Luka stood at the door with the most polite and proper posture he could manage. According to what Jad had told him, the person living here was the most knowledgeable about monsters in the world. Luka’s favorite person in the world was his mother, and the one he respected most was his sister. He used to hold his father in highest esteem, but recently, that ranking had shifted. He felt a little sorry about that—but it couldn’t be helped.

How could he not admire his sister more?

The door opened, revealing a tall, thin woman who reminded him of his mother. Splotches of paint on her apron suggested she’d been working on a painting just moments before.

Jad had boasted endlessly about the illustrations Lydia had drawn, and Luka’s expectations had grown even higher.

He worried briefly that dropping by unannounced might be rude, but just as Jad said, the kind lady was happy to welcome her uninvited guests inside.

“Wooooow!”

The first thing to capture Luka’s gaze upon entering the house was, of course, the monster paintings. Most of the completed works were stored in a separate room rather than displayed in the living room. But even the few hung in the parlor were enough to instantly show Luka how extraordinary Lydia was—both as a painter and as a monster scholar. His respect for the sister who had discovered such talent surged even more.

Luka drifted toward a massive painting on the wall, as if entranced.

“This is… a Luminok.”

He stared at the yellow-eyed monster illustration, his voice dreamy.

“You know about the Luminok?” Lydia asked.

Since it was painted at life-size, most children would recoil in disgust or fear at first glance. The more timid ones even burst into tears. But Luka’s eyes sparkled as he stood close to the painting, examining the creature in the frame with intense focus.

Lydia’s eyes lit up with admiration and curiosity.

“Yes, I read about it in a monster journal published last year. The healthier the Luminok, the brighter the glow from its eyes, right? I heard the glow lasts up to two weeks after death. Doesn’t it smell? And I read that tiny fangs cover the entire gumline—is that true? Do they really eat anything in their path? It’s said they grow up to two meters, but the report mentioned a three-meter specimen discovered last year. How big was the one you saw? Is the mouth really this huge?”

The boy who’d been so composed and polite until now suddenly lit up with excitement, rattling off a flood of questions. Lydia blinked in surprise. No child—or adult—she had ever met had known so much about Luminoks or asked so many detailed questions with such genuine interest.

“You truly want to know?” she asked, eyes gleaming.

Sensing what was about to happen, Jad began quietly backing away. He’d once asked Lydia a question, too—just the name of a monster in one of her drawings. Because of that single question, he’d ended up listening to over two hours of detailed explanation.

And Luka had just asked at least five questions in a row.

'I have to escape. I’m sorry, young master, but I can’t survive this…'

With a guilty heart, Jad hurriedly slipped out of Lydia’s house, leaving Luka behind with an expectant look on his face, still unaware of the trial awaiting him.

A few days later.

“Jad, Young Master Luka’s come to visit you.”

Jad, who had been busily working on a toy for his younger brother, nearly flung his tools aside in panic. He was sure Luka had come to scold him.

But instead, Luka grabbed his hand with a bright smile.

“Jad! I had the most meaningful and enjoyable time. I completely lost track of time. If the servant hadn’t come for me, I’d have stayed up talking all night. Thank you so much for introducing me to Madam Lydia.”

Dazed, Jad blinked slowly and stammered.

“R-really? Then… you’re not mad at me?”

“Why would I be? I’m truly grateful. But could you ask her something for me? When would be a good time for me to visit again? I’d love to go right away, but I know she’s very busy. I wouldn’t want to be rude by dropping in unannounced again.”

“…Yes. I’ll ask her.”

But when Jad went to Lydia with Luka’s request, he was left speechless by her startled reaction.

“Jad, I thought I was going to die. Every answer led to two more questions. And when I answered those, it turned into four. By the end, my throat hurt so much I could barely speak. If the servant hadn’t come for him, I would’ve been up all night answering questions. Jad, if Luka ever comes back, stay by my side. If I give you the signal, get him out of there immediately. Understand?”

Just recalling it seemed to exhaust Lydia. She cradled her throat in both hands and shook her head.

“First Estella, now this sibling too—neither of them seems to understand the concept of giving up. If I let my guard down around them, I might be done for…”

With a long sigh, Lydia reassured herself that she’d made the right decision in quickly agreeing to Estella’s original proposal.

“So… what should I tell Luka, then? He’s already asking when he can come.”

“Is that so? Cough! K-koff koff! Oh no. I seem to have suddenly come down with something. Tell him he absolutely must not come near the house. If he catches this from me, it could be terrible. He’s delicate, after all. Cough! Ah-choo! Oh dear, am I running a fever now?”

Lydia fake-coughed like her life depended on it, though her face showed not the slightest trace of illness. She made Jad promise over and over.

On his way back from seeing Jad, Luka spotted a familiar face in the distance and quickened his pace. It was Ria—Estella’s personal aide, performing her duties flawlessly.

Not only was Ria handling her role as Estella’s aide, she was also training the newly recruited personal maids.

As Estella’s chief attendant, Ria now dressed differently from the other maids. Gone were the apron and headscarf—she now wore a tailored navy uniform that fit her elegant figure perfectly. Silver buttons lined the neatly fastened front, adding a calm sense of authority.

Pinned to her left collar was a small silver brooch etched with a lily—the symbol of Wintfall. It shimmered like a diamond in the sunlight with every step she took.

But the most noticeable change of all was Ria’s expression. Once meek and cautious, always scanning her surroundings, she now walked with confidence and poise. Naturally, people’s attitudes toward her had changed as well.

“Did my sister send you to find me?” Luka asked in a mature tone, though his voice was tinged with hope.

Ria looked into Luka’s chocolate-colored eyes and thought, What a lovable boy, as she answered.

“Yes, young master. Lady Estella asked me to bring you to her.”

The maids who saw them talking couldn’t hide their envy. Those who used to ignore and exclude Ria were now bitter and jealous of her elevated status.

“Really? Then I mustn’t keep Sister waiting. Let’s go at once!”

Luka stroked his round chin thoughtfully, as if mulling it over, then began walking quickly with his arms swinging in wide arcs. Anyone could see how excited he was, and Ria smiled to herself as she followed.

“Sister!”

“Luka!”

Though it hadn’t been that long since they’d last seen each other, they embraced tightly as if reuniting after years apart, unable to hide their happiness.

Cradled in Estella’s arms, Luka tilted his head back to look up at her with concern.

“Sister, are you all right now? I was so worried when I heard you collapsed. Mother wouldn’t let me go see you, so I could only fret helplessly.”

“I’m sorry. You were that worried, huh?”

Luka nodded, and his clear eyes shimmered. Memories of the day Estella had been carried home unconscious rushed back. He didn’t want to seem like a crybaby in front of her, so he held it in—but just remembering it made him want to burst into tears. He hadn’t been this emotional before, but lately, he found himself crying and laughing out loud much more easily.

Estella gazed lovingly at Luka’s moist eyes and pulled him into another hug. As his soft body fit into her arms, a quiet happiness bloomed through her entire being.

No matter what happens, I’ll protect you, Luka. I won’t let a single hair on your head be harmed. Not Aslan, not anyone else—no one will lay a finger on you.

The image of Luka’s lifeless body beside Leonora by the river flashed in Estella’s mind, and she shivered.

“Sister, you’re squeezing me…”

Apparently, she had hugged him too tightly. Luka gave a strained squeak. Snapping out of it, Estella quickly apologized.

“Sorry—did that hurt?”

“No, I’m fine.”

It had been a little uncomfortable, but Luka loved his sister’s hugs too much to complain. He shook his head quickly. Estella playfully ruffled his hair, then took his hand and led him to the center of the parlor.

On the table was a long scroll unfurled, covered with blueprints for a repeating crossbow Estella had drawn throughout the night.

“Sister, what’s this?”

As expected, Luka was immediately intrigued and stepped closer. Even as he asked, his eyes scanned the blueprint rapidly.

Estella always found it amazing—how such a small head could hold so many thoughts.

“A repeating crossbow. The Silverhunt scales—specifically the purple one—had bound magic on them. I’m using that to design this weapon. What do you think?”

“…Wow! This is amazing! How did you even come up with it?”

Luka was genuinely impressed. Though he hadn’t met that many people in his life, not once had he ever felt someone was smarter than him. Not even his famous scholar uncle from the Empire had made him think that.

But now, as he looked at Estella’s blueprint, he was filled with admiration.

“If it works as drawn, the fired bolts will return automatically to the weapon’s body thanks to the bound magic—without needing to be retrieved manually.”

“That’s the plan. Luka, do you think you could help revise the blueprint again—like you did last time?”

“Of course!”

Luka was truly delighted to help. With a bright voice, he picked up a quill and began jotting swift notes onto the schematic.

Estella, watching him with pride, sat beside him and began writing in her own notebook. It was Wintfall’s tactical training week schedule—for systematic knight drills.

Scratch, scratch.

For a while, the only sound in the parlor was the quiet scratching of quills from the two siblings.

Who knew how much time had passed?

“Sister! Look at this!”

Luka beamed with pure happiness as he proudly held out the blueprint, now filled with new annotations.

Chapter 145

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