Alderwood's already wide eyes grew even rounder, a mischievous glint rising at the corners. "Ah? I thought Lady Zyra was just making trouble again, but it seems she's standing up for you after all."
Ewan Merrick paused mid-drink, surprise flickering in his deep black eyes as they turned toward Zyra's direction.
She...
Never behaved like this before.
To be blunt, Zyra had once treated him like a servant, no doubt.
But for gratitude's sake, Ewan had tolerated her whims without complaint.
"Well then," Alderwood laughed heartily, "I must admit, she's earned that punishment well. Should've given him more lashes!"
He downed three cups of wine in quick succession.
As the crowd began to disperse, Zyra Morwyn vanished down the street, clutching her cage of rabbits, her cold and beautiful figure receding into the distance.
For some reason, Alderwood's mind conjured a phrase , "A lone light that shines upon itself; heart and courage as pure as ice and snow."
Perfect for the kingdom's most beautiful maiden.
"Zyra," Ewan said suddenly, "help me find the best treatise on physical cultivation , pure body strengthening, no need to temper the spirit or gather energy."
The sudden change of topic caught Alderwood off guard.
"You still want to cultivate your body?"
Body cultivation was a technique reserved for the lower ranks of martial adepts.
Ewan had surpassed that level two years ago.
As for his current true strength , even Alderwood didn't know. But as his father often said, in all of Northern Realm's five millennia, no one rivaled Ewan's genius.
"It's not for me," Ewan replied.
"For whom then?" Alderwood asked, guessing before Ewan could answer.
"For Zyra."
Alderwood's face fell. "But she's a waste, no core of power. Everyone in the capital knows."
"She's not."
Ewan's gaze sharpened. The word waste grated on him, and his voice turned cold, "She's a genius. A true genius."
Mastery over all five elements.
Exceptional talent.
And extraordinary spirit power , she had just controlled Lady Morwyn's fifth daughter to surrender to Lord Ren, and earlier, controlled Wythe to kneel in the street.
Alderwood felt his worldview cracking.
Fine.
He admitted that Zyra looked different today, less insufferable, but a genius?
Absurd.
"If someone like Zyra is a genius, then I must be a prodigy!"
Ewan cast a disdainful glance at his old friend. "Hmph."
Alderwood grumbled, feeling mocked.
"Ewan, you brought me The Fundamentals of Rune Analysis, The Rune-Master's Primer, Complete Collection of First-Class Runes, plus rune brushes, papers, and inks..."
"Yes, all for her," Ewan said knowingly before Alderwood could ask.
Lord Alderwood sighed with resignation. "I truly yield to your stubbornness, do as you will."
Runemasters were a revered caste, their knowledge of runes was the rarest gift the gods bestowed upon mankind. No other race could master such sacred arts.
Not a calling for the common folk to claim at whim.
"Just promise me one thing," Alderwood pressed, forcing the wooden token, the Emberwood Key, into Ewan's hand. "You must enter the Emberwood Trial. I don't care what else happens. The Trial holds a fabled ancient sanctuary with treasures beyond imagining: rare alchemical elixirs, mighty weapons, powerful runes, secret tomes and martial arts scrolls. All the riches you could ever desire."
Ewan accepted the token without further protest. "I have other matters to attend. I shall repay you with wine another night."
Alderwood waved off his friend's departure. "Don't forget , this is your promise. And if you break it, I expect you to buy me a cask of Starwine from the Violet Palace , eight hundred silver crowns per barrel."
Ewan smirked. "Why don't you steal it then?"
Alderwood chuckled, fanning himself with his folded fan and whispering, "I am stealing it, from you, of course. The greatest vintner in all of Northern Realm belongs to your guild, so who else is there to rob?"
With a farewell nod, Ewan turned and left.
---
Before returning to the Chancellor's manor, Lady Zyra purchased various fresh ingredients from the market: emerald mushrooms, spring onions, cinnamon rounds, starfruit, cloud bamboo shoots, and golden river prawns, along with common spices , altogether costing a single silver crown.
The modest guesthouse she called home had a small kitchen, but she had never used it.
Now, with Rabbithound by her side, things would change.
The cooking skills of Rabbithound rivaled even the grand masters of the Nine-Rank Guild of Spirit Chefs. The dull fare of the Chancellor's usual cooks no longer pleased her palate.
"Your Grace, is this where you reside?" Rabbithound surveyed their lodgings with sharp, ruby eyes, disdain evident. "Such a shabby place , unworthy of your noble station. A far cry from the Palace of the Demon King."
Zyra corrected calmly, "Call me Mistress."
This was the mortal realm.
The title Demon King was forbidden.
The decline of the fey had seen many fall from the righteous path , no longer cultivating in the mountains but feeding on human essence, stirring hatred among mortal cultivators who now hunted them mercilessly.
"Yes, Mistress," Rabbithound replied, eyes wide with loyalty.
Zyra instructed, "And when guests are present in the courtyard, no talking."
Servants were few and untrustworthy , the previous mistress had dealt with them harshly.
Only an old housekeeper for laundry and meals, a maid, and the guard Ewan Merrick remained.
"Go prepare the meal."
Her stomach rumbled with hunger.
"As you wish, Mistress! I will make oil-braised emerald mushrooms, red-braised golden prawns, and steamed cinnamon rounds..."
"Tonight, we dine on spicy rabbit head," Zyra said flatly.
Rabbithound's neck tingled ominously.
Though not a rabbit itself, its juvenile form so closely resembled one that eating rabbit felt like cannibalism.
"Mistress, spicy rabbit head is unpalatable. Shall we choose other dishes?"
Zyra nodded.
Rabbithound's eyes lit with joy. "Then let it be a feast of all rabbit delicacies!"
Zyra fell silent.
Rabbithound felt a storm of grievance but obeyed silently, preparing a grand feast of rabbit dishes for Lady Zyra.