On the other side, Undine, having overheard the exchange, let out a shout and muttered:
"Mama is exceptionally beautiful every single day, okay!"
Suddenly, Undine’s eyes darted around mischievously. She tugged at Eros’s arm and pointed to an image in the fashion magazine she was holding, grinning at him.
"Who do you think is prettier: Empress Isabella, who is known as the Number One Beauty of the Empire, or Mama?"
Upon hearing her daughter’s question, though Estelle’s expression remained unchanged, her posture subconsciously became even more elegant.
Eros knit his brows, his tone carrying a hint of confusion. "Why aren't you included?"
Undine’s eyes lit up. She cleared her throat and reorganized her words: "Then, among the three of us, who do you think is the most beautiful?"
After speaking, Undine looked at Eros with sparkling eyes, eagerly anticipating the answer she wanted. Eros didn't hesitate and spoke his mind directly:
"I think Estelle is the most beautiful!"
Estelle’s eyes curved into crescents, her exquisite chin tilting upward slightly with a touch of quiet pride. Undine was stunned. She looked at Eros with utter disbelief.
"Then why did you make me add myself in?!"
Eros gave an embarrassed smile. "Because I didn't want Empress Isabella to be the one at the bottom of the list!"
Estelle burst into laughter. Enraged, Undine immediately extended her smooth, bare feet and began kicking Eros repeatedly, shouting in fury:
"I’m going to make sure Mama only has one child left!"
"Estelle, save me!"
Estelle gave a light cough and patted her daughter’s fair, delicate leg, saying reproachfully: "Watch your strength!"
"Hmph!" Undine turned her face away.
Eros chuckled. "I was just teasing you. Sister Undine is actually the most beautiful!"
As soon as he said this, Eros suddenly felt Estelle’s gaze beside him become somewhat piercing. He cleared his throat and blinked meaningfully at her. Once she understood what he was trying to convey, Estelle’s gaze softened back to tenderness.
"That’s more like it!" Undine pouted with a light harrumph.
Eros was amused. Undine really is easy to coax...
By the afternoon, Eros suddenly received a formal visiting card from Annie Bonkarev Soren. The card stated that she would pay a visit in three days, at two o'clock in the afternoon.
If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.
Looking at the card, a smile touched the corners of Eros’s lips. Undine noticed and wrinkled her nose in confusion. "What is she coming to visit for?"
Eros replied casually, his expression unchanged, "We fought side by side in the Domain of Sin, after all. Now that we’re on break, it’s not strange to pay a visit."
Undine thought about it and felt Eros’s explanation made sense, so she stopped dwelling on it. Time trickled by slowly. At dinner that evening, Eros suddenly spoke up:
"I’m planning to head out tonight. I’ll be back in three days at the latest."
Estelle frowned. "What are you going to do?"
Eros organized his words. "To attend that secret gathering I mentioned before, and incidentally, to complete a transaction with a member of that gathering."
Hearing that he intended to finalize a deal, a flash of worry crossed Estelle’s eyes, but she didn't stop him. She simply reminded him softly:
"I’ve already prepared the map of the Imperial Palace for you. Make sure to memorize it after dinner."
Eros nodded in agreement. After dinner and memorizing the map, he left the Ducal Manor.
After turning through several streets, Eros finally spotted the pre-arranged carriage under a gas streetlamp. As he approached, he was surprised to find that the driver was actually a maid. The maid nodded to him and gestured toward the carriage behind her.
Eros didn't hesitate and boarded the carriage. As soon as he entered, a petite, soft body threw itself into his arms. Looking at Mary in his embrace, Eros gave a light laugh.
"Missed me?"
Indeed, Annie’s visiting card had merely been a signal to tell Eros that they were ready. Ready for what? For his "thank-you" gathering, of course. This was something Claire had mentioned back at the charity gala. To keep Undine and the others from noticing, Eros had them come up with a discreet way to notify him. Whenever they were ready, either Annie or Claire would send a visiting card to his home.
Hearing his amused question, Mary giggled. "I did!"
Once Eros sat down, Mary climbed onto his lap, straddling him and wrapping her arms around his waist. She tilted her small face up and gave him a seductive smile.
"Kiss me."
Eros lowered his head. After a long moment, their lips parted. Mary’s eyes were now clouded with a touch of blurred desire. She rested her cheek against his chest, her voice soft and weak.
"I suddenly don't want to wait for them anymore."
"That might not be good... we’re in a carriage, and there’s a maid outside."
"Don't you think that makes it more exciting?"
"You have a point," Eros nodded in agreement.
A moment later, a faint blush crept onto the cheeks of the maid driving the carriage. She raised her whip and steered the carriage toward a particularly bumpy stretch of road.
Early the next morning, having finished breakfast, Estelle sat on the sofa leafing through a newspaper. After a while, she set the paper down and looked at Eros, who was sitting across from her, with a trace of helplessness.
"Why have you been staring at me this whole time?"
Eros thought for a moment before saying, "I recently asked someone for a divination. The master said I should pay attention to anomalies around me—that the answer to what can help me lies there."
Estelle blinked and looked herself over, her voice a bit uncertain. "Then... is there something anomalous about me?"
"Yes!" Eros replied with a very firm, solemn face.
Hearing his certain tone, Estelle was startled. She looked herself over again but truly couldn't find anything out of the ordinary. On the other side, Undine quietly lowered the fashion magazine hiding her face, revealing eyes full of curiosity. Clearly, she was also very interested in what "anomaly" Eros found on her mother.
Finally, unable to find anything, Estelle looked at Eros with a puzzled expression. "I don't see anything unusual about myself!"
At those words, Eros’s solemn face broke into a smile. "Of course there is. Today’s Estelle is anomalously beautiful! Is that not an anomaly?"
Estelle froze for a second, then lightly slapped Eros’s arm, saying reproachfully:
"You deserve a beating! You gave me a fright!"
She had almost believed there was truly something wrong with her that she hadn't noticed.