Aoli was the maid who attended to Angel's daily needs, and she had been quite close to him.
Head Maid Mana, meanwhile, was effectively the steward of Pat Manor. She had served the two brothers since they were young, so calling her an elder or family would not have been an exaggeration.
Angel had not seen either of them in the underground wine cellar, so he looked at Leon expectantly, hoping for good news.
Leon froze for a moment, then shook his head with a bitter smile and an obscure expression.
After a long while, Angel arrived outside Head Maid Mana's room.
Though a door separated them, the feedback from his spiritual probing allowed him to clearly sense the situation inside.
Head Maid Mana was no different from the people in the underground wine cellar—gaunt as a stick, vacant-eyed, muttering unconsciously. Since she had been locked in her own room, her clothes were still intact. But Head Maid Mana had once been a somewhat plump middle-aged woman; now, those loose garments hung slackly from her body, like a child secretly wearing an adult's clothes.
Angel did not open the door. He merely stood outside it in silence for a while.
Seeing Head Maid Mana's once-round face become thin and sunken, seeing her once-gentle smile turn stiff... the warmth in Angel's memories and the softness deep within his heart seemed to tear into fragments.
After a long time, Angel looked at Sanders, a trace of pleading in his voice. "Is there really no way to save them?"
Sanders remained silent.
Sanders' expression had already made everything clear. Angel closed his eyes, and silence descended over the scene.
Only after quite some time did Angel say in a voice hoarser than usual, "Let's go see Lord Xius. He should know something."
Sanders