Hidden beneath his cloak, Annan slipped out of the Square with the crowd and headed toward Hogwarts Magic Academy without drawing anyone's attention.
"Mother!"
Not far away, Sienna bounced beside a carriage bearing the family crest, as lively as a girl who had never grown up.
Lady Jemany wore a silk gown befitting a noblewoman. Behind her, a maid carried shopping bags stuffed to bursting.
"Wow, you bought so much! Did you see Annan?"
Lady Jemany reached the carriage and let her daughter help her in. "I went on business, not to have fun in Free City."
"Seeing Annan is business! Free City's trade is doing so well. We could buy a few shops and sell things there too..."
Lady Jemany pursed her lips. Her daughter had a point. With shops there, she would have an excuse to visit Free City again—and even to see Annan...
"Next time, then." She gently pressed her legs together.
"All right..."
Curious, Sienna rummaged through the shopping bags a servant had loaded. "Mother, you bought so much... Why is there an old blanket in here?"
Before Sienna could get a proper look, a fragrant breeze swept past, and her mother snatched the old blanket from her hands.
"It's... a gift from an old friend."
"Since when do you have friends in Free City..." Sienna muttered, but she did not press her.
The carriage set off, carrying Sienna's cheerful chatter away from the Square.
"That's the gist of it. So I have to go to Montreal Mountain and demand answers from those officials who draw salaries for doing nothing! They branded loyal soldiers as traitors. What exactly are they trying to do?"
After delivering his indignant speech, Annan turned to Dean Breichim. "You think the Judgment Hall has gone too far too, don't you?"