Okay, go and pass on the message

It was a surprise success, or perhaps everything was proceeding as planned.

Timos’s smile was so wide it practically reached her ears.

She knew it; Teacher might be awkward with his words, but his heart was honest.

He had finally said what he intended to.

He could leave Swan Lake, but he couldn’t leave her.

But then again, she didn’t know why Teacher was suddenly interested in the Holy Sword family.

Whether he wanted power,

or was looking for a channel to advance and achieve social mobility.

But in any case,

it was enough that he knew he couldn’t do without a student like herself, who was both cute and capable.

Beyond the anticipated performance,

Teacher had also agreed to her request to live together.

The gains today far exceeded expectations.

It was so wonderful, second only to the day she met Teacher.

Of course, it was wonderful, and though she was impatient, she couldn’t rush things.

If she seemed too easy, Teacher would think she was a “girl who was easy to get.”

Besides, realistically speaking, she had some necessary belongings to pack at the manor.

What she had said earlier about “treating ‘Swan Lake’ as home” was just a prepared excuse.

—Just kidding, without Teacher, it wouldn’t even qualify as a doghouse.

But she was rather curious,

She truly wondered what expression that foolish woman Kalandria would wear when she heard that even she herself was leaving the team.

Just as she was returning to the Riverside Manor with joyful thoughts.

Outside the manor gate, a noble young master with a grim expression was mounting his horse, preparing to leave with his attendants.

(Wait, is that?!)

Nearly colliding head-on, Timos quickly cast a spell of cognitive obstruction and leaped into the woods by the roadside, avoiding trouble.

After the noble’s horse kicked up a cloud of dust and disappeared at the end of the road,

she emerged back onto the road, carefully dusting off her skirt.

Looking back at the dust kicked up by the horse’s hooves,

She hadn’t mistaken it; that was indeed the Holy Sword family’s second young master, whose very presence was so nauseating it made her want to vomit, even when thinking of Teacher.

What was he doing at the Riverside Manor?

With a sense of suspicion, Timos returned to the villa on the manor grounds.

Through the unlatched front door, she saw the young lady sitting on the sofa in the living room.

Seeing her sullen face, the elf maiden deliberately switched to her usual soft, timid voice:

“Miss Kalandria, I… I’m back.”

“Oh.”

Kalandria turned her head, her eyebrows raised, her gaze sweeping over Timos’s face.

Perhaps seeing the fatigue and weariness on the elf maiden’s face,

she remembered what she had been doing.

“You spent all night looking for Hanni?”

Timos obediently nodded, lowering her eyelids to conceal her true emotions.

Although she clearly appeared to have found nothing,

Kalandria let out a dismissive chuckle:

“It doesn’t matter, that’s just how she is. She’s probably gone home by now.

Unlike me, she wasn’t forbidden by her family from becoming an adventurer.

Jindori comes from a family of magic warriors; venturing out is proper training for her. She can’t leave ‘Swan Lake’.”

Timos inwardly sneered but showed nothing on her face. She subtly probed,

“However, I looked for Teacher later…”

—Loya?

The name acted like an invisible hook, instantly tickling Kalandria’s sensitive spot.

The young lady’s expression instantly sharpened.

But then she thought, she had just seen that guy on the street, and he was accompanied by that female cleric who pretended to be pure and innocent.

So Timos had probably looked for him but couldn’t find him at all, right?

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have returned with such a dejected expression.

Feeling amused by her own vigilance towards someone who posed no competition,

Kalandria let out a self-deprecating chuckle.

Her tensed shoulders quickly relaxed, returning to her nonchalant demeanor.

“In any case, whether it’s Hanni or Loya, you don’t need to worry. They’ll both rejoin the team eventually.”

Timos’s eye twitched inwardly.

She had no idea where this foolish woman got her confidence, still saying such things at this point.

“…However, ‘Swan Lake’ is currently short-handed, making it inconvenient to continue operations.

My principle is quality over quantity, and if I can’t find suitable replacements immediately, there’s no need to rush.

So, I plan to take a temporary break—yes, and I can take care of some personal matters.”

As if she had made a decision, she looked at the elf maiden.

“How about this, I’ll give you a vacation too, Timos.”

The elf maiden was slightly stunned.

Before she could even announce her departure from the team, Kalandria had already preemptively offered a vacation?

Of course, Timos had never taken the identity of an adventurer seriously anyway.

She would be living with Teacher soon,

so it was fortunate that this foolish woman had offered this, saving her the trouble of explaining why she was moving out of the Riverside Manor.

But speaking of which—

Timos glanced towards the back door and, seizing the opportune moment, picked up the earlier topic, pretending to be ignorant, and asked casually,

“Speaking of which, did a guest come to visit just now? Was it a client looking for a private commission?”

“Ah, it wasn’t a client. That was—”

Kalandria paused,

as if carefully choosing her words.

She turned and looked Timos up and down again,

her slightly narrowed sapphire eyes seeming to assess something about her.

Then, she revealed a meaningful smile:

“The second young master of the Holy Sword family, or perhaps more famously, the Knight King’s brother, was here.

He came specifically to discuss how to publicly announce our upcoming engagement ceremony.”

“Ah…”

Timos blinked in surprise.

—Oh, so that’s why he was here.

Although she felt disdain inwardly, her emerald-like eyes flashed, feigning a perfect blend of bewilderment and shock.

This reaction was exactly within Kalandria’s expectations.

It was indeed big news, to the point that even this little elf was stunned.

She then added, as if casually revealing it,

“The date is the day after tomorrow, and the venue is ‘Westai’s Gift,’ the most luxurious hotel in Florence.”

As she spoke, a subtle hint of smugness was hidden in her tone, her peripheral vision lightly sweeping over Timos.

There, now you’ve heard it clearly, haven’t you?

She was just wondering how to tell Loya.

She might as well use Timos to quickly tell her Teacher.

Perhaps simply announcing the engagement to Loya wouldn’t be impactful enough.

Instead of hearing the news later and regretting it, it would be more fitting for him to witness it firsthand and realize he was about to lose the person he loved most in his life.

At that time, Loya would surely be filled with regret, weeping and wailing, and would rush back to admit his mistake and try to win her back.

She couldn’t wait to see that scene.