184- Don’t call me teacher!

    Helena was completely stunned.

    Her brain, which had effectively crashed, left her unable to think, so she instinctively asked Rhys a question: "Which mother?"

    Rhys: ...

    Seeing Rhys''s expression, Helena''s mouth dropped open.

    "You mean my mother, Rowena?"

    Rhys nodded.

    "But how is that possible... I mean, oh my god!" Helena suddenly realized something. She rubbed her cheeks with both hands and ran her fingers through her hair. What Uncle Salazar had said was almost unbelievable to her—but the information came from Salazar Slytherin, after all!

    "I told you, it was your mother who told me about you fleeing Hogwarts with the diadem," Rhys said, spreading his hands helplessly.

    "I thought Mother told you this when she was alive."

    "If that were the case, the person sent to find you wouldn''t have been the Baron," Rhys clarified.

    He explained to Helena that if Rowena Ravenclaw had managed to contact him or reveal the truth to him while she was still alive, it would have been either himself or one of the other founders who came to find her. If Rowena had wanted to go in person, the other three wouldn''t have stopped her.

    Neither Rhys, Godric, nor Helga would have allowed the diadem to be taken from the school.

    Helena lowered her head.

    If it had been Slytherin who set out to find her at the time, her fate might have been entirely different.

    "So, is my mother still alive, like you?" Compared to the vague "what ifs," she was more concerned with real, tangible questions.

    "Of course, though we need to redefine what ''alive'' means."

    In Rhys''s view, Rowena Ravenclaw was stuck at the boundary between "life" and "death"—closer to "life" than a ghost would be.

    Helena: ''What the..?''

    She didn''t quite understand what Uncle Salazar meant.

    "She''s like you now, but she''s managed to retain her magical abilities."

    After becoming a ghost, Helena had once thought she had lost the emotions of a normal person, but today she realized it had been an illusion.

    "In the school, call me Rhys."

    "Yes, Teacher," the Bloody Baron nodded repeatedly.

    The fearsome Bloody Baron, notorious in the ghostly realm, was utterly meek and obedient in front of his teacher.

    "I''m heading back to the common room. Tonight''s been quite fruitful," Rhys said, heading down the stairs on his own. As he reached the bottom, he seemed to suddenly remember something and turned to the Baron, who was still frozen halfway up the stairs.

    "Oh, I almost forgot to remind Helena. Pass a message for me: from now on, in the school, everything should proceed as usual. I am Rhys Lint now."

    "Understood." A trace of joy appeared on the Baron''s face, and he quickly floated upward toward the tower.

    Rhys let out a deep sigh. "That''s why I don''t like love. Sight~ What a mess this is!"

    Afterward, he made his way to the Great Hall—there was still a chance he could grab some dessert.

    When the Baron floated up to the Astronomy Tower, he found that Helena hadn''t left yet.

    His heart leapt with excitement, and he hurriedly floated to her side. But as he got closer, he hesitated again, unsure of how to start the conversation.

    It was Helena who spoke first, breaking the silence and allowing them to finally connect.

    "Do you need something?"

    Helena''s tone was still cool, but she was at least willing to initiate a conversation.

    This was already the most cordial moment between the two in nearly a thousand years. Such progress couldn''t help but lift the Baron''s spirits.

    "Um, well, the teacher asked me to remind you. If you run into him at school from now on, just call him Rhys Lint. His exact words were, ''Everything as usual.''" The more critical the moment, the more nervous the Baron became, and his speech grew stilted.

    "Do all you Slytherins enjoy rearranging the letters of your names so much?"

    "What?"

    "Never mind." After saying this, Helena fell silent and stared blankly at the night sky, dark blue like a velvet curtain.

    The Baron decided not to disturb her further. Quietly, he turned to leave, just about to descend the stairs, when he heard a voice behind him—

    "Stay and watch the stars with me."

    ______

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