Annan did not want to linger in Siltovis. It was only a stepping stone on his way to Montreal Mountain.
Before setting off again, though, he needed to bring over the three Musketeer Corps units.
The garden at Solz Magic Academy was vast, but the arrival of the musketeers still drew the students' attention. Sienna came running over and clung to Annan's arm, refusing to let go.
"You still haven't met my mother!"
Mrs. Waters?
Annan thought of how every meeting with her had been canceled by one mishap or another. He agreed, and once Sienna had asked Mrs. Vanessa for leave, she eagerly led him home.
Waters Manor. He was back. The lawns and gardens, so bleak in winter, were now in full bloom. Annan looked at the terrace he had jumped from and the flower bed below. Those days brought back memories...
"Quick, tell Mother that Master Annan is here!" Sienna excitedly told Butler, whose expression turned strange, to inform Mrs. Waters.
Annan and Sienna sat in the Reception Room for a while. Sienna pestered him for news of Free City, while Annan, eyeing her family's wealth, tried to invite them to do business there. Then Mrs. Waters arrived in a cool-toned silk gown, as cold and distant as ever.
But Annan was no longer the Youth boy with no background or influence. Curious, he asked, "Mrs. Waters, do you dislike me that much?"
"...No."
After a long pause, Mrs. Waters gave that brief answer, as though holding something back.
Sienna, who had been watching anxiously, breathed a sigh of relief and took her mother's arm. Only then did she notice that her mother's skin, as fair as her own, had taken on a faint pink flush and was trembling slightly.
"What's wrong...?"
"Could you step outside? I