After two months, The summer began on the continent.
The heat was intense, and the sun blazed down, casting its fiery rays across the fields and the city, signaling the beginning of harvest season in Plain Of The East.
Everyone in the city welcomed the weather with joy and energy, everyone, except for one person.
Stella was irritated by the sweltering heat, something she had never experienced back in her homeland, where summers in the city of the Great Bridge were much cooler.
She was at the city market with Carla and a few maids, reluctantly tagging along.
Muttering to herself, she grumbled, "Oh my! I feel like I'm baking in an oven."
Despite the discomfort, Stella seized every chance to leave the house, even if it meant joining the maids on tedious shopping trips, one of her least favorite activities.
She reminded herself, "I want to see everything that can be seen on this continent.
Her goals were : Explore the continent, return home, and most importantly, keep her secret hidden so that the first two would remain possible.
After shopping, she returned home with the group by carriage.
Over the past months, she had built a few friendships and other connections, and most notably, her relationship with the homeowners had improved.
Liam had entrusted her with a new responsibility in addition to being Annie's nanny.
She is now the librarian.
Each day, she used to take Annie to the garden, then teach her proper manners using lessons from various books.
Stella still found the task quite dull and couldn't help but feel sorry for Annie, who had to endure it at such a young age.
However, lately, she had stopped taking her outside; the heat had become too much for the little girl to bear.
In the evening, Stella would head to the library to organize and oversee it. It was her favorite part of the day, as it allowed her to read freely and unwind.
As usual, when she finished, she would prepare to return the books to their places and lock the library, especially now that Liam, who had been extremely busy lately, often left early.
"I heard he received some new files... there must be something going on," she thought.
"He even handed over the entire family business to his brother!"
She reflected deeper, "If I think about it, it makes sense that he's preoccupied. Just a few months ago, he nearly lost his grandfather because of Hannah and Jacob, people the family once trusted as loyal servants. His grandfather still hasn't fully recovered, and there's no trace of those two. Of course he must be frustrated."
Liam appeared troubled as he read one of the letters he'd recently received.
Stella, wanting to help and further strengthen her bond with him, asked, "Mr. Liam, is something wrong? You look concerned."
Liam responded calmly, though his eyes remained fixed on the letter with a furrowed brow:
"Yes. It seems there's a serious issue, perhaps the root of all the recent events."
"Is it the Caden family again?" she asked.
"No, this is bigger. Something that could threaten the entire region, something that should never have happened in the first place, Miss Alina."
"I'm sorry to intrude," Stella said with interest, "but what exactly could threaten the entire region?"
With his usual composed tone, Liam replied, "A report from the southern region indicates the presence of an intruder on the continent."
She was so stunned by the revelation that she nearly dropped the books she was holding.
In that moment , Stella's face paled, and her fingers froze around the books as if they were about to slip from her grasp.
Her mind went blank for seconds before she could process what had just been said.
She said in a shocked tone, "What are you saying? How is that possible?"