88: Chapter 88 The two women meet! Re-examining the spoils! Perfect-level breathing technique!

Returning to Snow Velvet Manor.

The burning fireplace dispersed the chill of early winter.

As the two stepped into the main hall, they saw another figure sitting alone in an armchair by the fireplace.

It was Elena.

She was wearing a simple, light blue loungewear dress, her long hair draped loosely over her shoulders.

She held a book on the basic theory of Runic Arts, but her gaze was not on the pages; instead, she looked a bit dazed as she watched the flickering flames.

The warm yellow glow outlined her slender shoulders and her slightly pale profile.

Hearing familiar footsteps,

Elena turned her head in surprise.

But she saw that, besides Rowan, another bright and elegant young woman had walked in.

Her expression froze slightly.

Her eyes involuntarily drifted toward the dazzling evening gown the woman wore, her gaze flickering slightly.

And Mira also noticed Elena's presence.

The other woman was clearly a noble lady of superior birth, her temperament gentle and dignified.

The two women's gazes met briefly in the air.

The atmosphere instantly became a bit subtle.

The air seemed to stagnate for half a second, with only the crackling of wood burning in the fireplace.

Elena pursed her lips slightly and was the first to look away, lowering her head again to stare intently at the pages in her hand, her eyelashes trembling slightly.

Her current status was awkward and sensitive; she was no longer the high-and-mighty Miss Farrell.

And this red-haired woman before her was beautiful, vibrant, and so intimate with Rowan...

A mixture of inferiority, bitterness, loss, and an indescribable sense of grievance quietly permeated her heart.

Mira raised an eyebrow, sensing Elena's nearly imperceptible hostility and dejection.

But having experienced family upheaval and a life-or-death escape, her character was far more resilient and even stronger than she appeared.

She simply cast a questioning glance at Rowan, and the strength with which she held his arm tightened slightly without her realizing it.

Rowan took in their subtle reactions.

His expression remained unchanged, but he understood perfectly.

Almost the instant the atmosphere stagnated, his Level 3 Charm skill was quietly activated.

It wasn't targeted at one side, but instead turned into an invisible and gentle breeze that brushed over both parties simultaneously.

It brushed over the panicked and bitter lake of Elena's heart.

And it brushed over the slight defensiveness that had subconsciously risen in Mira.

“Elena, haven't you rested yet?”

Rowan spoke naturally, breaking the silence.

Elena looked up at his voice, and meeting Rowan's calm gaze, the sudden bitterness and self-pity in her heart were strangely calmed.

She gave a soft hum, her voice a bit low:

“I'm reading for a bit... I can't sleep.”

“I see.” Rowan nodded, then introduced her: “Elena, this is Miss Mira Mesa, the heir to the Mesa Family.”

Then, he turned to Mira and said, “Mira, this is Miss Elena Farrell.”

He didn't say much more regarding Elena's introduction.

Hearing the surname Farrell, Mira's eyes flickered slightly, as if she understood something, but she didn't ask further.

At this point, Rowan cut straight to the chase and instructed Butler Horn, who was standing by:

“Take Miss Mesa to the prepared guest room. All the supplies must be brand new.”

Hearing this, Mira's gaze shifted slightly between Rowan and Elena. She then gave Elena a polite smile and followed the approaching servant toward the stairs.

Watching Mira's tall figure disappear around the corner of the stairs, Elena's fingers tightened slightly around her book.

She was not a dull person; she could naturally sense the unusually close relationship between Rowan and Mira...

But before she could sort out her thoughts, Rowan had already walked to her side.

He reached out and pulled her up from the armchair without allowing any refusal.

Then, wrapping his arm around her, he pulled her into his embrace and turned to walk toward the master bedroom on the top floor.

His movements were smooth and natural, carrying a sense of matter-of-fact possessiveness and intimacy.

This instantly dispersed all the stray thoughts in Elena's mind.

Her body, ahead of her consciousness, leaned softly into his embrace and gave a passionate response...

...

The night was deep.

In the guest room of Snow Velvet Manor, the furnishings were exquisite.

Mira had changed out of her magnificent evening gown and wore only a thin silk nightgown.

From the direction of the master bedroom next door, extremely faint sounds began to drift over...

In this silent late night, even with good soundproofing, to an Official Knight with sharp perception, it was still as clear as a stone dropped into a calm lake.

Mira's movement of combing her long hair paused almost imperceptibly, a flash of dejection crossing her eyes.

But soon, that dejection was replaced by a deeper, more complex emotion.

She was mentally prepared...

During the days she spent recovering at White Cliff Castle, she had gradually learned many things about this savior of hers from the servants.

In particular, White Cliff Castle once had a beautiful and mysterious Mage mistress.

And she had given birth to seven children with Rowan.

It was just that she had left later for some unknown reason.

The servants' words were vague.

But she had seen all seven children.

They were very cute.

She took a soft breath and walked alone to the window, staring blankly at the dark night outside and the moonlight reflected on the lake.

...

The night breeze was gentle.

The atmosphere in the master bedroom gradually calmed.

Elena was exhausted; her breathing became long as she fell into a deep sleep, a hint of satisfied tranquility on her face.

However, Rowan did not fall asleep with her.

He gently pulled his arm from Elena's embrace, got out of bed silently, and walked barefoot to the desk by the floor-to-ceiling window.

Tonight, Princess Alice's pointed question surfaced in his mind again.

“Something unusual...”

He took out the Spatial Ring.

Previously, his attention had been mainly focused on those three Breathing Techniques, and he had only glanced over the other miscellaneous items.

Thinking about it now, perhaps there really was something he had missed.

This time, he pushed his Insight trait to its limit, carefully examining every single item in the Spatial Ring.

Minutes and seconds passed.

Most of the items were indeed nothing unusual, just valuable property.

Just as he was about to give up, thinking he was being paranoid.

Suddenly, his movements stopped.

Under the perception of Insight, among that pile of high-quality gems, there seemed to be a red crystal whose aura was slightly different from the others.

Rowan's spirit was roused, and he observed more closely.

He saw it—

Inside that unusual red crystal, there seemed to be the outline of a runic seal filled with a strange beauty.

And this outline was flickering like breathing at a rate imperceptible to the naked eye!

This was it!

Rowan felt a surge of joy and took it directly out of the Spatial Ring.

However, the moment he touched the surface of the crystal—

“Voom!”

It wasn't an actual sound, but a low vibration acting directly on the soul level!

The dark red crystal suddenly erupted with an eerie and mesmerizing bright red light!

At the same time.

A massive stream of information filled with ancient and bloody connotations, like a bursting dam, violently surged into Rowan's mind!

“Ugh!”

Rowan let out a muffled groan, and his vision was instantly submerged in a boundless scarlet!

Countless twisted symbols, eerie ritual images, inhuman shrieks, and the sounds of fanatical praise and prayer to some supreme existence frantically battered his consciousness!

He pushed his Frost Heart Realm to the limit, turning his core consciousness into ice that would not melt for ten thousand years, forcibly resisting this terrifying flood of information and mental pollution.

At the same time, he made a prompt decision to throw away the crystal and cut off that thread of mental connection.

However, in the midst of this tidal wave of information, an extremely pure core suddenly emerged, ignoring the isolation of the Frost Heart Realm and imprinting itself directly into his mind!

It wasn't a specific image or sound, but some complex information that transcended mortal language and pointed directly to the source!

The moment the information imprint was complete, the terrifying flood of information receded like a tide.

The light of the dark red crystal quickly dimmed, returning to its previous unremarkable appearance, as if everything just now had been an illusion.

Rowan staggered back a step, gripping the edge of the desk. His forehead was covered in fine beads of sweat, and his face was slightly pale.

Panting, he put down the red crystal and quickly performed an internal inspection to check his soul's condition.

Fortunately, that core information didn't seem to have the property of active pollution; his soul was not injured, he had just consumed a large amount of mental energy.

And when he began to organize and understand the information imprinted deep in his soul,

his pupils shrank slightly!

It was actually... a Perfect-Grade Breathing Technique?!

Its name—

The Scarlet Hymn Breathing Technique!

...