"Ah…" Averis groaned, slowly opening her eyes.

The last thing she remembered was Kaelith arriving in the forest. That was when she realized her Lord was no longer in danger.

Now, she found herself in a familiar room—the one she had been given when she started working as a maid for the Aethernox family.

Her eyes fell on the person sitting beside her, and she blinked in surprise. "Where is my maid?"

The pink-haired girl, Ava, answered softly, "She's sleeping right now. She was worried about you, and since she's barely rested these past few days, she fell into a deep sleep when she finally relaxed."

Averis let out a soft sigh. "She needed it."

Slowly, she pushed herself up from the bed, leaning her back against the headboard. As she moved, she noticed something—her right arm was intact. Someone had healed her.

She felt much better than she had that morning, when she had only been awake for a few minutes.

After taking a moment to gather herself, she asked, "Is… young master safe?"

Ava nodded. "Lady Supreme brought him back safely."

Averis's brows lifted. "How long was I out?"

"For two days," Ava replied. "Don't worry. Miss Avalin won't be mad at you. After all, you lost your arm protecting the young Lord."

Averis let out a soft chuckle at Ava's words.

Who would have thought that someone who had spent so long wandering the world would worry about being absent from work?

Still, she didn't regret her decision. This was her chance—to earn her Lord's forgiveness and to be close to him.

Ava hesitated for a moment before sharing the news. "Young Lord is going through his awakening… and Marilyn has been chosen as his partner."

Averis's shoulders sagged, a quiet sigh escaping her lips.

Her expression showed sadness, but not surprise. She had expected this.

"Are you upset?" Ava asked, concern lacing her voice.

Averis turned toward her, shaking her head. "I was… kind of expecting it. For me to be his mate…"

She knew she had angered her Lord before. Even if the friction had eased slightly, things between them were still complicated.

So, when it came to this, there was no real choice to be made between her and his trusted maid.

"Are… you going to return now?" Ava asked.

Even after only a few days, Ava had come to admire Averis. Unlike many noblewomen, Averis didn't carry her status or ego on her sleeve. Her devotion to the young Lord made her easy to like.

When she decided to become a servant to serve him, she threw herself fully into the role. She never flinched when scolded by Avalin, never hesitated to ask for help, and never let pride interfere with her duties.

Ava could see her good heart. As someone responsible for guiding Averis, the pink-haired maid had grown quietly fond of her.

That's why Ava felt a pang of sadness at the thought that Averis might leave—

"Who said I'm going anywhere?"

"Eh?" Ava blinked, startled, her brows shooting up as she stared at the violet-haired woman. "You're… not?"

Averis let out a soft sigh. "I didn't come here to become his mate specifically. I just want to be by his side. To be useful to him. And for that, I don't need to be his mate."

Ava tilted her head, genuinely surprised. "I thought it was either mate or nothing."

Averis chuckled lightly. "A lot of thoughts brew in that small head of yours."

Ava's cheeks flushed at the teasing before she mumbled, "Do you want to eat something?"

"I was about to eat one of your ears just now. That's how hungry I am," Averis replied with a faint smile.

Ava quickly covered her ears with both hands, hissing playfully, "Don't attack me. I'll go get you food."

She stood up and walked out of the room, her steps quick and light.

Left alone, Averis turned silently toward the window, resting her cheek against her folded knee as her eyes drifted to the beautiful moon outside.

A few moments later, a single tear welled up in her eye, but before it could fall, she brushed it away with her thumb.

'In the end… I wasn't worth standing beside him.'

….

[Seven days later]

Luna stood in the center of the clearing, sweat glistening on her forehead as she focused every ounce of her energy on the barrier surrounding her.

Peri sat to the side, bruised, sweating, and gasping for air. She had just finished her own training and had come to watch Luna push herself.

The silver-haired girl was standing beneath an immense weight—two massive boulders pressed down on the barrier above her. Her goal was simple but grueling: to keep the barrier from shattering. That was the purpose of this exercise.

Both girls were naturally worried about Hades, but sitting idle in the castle and waiting for him to wake would only slow their progress. They couldn't afford to be left behind, especially with Hades preparing to awaken his first core.

They had to grow stronger. Faster. Harder. Every ounce of effort mattered.

"You are doing well," Avalin muttered as she stood on the other side, her arms clasped behind her back.

A smile, a stiff one, formed on Luna's lips as she nodded.

But then, rather than ending the training, the lady said, "Since you appear comfortable under that weight, let's increase it a little." She gestured to the left before a dragon hovered in the air and after positioning itself above Luna it slowly landed.

"Ah!" Luna cried, suddenly her legs shaking her magic slipping away.

The weight just doubled!

The barrier shook under the weight.

Her control was slipping.

"She can't withstand that!" Peri cried, already on her feet.

However, before she could have moved, the barrier cracked, the weight falling toward Luna's head.

"NOOO!" Peri cried.

Avalin narrowed her eyes, her hand shot forward…but it wasn't required.

The boulders never fell on her.

It was lifted.

By a pair of scaled arms.

Those arms belonged to the same person who was about to get crushed.

Luna heaved a sigh before tossing the boulders and the dragon away easily.

Her newfound trait saved her life once again.

"Is this the only way you can think of training me?" Luna asked as her scales faded and her human skin reappeared.

Avalin flatly told her, "Fear is the best emotion to draw out one's full potential-"

Just then, she paused—her pupils thinning.

Her senses screamed as she turned towards the castle and in the next instance, everyone felt the cause of her sudden reaction.

*TREMBLE*

The surface shook.

The sky darkened.

Heaven seemed to be bleeding.

The air felt stuffy.

Yet at the same time, the three ladies felt at ease.

Avalin fell on her knees, a smile stretching her lips as she muttered, "He is awake."

°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.

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