As the guards scrambled to open the gates noticing Ace on the passenger side of the golf cart, Matthews raised an eyebrow, her sharp gaze flicking toward Ace. "Have you been here before? The guards seem to recognize you."
Ace hesitated for a split second before replying. "My aunt and Janice Jane are friends," he admitted, realizing there was no point in trying to hide it. Janice would probably spill the beans the moment they met anyway.
"Janice Jane?" Matthews repeated, her tone tinged with curiosity. For a moment, her brow furrowed as she searched her memory. Then it clicked—Aurelian Eyes used to moonlight as an actor in the mortal world. Her expression shifted slightly, intrigue replacing confusion.
Turning her full attention back to Ace, she asked pointedly, "What's your family name?" Her voice carried an edge as if trying to piece together whether he was connected to anyone noteworthy in her Husband's friend circles.
"Lander," Ace replied casually, not thinking much of it. Matthews, however, shook her head slightly, the name not sparking any recognition.
Reaching the villa, she carelessly parked the golf cart at an odd angle and strode up the steps with the confidence of someone who owned the place, Ace trailing closely behind her.
Meanwhile, Sonia had already leaped gracefully from the cart, landing a few steps ahead of them. Her fur coat fluttered with the motion, briefly revealing more than Ace was prepared to see. His face turned a deep shade of red as he quickly averted his gaze, determined not to linger.
But his hurried reaction didn't go unnoticed. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sonia pause mid-step, her sharp gaze locking onto him. Beside her, her curseling let out a low growl, its eyes narrowing as if it too had caught his momentary slip. Ace swallowed hard, his heart racing as he silently cursed his luck.
"You can't kill him," Matthews warned without looking back, her tone casual as she climbed the steps.
Sonia, however, wasn't ready to move on just yet. She took a deliberate step down, her movements slow and purposeful, her piercing gaze locked onto Ace. He stood awkwardly, shifting his weight from one foot to the other, fidgeting under her scrutiny.
Stopping just a foot away from him, Sonia tilted her head slightly, her lips curling into a faint smirk before muttering under her breath, "Pathetic."
Ace stiffened, his eyes fixed firmly on the ground, refusing to meet her gaze. His awkwardness only deepened her suspicions. Why would her curseling feel threatened by someone so unassuming?
"You're good at acting," she said suddenly, her voice laced with a newfound determination. Sonia's eyes narrowed as she studied him more intently. Despite his timid demeanor, her curse art picked up no trace of fear radiating from him.
This revelation gnawed at her. Back in the parking lot, she hadn't thought to use her curse art on him, but now, after noticing the same lack of fear in the administrative building, she trusted her instincts to test it out again. And surprise, surprise—Scratchifer's instincts had been right all along.
There was something off about him. Something dangerous. Whatever Ace was hiding, it was on a level far beyond the curse users she had effortlessly destroyed earlier. Sonia was certain of this because he had managed to fool even the infamous sadist of the McSuile family, Evil Eyes.
Though Evil Eyes was only a Sky-tier curse master, far from the ranks of a Void-tier, his reputation made him just as fearsome. To see someone like him misled so easily by Ace only cemented her suspicions.
Her sharp gaze lingered on Ace as her curseling growled softly, its instincts still on edge. She didn't trust easily, but her gut—and Scratchifer's unease—told her this awkward, fidgeting mortal wasn't as harmless as he seemed.
"So-sorry," Ace stammered, feigning confusion as if he had no idea what Sonia was talking about.
Sonia narrowed her eyes, unimpressed. "Let's see how long you can keep up this charade," she challenged, her tone dripping with mockery.
Turning around, she climbed a few steps, but then, in one swift motion, she spun on her heels and lashed out with a spin kick aimed straight at Ace's chest.
Before either of them could react, the kick was intercepted by a plush dinosaur that flew in from seemingly nowhere.
Sonia froze mid-motion, her sharp eyes flicking to the plushie now hovering between them. "I knew it! I knew it!" she yelled triumphantly, pointing at Ace as if she had just uncovered a grand secret.
But before she could gloat further, the plush dinosaur suddenly lunged at her with startling speed, as if it had come to life. It tackled Sonia with enough force to make her stumble, catching her completely off guard.
Fortunately for Sonia, Scratchifer steadied her, keeping her from falling flat on her backside. The curseling barked furiously at the plush dinosaur, expressing its rage, but its defiance was cut short by a deafening roar from the plush.
The sound was overwhelming. Sonia and Scratchifer both winced in pain, clutching their ears as they collapsed onto the steps. Their superhuman senses amplified the roar to an unbearable level, leaving them momentarily stunned.
Ace stood frozen, his jaw slack as he stared at the plush dinosaur that had single-handedly brought Sonia to her knees—a feat an entire squad of curse users had failed to accomplish. His mind raced as he glanced around, trying to find the owner of the mysterious plush.
Before he could spot anyone, the plush's mouth opened wide—almost unnaturally so—forming a 180-degree angle. From its cavernous maw, a brown-haired girl with freckles popped halfway out, her mischievous grin lighting up the otherwise tense scene.
The girl flashed a friendly smile at Ace and greeted, "Hi, Ace."
Hearing a familiar voice in such an unexpected place, Ace froze for a moment, his eyes widening in surprise. But then, a wave of relief washed over him, and he couldn't help but smile back. He was genuinely glad to see that his friend was doing well.