Good Morning

As the morning sun of the next day filtered through the window and into the room, Alicia opened her eyes in a daze.

The fire in front of her had almost died out, leaving only rose-colored embers and white ash. Then, she noticed the black coat draped over her.

Alicia instantly sobered up. She quickly tried to get up from her seat, but the crisp cracking sound from her bones made her freeze in place.

A pain spread from her lower body upwards, and she let out a low groan, sinking back down. She only now remembered that she was no longer in her twenties.

She raised her bony hands to her face, touching her sagging skin and wrinkles, feeling utterly miserable.

She looked at the fire, at the dying embers, and with a touch of panic, added more firewood from a basket beside her, then raked away some of the ashes.

She had to admit, the owner of this castle was truly too lazy. The accumulated ashes in the hearth would be enough to fertilize several acres of land.

As new firewood was added, orange-red flames ignited between the logs. Small and curling, then a face emerged from the gaps.

"Good morning," Cassifa said enthusiastically. "Did you sleep well last night? You could have slept on the sofa next to you; it's more comfortable."

"Thank you for your kind offer, but I wish you had said so earlier," Alicia replied. "I'm in so much pain right now, I can barely stand."

Then she looked at the black coat on her body. "Whose clothes are these, and who put them on me?"

Although she asked the question, Alicia already had an answer in her heart. Her sense of smell was still quite keen, and the scent on this coat belonged to someone she had danced with the night before.

"Did he return?" Alicia asked, concerned.

"Two hours after you fell asleep," Cassifa said.

Alicia subconsciously glanced back at the stairs behind her. Seeing no one coming down, she quietly asked Cassifa.

"Did he say anything about my uninvited arrival?"

"Don't worry, I'm a fire spirit! Even if it's just for my sake, Lord Cassifa, he'll let you stay here for one night!" Cassifa declared confidently, burning brightly.

"That's not what you said last night," Alicia teased.

"Ahem," Cassifa coughed twice. "Regardless, a contract is a two-way street."

"So, how much did he give you to make you do his bidding like this?" Alicia asked curiously.

"You know I can't say."

Alicia sighed with a hint of helplessness. "What a detestable magic."

She struggled to get up from her seat, her whole body creaking. She stumbled towards the window she hadn't paid attention to the night before.

To her surprise, outside the window wasn't the town of Romir, but a port city. She saw a sloping, unpaved street, and very simple houses on either side, with tall masts peeking out from behind the houses.

Further in the distance, she could see the shimmering sea, with many fishing boats sailing on it.

"Where is this?" Alicia asked, turning back to Cassifa in surprise.

A small town in the south, called Eagle's Horn. It's also the true location of this castle's internal structure and my true form.

"Alright."

After experiencing yesterday, she had become immune to such things. She began to examine the place seriously.

It was a bit smaller than she had imagined, with low black beams on the ceiling. Of course, this might be because the space upstairs was larger.

She hadn't looked closely when she arrived at night because it was too dark. Now that she looked, it was frighteningly dirty. Besides the ashes piled in the hearth, the wooden floor was covered in greasy, slippery oil stains, and the ceiling beams were draped with dusty spiderwebs.

Alicia casually wiped a nearby table, and her fingers were immediately covered in dust. She glanced at the sink to the left of the stove, staring at the pinkish-gray slime inside and the slime dripping from the pump above, and couldn't help but shiver.

Honestly, her past impression of Shaya was: mysterious, elegant, and very gentlemanly. Seeing how the Wilderness Witch came to curse her for him, he must have been very charming.

But now, that image was slightly shaken. She remembered Cassifa saying that Shaya was a very casual person.

It seemed that this casualness was somewhat related to laziness.

Alicia glanced at the stairs again. The person still hadn't come down, and Alicia had no intention of going up to find him. She walked towards the door, wanting to go outside.

In her entire life, she had never actually seen the sea. She stood by the door and cautiously opened it. However, she clearly wasn't familiar with how to open it. She turned the doorknob, and with a ding, the four-colored dial on the door turned green.

The large door slowly opened. She looked in bewilderment at the slowly moving mountain scenery before her, watching the broom heather sweep past under the door as the castle moved. She felt the mountain breeze brush through her hair and heard the rumbling and clicking sounds of the castle's movement.

She closed the door again and tried turning the doorknob, then opened it. The scene of the port town appeared before her.

A woman walked out of a house in front of her, trying to sweep dust onto the street. Behind the house, a huge ship's sail was being hoisted up the mast, startling a flock of seagulls that soared over the shimmering sea.

Then what was yellow?

Filled with curiosity, Alicia tried the previous action again. A faint smell of kerosene mixed with moisture. Exquisite carriages on the street, wealthy people walking through the streets. The streets on both sides were taller and more magnificent than those in Eagle's Horn Town.

Although Alicia spent most of her time within the Imperial Palace, she was familiar with the smells of the Imperial Capital's streets. Therefore, she recognized where she was almost instantly.

"This is a wizard's castle," Alicia muttered to herself.

Pat pat pat~

The slow sound of footsteps on the wooden planks from behind reached her ears as someone descended the stairs. Alicia instinctively turned her head.

Someone came down the stairs.

He was tall and slender, with messy dark medium-length hair and sleepy black eyes that exuded tranquility and laziness. He also saw her. He leaned casually against the stair railing, a slight smile on his lips, and spoke.

"Good morning, uninvited guest."

Alicia was silent for a moment, then replied.

"Good morning."