Roughly two hours later, Qin Wei finally returned to his room.
He tossed aside the heavy outercoat with a sigh and collapsed onto the edge of the bed, stretching his arms above his head.
"Ugh… I swear, serving tea is more exhausting than running from assassins," he muttered, closing his eyes briefly. "Just how many aunts, uncles, and cousins does Thea have? If an elder isn't present, we should just return… but no… it will be passed to the next and then next… Ugh… What a stupid life... The god gave me a beautiful wife, but gave her an evil second personality. He gave me a household after taking away my own home, but it is filled with stupid rules..."
He rolled his neck and let out another sigh in complaint before sitting up and glancing toward Vanessa, who stood quietly nearby like a statue. "You know, Vanessa," he then said casually, "I'm actually starting to feel grateful to your Lady for arranging that we move into a new house."
Vanessa raised a brow. Before she could speak her thoughts, Qin Wei added, shifting his gaze toward her: "By the way, you're coming with us, right? I don't think I can survive with you, both physically and emotionally."
Her expression flickered. "What… do you mean?" she asked, clearly caught off guard.
Qin Wei blinked, then chuckled, spotting her reaction and finding her cute.
"Hey, don't look at me like that," he said, waving his hand as if brushing away her suspicion. "I meant it practically. I've gotten used to having you around. It's better to take someone I trust to the new household than have my dear father-in-law assign another 'battle maid' who might try to poison my porridge to please her Lady."
Vanessa's lips twitched, almost a smile... almost... but her eyes remained steady. "Umm..."
Before she could reply once again, Qin Wei tilted his head, studying her with a calm look. "Let me ask you something," he said while turning a bit serious. "Just hypothetically speaking, if you were officially assigned to protect me by my father-in-law… and one day, let's say your Lady suddenly tried to beat me up or… kill me, what would you do?"
The room fell quiet for a moment.
Vanessa blinked once, furrowing her brows faintly as she considered the question. But she didn't answer right away.
"Would you stand by and watch?" he continued, pressing her for the answer. "Or would you protect me and stand against Your Lady?"
Vanessa blinked twice again but carried an expression of confusion as she asked, "Why would Lady ever try to kill you?"
Qin Wei lifted a hand and waved lazily in the air. "I'm just saying. Hypothetically. Just… speaking in theory."
Vanessa studied him quietly for a moment, then answered with calm logic. "If you got beaten up, I'd assume you did something to deserve it. As for getting killed…" She paused, then added, "Well, if the Lord has assigned me to protect you, then yes, I would at least make sure you don't die. Actually, even if I weren't there, no one in House Griffin would dare to kill you. Because if you do die, your siblings will turn against House Griffin. Lord Astreides will bring his army to Ashenford, and Lady Moira will force the Duke to send his army to our doorstep, too. And it will be quite possible that the Skyforge Tower will also turn against us. And even His Majesty might be displeased. That would be far more trouble than you're worth."
Qin Wei chuckled dryly, turning his head to the side and muttering under his breath. "Hmph. I don't think they care. Honestly, I think they'd all be thrilled to see me screwed over, maybe even more than you people."
Vanessa narrowed her eyes slightly. "Hmm? What was that?"
"Nothing," Qin Wei said quickly, brushing it off.
A silence settled between them, but it wasn't uncomfortable, though. Just that there are no more topics to talk about.
*
Meanwhile, at the Tower of Abel, nestled on Mount Novus;
The Tower of Abel, a structure that is almost 500 meters high, existed on Mount Novus for as long as a thousand years or even more. But no one knows who constructed it or why. One millennium ago, when Abel, a half-Deity Mage, found it, there was nothing inside. He claimed it as his own home, and it also became his grave after his death.
Later on, his disciples, instead of going their own ways, used it as their base to form their own organization, called the Tower of Abel. Just like many other Ancient organizations, the Tower of Abel also doesn't get involved in mortal affairs. They mostly compile ancient historical records and study the stars in the sky.
At present, the interior of the Ancestral Temple, filled with the statues of tower masters, was quiet, filled only with the sound of wind chimes as Thea sat cross-legged in front of a large, ancient statue of a human-looking but having wings like a bird. According to the disciples, it is the image of the founder, Abel.
Thea is still in her bridal attire as she was in deep meditation. At her front stood Half-Deity, Ra, the 37th Tower Master. His palm was glowing with golden radiance as it was placed just above her forehead.
A strange language verse whispered softly from his lips, too ancient for most ears to decipher. His expression was solemn and focused, while his entire being emitted a faint, otherworldly divinity.
Kaelen Griffin, Thea's father and the House Lord, stood quietly nearby with his hands behind his back. Though he didn't interrupt, his eyes rarely left his daughter's pale face.
As the golden light faded, the Tower Master withdrew his hand, and the divine aura dissipated into specks of light.
The sealing process was complete.
Tower Master Ra spoke aloud. "Lord Griffin, the seal has been restored."
Thea opened her eyes and quickly got to her feet, then bowed deeply with her palms pressed together, "Junior thanks Benevolent Tower Master for your mercy."
The old man gave a gentle smile as he stroked his beard. "It is not a great deed, Patron. But I must ask, what happened? Why did the seal crack?"
Thea hesitated, furrowing her brows. "I don't remember. I was sleeping, and then… it was like something snapped inside."
Ra frowned slightly at that. "The seal only breaks when the host is under intense emotional stress or happy."
As Thea blushed slightly at it, Ra continued. "Anyway, you must maintain your composure as you practiced all your life, especially during emotional moments. Continue your practice and meditation, child. Your emotions are like a double-edged sword that not only hurts others but also your soul."
Thea nodded obediently, though her gaze flickered with uncertainty.
Standing to the side, Kaelen's expression darkened in thought. He looked at his daughter for a long moment before glancing toward the great winged statue.
"Was it really just stress…? If so, why? The wedding? Or was it Icarus? Could my daughter truly have felt so anxious on her wedding night that the seal cracked? Or did something else happen..."
A small frown formed on his lips as the thought lingered.