The luxury Guest Room.
High heels, jewelry, and undergarments lay scattered from the doorway into the bedroom. At the end of the trail stood Sylvie, fully dressed, gazing down from the window at several figures hurrying out of the banquet and climbing into a Carriage.
"...I actually fell for it."
She gave a low, chilling laugh.
"This game is more interesting than I thought. We'll meet again..."
The Carriage raced out of the Imperial Capital toward Monte Montreal Manor.
The moment the Carriage stopped, Annan leaped down, hurried up the Steps, and pushed open the front door.
Before the blazing fireplace, the Old Ancestor dozed in her Wheelchair with Lily curled up on her lap. Annan quietly picked up a blanket and covered them both, then tiptoed out of the Living Room. His urgency returned as he ran upstairs, pushed open the Guest Room door, threw himself down beside the bed, and dragged out the treasure chest beneath it.
"My treasures... You're still here... No one's going to steal you..."
The heavy chest of valuables filled him with relief.
"You look like a greedy Dragon right now," Alice said from the doorway.
"Maybe the Dragons put a curse on me..." Annan said seriously.
"There's no such curse." Alice knew the adventurer's rule, "Never go near a Dragon's treasure," and stayed outside the bedroom. "What happened?"
"I think I was enchanted..."
Remembering his encounter with Sylvie, Annan shuddered at the thought that he had felt willing to tell her even where he hid his treasure.
"That's impossible. No one could cast a spell unnoticed in the Imperial Capital, especially in a heavily guarded banquet hall." Olin had arrived at the doorway. She was still in her gown, though she had tied her loose hair into a ponytail for the ride.