Despite their bold strategy, safety remained the paramount concern. As the elders began debating who should accompany Eros, Estelle—who had been listening quietly for a long time—suddenly spoke up.

  "Why not let me go? A few years ago, I successfully stole a Blasphemy Spark. I am now a Sequence 6: Fire-Thief."

  She paused, her gaze steady. "Moreover, my maiden family is based in the Imperial Capital. If I go, I will be far more effective in navigating the social and political landscape there."

  The elders fell into a thoughtful silence. After a few moments, one nodded. "Then it shall be you, Estelle. But for the sake of absolute safety, you must take a retinue. We shall also head to the vault to see if we can unseal any Forbidden Artifacts that might be of use to you both."

  With the plan settled, the elders wasted no time, heading off to scavenge the family’s ancient stores for "goodies" that could survive the journey. Duke Lenka didn't linger either; he needed to select the most capable retainers for the mission.

  Soon, the grand hall was left to just the three of them.

  Eros was genuinely excited about finally seeing the world, but as he caught sight of the silent, contemplative Estelle, his excitement dimmed. He realized something: Estelle hadn't been back to her maiden home in a very, very long time.

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  In his memory, she had never traveled far. This meant she hadn't seen her parents in at least nineteen years. If one calculated from the day she was married off, it had been closer to twenty-one years.

  She was married at thirteen, had Undine at fourteen... Eros winced internally. Damn, my old man really didn't hold back, did he?

  Then she had him at sixteen, and she’d been here ever since. To put it somewhat absurdly, since Eros was born with his past-life memories, he had practically "watched his mother grow up." Wait, that sounds incredibly wrong. Moving on...

  Eros shook his head to clear the intrusive thoughts and spoke softly to Estelle, who seemed lost in a trance. "Thinking about Grandmother?"

  In Eros's impression, Estelle was much closer to her mother. As for her father—Eros’s grandfather—Estelle’s feelings had mostly been a mix of awe and fear. In the early days of her marriage, there had even been a trace of resentment. After all, her father had traded her away like a commodity for a handful of resources. She hadn't even known what her future husband looked like until the wedding.

  "Actually," Estelle whispered, "I miss them both."

  Eros paused, then understood. Time had a way of eroding even the sharpest grievances. Estelle had once mentioned that her resentment only lasted for the first year. Once she realized how well everyone in the North family treated her, she had embraced her new home, and the bitterness had faded into the past.

  Beside them, Undine threw her arms around Estelle, resting her head on her mother's shoulder with a playful grin. "I’ve never even met Grandfather and Grandmother!"

  Distracted by her children’s banter, the gloom lifted from Estelle’s face, though her voice carried a hint of regret. "I used to have a pendant on my necklace with their portraits inside... but unfortunately, that necklace went missing a long time ago."

  Undine’s expression froze. Her eyes began to wander frantically, avoiding everyone’s gaze.