"It's all right. The nun will come sooner or later. Handling her own affairs first is more important."
As Shade spoke, Miss Aurora clasped her hands behind her back, turned her head, and continued looking at him.
"Actually, I don't really understand just how important the Primordial Fire is. But the Speaker values the nun greatly. This time, I accompanied Sister Devlin to the New Continent because she ordered it. The Speaker said at the time, 'Put aside everything in your hands. The matter of the Primordial Fire is more important than anything else.'"
Shade frowned slightly. All he knew about the Primordial Fire was that it had come from the beginning of creation, or perhaps even before it. And Miss Isabella's attitude seemed to indicate that the flame had some connection to the Witch Council that he did not yet understand.
Miss Aurora suddenly stopped, blinked at Shade, and said:
"My shoes are soaked. They're really uncomfortable. Could you help me take them off?"
"Of course."
Shade knelt on one knee in the sand. Miss Aurora pursed her lips and slightly raised her right foot, lowering her head to watch him remove her purple buckled low-heeled shoe, followed by the one on her left foot.
Rather than turning the shoes into toys, Shade pulled a piece of rope from his pocket—his pockets contained everything. He tied the two shoes together, slung them over his shoulder, then draped his coat over the same spot to hide them.
The brown-haired witch smiled faintly. Her bare feet disappeared beneath her skirt again as she continued forward with Shade through the slightly warm seawater. However, she quietly extended her hand toward him, and her fingers hooked together with his.
"While we were on the New Continent, we also kept in frequent contact with