Earl Leipzig: I Have a Bold Idea

March 23.

It was not until after nine in the morning that Aleister slowly opened her eyes.

"...My head still feels a little dizzy."

She stared blankly at the ceiling for a while, then Anxin closed her eyes and snuggled back into Isabel's blankets.

This was not Astyn, nor the dangerous and chaotic Leipzig. This was Avalon, Glass Island, the Silver and Tin Palace... Isabel's bedroom.

This was an absolutely safe... home.

"Don't give up on my dream. Keep sleeping..."

Mumbling, Aleister curled up into a ball, wrapped in warm drowsiness.

Half asleep, she felt someone quietly lift a corner of the blanket and stealthily crawl inside. Then, without making a sound, the intruder wrapped their arms around Aleister's slender waist.

Aleister did not react at all. Instead, she hugged that arm in return.

"Hey~"

Isabel's voice sounded like a whisper beside Aleister's ear, accompanied by warm breath and the tickle of loose strands of hair. "How did you know it was me?"

"...If it wasn't you, your guards would have thrown me out."

Aleister turned around, wrapped both arms around Isabel, and curled up in her embrace as she murmured softly.

Of course, there was another reason—she could smell Isabel's scent.

She had the Child of the Moon's keen sense of smell to thank for that. Isabel had barely begun sneaking toward her when Aleister had already caught her scent.

Isabel lovingly stroked Aleister's head as she held her and said softly, "If you're tired, rest a little longer."

In Isabel's memory, Iver had essentially never taken a proper break. Even when it seemed that nothing was happening, he was always studying seriously or handling affairs of state. From the moment Isabel had met Iver, he had never rested for even a single day.

Even now, though Iver had