"So, he awakened his domain?" Katherine asked with a smile, her tone reflecting both surprise and admiration as she received the news about Cassian's well-being and his newly unlocked domain.
Beside her stood a woman with striking rose-gold hair that gave her an almost ethereal presence, like a goddess or fairy from ancient children's tales—graceful and breathtakingly beautiful. The woman nodded, a soft smile gracing her lips. "Yes, my husband told me," she confirmed.
This was Aurilia Yuliresio, wife of Julius Raseac and the daughter of the Tower's Vice Director, Adam Yuliresio. She also happened to be Katherine's former university classmate, and now her partner in research, as the two shared a lab and collaborated on their studies.
"Well, thank your husband for me, for saving my subordinate," Katherine said, her tone genuinely grateful.
"I will," Aurilia replied with a soft smile, her cherry-pink lips adding warmth to her ethereal, porcelain-like complexion. She paused in her writing, an amused glint sparking in her eyes as she looked at Katherine. "But why do you care so much about that boy? Is he your secret brother or something?"
Katherine hesitated for a moment, a faint, uncertain smile playing on her lips. "I don't know... maybe. We do share the same blood, but that's not the reason I care about him."
This puzzled Aurilia, prompting her to ask again, "Then why?"
"You know about my problem, right? How my lower body gets tense, like dry fish?" Katherine replied.
Aurilia nodded knowingly. "Yeah, and your mother found those massage techniques with the weird names. From what I've seen, they seem to be working pretty well, right?"
"They are," Katherine admitted with a smile. "But the thing is, those techniques were incredibly hard to learn and perform. It took me years to master them. Yet that kid learned them in just a couple of months."
Aurilia's eyes widened in surprise. She knew how quick Katherine was at learning things, so this revelation about Cassian left her genuinely impressed.
"So, he's a genius," Aurilia said with a smile.
Katherine nodded, her own smile softening. "And a bit of a lucky charm for me, too. When I was stuck with the Nash particle problem, even though he didn't fully understand it, he managed to point me in the right direction."
"Well, if he did that, it's no wonder our princess cares so much for a servant," Aurilia teased, her smile playful. But as she continued, her expression grew more serious. "By the way, Father told me you've also seen one of the Artistic Butcher's... Artworks."
"Yeah, it wasn't one of the stronger ones. What about you?" Katherine asked, pausing her work for a moment.
"Mine was also not that strong, but still dangerous enough that Father insisted I move here until I'm powerful enough to handle most of them on my own," Aurilia replied, sinking into a chair with a tired sigh. "At first, I was excited about the change, but now... I just feel so burned out working nonstop every day."
Katherine couldn't resist teasing her exhausted-looking friend, a sly smile playing on her lips. "Maybe you should've asked your husband to take care of that crankiness while he was here," she said with a chuckle.
Aurilia let out another sigh, shaking her head. "I would've, but he was here to meet my father, not to pamper me," she replied, then turned her gaze to Katherine with a raised eyebrow. "What about you? Who takes care of your crankiness? You seem perfectly fine working all day, all week continuously."
It was obvious what Aurilia meant by "crankiness," and Katherine couldn't exactly tell her the whole truth about who took care of hers. Instead, she replied with a casual smile, "Those massages are more than enough to keep me refreshed."
"How convenient," Aurilia muttered, her tone tinged with playful annoyance. Standing up, she stretched before adding, "Maybe I should have my servant learn those massage techniques too. It'd be nice to stay relaxed when my husband isn't around."
Katherine shook her head with a soft laugh, smiling as she teased, "Nah, you should just let your husband handle that for you."
Aurilia chuckled at Katherine's comment, brushing her hair back as she said, "Easy for you to say. Not everyone gets to work all day in their peaceful lab without a care. You're lucky you don't need to wait for anyone to keep you sane."
Katherine's smile wavered briefly, though she masked it effortlessly. The mention of husbands tugged at thoughts she rarely entertained—thoughts of her own supposed "husband." Shaking it off, she dismissed the notion entirely, focusing back on her research with renewed determination.
Yet, even as she pushed aside one man, another lingered in her mind—Cassian. Despite knowing he was fine, her thoughts kept circling back to his well-being. Unable to shake the concern, she had already sent her maid to fetch him, ensuring he was brought to her and looked after properly if he had any lingering injuries.
It was fortunate that Lucy was just as eager to help, especially since she had volunteered for the task herself. As they spoke, she was likely already by Cassian's side.
And there she was. Lucy sat beside him, her gaze fixed on his unconscious face. He looked peaceful—perhaps too peaceful. If she didn't know he was alive, one might easily mistake him for dead.
"I didn't get a chance to ask earlier, how do you know Cassian?" Lumine asked, sitting nearby.
Lumine couldn't help but wonder about the older woman's relationship with Cassian. Lucy looked to be around his mother's age, though her hair color suggested otherwise. Still, she could be his adoptive mother. Her sister had allowed Lucy to see him without much question, but Lumine's curiosity couldn't be suppressed.
After all, if she was right about their relationship, Lucy might very well become her future mother-in-law, given how things were unfolding. Before Cassian's kidnapping, Lumine had been planning to take their relationship to the next level, but everything had fallen apart since then.
"He used to work for the person I'm working for now. We just know each other," Lucy replied, not wanting to delve too deeply into the details. Lady Katherine had instructed her to keep things vague about her connection to Cassian. So, she swiftly changed the subject. "Do you know how long he'll remain unconscious?"
Lumine shook her head, her concern clear. "I've heard that some people, after awakening their domain without learning any mana-gathering techniques, fall into a deep sleep for days..." But before she could finish, she noticed Cassian's hand twitch. With surprise, she exclaimed loudly, "He's waking up!"
Lucy, startled, quickly looked over and saw Cassian's eyes flutter open. A smile spread across her face as she realized he was finally coming out of his long nap.