At the Astaford Manor, the Duchess was restless, her usually composed appearance in ruins.
Valeria was training somewhere, but her mother couldn't stop thinking about other things...
On one hand, she had learned what had happened to Sylvia. Although she wanted to visit her, she knew she wouldn't be of much help, so she chose to wait until she heard that Sylvia was doing better.
She had confidence in her.
Her gaze settled on a nearby mirror, her eyes shining with certainty.
And on the other hand...
She knew she shouldn't have done it, but she had contacted that shameless man.
"Of course, it's only so he can help me break through the limit... Right?"
A sigh escaped the Duchess's lips as she sat down on the sofa in resignation.
But the moment she noticed the table filled with pastries prepared for afternoon tea, her face quickly brightened.
"Mmngh..."
A sound of pleasure escaped Selyne's lips.
"The strawberry ones are the best!"
Then her gaze shifted to another pastry, which she immediately grabbed and bit into.
"Ahngh! But the blueberry ones are so good too..."
The sounds of delight accompanying every bite almost made it seem as though the Duchess were indulging in something far more intimate.
Cassian wasn't going to knock like he had at the Sterling residence.
Valeria was someone he preferred to keep in the dark about certain things. Deep down, he didn't want to admit that he enjoyed his Saturday morning visits.
And that was exactly how he ended up standing there with his arms crossed, one corner of his mouth betraying him more and more.
Then he heard the following:
"AAHNGM~!"
Cassian's laughter came immediately afterward.
Startled, Selyne spun around. The moment she saw him, she froze, a piece of pastry still hanging from her mouth with cream smeared along her cheek.
"What? Don't you know how to ring a doorbell?" she demanded angrily.
The question didn't come out quite right since she had forgotten to chew what was still in her mouth.
"If you'd like, I can go back and do it. Then you can explain to Valeria why I'm here." He paused before adding with obvious amusement, "Why am I here, anyway?"
Selyne Astaford narrowed her eyes, not taking the provocation seriously.
Instead, she wiped the pastry from her lips and looked at him flatly.
Cassian took that as permission to approach and confidently sit down across from her, studying her.
"You cultivate Aura... I assume it's for the same reason Valeria does?"
The Duchess narrowed her eyes further as she considered the question.
"Not exactly. The Astaford family has always focused primarily on refining the art of the sword. My father passed that on to me, and I passed it on to Valeria. But the truth is, Mana isn't useless if you want to elevate the practices of my house."
She paused briefly.
"I chose Aura out of personal preference, and I think Valeria did too. I've always felt that Mana and Aura aren't all that different, you know? While the former allows for the spells and manifestations we're both familiar with, I've always believed the latter should be capable of something similar with the right technique. The pinnacle of the Astaford sword art achieves something close to that, and I suppose curiosity about what happens when an Aura practitioner advances even further played a role as well."
Cassian listened attentively.
Understanding her perspective would help him determine what suited her best.
Though he raised his eyebrows slightly in surprise.
Aura was actually much closer to Qi than it was to Mana.
Selyne's instincts were correct.
If he had to choose a cultivation path himself, Aura seemed to possess greater potential. Mana required refining an element or achieving profound understanding of one, and in practice that was far more difficult than simply increasing one's energy. While the rewards could be greater, they often didn't justify the sacrifices required.
And as Selyne had intuitively grasped, Aura and Mana weren't fundamentally so different.
Qi wasn't either.
Everything depended on whether you found a way to make them work in your favor.
"So you're not a sword fanatic who lives only to swing blades through the air like your daughter..."
Cassian remarked, glancing at the empty plates.
"How disappointing."
He shook his head in amusement.
With a casual wave of his hand, the empty plates instantly filled with pastries similar to the ones the Duchess had been eating, along with several she had never seen before.
Her eyes widened in shock.
But almost immediately, her attention shifted to the unfamiliar desserts.
Casting uncertain glances toward the man seated across from her, she tentatively reached for one.
"These...?"
"I see you like Nexus pastries," he commented. "I added a few that haven't reached the market yet so you can try them and give your opinion. I'm sure Elizabeth will appreciate the feedback when I tell her."
"Marchioness Vane?"
She narrowed her eyes.
But after hearing the explanation and feeling tempted by the opportunity to try something new, she abandoned her suspicion—or perhaps her reluctance regarding their origin.
She picked one containing several fruits and a white cream she had never seen before.
Before taking a bite, she glanced toward Cassian.
Then she focused on the pastry itself and, still slightly hesitant, tasted the cream first.
The gentle sweetness immediately filled her palate.
Hearts of delight practically appeared in her eyes as sounds of pleasure threatened to escape her lips.
But then she suddenly remembered she wasn't alone.
Her eyes widened.
A blush spread across her face as she recalled the exact sort of noises that had made Cassian laugh only moments earlier.
She shot him a suspicious look before quickly finishing the entire pastry without leaving a single crumb behind.
"Looks like you enjoyed it."
"Hmph. Don't get so proud of yourself. I'm not difficult to please," she replied. "Tell Marchioness Vane that her culinary research team is exceptionally talented."
A faintly amused smile appeared on Cassian's face.
"The one you just tried was made by me."
Selyne froze.
She stared at him for a long moment, trying to determine whether she had heard correctly.
The suspicion on her face was unmistakable.
Then she shook her head in disbelief.
"You?"
"Mmm. Most of Nexus's products originated with me. Elizabeth handles the management. Though I have to admit, her ideas have been surprising even me lately."
"Liar," she concluded immediately.
"I can't imagine someone like you cooking, or doing anything remotely similar to what Nexus sells."
"Someone like me?" he murmured quietly.
But his attention quickly seemed to shift elsewhere.
He made a dismissive gesture, as though her disbelief wasn't worth addressing, then looked toward the clock hanging on the wall.
Slowly, he rose from his seat.
Without taking his eyes off the woman who was watching his every movement with confusion and attention.
"I think it's about time," he said, casually straightening his wrinkled clothes.
"Huh?"
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Author's Note:
Hello everyone!
Of course that's the only reason, right?
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