Eros skewered a small piece of foie gras with his fork and held it up to Undine’s lips, his voice laced with amusement.
"My dear Sister Undine, whatever is the matter?"
Undine opened her mouth and bit down hard on the offered delicacy, then promptly turned her small face the other way, deliberately ignoring him. Eros didn't mind in the least, casually returning to his own meal.
Eventually, it was Undine who couldn't hold out any longer. She turned back, huffing indignantly, "Aren't you even going to ask why I’m angry?"
"Of course, my dear sister. Why are you angry?" Eros asked with a light chuckle after swallowing his food.
Undine pouted. "You two actually kept me in the dark!"
Eros set down his utensils and turned to her with a look of genuine surprise. "Kept you in the dark about what?"
Seeing that Eros still wouldn't admit it even now, Undine grew even more incensed. "About what just happened! I really thought something had happened to you. I was so worried!"
Hearing her fuming words, Eros said with a hint of feigned confusion, "Huh? Did Mama not tell you about the plan?"
What? It wasn't Eros who hid it from her? It was Mama?
As she processed Eros’s words, Undine turned toward her mother, her expression a whirlwind of shock, bewilderment, and disbelief—as if she had just suffered a profound betrayal.
Estelle, who had been resting her chin on her hand and enjoying the siblings' bickering with mirthful eyes, suddenly froze. She hadn't told her daughter because she was afraid Undine’s acting wouldn't be up to par and she’d blow their cover—but could she really say that to her face?
Looking at the innocent-faced Eros beside her, Estelle inwardly gnashed her teeth. This troublesome child, intentionally dragging me into the line of fire.
However, Estelle was far too experienced to let her composure slip. Without changing her expression, she said smoothly, "Eros usually tells you everything, so I assumed he had already spoken with you. That’s why I didn't bring it up."
Eros: "..."
Wow. Okay. Passing the ball back to me, are we?
Sure enough, after hearing Estelle’s explanation, Undine shifted her gaze back to Eros.
Eros cleared his throat. "It happened so suddenly last night, and I wasn't even home. How could I have told you then?"
After hearing his explanation, Undine let out a soft harrumph. "I’ll forgive you both just this once, but you aren't allowed to keep things from me next time!"
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Seeing her relent, Eros breathed a secret sigh of relief, knowing the matter had passed. He then shot a look of deep grievance toward Estelle, who only responded with a look of perfect innocence.
After the meal, Eros went into the garden to recount the "incident" to Archbishop Ando and his team.
After listening, the Archbishop pondered for a moment. "So, Your Highness was resting in your room at night when you suddenly sensed something was wrong? You woke up only to find yourself being dragged into the ground?"
Eros nodded and added, "I shouted for help at the time, but I suspect my voice was blocked by their power."
Ando nodded thoughtfully. "That would be the effect of Shadow Isolation. With that power, they are always able to infiltrate rooms and carry out their deeds without drawing attention."
"Yes," Eros agreed. "I didn't realize anything was wrong until I was halfway submerged. I tried to break free from the binding, but it was already too late. I was dragged into the Shadow Realm, where I was immediately swarmed by grotesque creatures and attacked by those evil Night believers. Fortunately, their strength wasn't overwhelmingly superior to mine, and I managed to hold out thanks to my healing abilities."
"What puzzles me is that they clearly had the ability to wear me down, yet for some reason, they suddenly retreated mid-battle."
At Eros’s confusion, Archbishop Ando gave a warm, knowing smile. "Last night, His Eminence the Cardinal, along with the Exalted Ones of the other two Churches, conducted a simultaneous search for those Night Remnants. They likely fled in a hurry for fear of being exposed to those three Great Lords."
Eros looked enlightened. "So that was it. No wonder they left so abruptly." He then acted as if he had remembered something important. "Oh, they stole a Grade 3 Sealed Artifact from me. I have a feeling that artifact is exactly why they targeted me."
The Archbishop’s eyes sharpened. "What artifact was it?"
The Night Remnants wouldn't target a Grade 3 artifact without a very good reason. There had to be a secret involved. Eros didn't hide it; he shared the pre-prepared information about the Full Moon Bracelet.
Ando frowned. If the artifact came from the Academy's containment room, the Church would have inspected it. If they found nothing wrong, why were the Remnants so obsessed with it? He decided he would have to contact the Academy later to get the full technical dossier on the item.
After discussing a few more details, the Archbishop stood up to take his leave. "Since Your Highness is safe and the details are clear, we won't disturb your rest any further. If there are any developments in the investigation, we will inform you immediately."
Eros stood to express his gratitude and escorted the group to the gates of the Ducal Manor.
On the street outside, a carriage sped past. The occupant, seemingly drawn by the voices at the gate, lifted the window curtain for a quick look. Archbishop Ando, standing at the gate, suddenly felt as if he were being watched. He instinctively turned toward the source of his spiritual intuition.
Just as he looked, the curtain fell. He only caught a fleeting glimpse of a delicate, porcelain-white chin.
Turning back to Eros, the Archbishop said, "Should you need anything in the future, Your Highness may always seek assistance from the Church." With that, he and the Nighthawk squad departed.
Watching their retreating backs disappear around the corner, Eros smiled and returned inside. He immediately found Estelle, urging her to warn the family members currently in Intiles to be careful.
Hearing his concern, Estelle’s red lips curled into an amused smile. "From the moment you told me your plan early this morning, I already notified our kin to evacuate Intiles as quickly as possible."
Eros sighed in admiration. "As expected of Estelle—beauty and wisdom in equal measure!"
Estelle chuckled and reached out a slender, jade-like finger to poke Eros’s forehead. "Such a sweet talker!"
Eros gave a cheeky grin.