CHAPTER 33: DANGEROUS SITUATION (3)

"But... if it’s Elmandir... then what’s his motive?" Ariana muttered, her brows knitting in doubt.

"Hmmm..." Draco fell silent, thinking long and hard. But in the end, he could only shake his head. "I don’t know, Ariana."

It didn’t make sense. Elmandir had helped Emilia, even gone so far as to heal her. If his true goal had been to kill her, he had already missed the perfect chance. No—if anything, it seemed more likely that he had only wanted to disrupt her summoning. But for what purpose? What could he possibly gain?

"Again, let’s not assume Elmandir is the one behind this," Lord Siamelumis said firmly. "I was only voicing my suspicion, so that you two will not let your guard down, especially against the Headmaster of Luminaris"

"Yes... thank you, my Lord." Draco bowed his head in gratitude.

"And no matter the motive," Siamelumis continued, "the most important thing is to protect Emilia."

"You’re right," Draco said with a nod.

Then, after a pause, he raised his head, "Lord Siamelumis... what should we do now?"

At that moment, there’s an undeniable truth: Emilia was vulnerable, far too vulnerable! If the true culprit intended to harm her, there was every chance they would strike again in the future.

What could he do? What could Ariana do?

If they truly wanted Emilia’s life... how could they protect her now?

After all, they had already failed once. During the summoning ritual, they had been utterly powerless, defeated without even knowing how.

"I hate to admit it," Draco sighed, "but right now, the Clan is the least safe place for Emilia."

Ariana’s lips quivered. She bit down hard, trying to steady herself, but her hands still trembled at her sides. Because deep down, she thought the same.

And the situation was only about to get worse. Soon, Draco would have to march to the border to face the forces of darkness. Ariana herself might be summoned there as well, depending on the orders she received. Emilia’s grandfather was still far away on his mission, unable to return. And as for Lord Siamelumis, though her divine gaze could cover the entire Clan, the fact that the saboteur had already slipped past it once meant they could do so again.

Which meant that, before long, Emilia might be left to fend for herself.

Like a lamb trapped in a den of wolves.

Who knew what could happen?

The thought alone sent a cold chill crawling down Draco’s spine. Ariana, too, shivered faintly, her face pale.

"Then... allow me to propose something," Lord Siamelumis said at last, her words breaking through the silence.

The two of them turned to her instantly, listening with all their focus.

And though their first instinct was to resist, to reject the idea outright, in the end they could not.

Because deep down, they knew—this was the only option left to protect Emilia.

________________________

As the barrier of light was lifted, Emilia and Mimi were finally allowed to return.

The moment Draco and Ariana laid eyes on their daughter, emotion flooded their gazes so strongly that Emilia’s breath hitched for a second. She stopped in her tracks, worry written across her face.

"Mom? Dad? What’s going on?" Emilia asked softly.

Ariana stepped forward slowly... and then wrapped Emilia in a warm embrace.

"Don’t worry, dear," she whispered against her hair. "We won’t let anything bad happen to you."

Emilia blinked in surprise. Her mother rarely sounded so fragile, so desperate.

Then, Ariana’s eyes shifted to Mimi.

"Please, protect Emilia for me, Mimi."

"Meow!"

Mimi tilted her head, confused by the strange tension in the air, but she meowed in agreement all the same. Protecting her master was only natural. That was her duty, her pride. After all, if anything happened to Emilia, Mimi would be the first to suffer for it too!

"Hey, don’t worry, you two. It’s nothing serious." Draco’s voice broke through, calm and steady. His usual stern face now carried a look of confidence, and that alone was enough to ease some of Emilia’s fear. She drew in a small breath, her chest loosening as her father gave her a reassuring nod.

"Then, Emilia," Lord Siamelumis spoke at last. "There’s something I need to discuss with you. I want to hear your thoughts on it."

"Yes?" Emilia lifted her gaze toward her, swallowing nervously. Her small hands gripped her mother’s sleeve without her realizing it.

And with that, Siamelumis began to explain her plan.