When Iver saw the person's face clearly, he couldn't help holding his breath.
It felt as though time itself had stopped at that moment.
She wore a dignified dark green dress, with sheer yellow lace decorations at the collar and cuffs that brought Dryleaf Butterfly to mind. By the Iris People's standards of fashion, this was an exceptionally understated and simple style.
She wore light makeup, which made her look much younger. Her platinum-blond hair fell over her shoulders, and atop her head sat a pale yellow hat decorated with white feathers and green ribbons.
That face resembled the "Anne Alexander" Iver had seen during the Promotion Ritual by at least eighty percent.
The remaining twenty percent was because she wasn't as young as the Anne from the Promotion Ritual.
"Julio Alexander" from the Promotion Ritual had been twenty-seven years old, and he had been Annie and Mina's senior by two grades. In other words, Annie should have been no older than twenty-five at the time.
That was the age when a girl was at her most beautiful... when all her vitality bloomed.
--And now, fifteen years had passed.
If Iver's mother were still alive, she would already be forty years old.
...And she would probably look just like this.
Perhaps it was because she had been steeped in the power of the Path of Beauty, or perhaps because a wealthy, worry-free life itself benefited one's looks, Annie appeared much younger than her actual age, looking only a little over thirty. But on closer inspection, one could still see faint traces of the years passing across her face.
And Iver wasn't the only one who had lost his composure.
Annie's pupils trembled violently as well, and she instinctively sucked in a sharp breath.
"Julio..."
She murmured softly, unmistakable turmoil showing