They arrived at the cabin. Charles, Edward, Seraphina, and Eira opened the door and entered. Edeline was sitting there, looking shocked, while Cassandra was busy doing her academy work. They all looked at Edeline.
Charles asked, "What happened?"
Edward walked over to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. Edeline slowly turned to look at him.
"Is something wrong?" Edward asked.
Edeline blinked a few times, then returned to her usual calm expression. "Yeah... I'm just tired. I think I need a nap."
Eira nodded and said, "Go ahead. Take a nap, dear."
Edeline stood up, walked upstairs, and quietly closed the door behind her. She lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, and whispered to herself, "An exchange offer… are they fools or what?"
—
Meanwhile, Charles said, "Let's go to the water pump and wash up."
Edward nodded, "Yeah, we should."
Seraphina added, "I'm coming too."
They went outside to the water pump.
"The water is cold," Edward muttered.
