Almost a week had passed after the Raging Tempest's ambush, and Aurora had instructed the girls to stay at home if there wasn't any urgent business they needed to tend to. This morning, Claudia found out the kitchen's supply was running low, so she asked Aurora's permission to go to the market to restock, to which Aurora agreed, telling her to be careful. It was in the town anyway, so those bastards most likely weren't going to play a petty trick.

After rechecking the supply and writing it down on a paper, Claudia took the shopping bag and headed to the town. As the mansion was located almost on the outskirts of town, she passed by the farmers along the way, nodded lightly, and gave them a simple greeting, to which they replied with a smile. Most of them were friendly and amicable fellows, that's for sure.

Treading the path leading to the town's market, Claudia decided to visit the Mercenary Association while at it, looking for any new commissions posted by the association that they could take.

Just like usual, the building was already packed with mercenaries who were either submitting their previous tasks, searching for new commissions, or just hanging around to collect interesting news or simply gossiping.

Being a mercenary could be a stressful and tedious job sometimes, so a simple amusement was pretty much needed to blow off some steam.

Claudia entered the hall quietly, trying to attract less attention to herself, which was actually easier said than done considering how elves, with their naturally attractive appearance, could be a magnet for unwanted attention sometimes.

Her voluptuous figure didn't help her either; a few catcalls and dirty looks were thrown at her as she strided toward the mission board, but Claudia didn't pay much attention to them as she was already used to such "passing interest."

Her gaze was quickly attracted to the dense crowd in front of her. There was indeed a new commission issued by the Mercenary Association, and it seemed that it was delicious enough to warrant such enthusiastic responses from the mercenaries nearby.

She wanted to take a closer look, but the sheer number of people that were swarming around the board prevented her from doing so.

Getting more curious, she stood on tiptoe and peered over the shoulder of the man in front of her, taking a glimpse of the content written on the commission notice. While she skimmed through it, a conversation between two mercenaries piqued her interest.

"It's a big job this time, huh?"

"Yeah, look at that reward... *whistle* 4 Mercenary Credits and a special reward from that old prick president of ours. Alas, it's not something that we small mercenaries can take, though."

"That's right. It's a pity. Maybe only the top mercenary group like Moon Wolf, Scarlet Fang or Raging Tempest can fight for it. That bastard Olsen might be restless right now, don't you think so?"

"Is he, though? I heard that he's expelled from Raging Tempest a couple days ago."

"It's a farce, a farce." One mercenary snorted. "It's not like you don't know how those "bigshots" play."

"But still, it's quite refreshing to know that asshole is getting screwed up by rookie mercenaries, what's their name? Ah yes, Glory Mercenary Group, if I'm not mistaken, almost all of their members are pretty chicks, and that includes their leader too. Quite a badass lass I might say."

Claudia's pointy ears perked up at the mention of her leader, and she became more and more intrigued listening to their small chats.

"Well... I hope they don't shoot themselves in the foot, though. That's Raging Tempest we talk about, although they're bunches of scumbags, they're the real deal, especially their leader. That's dude is really scary!"

"It has nothing to do with me. I just want to watch a good show." One mercenary shrugged and cackled. "What's more interesting that I heard some rumours saying that Glory's captain is quite close to Moon Wolf's Deputy Captain Tix after kicking Olsen in the ass. What a lucky bastard!"

*whistle* "Scoring such a fierce lass for himself? That fellow is quite capable, huh? When it come to handsomeness, I'm not way behind that dude, Tix, do you think I got a chance myself?" The man guffawed, an obscene smile on his face.

His friend sneered, kicking his ass. "Just buy a mirror and look at yourself first, you shameless bastards!"

What nonsense they're talking about! Claudia's pretty face scowled, couldn't bear the way they spoke about her leader anymore.

There's no way Captain has that kind of interest in Mr. Tix, right? Although Mr. Tix is quite a gentleman compared to the most men around, Captain won't think of him in that way, right?

Imagining the two of them being together, a strange uncomfortable feeling surged up in her heart, which she vehemently denied.

No, no, that's impossible! There's no way Aurora will...

However, the memory of being rescued by Tix and his band suddenly resurfaced in her mind. It was a typical situation where the hero saves the maiden in distress. Most girls must have already fallen head over heels after experiencing such a heart-throbbing moment. Would Aurora also do the same?

She'll be more reassured to have such a reliable man beside him, right? Compared to Mr. Tix, I'm just a burden...

If that's true, she should've been happy for Aurora, but Goddess knew why she felt her heart getting heavier and heavier the more she entertained such a thought.

In the first place what right do I have to meddle in her private matter anyway?

She convinced herself so, but her heart seemed to tell her otherwise.

Aah!! I don't know anymore!

Claudia's mood quickly turned sour, and she didn't have the slightest interest in the mission anymore, nor did she want to dwell on it for a moment longer. She turned around and left the association in long strides, repressing the turbulent emotion in her heart.

*

Reaching the market with an unsettled heart, Aurora visited a few stalls for the goods on her list. While absentmindedly browsing through the products, she overheard the conversation between two young girls who were selecting some fresh fruits and vegetables next to her.

"Hey stop being gloomy, will ya? Isn't it just a man? Just dump him and find a new one! You're way above his league anyway."

"You don't understand!" The heartbroken girl gnashed her teeth, a look of naked frustration showing up on her face. "He's good enough for me everywhere except for his habit of keeping his decisions to himself. He could've talked me before joining a mercenary group out of the blue, you know?! Didn't we already agree that we'll get married this year and open a shop together, but why suddenly?"

Her hand clenched so hard, nearly squishing the tomato in her hand into pulp, earning her a squint from the peddler as if saying "you're going to buy that, young lass!" Glancing down at the poor tomato that had already turned into a splatter mess, the girl gave the seller an apologetic look while scouring through her purse for a copper coin and softly muttering her complaint, "I thought that after being in a relationship for such a long time we could at least be honest with each other. Am I such an unreliable girl in his eyes that he couldn't trust me for such an important decision? Well, I might be ignorant of many things, but that doesn't mean that he can overlook me so blatantly!"

"Well that's true." The other girl said this while packing her stuff. "It meant that you don't trust each other enough if you keep hiding things from your partners."

After saying that, the older girl asked if her friend had finished with her shopping, and they quickly left the stall together.

Claudia was stunned, as if struck by thunder, after listening to their conversation. Her hand that was about to pick some veggies stopped abruptly as a thousand thoughts galloped through her mind. She found that the girl's situation felt somewhat familiar and couldn't substitute herself in the girl's position.

Wasn't it rather similar between her and Aurora? No, it was too farfetched to compare their situations, as Claudia was merely one of the members of Aurora's mercenary group and not her sweetheart, but wasn't the crux of the matter still the same?

Even though Flamme had frequently reassured her that Aurora just needed a little more time to open up to them? But how long would that little time be? A day, a week, or may even be a year? Although Claudia knew that she was being really unreasonable, she really needed that little time to come sooner rather than later!

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

In the first place, could Flamme really fathom her heart? Could she truly be in her shoes? After all, their positions couldn't be any more different! Even though she had known Aurora first, Flamme was her sword spirit! Their bond was something that was taken for granted! Unlike her, who met Aurora by sheer chance and worked together by force majeure, could someone like that understand her uneasiness?

Claudia didn't realize it herself, but she was so close to breaking down. Her situation kept changing so rapidly that she couldn't keep up with it. Witnessing the demise of the only people she could call family, watching her "home" torn apart without being able to do anything about it, getting left behind by someone who had taken care of her since she was a child, having to try to get along with strangers again from scratch—it was too much for young Claudia.

Although her new companion made her get more and more comfortable as they spent time together, Claudia's heart was still restless, and she was afraid that one day she was going to be left behind alone once again.

A sudden call woke Claudia from her stupor.

"Young lady, young lady."

"Huh?"

"Have you done choosing the goods you want to buy? I pretty much appreciate the company of a pretty girl like yourself, but I still have another customer to tend to."

The shopkeeper looked at her with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, causing Claudia to finally realize that she wasn't the only person in that stall anymore and the curious gazes that were directed at herself.

"Ah I'm sorry!" A faint blush crept into her cheek as she bowed apologetically and picked things randomly.

"That's okay, that's okay. Who doesn't have a problem in their life anyway?" The shopkeeper waved his hand, confirming again. "Is that all? That's 1 silver and 30 copper for you, pretty lady."

Claudia took out two silver coins from her purse, handed them to the shopkeeper, and scurried away without looking behind her.

"Hey, your changes!" The shopkeeper hurriedly shouted, but seeing that the lady had quickly disappeared from his sight, he shook his head amusingly, "Youth, heh?"

*

Claudia returned to the mansion in only ten minutes. It was practically breaking her record time. She hurried inside, directly heading to the kitchen so as not to accidentally meet the other on the way there. With her head being a jumbled mess, she wasn't ready to meet anyone right now.

Unfortunately, her little wish seemed unanswered because, inside the kitchen, she met with the person she didn't want to meet the most at this moment.

"Welcome back, Claudia." Aurora, who just finished preparing a teapot, seemed to immediately notice her presence as soon as she entered the room, turned to her, and greeted her with a gentle smile. "Done shopping?"

"Uh.. oh..." Claudia suddenly went into a panic rush, cursing her bad luck inwardly as she gathered her words. "Heh, Captain do you want a tea? How about I do it for you?"

"Nah, I've got this. Thanks for your offer, though." Aurora chuckled, staring at Claudia curiously, "Something matter, Claudia? You seem... bothered?"

Oh, Goddess above! How she wished that she had trained her poker face at this moment! Claudia raked her brain for how to answer Aurora's inquiry, wishing that she had grown an extra head to quickly think of good excuses.

The new commission notice popped up in her mind suddenly, and she hurriedly explained what she saw to Claudia, off course omitting the part about her and Tix, while trying her best to keep her complicated emotions in check.

Aurora listened to Claudia's story attentively, and a mysterious smile bloomed from her rosy lips.

"Interesting. It's game on, huh? Good job, Claudia."

Claudia didn't know what kind of job she had done well, but Aurora's praise made her mood brighten up slightly. She looked at Aurora and asked tentatively, "Is there anything I can do for you, Captain?"

"Not for now. You should keep busy, Claudia." Aurora shook her head, picked up the tea set, and when she was about to leave, a short "Ah!" came out of her mouth, seemingly just remembering something. "There'll be a guest that'll come to visit... Um, around midnight, I guess? Please help me to prepare, please?"

"Who?" Claudia's voice turned strange and urgent, as if she were dying to know the answer; she herself didn't seem to notice the abruptness in her voice. An image of a man popped up in her mind.

Aurora vaguely sensed something wrong with Claudia's current state, but quickly shook the feeling off, wondering that it might be her senses playing a trick on her. Didn't think much of her answer, Aurora said, a mischievous smile on her face, "You'll know later, Claudia," and left the annoyed Claudia behind.

"It's always like that! She never answers me seriously." Claudia grumbled in annoyance while taking out the goods in her bag and placing them in their respective places, but her mind had already trailed off somewhere else.

Will it really be Mr. Tix? Claudia couldn't help guessing. Why did she look so happy anyway?! Claudia huffed, now she was pretty much throwing the stuff into the kitchen's cabinet. Her previously brightened moon turned sour once again.

*

When the night came, a sudden knocking sound alerted Claudia. Aurora had told her someone was going to come, but she didn't know it would be this late.

She walked toward the door and opened it. A man covered in a black robe stood outside. It was really as she had guessed, and she wasn't amused in the slightest by getting it right.

The man who kept bothering her mind all day long today showed up at the door.

"Good Evening, Mr. Tix." Claudia said, greeting Tix politely, but somehow it came out sounding a little bit cold.

Tix smiled wryly upon hearing her tone; he didn't know when he offended this chick to suddenly get such a hostile reception.

"Hello there, Claudia. Sorry for coming here so late. I presume Lady Aurora has told you that I'm coming?"

Not that she mentioned your name, though. Why such secrecy? Claudia silently grumbled. She simply nodded, keeping her face straight and trying not to show it on her face.

"Yes. Is it alright to let me in then?" Tix nodded and stepped forward, Claudia closed the door and locked it before leading him into the study room, where Aurora was waiting.

As soon as they entered the room, Aurora raised her head with a smile on her face, and in Claudia's eyes, it was as if she were really eagerly awaiting the arrival of the man.

Is it really true? Does Captain really feel something about Mr. Tix? Claudia clenched her fist secretly, her heart tightening into a knot and her stomach churning inside out.

Aurora didn't seem aware of the mess in Claudia's head, nodding slightly toward Claudia and saying, "Thank you, Claudia. Now could you give a time for us. There's something we need to talk about."

Why can't I be here too?! The words had almost burst out of the top of her throat, but Claudia managed to swallow them down and instead replied with a calm, composed tone, "Of course, Captain," and quietly left the room after closing the door.

Just as she was about to leave in dismay, Claudia caught a glimpse of a gap between the door—apparently she didn't shut the door as tightly as she thought.

Suddenly, an urge to eavesdrop on their conversation rose in her chest, but she hesitated.

"This is not the right thing to do, Claudia," a voice rang in her mind.

"Why not? I'm just concerned with my Captain. It's not a good thing an unmarried man and woman meet alone on the night, is it?" another voice refuted.

"Th-that's true..." the first voice seemed to waver, "But what if she notices and gets angry at us?"

"You silly girl," the later voice hushed, almost like a devil whispering, "that's why we keep our voice down. It's just a little bit anyway. She won't get angry if she doesn't find out."

"I-i-is that so?" the former voice was pretty much convinced.

"That's true," the latter's answer sent the final nail in the coffin, "We just worried for our friend, nothing more."

"That's true!" Claudia's voice of reason was completely bought out by her desire. "Go girl!"

Claudia steeled herself and leaned closer toward the gap in the door, and soon their voice entered her ears. To her relief, there wasn't a flurry of sweet words of affection coming out of their mouths that she had unknowingly feared to hear or even any exchanging of pleasantries between them. Their conversation was straight to the point, pretty much in business fashion. However, the content shook her to her core.

"Lady Aurora, are you really sure that the Raging Tempest Mercenary Group will suffer a big loss this time? Imagining, that bastard Olsen's smug smile really makes me want to give him a punch in the face."

"You don't need to worry, Mr. Tix. As long as they accept the mission, they'll be in big trouble. What about their leader? Will he make a move this time?"

"I think most likely he won't. That guy hasn't participated in any missions recently. He didn't even attend the Mercenary Association's regular meeting and only let Olsen or their deputy head come in his stead. A mission of this level won't be enough to draw him out. After all, you won't reveal the real difficulty of this mission."

"Indeed. No one will willingly take a mission where if they know that they will most likely die no matter how generous the reward is."

Although she was a little bit slow sometimes, this time her brain quickly connected the dots, and a realization dawned upon her.

"They talk about the newly issued mission!"

Claudia was so shocked that she nearly blurted out her thought. She quickly covered her mouth while a series of thoughts raced through her mind.

Did Captain have something to do with that mission? Was it when she said she had a talk with the president? Why haven't I heard about anything before? Why Mr. Tix look like he already knows?

When Claudia was still tangled with the thoughts in her head, the conversation inside continued.

"I have a small proposal. Would Moon Wolf Mercenary Group be willing to do us a favor?"

"Let's hear it first. I'll report to Captain to make a decision."

"I hope Moon Wolf can send some elites with us to follow the Raging Tempest group after they set off tomorrow. When the battle breaks out then we…"

Claudia immediately sensed a thick sense of bloodlust in her voice and instantly understood her meaning. Her face paled, and her heart grew more and more restless.

"Captain wants to do something big and dangerous!"

While she knew that this plan was pretty much in line with Aurora's personality—decisive and merciless toward her enemies—Claudia couldn't help but feel her heart ache when she heard such a big decision not coming directly from Aurora's mouth, but something she only knew because she decided to listen to their conversation.

Why Aurora? why? Claudia clutched her chest tightly, suppressing the negative emotion that was about to burst from her chest and the throbbing pain in her heart. Why didn't you talk it out with me, with us! Why did you keep it for yourself? She suddenly thought of Flamme and smiled bitterly, No, she must already know it too, right? I am the only one who's still being kept in the dark.

The conversation between the two girls kept replaying in loop in her mind, and her expression darkened at every second.

She doesn't trust me, right? She will never trust me... I'm only a silly, unreliable girl after all...

"Then I'll wait for your good news."

"Well, then I'll go first."

After Tix was gone, Claudia went inside the study to clean up the table. Unlike the usual, the cheerful elf seemed to be strangely quiet; her head kept facing down as she put the empty cups on the tray.

A storm raged in Claudia's heart.