Karu had never come back since that day, giving her ears a few days of peace. In her spare moments, she kept wondering whether their sparring match had dealt them too heavy a blow. She hesitated over whether to visit them, but ultimately did not go.
The next day, the little dwarf found their lodgings.
"Honored guests, Lord Kurt has arranged a banquet tomorrow especially for you. We hope you will attend." The little fellow had only come to deliver the message. Once he finished, he turned to leave.
"Wait, wait a moment." Little Minghui blocked his path. "Is Lord Kurt holding this banquet because there's been some progress on that matter?"
The little fellow did not dare say much and merely replied politely, "Honored guests, you will naturally find out when you come tomorrow."
"What did that little dwarf come here for?" Wei Junlan leaned over, catching sight of a tiny retreating figure. He clicked his tongue in wonder. "These little fellows look pretty burly."
"He's a grown man in his thirties or forties, after all." Of course he was burly.
When she had first learned the little fellow's age, she had been quite startled herself.
Dongfang Minghui rubbed her chin thoughtfully. The little fellow's attitude toward them had changed considerably.
When Qian Wanyu and Lien returned from training outside, she brought it up. "Seventh Sister, should we go tomorrow?"
"Yes."
"But don't you think it's strange for Lord Kurt to invite us to a banquet at such a sensitive time?"
"Don't overthink it." Qian Wanyu took her hand and examined it. The lines on her palm remained, but winding paths lay over them, as though a sculptor had carved them into her hand. They were strikingly lifelike, and she could feel the uneven skin beneath her touch. Remembering