5

Thirty-five minutes had passed after Metaphor entered the château's living room along with his former mentor. The cold breeze blew right past the young girl, and the temperature from outside was low as people would embrace or puff their breath against their skin, to generate heat to warm their bodies back to their normal temperature.

Despite the cold temperature, ■■■■ doesn't seem to have been affected nor had any significant changes to her body's temperature. She wore the lightest blue frilly dress, as the fabric was neither thin nor thick suited for the shivering cold outside.

As she was reading the book, Metaphor had given earlier. She scrolled through the paragraph before hearing a loud noise coming from behind.

Crrannkk!!

The 2-way door swiftly opened as it made a loud crank noise. It startled the young girl before turning her head in the sound's direction and then…

"Youngling! May you enter and face me?"

The voice rang through the girl's ears. She recognized the sound of her voice, belonging to Metaphor's former mentor. Confused at first, but obeyed the voice had instructed her. She stood up and closed her book and she gently brushed the dust off from her long frilly skirts.

She walked towards the entrance with a brave face and entered the building.

Her heart continued to pump, as blood flowed through her heart. It struck her body with nervousness when She entered the doorway angsty. She didn't display her awkwardness right in front of a stranger. Instead, she displayed sternness where her body felt cold and uneasy on the inside.

"Greetings, youngling. Welcome to my beloved Château..."

Inside the entrance was grand, ■■■■ had her breath taken away at the magnificent clear pearl-like walls. She could not describe the rich details of the chamber as she wasn't able to grasp a word. Her thoughts race as she loses her thoughts over how antique the furniture is.

The Symmetric pattern of diamond-shaped ink on the wall and the gold ornament that was plastered on the wall were aligned in rows. To top it all up, it was a grand chandelier hanging down 15 feet off the ground. She noticed there were pairs of stairwells leading up to the second floor.

As She asked her racing heart and mind to calm down, and then focus on what was important in the front. Steadily aligned her view with that person...

"... My name is — Tochinleif Sjögren, the head of this Château. You might think this would be our first meeting, however... It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess."

Looking for at the front, baring a cute look which was the only way to describe it.

A female figure stood in front of the girl where she raised her maroon skirt and she made a grin on her face. While doing a small curtsy, she had a short stature estimated at around 5.2 foot tall. She seemed to hold a gold-like color cane, with the bottom tip sharpened as a knife. There were unfamiliar symbols engraved around the shaft, it was hard for ■■■■ to spot.

Judging by her appearance. She had a petite figure like a child's body while wearing a maroon gothic dress. Her hair was tied back into a braided ponytail, the color of a pale blueberry found in the wilderness. Adding a touch of natural beauty to her already striking appearance.

Thud!

"For starters… Please take off your mask from your left eye."

Tochinleif tapped her metal cane to the floorboard. It made a metallic thud, the same time she curved a stiff frown on her face.

"Ehh!? What are you trying to—" She gently stepped backward while embracing her leather book tight onto her chest.

■■■■'s face was in a state of shock, it left her speechless upon hearing her words. Being unable to predict this situation. Inside her head, she felt an immense dreadful aura surrounding that woman. She doesn't know how to reply to Tochinleif's demand as if she cornered her in the dead-end path. Bewildered while her heart raced excessively.

"—Do. Not. Talk. Back. Until you do what I've said. Ahem, I apologize regarding the latter I'd said, Fufuhu. Please continue."

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Tochinleif tilted her head towards her right side and made a warm smile,

"Su- Sure… If you say s- so…"

With no other choice left, but to obey her command. After all, she was an adult, despite her appearance being a child-like state. She placed her raspberry-colored leather book on top of the sofa. She raised her hands underneath her wavy hair from the back, then she grabbed a strand of ribbon.

"You don't have to worry. I have your brother's permission to show me your mark here. After all, this is our first meeting."

"H-ow, mm- much di- did my brother tell you?"

As the girl unwrapped her covered right eyes, Tochinleif turned her frown into a slight smirk. ■■■■ mustered her courage to speak up, despite her words stuttering upon speaking. While she unwrapped, she asked her if there was anything more information that Metaphor had shared between them.

"That's up to you to guess, fufu,"

She shifted her cane towards her left, placed her right hand onto her lip, and giggled in amusement.

With no words left to ask; she'd continuously unwrap her—

"—There! It's off."

The bandage wrapper fell off of her head, trailing down like a cloud piece, on top of her paled mocha-colored heel boots. From the spot where the bandage used to cover her left eye, There was —

"Fascinating!" Tochinleif let out an ecstatic tone, "It is one of a kind cursed mark. The description from your brother has lived up to my expectations."

— No signs of injuries right beneath her bandage, nor a single wound in her eye. Plastered on the top of the left eye was a maroon-hue tattoo that resembled dried blood on her skin. The sharp jagged edges on both sides flared down her left cheek, which bore a resemblance to a tooth from a feral beast. The image looks like her eye was inside the beast's jaw as if feasting her eye.

— Fufuhu

Tochinleif tilted her head and smirked as her expectations had been met. She leaned her right leg forward and stepped onto the wooden floorboard, followed by the rhythm tap pattern of her cane afterward. With her can in hand, her left leg limped as her strength quivered while walking towards the lone young girl in front.

"It would appear this mark had outlived my curiosity with the... Macedon girl. She darted her pupils and briefly paused her sentence with an unpleasant tone."

"Now–"

With her eyes being viewed by Tochinleif, Simile shifted her right hand and stroked her left arm uncomfortably.

"–What is your name… Youngling? Your actual name."

"My– na, name?"

Drenched in sweat caused by the uneasiness, the sound of the metal clank emitted by her cane came closer whereas the clank grew bit by bit in the passing fleeting minutes of her.

"Yes… Your actual name, Metaphor's Sister."

Tochinleif had gotten closer to the girl, there she stretched her finger at the site of her tattoo, she gently tapped and encircled her mark, feeling the smooth fair skin of the young girl as she gave a sly smile.

"Sigh…" The girl sighed deeply as if she was cornered by Tochinleif, "... My name is— teehee…"

… Simile Von Asteri. Just Si. Mi. That is my given name. It's cute, isn't it?

The Young girl was known as —Simile— She shot a graceful smile towards Tochinleif, and Tochinleif replied with a smile.

"Simile… Ahhh! You're that girl that everyone has talked about in the Galarizic Journal from C.O.S."

"Eehh?! Wa- wa, wait?! You're not here to criticize me? Victimize yourself? Or even despise me?... Ha- have I walked into the wolf's den?"

As her eyes struck with terror. Her body was shaking, shivering in fear when Tochinleif mentioned something that Simile didn't want to hear.

Tochinleif was blown away by Simile's sheer panic.

As she raised her brows before tilting her head to her left. The color on Simile's face had transitioned to pale as white than ever. Her confidence from earlier and her elegant demeanor were slowly drifting away from her system. Afraid and bewildered, she couldn't help but quiver in horror, thinking that the people she had trusted had deceived her.

"Fufuhu, rest assured.", Tochinleif smiled, "I'm not here to tattle about your unfortunate case from the news outlets."

"H- Huh?"

Sitting on the bright red couch from the back right where the fireplace– was a handsome man with a trench coat —Metaphor. He crossed his right leg on top of his left knee, where he smiled proudly as he took a sip from his cup of tea…

Or was he smiling behind that mouth of his?

"I'm sorry, Simi… This is for your sake."

Hearing the chattering between Simile and Tochinleif in the background filled the room with 2 contrasting emotions of calm and fear.

"I, Hope... we can meet again, as a new person, in the next two years."

Metaphor glanced down intensely at his tea with all he could express. The reddish-brown hue of the liquid rippled and reflected his pensive frown.

"There, there. Now, you'll be under my care for the next two years… Fufuhu—"

Tochinleif raised her right arm and stretched her palm on top of Simile's platinum hair. She patted her head and brushed her long wavy hair like Oil paint on canvas.

"I've been longing to have you at this very moment. Father must've blessed me."

Right after finishing her sentence. Tochinleif wrapped her arms around the young Simile's endowed body, Smiling all serenely as if she were triumphant.

"Mo...ment? Have me? err, we're not that close..."

Simile gazed with a dumbfounded expression, not knowing what Tochinleif's words were meant for her. She questioned her cryptic lines with a perplexed look.

"if I recall I've seen you before at the Academy quite often, but we never interacted that much. Though between me and Ana— Ngh, what exactly did you mean moment...."

Her sentence was interrupted by her doubt and anxiousness. She finally learned that it was pointless to ask her why she waited for her, despite the lack of interaction. It's clearer that she's just a total stranger to her regarding if she knows something.

"Despite, whether we'd met or not, I couldn't care less about our background or our origin. All I care about is, that, you're here—"

Tochinleif curved her mouth into a grin with a fruity tone and leaned forward through Simile's right ear.

She whispered.

"—My Little Chipmunk."