"Hey!"

Sophia pointed at Florence's retreating figure, turning back to look at Celitia in disbelief.

"Shouldn't we just arrest this suspicious character and throw her in jail?!"

Sophia had already thought of the charges—arresting Florence for fraud would definitely be a sure bet.

"It's fine," Celitia couldn't help but laugh. "I'll keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn't do anything bad."

"Lily, are you very familiar with this alchemist?"

Sophia felt like acid was bubbling up inside her chest.

Why?

Why could Florence so naturally make such boundary-crossing gestures?

When she herself had to carefully find opportunities just to hold Lily's hand!

And she called her so intimately too!

Luna and the others aside, Shanie and Benita were at least acquainted through school, but how dare that old aunt—?!

She had made so much preparation just to change how she addressed Lily by her nickname!!

The more Sophia thought about it, the angrier she became.

"Am I familiar with her?"

Celitia was stunned by Sophia's question, suddenly finding it somewhat difficult to answer.

They were naturally close when they were young, but as they gradually grew up, they inevitably drifted apart.

Moreover, she was no longer her former self.

"I wouldn't say we're familiar or not," Celitia's smile faded slightly. "Florence and I have a business relationship. As long as we can make money, that's enough."

So it was like mutual exploitation?

Hearing this explanation, Sophia could barely accept it, and the acid in her stomach finally subsided a little.

Celitia was somewhat confused.

"What's wrong?" She looked at Sophia. "Are you very concerned about Florence's affairs?"

"N-no." Sophia hurriedly shook her head.

This question left Sophia feeling bewildered as well.

That's right, what kind of people Celitia knew and what kind of relationships she had with them was her personal freedom—she had no reason to interfere.

But why was she so concerned?

So concerned that she vaguely felt an impulse to drive away the people around her, to make her belong only to herself.

Did she want to control her completely?

That was too much.

Thinking of this, Sophia became even more frightened.

If Celitia knew about such thoughts, she would definitely hate her, wouldn't she...?

With Celitia's personality, once she became serious about something, she would never look back.

Even after Celitia had arranged all the affairs of the new house and returned to the academy with her, Sophia was still somewhat dazed.

Thinking that Celitia might hate her, might turn and leave from then on, Sophia found it unacceptable.

She had to hide this dangerous thought well and absolutely not let her know...!

While Sophia was extremely conflicted, Celitia knew nothing about it.

As soon as they arrived at the small villa, Celitia went straight to the bathroom for a shower, then returned to her bedroom.

"Sophia, I'm a bit tired today and want to sleep early. I won't eat dinner."

Standing at her bedroom door, Celitia held the railing and spoke to Sophia in the center of the living room.

"But won't you get hungry? You're so thin and your health isn't good—you can't skip dinner."

Looking at Celitia's face and seeing the fatigue in the girl's expression, Sophia felt very distressed.

She thought for a moment, then continued: "How about I have someone prepare some food and leave it here? When you wake up, if you want to eat, you can come down and eat."

Celitia's misty purple eyes flickered slightly. She was silent for a moment, but finally nodded.

Turning around, before entering her bedroom, Celitia unconsciously stopped and turned back again.

"Um, Sophia, I... I might sleep quite deeply. If you call me and I don't respond, don't think it's strange."

"Huh?" Sophia looked up in surprise.

Why would she specifically explain this to her?

Besides, if Celitia was asleep, she naturally wouldn't disturb her for no reason, right?

Under Sophia's confused gaze, Celitia retreated two steps in succession, withdrew into her bedroom, and shut the door tightly.

She reached out to fiddle with the lock, locked the door from the inside, and pressed the door handle to confirm it couldn't be opened from outside.

After doing all this, Celitia lay on the bed and wrapped herself tightly in the blanket.

In the soft cotton quilt, the girl hugged her body and gradually curled up into a ball.

That's right, counting the days, today should be the new moon—time for another curse attack.

Celitia had considered whether to find an excuse to stay at the new house or return to the academy with Sophia.

There were too many people at the new house—besides Luna and the other two, there were a bunch of servants. If discovered, it would definitely cause chaos.

Returning to the academy, she only had to hide it from Sophia alone.

Last time when Sophia discovered her, it was just an accident.

This time, she would definitely be able to hide it...

The familiar pain spread from her heart, affecting every nerve, not sparing a single endpoint.

In the darkness of the room, the girl curled up alone, motionless, with only suppressed breathing sounds—chaotic and rapid—continuously echoing in the bedroom.

Sophia had someone deliver a sumptuous dinner from outside, ate happily, and didn't forget to leave a portion for Celitia.

Looking at the exquisite food packed nearby, Sophia felt a bit regretful.

Unfortunately, she didn't know what Lily actually liked to eat.

With her sense of taste impaired, how much joy must life be missing?

That's why she was always so disciplined and cold, living like a wound-up machine.

She really hoped to see more vivid smiles on her face...

Sophia carried the plate upstairs and stood in front of Celitia's bedroom, hesitating.

Since Celitia had so solemnly reminded her, Sophia naturally had no intention of disturbing her rest.

However, the weather was so cold now—if Celitia woke up hungry in the middle of the night and went downstairs to eat, she would easily catch cold, right?

How about quietly placing the food by her bedside?

As soon as she woke up, she would definitely see it, and naturally wouldn't need to go downstairs.

With one hand on the door handle, Sophia hesitated for a long time, but finally carefully pressed down.

Since Celitia said she slept deeply, if she tiptoed in, she shouldn't wake her up, right?

However, after pressing the door handle twice, Sophia couldn't get it to move.

She strangely shook the door handle and finally discovered that the door was locked from the inside.

Having lived together for so many days, Sophia would occasionally come to the bedroom to find Celitia after she rested, and each time she could enter smoothly.

That's right, Celitia didn't have the habit of locking her door.

But why today...?

Recalling Celitia's somewhat abnormal words before entering the bedroom, Sophia's bad premonition reached its peak.

Could it be that she already felt physically unwell but didn't want her to know, so she hid like this?