Just a reminder that updates for this book is every other Monday.

We were sat in the lobby and offered a second round of refreshments. I refused since I drank enough tea back in the restaurant. I didn't want to load my bladder too much and have to take frequent trips to the bathroom. Not only would it be inconvenient, it was also quite embarrassing.

Although I did not touch the refreshments any longer, Maun was still very enthusiastic. I remembered this guy loved watermelon juice. Whenever it was on the menu, he would always have it on his side of the table. It was not very obvious since he almost never really made any requests for it, but considering the consistency of it, I would assume it was his favorite.

I wanted to tell him not to drink too much, but the enthusiastic grin on his face as he sipped from the glass made me bite back my tongue.

Herrin and Kaiser left us for a while, so I made myself comfortable—at least tried—on the platform sofa. As usual, the seats were low. However, they were cushioned and reclined a bit back, which made it possible to take on a lazy posture and relax.

I was not at ease though, and unwittingly thought back to the teachings of my mistresses. I could vaguely hear them in my ear correcting my posture and criticizing whatever bend and crook there was that should not be there, so I sat back on my heels, legs closed and spine quite straight.

I cradled the harp on my lap, gently lifting it out of the cloth it was swaddled in. The familiar golden strings and the heart-shaped frame came to sight. I tapped my fingers experimentally on them, invoking the opening of Greensleeves, coaxing out a few notes. I was almost tempted to play the whole song, but I wrestled back the habit and took a deep breath.

I could not play. Not yet. Not until I was certain I would be able to control whatever power I happened to summon unknowingly from this. Unless I was forced to use it, then I would have to avoid it.

"That was a beautiful tune," someone said.

I looked up and saw a long-haired man stride in with Kaiser by his side.

"What song is it? I'm not familiar." He had long, soft violet hair and deep blue eyes and seemed to be in his twenties.

"Something I heard from a dream," I replied with a smile.

"You must have beautiful dreams, then." He went over to where we sat and bowed lightly in greeting.

I stood up out of politeness, returning the bow. "Not often," I said.

"The name is Illuna," he said with a smile.

"Evyionne. This is Maun."

Maun bowed blankly to him, a bit unenthusiastic.

"Will you be playing today?" I asked.

"That's right. When I heard that there would be angel's strings in the talks, I could not resist the opportunity. It's not often you get these kinds of encounters. These things are of value that they can easily be housed in a royal treasury." With that, he gazed at the instrument I carried in my hands. "Is this it?"

"I hope you're not too disappointed," I said.

"No. Not at all. In fact, I'm more than surprised. I did not expect that the owner would be someone as young as yourself. Which family do you belong to?"

"We come from a merchant family. An uncle of mine owns a ship at the ports and my aunt owns a few businesses here and there," I said, remembering our cover story. They had covered nearly every base and gave a very comprehensive and logical story, with (forged) evidences and irrefutable logic to back it up.

It was a safe bet. Considering my appearance, which was obviously half-foreign.

"I see. Which name was it?"

I smiled, trying to hide my impatience. "Lernilla," I replied.

"The name is Simaronian," he said. In the next beat, he switched tongues. "I never thought I would meet someone from this family here. I've heard of the Lernillas. Meeting with one of you is very hard."

"Is it?" I replied smoothly, accent so native it sounded like I've been speaking it my whole life. Which was also the case. Even though I could easily understand languages, my mistresses still instilled literary studies from all sorts of places into me. It was part of the education they imparted into me. "I was not aware we were so well-known and sought out. Here's the harp, please take care of it."

I handed over the harp to his care. He accepted gracefully.

"Your manners are impeccable. You have better etiquette than some nobilities I know," he said.

Speaking of etiquette...I stepped back, no longer entertaining him, and sat back down. The smile on my face was still there, but I muted it down and reached for the cup of refreshment that I had refused to touch earlier.

I was reminded of my mistresses' advice, 'When you don't want to talk, just put something in your mouth. A drink or a snack. Because people can't force you to speak if you have your mouth full.'

Illuna did not look peeved by my well-mannered refusal. In fact, he seemed a little more amused. "What an adorable kid."

I heard Kaiser lean in to whisper, "Yeah, she tries to act very mature."

I felt a nerve tighten on my forehead, but realized in the end this was a more ideal outcome than the other. I clenched my jaw and did not reply, but Maun felt my displeasure and glared at the guys in turn.

Seeing that the conversation was over, Kaiser raised his voice to draw attention. "Right! Then...Evyionne, if you wish to come, you can come, but I think Maun will have to stay back."

Maun raised his hand to sign his protests, but I had him lower them before he could begin. "He has watermelon juice, and I think the snacks should be enough to keep him entertained." I looked at him with quirked brows and he reluctantly sat back down. However, he looked like a wilted flower which did not get its share of the sun.

"You'll be alright, Maun. I'll be in the same building, not too far. If there's an emergency, you can come and find me," I told him, patting his head comfortingly as I followed Kaiser and Illuna out of the lobby and through the halls.

As we got nearer the bedroom where Kaiser's mother was, I caught sight of the beautiful garden outside through the windows, which vaguely reminded me of the one we used to have back in Oblivion. I was sure that place was already wrecked by now.

I eyed each flowering shrub, the tall trees, trying to name each plant in my mind as I remembered Mistress Kora would make me call them out while working on them. I recognized a vast majority, and it helped entertain me for a while until we finally arrived before the room.

I felt a breeze of cold air touch my cheeks. I pulled on the sleeves of my robes and recovered after a second.

There was a servant waiting by the door. Upon our arrival, she opened the door after a brief bow, maintaining a lowered head and a bent back as we entered.

The room was quite dark towards the bed, but the windows and curtains were drawn open. Light poured in, giving the place a warmer feel. A fireplace was running at the corner, and the thick scent of herbs and medicine floated in the air.

"Mom, we're here," Kaiser said. "These are Evyionne and Illuna. They're the owner of the harp and the player respectively."

I bowed, as was customary, and greeted, "Greetings, madam," I whispered softly.

Illuna went after me. "Greetings."

"Sorry. She's a little too weak at the moment, but she really wants to meet you two. Evyionne, why don't you come forward first to meet my mother?" Kaiser offered.

I nodded. "Okay."

As we crossed the threshold of the room, I caught shadows weakly floating near the ceiling. I looked up almost instinctively and indeed confirmed the sight. Just around the beams was a Veil. Their presence did not usually mean good things—it usually meant someone was at death's door.

I looked back down to the figure huddled under the quilt and found her looking weak and pale, but I saw the resemblance she had with Kaiser—and probably the bright and beautiful woman she was...or used to be.

She gazed at me weakly, but managed a small smile. "Hello," she said.

"Hello," I awkwardly replied.

She laughed. "No need to be so stiff. I'd just like to thank you for coming forward. Hearing from my son, he must've pestered you so."

"You really don't need to thank me. Your family has promised me compensation."

"That is theirs to give, but I can only give you my thanks," she told me, then held out her hand.

They were pale, so much that the veins could be seen underneath the skin. I expected they would be in shades of green or blue...but they were black.

Seeing her hand reaching out, I instinctively reached for them and was greeted by a cold touch. It wasn't the usual temperature you would see on a living body. However, what shocked me the most was the presence I felt...something familiar. Icy. Like that same frost crawling over me.

I held my breath.

"Sorry," she said, seeing my surprise. "It's the poison. It gives me a very cold constitution. If you haven't seen yet, the fire is running in such a sultry day." She gave my hand a light squeeze. "Thank you again."

Speechless, I reluctantly nodded and went back to the corner of the room, right by the door.

Illuna stepped forward to introduce himself. While they were chatting happily, I fell into the embrace of my thoughts.

I felt...confused. This energy should not have appeared anywhere else. This energy...was the very same thing that I house on my body, especially when I would summon the Veils forth.

How could it appear in someone else?

Unless I was mistaken here? Was I the only one who could really wield the element of death? Maybe this was just something that happened to people dying? My instincts told me otherwise.

"Amber?" I called out, hoping he would reply. "Amber...We have an urgent situation, I'd really appreciate if you can reply..."

Amber was always lacking in energy. During the day, he would not reply...unless the day was a new moon. But last time I checked it wasn't, so I was probably left with this problem alone.

"It's not poison," a familiar voice suddenly resounded in my mind.

"Oh, thank god. How'd you come out?"

"The death energy is thick in this room. Those things have made a nest out of that woman," he replied.

"A nest...what do you mean?"

"It's the sickness. The same one," he told me. "When you were young, Vertvalden's first reckoning from death came in the form of sickness—when Veils starting hosting on healthy specimens, slowly sucking away their vitality. If it is left unchecked, you will have a body that has been reaped of its soul, but will remain in between death and life. They will become Specters, driven by nothing but instincts."

"What are Specters?"

"Hollowed-out bodies. Eventually, they will evolve and attack others. You remember what the explanation of that boy is to you about what they call the En-diers, or the Unseen."

"That's right," I said. "Elion mentioned it was almost as though the people had their souls devoured, and the soul would return and turn into the same thing—an Unseen, but not quite an Unseen."

"This is the first stage of that for you. Only that...well, they're reaping her soul, even though she's not yet dying."

"Holy—you mean..."

"That's right. The sickness that has plagued Vertvalden is already spreading to this continent. This woman is among the first ones to fall prey to the Veils."