Esmeria didn’t respond immediately.

Instead, she observed Aria with a mix of admiration and caution, as if reevaluating the girl standing before her.

Finally, she took a small step toward Aria and, in a soft, almost maternal tone, congratulated her.

"Bold… very bold, Miss Aria. You have remarkable curiosity and an interesting way of reasoning. But, for now, I can’t tell you exactly who we are. Everything in due time."

Before she could continue, Aria, not wasting a single second, interrupted her with a question loaded with intent.

"So, between my orders… and those of that other person, which ones hold more weight for you right now?"

Esmeria’s smile faded momentarily, and her gaze hardened, clearly surprised by the speed and precision with which Aria had formulated her question.

Meanwhile, Aria was quickly analyzing the situation.

Although she wasn’t certain whether Esmeria and her companions would be allies or enemies in the future, the fact remained that they had spent enough time together that, if they wanted to, they could have easily eliminated her and the others by now.

However, they hadn’t, and in fact, they continued to follow her orders.

That’s why, despite the risks of pushing Esmeria further, Aria believed the benefits of insisting on this issue were greater.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

If she could extract more information now, she could formulate a plan to ensure her survival in the future.

Finally, Esmeria narrowed her eyes, as if reflecting.

"That’s a good question… I like how you think, Miss Aria. But if you truly want to know the answer, I can’t say it with… her in the room."

Esmeria subtly nodded toward María, who had been silently watching the scene, clearly uncomfortable with the rising tension.

Aria wasn’t surprised. She had expected Esmeria to ask for something like this sooner or later. Despite the calm way she had handled the situation, Aria remembered something important.

During one of the times when Hugo had sent María to the kitchen to fetch him food—something that always annoyed Aria because it separated her from María—she had complained to him about it.

Hugo had patiently reassured her that María was in no danger. He had told her that, as a precaution, he had assigned a high-level fire spirit to protect María in case anything tried to harm her.

With that in mind, Aria accepted Esmeria’s condition with a simple nod.

"María, step out of the room," Aria declared.

María was momentarily stunned, looking at her with a mix of disbelief and concern.

She hadn’t expected Aria, after everything they had been through, to agree to separate from her at this moment.

"Are you sure, Aria?" María asked, doubt clear in her voice.

Aria, showing unshakable calm, responded with serenity.

"Yes, I’ll be fine. Come back in a bit."

Still a bit uneasy, María nodded and stood up slowly.

The fear of leaving Aria alone gnawed at her, but she decided not to argue further.

After all, Aria always had a plan.

‘Well… at least Elizabeth isn’t around…,’ María thought, trying to find something positive in the situation.

María crossed the door, her heart pounding in her ears. But just as she closed the door behind her, she stopped upon seeing Elizabeth.

‘Damn it,’ María thought immediately.

Her presence made her tense up instantly.

Elizabeth gave her a light, friendly smile, a gesture that María found even more unsettling.

Out of reflex, María smiled back, though in her mind, she wished she were anywhere else.

"Ah… hello, Elizabeth," María muttered, cursing inwardly.