Alice's grand, lively tenth birthday banquet came to an end.
Yet within the magnificent Boreas Greyrat manor,
the bustle and excitement of the celebration lingered for several more days before gradually subsiding.
The air still seemed to hold the sweet scent of champagne, along with the guests' laughter and cheerful voices.
With impeccable courtesy and warmth, Philip Boreas Greyrat
offered the lofty-sounding excuse of "thanking you all for traveling so far to attend my daughter Alice's birthday banquet."
He cordially invited Cui Ciyou, Roxy, and Ghislaine,
along with Sylphy, who had only just become part of their little circle, to stay at the manor a few more days and relax.
Cui Ciyou did not refuse.
For one thing, he did need an opportunity to speak to Philip, his nominal "employer,"
and briefly report on his "work" during the time he had been dispatched to Buena Village as an "Auxiliary Defense Knight":
-though, to be honest, aside from training Sylphy and handling the daily duties Paul assigned him,
most of those days had been as uneventful as plain water, with hardly any major incidents worth mentioning.
Still, reporting on his work was a necessary formality.
On the other hand, there was another, more important reason...
Cui Ciyou felt himself growing a little attached to the peace he had found here.
He wanted to spend a few more days here, enjoying their company.
After everything he had been through, Cui Ciyou wanted to spend a few more peaceful days here with them-Roxy, Alice, Sylphy, and Ghislaine.
And so, over the next few days, they were almost inseparable.
During the bright, sunny days, Cui Ciyou would take the three girls surrounding him-sometimes even four-out for leisurely strolls through bustling Roa City.
That was if Ghislaine happened not to be training on her own