CHAPTER 37: VISIT FROM THE SAINTESS

Anna stood at the clearing of the villa’s garden in her usual training outfit. She had her daggers brandished as she looked at the scarred man before her with vigilance.

White also looked at her with a slight vigilance, not at all as easy as he was used to before.

Anna dashed towards White and tried to stab him in the side. White, however, simply stepped back—just as he did that, Anna spun and launched a kick at his head, but White dodged again by ducking. Anna followed with a knee, and White blocked it with his arms. White rolled back into a handstand and landed on his feet.

Anna lunged at him, her daggers just inches from slicing through his defences, but White was faster. He moved forward and blocked her attack with a palm to her forearm, followed by a punch to her abdomen. She also rolled back into a handstand to land on her feet. White, however, had already reached her as he grabbed her mid-air and slammed her on the ground.

"Guh?!" A groan left her lips as her back hit the earth hard.

White stepped back and stood there as he looked at Anna lying on the ground.

"What’s wrong? Miss Anieal." White asked. Even though she did better than the first few days of the training, she still didn’t have her mind on the battle.

"It’s nothing," Anna replied as she stood up and dusted herself.

"Again!" She ordered, and one more round of spar began.

A few hours later, Anna again lay on the ground as she gazed at the moon above. She had a lot of thoughts in her mind, which made it hard to focus on the spar. She had been trying to answer the questions she had in her mind, but no matter what she did, it only sounded like an excuse.

Even if that person had come to kidnap her, she didn’t have to kill him with that cruelty.

The actions of yesterday still haunted her mind, causing her to be fully immersed in those thoughts alone, and then there were the words spoken by the drunk man, which made it only harder for her.

Anna was being changed, and she didn’t want to.

"Hah..." Anna heaved a long sigh as she stood up and looked at White.

"This will be all for today," she said as she turned to leave for her room.

"Miss Anieal, may I suggest something to you?" White said as he bowed a little.

Anna looked at him with narrowed eyes, and after a few moments, she nodded.

"Go ahead," Anna replied.

"I think you should stop thinking about what you could have done and instead think about what would have happened if you hadn’t done that," White said as he stared into Anna’s emerald green eyes.

Anna also stared back in his crimson eyes, thinking about his words for some time and nodded.

"Alright," Anna replied as she turned back and left.

White looked at her departing figure as he heaved a sigh.

"Hah... well, she has to find her way herself," White stated as he too left the clearing.

***

Anna lay on her bed. She had already freshened up and now wore a set of baby pyjamas; her hair was untied and left to roam free. Veylor lay on her as he slept. Anna would often move her hand through his silky fur.

Anna frowned, still unable to let go of what she had done. After all, she had taken the life of a fellow human, and if that wasn’t enough, she had done it in a very inhumane way.

Anna, who was deep in her thoughts, suddenly heard the sound of something hitting glass. She turned towards the direction of the sound, and there she saw a white pigeon hitting the window of her room from the balcony.

Anna frowned as she stood up and opened the window. The white pigeon then entered the room and perched on her shoulder. Anna looked at the white pigeon in confusion.

The white pigeon looked throughout her room, and after having looked enough, it turned towards Anna and spoke.

"You have a nice room," the white pigeon said in the voice of a soft and gentle female voice.

"H-huh?!" Anna, who heard the pigeon talk, was shocked as she fell on the bed. The pigeon jumped from her shoulder and floated mid-air as it predicted Anna’s reaction. It moved towards Anna and sat on her head.

The white pigeon looked down and stared into Anna’s eyes as it spoke once again.

"Did I scare you?" the white pigeon spoke in an amused voice.

Anna, horrified and shaken by the turn of events, shook her head and spoke.

"N-no," Anna said with a shaky voice.

"Haha!" A melodious chuckle came from the mouth of the pigeon.

"You are much more fun than little Dame," the white pigeon said as its voice was laced with amusement.

"Little Dame? You mean brother Damien?" Anna asked with a confused look.

"Of course, who else could it be? Haha!" the white pigeon chuckled once again.

’W-who is this? Why is she here?’ Anna, however, was deep in her thoughts.

"Well, I should introduce myself, I suppose," the white pigeon said as it looked at Anna with a tilted head.

The white pigeon left Anna’s head as it flew towards the study table and stood there.

"I am The Saintess of the Night Tower. However, everyone likes to call me ’The Night Seer’." The white pigeon spoke with elegance.

"I-I am Aeliana Kinten." Anna said with a stutter, still confused by the current events, as she bowed a little.

The white pigeon looked at Anna for a few moments. No sound came from it.

"Haha! You don’t have to use that alias before me, little Anna." The Night Seer said with a slight chuckle, its voice still amused.

Hearing that, Anna shuddered. After all, her real name wasn’t supposed to be known by anyone. Then...

’How does she know?’ Anna contemplated in her mind as she acted stunned and confused.