Chapter 316: Chapter 281: A Maiden’s Morning, Pascal’s Gratitude

At dawn, the sky had just begun to show the pale light of morning. A serene, slightly chilly, grayish-blue hue seeped quietly through the gap in the heavy curtains.

Reya stirred beneath the soft goose-down quilt. Her fiery red hair lay tousled on the pillow, as dazzling as spilled molten gold.

Then, a soft sound escaped her lips.

"Mmm..."

The girl groggily opened her eyes. Her emerald-green irises were still veiled with the last vestiges of sleep, like a forest lake shrouded in a thin mist.

After a moment’s daze, she pushed herself up into a sitting position.

A silky nightgown strap slipped down her fair skin, revealing a rounded shoulder. The girl then let out a small yawn and unconsciously rubbed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, her gaze subconsciously fell upon a corner of the room.

There stood two silent yet powerful metal creations—the Mechanical Bodies Jon had gifted her.

They stood quietly in the hazy light, their cold metal shells reflecting a faint, cool gleam in the nascent dawn. Their fluid lines sketched out a sturdy silhouette, imbuing the room with a solid sense of security.

Looking at these two big guys, the corners of Reya’s mouth curved up uncontrollably. A pure smile blossomed on her face, culminating in a clear, slightly silly giggle.

That smile chased away the last traces of drowsiness.

She padded barefoot onto the soft carpet and walked to the washroom. The cool water she splashed on her face woke her completely.

Afterward, she went to a small prayer corner, specially set aside in a nook of the room. A small, exquisite Sun Saint Statue was placed there.

Here, Reya’s smile faded, her expression growing focused and devout.

She closed her eyes, folded her hands over her chest, and softly recited her morning prayer to the main god, Po Ao, giving thanks for the gift of a new day and praying for the wisdom and Power to fulfill her duties.

"My Lord Po Ao... May Your radiance dispel the world’s gloom and guide the lost lambs..."

The prayer flowed through the quiet room. When the last syllable fell, Reya slowly opened her eyes. Her emerald irises, clear as if freshly washed, were filled with renewed vitality.

However, a hint of the same silly little smile from before crept back onto her lips.

Mr. Jon was back.

That thought carried a special kind of Power, pouring into her heart.

The worries that had plagued her for days and the heavy burden of her complex duties seemed to vanish in that moment, swept away by the warm morning light.

Sunlight danced playfully on the floor through the gap in the curtains. Tiny dust motes floated in the air. Everything seemed so vibrant and lovely.

She walked over to her desk, sat down, and spread open the thick ledgers and documents.

Normally, the dense columns of numbers and lengthy clauses felt dull and tedious, like a heavy stone pressing on her chest.

But today was completely different. Even the soft scratching of the quill tip across the parchment sounded pleasant.

She worked on a resource allocation list for resettling refugees after the war, her thoughts unusually clear, even tinged with a lighthearted joy.

When she saw a new, astonishingly large order for ore from the Giant God Workshop, she couldn’t help but tap her desk, the corners of her mouth curling up in pleasure again. Mr. Jon’s Giant God Workshop had really grown into something substantial.

"This is wonderful..."

Reya hummed softly and turned to the next page.

Every signature, every stamp of the seal, seemed to hold a new sense of meaning and motivation.

Jon’s return was like a powerful light illuminating the path ahead, dispelling all her anxieties and doubts. It filled her with immense courage and Power, enough to face anything.

With him here, it felt as though the very air was filled with a comforting presence.

A moment later, she set down her quill, her thoughts drifting away involuntarily.

’Mr. Jon’s surprise...’

Reya muttered to herself, her fingertips unconsciously twirling a stray lock of red hair. Her emerald eyes sparkled with a bright, curious light.

’...I wonder what it could be?’

Ever since she heard him say those words when they met yesterday, a secret thrill had been brewing in her heart like a small pot of sweet mead, bubbling away.

She tried desperately to suppress this immature feeling, but her thoughts kept wandering disobediently, sneaking back to that unresolved "surprise."

When the banquet ended and Jon personally escorted her back to the Golden Maple Leaf Trading House, the question almost slipped out several times. But looking into his blue eyes, as calm as a frozen winter lake, the words retreated like a frightened little bird.

’Be dignified, Reya, you must be dignified!’

’You’re a daughter of House Xavier, the acting head of the trading house! How can you keep pestering him like a little girl waiting for holiday candy?’

And the result?

The result was that this sweet anticipation turned into an all-night torment. It was like a kitten’s paws lightly but persistently scratching at her heart. She tossed and turned, kneading her velvet pillow over and over, only drifting off into a hazy sleep as the sky began to pale.

She even had a dream where Mr. Jon handed her a box tied with a gold ribbon, but just as she was about to open it, the box turned into a thick stack of ore orders...

"Sigh..."

Staring at the dense columns of numbers in the ledger, Reya finally couldn’t help but let out a small sigh.

"Mr. Jon is so mean..."

But even as the girl uttered her complaint, the smile on her radiant face was like sunlight breaking through the clouds, impossible to hide.

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