"You're right," I admitted, holding Sera's gaze. "Your grandmother had nothing to do with this."
She remained silent, waiting for a logical explanation that never seemed to come.
"Elizabeth Vane and I are old acquaintances," I continued with a faint smile. "When she noticed my concern about your situation at the auction, she decided that entry would be better in your hands than locked away in her vault."
Sera scrutinized me with an incredulity that bordered on horror.
"Are you telling me you're close enough to the most influential woman in the market that she'd sacrifice a fortune over a mere concern of yours?" Her voice dropped, laced with sharp suspicion. "That sounds even more unreal than the story about my grandmother, Cassian. And how do you plan to keep up this farce before she herself exposes you in front of the entire Empire?"
"Let's just say I've repaid favors that money can't buy," I replied, brushing it off with a vague wave of my hand. "As for your grandmother, she's a practical woman; she won't want to stir the waters over a matter that's already settled."
"Cassian…" Her voice faltered slightly.
Even though common sense screamed that something didn't add up, the weight of the gift—that key to a world of power now resting in her hands—was far too real to ignore.
"I don't know how I'll ever repay you for this," she whispered.
"Sera, debts stopped existing between us a long time ago." I placed a hand on her shoulder, softening my expression. "What is mine will always be yours if you need it."
A deep blush rose to her cheeks. Sera looked away, unable to hold my gaze, her fingers nervously playing with the edge of her tunic as she swallowed the words her pride still wouldn't allow her to speak.
…
Meanwhile, in the dimness of the Valois Mansion, luxury felt as dense as the air. Morgana entered the private salon with the elegance of someone who had just won a silent war.
"Victorio, you won't believe the spectacle I witnessed today."
Her older brother, the heir to the wealthiest duchy in the Empire, didn't even react. He remained focused on the documents on his desk—until Morgana dropped the key name.
"Elizabeth Vane was at the auction. But not as the great figurehead of commerce—she was there as a man's companion."
Victorio lifted his head sharply. His cold, calculating eyes locked onto his sister. His indifference vanished in an instant.
"Apparently," Morgana continued, savoring his attention, "the 'witch' of the Sterling family managed to secure a fourth entry to the World of Legacy. Elizabeth kept very quiet about the fact that she possessed more than three passes."
"It doesn't make sense," Victorio cut in, narrowing his eyes. "If it was just a simple matter of delivering an item to a minor noble, Elizabeth wouldn't need to appear in public. She doesn't play messenger for anyone."
"Exactly. That's what makes it unsettling," Morgana agreed. "The item was already in Varkas's hands, yet she insisted on escorting him downstairs, allowing him to hand the piece to Seraphine Sterling in front of the entire nobility. It was a statement, Victorio."
"Elizabeth doesn't make careless moves," he murmured, more to himself than to his sister. "A woman of her caliber wouldn't waste her reputation on a 'trinket' for the Varkas unless there's a game we're not seeing."
Despite his words, a shadow of doubt crossed his face. He admired Elizabeth as the only one capable of matching his family's financial power, and the idea of her orbiting around a so-called "useless" man didn't fit any logic.
…
On the other side of the district, Valeria Astaford walked beside Cassane Windsteel under the moonlight. The echo of their steps on marble was the only thing breaking the silence of the night.
"Cassane, be honest with me," Valeria said abruptly. "What do you really know about the man you're going to marry?"
"Cassian?" Cassane sighed, trying to maintain her mask of indifference. "You know our engagement was an emergency measure. There were no feelings, just strategy to stop Julius."
"The one who should stop fooling herself is you," Valeria retorted, halting in her tracks. "I've seen a thousand swordsmen fall, and I can tell you what Cassian did in the arena wasn't luck. No one has that much 'luck' to dismantle a fifth-circle mana flow with a piece of wood."
"I don't know, Valeria… maybe it was just a fortunate coincidence." Cassane shook her head, though her voice lacked conviction. "At the time, he was the safest option."
"Safest?" Valeria let out a dry laugh, heavy with suspicion. "Think about it. Julius humiliated, Professor Elena under his spell, Director Sylvia watching him… and now Elizabeth Vane…"
Valeria stepped closer to her friend, her gaze gleaming with the intensity of someone who had found some gem.
"Your fiancé is anything but harmless, Cassane."
…
Meanwhile, Cassian returned to his room at the Academy, unaware of the thoughts stirring among these figures.
"Master, what do you think will happen in a few months when the legacy opens? People from all over the continent will probably attend. Do you think Sera will obtain what she wants?"
"Who knows…"
Memories of ancient times surfaced within me once more. Legacies, inheritances, and hidden worlds were commonplace in the cultivation world, and although those here differed, today's seemed particularly similar to what I was used to.
"Adela, prepare me some tea," I said as I settled in to rest and pass the time.
…
There was another conversation that took place that day without our protagonist's knowledge. Elena Thorne and Sylvia Sterling had much to discuss.
"Ma'am, I'm sorry for having hidden what I saw when I worked as a researcher; I didn't think it would be so… otherworldly."
"What matters is that you told me after what he did the other day. To think someone could reach that level…" she said with admiration. "I've sent people to investigate him, and no one seems able to find anything beyond him being a count's second son with little talent…"
"I suppose if I want to uncover his secrets, I'll have to do it myself," she added, fixing her gaze on Elena, implying something more.
"Mm, but ma'am, I told you I wouldn't bother him again."
"Then you'll have to find a subtle way to get closer," Sylvia concluded. "We can't allow someone like that to remain out there unnoticed."