Inside the Rosavere Company, Rosavere, after transporting Lackey's package and making sure everything went smoothly with no mistakes, as she didn't want to lose Lackey's trust anymore, she personally watched over things until it was moved to the carriage.

"Make sure to deliver to this address, and in case guards block your cart… just show this." As she gave a small rectangular card to the driver, who nodded and moved the carriage from the storage space.

Rosavere watched the carriage for a few more seconds before turning back and entering the company. She saw the receptionist working with a serious expression.

"Any more appointments?"

The receptionist stood up, shaking her head. "No, Madam."

Rosavere nodded. "Good. Contact me only if it's an emergency," as she walked away… toward the restricted area, where she alone had access to the place.

As she placed her hand on the scanner, the door opened just like before. She entered the room before walking to the corner of the stacked weapons… just right behind the stacked rows that could barely be noticed, there was this… something plastered on the wall like a sticker.

A door-like sticker?

Rosavere took a breath before tapping the sticker a few times and waiting… and then suddenly the sticker door flinched, and a flash of light pulsed through the sticker door gaps before,

Thud!

The knob turned as something unlocked it. Then Rosavere entered through the door and appeared inside a four-walled wooden structure the size of a room.

There were no windows or anything, just a plain wooden surface around her and… a wooden table in the middle. She casually sat down on one side as she silently waited for the person to come, and soon enough, the wooden wall before her suddenly flinched before parting like a door that had never been there in the first place.

From it… a figure emerged.

A blurry figure… Mary, and followed by a blue-haired gorgeous beauty… Morgana.

Mary calmly sat down on the chair before Rosavere. "Why the sudden call? Did you need more Origin Core Crystals again?"

Rosavere shook her head. "I thought… we trusted each other in order to sustain our business, Ms Mary." Her tone sharpened, a restrained anger slipping beneath the calm façade she maintained.

Morgana, who was standing beside Mary, frowned, sensing Rosavere's furious tone. Her fingers twitched slightly, as if prepared to intervene if things escalated.

Rosavere continued, "Cannot believe you tried to sneak up on one of my dealers? Do you know how much I lost due to this? He was literally angry and almost on the verge of cancelling the contract…" as she clenched her fist furiously.

Morgana glanced at Mary, who didn't react, just simply sat there silently and listened to Rosavere's words.

Mary's calm stillness only made Rosavere's frustration burn hotter.

"Why aren't you answering my question? And don't try to say it's not true—"

"No, I am not going to lie to you," Mary said with a serious tone as she leaned on the table, her eyes glowing.

"I just wanted to see what kind of person that is… I cannot afford to give an upper hand to someone who might get involved with this all… I have my own reasons to check up."

Rosavere's lips twitched, "You could have informed me, Ms. Mary. And what do you even mean by wanting to 'see what kind of person' he is? You already hold his card—what more proof do you need? Or did you forget we cannot risk the world knowing we're together?"

Mary's eyes narrowed with a thoughtful hum before she exhaled. "Fine. Tell me what you want from me this time."

Rosavere's lips curved slowly. "Just a few more Origin Cores… and some raw materials. Compensation for your little stunt." Her voice carried a faint smugness—she knew exactly how much leverage she still held.

Mary held her stare for a long, cold moment before giving a reluctant nod. "Fine. I'll arrange it." Her eyes flicked to Morgana, who responded with a silent, immediate nod.

Rosavere's tone dropped, deepening into a warning. "And do not try something like this again. I won't lose my production source over your curiosity. And you'd better not send anyone sniffing around my people."

Mary gave a small, careless shrug. "Alright." Her hand waved lazily, as if the threat meant little, even though her eyes gleamed with amusement.

Rosavere stood up and turned to leave; however, just as she was about to turn fully away, she turned back and asked, "You better keep your promise…" Her voice dropped slightly with caution.

Mary's red eyes flared beneath her blurred silhouette, lips curling. "Of course, dear. I intend to tear down the other empires myself. Here—" She flicked a card through the air, the name 'Lackey' etched across it.

Rosavere caught the card without looking, satisfaction sliding across her expression before she strode out.

Morgana's eyes followed Rosavere's departure before she turned to Mary. "Was any of that actually necessary?"

Mary let out a slow sigh. "I wanted the person who could decipher those artifacts on our side. We need someone like that. But she hides him fiercely… too fiercely." She clicked her tongue. "Rosavere really has talent… irritating talent."

Morgana frowned, "If you want it, I can handle the matter directly—"

Mary lifted a hand, stopping her. "No. We can't involve ourselves with her directly. As much as I despise admitting it… if Aether discovers even a hint, he'll twist it to his advantage. And if word spreads that you came here? He'll dig deeper. He'll uncover everything—including our deal with her."

Morgana looked at Mary and muttered, "Hard to believe the great Mary fears that boy." Her voice dipped into teasing disbelief.

Mary's lips twitched into a pout. "I'm not scared. I am… appropriately vigilant." She crossed her arms.

Morgana chuckled as if she was amused by Mary's tone, shaking her head, "Even so, caution serves us better than brute force right now."

Mary nodded slowly. "I wonder what that bastard is doing right now…"

"I wonder too…" Morgana murmured.

Meanwhile, Aether sat awkwardly across from Delphine in her office, his face twitching with a mix of fear and dread as her silent gaze pierced him.

____

[A/N: Had a headache, so little Chapter]

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.