"I was wondering if I could talk to you privately, to ask for a few pointers concerning cultivation."
My mother narrowed her eyes, weighing my words in silence.
"Help him out. He's barely asked you for anything. Why are you hesitating?" my father interrupted, shaking his head in disapproval.
Nodding toward the patriarch, Elizabeth elegantly stood, placing her fork down before walking out.
With a light step, I followed behind her.
As my mother walked, her robes flowed smoothly with each step, highlighting her curves and accentuating her beauty.
Her coldness and elegance gave her a unique charm, making her seem exceedingly flawless, like untouched jade that required no polishing.
We walked a few meters before entering a spacious chamber.
The moment I stepped inside and turned, I almost felt my blood freeze.
Because right in front of me stood my mother. Her cold eyes bore down on me, as though they were staring straight into my soul.
My heart pounded fiercely, but I quickly steadied myself and forced a smile.
"What did you need pointers on?"
I paused briefly, carefully arranging my lie before replying.
"Since I started cultivating," I said, pointing to my neck, "I've been feeling a strange wave of pain here whenever I absorb cursed energy."
Elizabeth stared directly into my eyes before slowly raising a finger.
Before I could blink, she was already in front of me, her hand gently tapping my neck.
One of the reasons I'd chosen to make this move on her was because she was the only one who knew about my cursed nebula physique.
As such, she would understand that my cultivation path was bound to differ from others, and she wouldn't easily doubt my explanation.
Elizabeth's cold, delicate finger pressed lightly against the spot I had indicated.
Subconsciously, at her touch, a chill spread throughout my body.
Her finger lingered there for several seconds before she withdrew and spoke in her cold, neutral, emotionless tone.
"I can't feel any difference in the flow of cursed energy around your neck compared to the rest of your body."
As soon as she finished speaking, I raised my eyes to meet hers and froze again.
Her chilling silver eyes were now a shade of intense red.
I felt as though my entire body had been stripped bare beneath that gaze.
'mother has a unique pair of eyes?'
In this cursed world filled with all sorts of strange abilities, it was entirely possible for my mother to possess special eyes.
'If I form a bond with her… there's a chance I could obtain those eyes for myself…'
Just imagining the power behind those eyes made another thought surface.
'If I could gain ten times the quality of those eyes…'
My breath hitched.
It sounded absurd.
I was certain my mother's eyes were already overpowered. Imagining them amplified tenfold was simply insane.
And yet, the thought only strengthened my resolve to do what I was about to attempt.
Tightening my fingers slightly as she continued scanning me with those crimson eyes, I hesitated before finally speaking smoothly.
"Upon closer look, mother… you're very beautiful."
The instant the words left my mouth, the temperature in the room seemed to plummet.
A deadpan expression appeared on my mother's face as she stared at me. After a moment, her lips parted.
"Get out."
I froze.
Seeing her gaze remain fixed on me, I cleared my throat. Unsure what else to do, I quickly excused myself, confusion written plainly across my face.
'Was the system wrong about her? I complimented her. Was something wrong with my compliment?'
Questions echoed endlessly in my mind.
Meanwhile, inside the room I had just left—
Elizabeth's eyes slowly returned to their original silver.
She stood there silently for a long time before finally raising a slender hand to touch her face.
"Me? Very beautiful?"
Elizabeth let out a hollow laugh as the image of Aristarkh appeared in her mind.
Though it was laughter, no smile formed on her face.
It had been so long that she had forgotten how to smile.
Still, for reasons she couldn't understand, a faint warmth settled within her chest at Aristarkh's compliment.
'He really called me beautiful…'
The way he had said it replayed repeatedly in her mind.
How he had ignored her coldness and simply spoken what was on his mind.
It almost felt like disregard for her authority. Yet strangely… she didn't feel displeased.
Instead, his confidence lingered in her thoughts.
Elizabeth was an extraordinarily beautiful woman.
However, over the years, she had devoted herself entirely to the clan's growth. Every conversation she held carried hidden meanings and calculated intentions.
She had rarely heard sincere, unguarded words like the ones Aristarkh had spoken. Because of that, his compliment affected her far more than she expected.
'Why did I send him away?'
Only now did Elizabeth reflect on her actions and realize she may have acted too hastily. After all, he had merely complimented her.
After a moment of hesitation, she lowered her hand from her perfectly sculpted face and released a strand of cursed energy that gently pulled the door open.
The spacious corridor outside revealed itself.
It seemed Aristarkh had already left. The passage was empty.
"Should I go and meet him?" Elizabeth murmured, then suddenly froze.
'What thought did I just have?'
Her eyes widened slightly, one of the rare moments she displayed visible emotion.
It seemed that since Aristarkh's compliment, she had been somewhat disoriented.
"Perhaps… I could meet him under the guise of checking the condition he mentioned. Would he compliment me a second time?"
Elizabeth felt such thoughts were improper. She was meant to be cold. Untouchable. Unapproachable.
Yet curiosity quietly overpowered restraint.
She wanted to know whether Aristarkh would still possess the confidence to repeat those words.
Elizabeth didn't even notice when her pace quickened drastically. Within moments, she stood before his room door.
Staring at it without expression, for the first time in many years—
Her cold, frozen heart, long devoid of emotion, skipped a beat.