In the standalone hot spring courtyard at the deepest part of Snow Smoke Manor, steaming white mist drifted through the courtyard like a thin veil. Frost Hua had most of her body submerged in the spring, with only half her head above the water. Her snow-white hair spread evenly across the surface like a pattern of frozen ice flowers, gently rippling.
Just as Ivette had guessed who she was the instant she saw her, Frost Hua also came to her senses the moment she saw Ivette and knew who that mysterious missionary was.
Then she felt as though she had been caught red-handed while secretly copying someone else's work. Though she had appeared to leave with great composure, from her own perspective, she had practically fled in panic.
Afterward, she returned to Snow Smoke Manor after a long absence. Only after soaking in the hot spring for a while did her mood gradually settle, and she began reflecting on how her actions just now had indeed been somewhat inappropriate.
It seemed she had not needed to run.
On the contrary, leaving without saying a word had been extremely rude to the Silver Witch's favored one.
So what should she do next?
As she pondered this, she heard a knock at the door.
Without needing any detection methods, she immediately guessed who was knocking.
Thinking of what would happen next, she sank the remaining half of her face into the hot spring. Only bubbles continued to gurgle upward, mingling with the surrounding mist like boiling water.
Ten minutes later, inside the courtyard residence.
Cedar logs crackled brightly in the fireplace, orange-red flames dancing as they cast warmth across the floor covered in thick plush carpeting. Ivette and Frost Hua sat facing each other across a small ebony table, upon which sat