Miss Violet's bedroom was on the highest floor of the castle, and it was a long walk from the entrance. Although there were Teleportation Arrays and elevators in the castle, Theresa still chose to lead Shade up on foot.
She wanted Shade to have a good look around, and she also wanted more time to talk with him.
Sister Belen and Miss Liard followed them as well, having emerged from the Gravestone Wasteland together. Everyone had plenty to talk about. Having survived the disaster and knowing this might be the last time she saw Shade, Miss Liard was exceptionally talkative in her gratitude, while Sister Belen only spoke occasionally, smiling from time to time.
She walked behind Shade, often glancing at the side of his face lit by the summer sunlight. What she had sought all her life had, in truth, already been accomplished.
As for the castle's interior, it was naturally luxurious in an understated and tasteful way. The corridor floors were inlaid with obsidian and moon-white stone, forming patterns like an interweaving of night sky and dawn beneath the sunlight streaming through the windows. With every step, faint ripples spread across the floor.
There were no ordinary lamps or candles on the walls. Instead, floating Glow Crystals illuminated the poorly lit areas, emitting a gentle, cool radiance.
They crossed the corridor and turned onto the spiraling main staircase. The stairs were carved from entire blocks of white platinum stone, each step broad and spacious, their edges engraved with wings, vines, and roses. The handrails were neither conventional wrought iron nor carved wood, but vine-like metal resembling silver spines. At the slightest touch, they gave off an almost imperceptible sound like chimes.
And perhaps it was one of Miss Violet's peculiar preferences, but while Shade spoke with the young