, Edward sighed and shook his head.
"…Forget it."
He seemed to prefer believing it was the work of a ghost.
Knock, knock.
Just then, a knock sounded, and before permission was given, a servant of Theorban entered.
"Excuse me. The compensation verification is almost done, and we've been instructed to fetch Lord Spencer... What happened?"
The servant was puzzled to see Edward sitting on the floor with his coat wet.
'Did that lady throw water at him?'
It seemed implausible, but the circumstances suggested otherwise.
Edward sighed briefly and stood up, shaking off his wet clothes.
"We'll talk later, it would be good."
He greeted politely and walked past the servant, brushing his damp hair back.
As the servant closed the door, he said,
"A servant will soon arrive to escort you, miss. Please wait here in the meantime."
Click.
Navia muttered expressionlessly.
"It seems they're up to something."
It hadn't been long, and there was no apparent reason for Theorban to send a servant to call Edward away.
It was clear he was trying to create a situation where she was left alone.
'I need to leave.'
She had to find the adults.
Click!
But before Navia could open the door, a red-haired boy, who shouldn't have been in this place, entered.
"Long time no see, bug."
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