When Faina pushed open the door and entered the room, the Chancellor's daughter, Delphine, was bent over her desk writing something.
The room inside the fortress was not spacious. It resembled a silver, hexagonal honeycomb, with a recessed bed set into one wall, a metal platform for a desk, and a chair beside it. The Chancellor's daughter sitting in the chair wore a black dress covered in folds, its hem trailing across the silver floor. Her figure was graceful, and her waterfall of black hair falling down her back resembled ebony. She radiated a lethal allure, but she looked more like a black widow spider.
When she saw Faina, she put away her quill, slipped it into the ink bottle, and raised her head. "What is it?"
"It took me forever to coax Iris to sleep. She was terrified." Faina gently closed the door as she answered.
"Everyone is afraid, especially in times like these." Delphine picked up the parchment from the desk and rolled it into a tube with both hands. "But at least she has a good older sister."
She placed the scroll inside a message tube and sealed it. Only then did she look at Faina, sizing up her friend from head to toe. "You've changed a lot."
Faina's expression was calm. She wore only a simple battle uniform, and her long golden hair was tied up and coiled behind her head. She looked more like an ordinary female knight than the heiress of Mehotofen. After everything she had been through, it was difficult to see any trace of the arrogant, willful young lady she had once been. She had learned maturity and tolerance.
Hearing the Chancellor's daughter's words, she managed a faint smile. "Thank you. I was too childish before."
Delphine placed the message tube on