Even after Sharlene left the flower shop, Alisa still couldn’t fathom the true nature of her relationship with Lena, the shop manager. Could it be anger over unanswered messages?
Alisa felt it wasn’t mere anger, but a deep-seated resentment, akin to a woman scorned expressing dissatisfaction with her beloved. Had it been genuine anger or aversion, Sharlene would never have behaved in such a manner.
Could it be that the esteemed President Sharlene harbored feelings for Manager Lena? Even if not love, they were, at the very least, friends.
Upon this realization, Alisa felt her worldview violently shaken, and Lena’s image within her mind grew increasingly grand and enigmatic.
Re-entering her carriage, Sharlene made her way to Lena’s residence.
Unlike her previous visit to the flower shop, this time she had purchased a selection of small gifts.
These presents weren’t solely for Lena; she had also prepared some for the three aspiring heroes currently residing there.
By this hour, having completed their training, the three young women would have returned to the house. Lost in thought, she approached the front gate with the elegant stride of a noblewoman, extending a slender finger to press the doorbell.
*Ding-dong—*
The crisp sound echoed through the courtyard, and before long, a sweet-faced young woman opened the door.
“Aurora.”
“President?”
Aurora had not expected President Sharlene to be at her door, so after a moment of stunned surprise, she quickly stepped aside, inviting her inside.
“Is there something you need, President?”
“I’m looking for Lena. Is she here?”
“She hasn’t returned yet.”
Celia had been the one to inform Aurora that Sharlene knew Lena.
Aurora had been quite shocked at the time, as Lena, in her eyes, was merely an ordinary landlady, and knowing President Sharlene seemed rather improbable.
Heroes and ordinary people dwelled in entirely separate worlds, making any intersection between their lives an exceedingly difficult feat.
Upon entering, Sharlene deftly hung her trench coat on the rack in the entryway, then slipped into a pair of elegantly simple slippers before proceeding into the living room.
Her gaze immediately fell upon the blonde girl seated on the sofa.
The hem of her casual dress was bunched untidily on the sofa, and her smooth, long hair obscured half of her profile. Though her face remained unseen, her normally emerald-like eyes now held a somewhat hollow gaze.
Even without drawing near, Sharlene could sense the aura of despondency emanating from her.
“What’s wrong with her?” she asked, utterly perplexed.
Aurora sighed, explaining, “She’s been like this ever since she learned the instructor’s true identity…”
After realizing the instructor was none other than the Silverbloom Sword Princess, Celia had transformed completely.
If she had previously been a somewhat tsundere noble young lady, in the presence of the Silverbloom Sword Princess, she resembled a child who had committed a grave error, speaking with a noticeable tremor.
Not a trace of her usual aristocratic grace or demeanor remained.
Her every word and action was painstakingly cautious, as if she feared leaving a poor impression on the Silverbloom Sword Princess. Yet, the more she tried, the more prone to mistakes she became, failing to answer the Sword Princess’s questions multiple times during their theory lessons.
“Perhaps she feels she’s disgraced herself in front of her idol,” Aurora added softly.
Aurora knew that Celia, being a noble young lady, had always been fiercely competitive and particularly keen on maintaining a perfect, mature adult image in front of others, especially her idol.
However, today’s events had utterly shattered the image she wished to project, which explained her profound despondency.
Noticing this, Sharlene promptly sat down beside Celia, and just as she was about to offer comfort, she found Celia turning to look at her with an intensely mournful gaze.
“President, you actually knew the instructor was the Silverbloom Sword Princess, didn’t you?”
“…She asked me to keep it a secret.”
Shifting the blame to Dorothy, Sharlene patted Celia’s shoulder reassuringly. “It’s alright, Celia. You’re still a child. No matter what you do, the Silverbloom Sword Princess will only find you endearing.”
After speaking, Sharlene couldn’t shake the feeling—perhaps it was just her imagination—that Celia’s gaze had grown even more mournful.
‘Had she just twisted the knife?’
Her eye twitched as she replayed her words, unable to comprehend where she had gone wrong.
Beside them, Aurora covered her face, sighing helplessly.
****
Meanwhile, after concluding the theory lesson, Dorothy had sent Celia and the other two back, then transformed into Lena and bought some groceries in the city.
Carrying her groceries, as she approached her villa, she spotted a luxurious carriage parked by the entrance.
It was the carriage reserved solely for the Guild President: a black coach, silver-white wind chimes, and powerful steeds—every detail proclaimed the esteemed status of its owner.
Knowing Sharlene was looking for her, she hesitated for only a few seconds before calmly walking around the carriage and opening the main gate.
“I’m home.”
After removing her outer coat and donning slippers in the entryway, she entered the living room, where she found Sharlene on the sofa.
Noticing Lena’s gaze, Sharlene, leaning against the sofa cushion, let out a soft hum. She then seductively crossed her legs, fully exposing her perfectly silhouetted legs encased in black stockings to everyone’s view.
“What’s wrong? Does Miss Lena not wish to see me?”
She slowly adjusted her spectacles, the golden chain subtly swaying. Her movements held an indescribable elegance, and her demeanor was somewhat reminiscent of a female teacher Lena had once encountered, dressed in a uniform and black stockings.
Behind those clear lenses, a sharp gaze lay hidden.
“Why would you say that?” Lena averted her eyes.
“Good then. We’ve been best friends for so long; don’t break my heart now.”
“Are you hungry? I’ll cook tonight.”
Holding up the groceries she had just bought, Lena walked into the kitchen under the expectant gazes of Aurora and Isha.
She hadn’t failed to notice Celia’s unusual state, but as the primary cause of Celia’s current disposition, she couldn’t think of a good way to console her.
Washing the vegetables she held, Lena prepared to cook while simultaneously pondering how to restore Celia to her former self.
Before long, the kitchen door opened, and a pair of slender, beautiful legs clad in black stockings stepped inside.
“I’ve missed Lena’s cooking for a long time. I’m really looking forward to it today,” Sharlene said, her arms crossed, as she leaned against a cabinet in the kitchen, smiling at her.
“Why did you come in here?”
Lena didn’t turn her head, focusing intently on preparing the ingredients in her hands.
Sharlene, meanwhile, closed the kitchen door and directly posed the question that most concerned her: “Lena, you know the Silverbloom Sword Princess. Why didn’t you tell me?”
Lena had long anticipated this.
“Sharlene, I wasn’t hiding it from you. It’s because I consider you my dearest best friend that I told you I know the Silverbloom Sword Princess.”
“Otherwise, if the Silverbloom Sword Princess had gone to the guild alone, you wouldn’t have known I knew her.”
From the very beginning, Lena had no intention of keeping it a secret from Sharlene. However, since Sharlene assumed her relationship with the Silverbloom Sword Princess was merely that of friends, Lena decided to let the misconception stand.
After all, one less person knowing she was the Silverbloom Sword Princess meant one less risk of exposure.