"Mr. Su Xuan, I've discovered a very interesting secret."
"An interesting secret?"
Su Xuan's eyes glinted with curiosity. He had no idea what kind of interesting secret Ivsha had stumbled upon.
"Come with me, and you'll find out."
Ivsha took Su Xuan's hand and led him down the corridor toward a certain location.
When they reached their destination, Su Xuan was surprised to find that Ivsha had led him to a sealed-off room inside Yerman Castle.
Furthermore, the room was emanating an aura of Magic Power that felt familiar to him.
"Should we go in and take a look?" Ivsha suggested with a smile.
"This... probably isn't a good idea, right?"
Before Su Xuan could even finish, Ivsha had already opened the door.
The moment the door opened, Su Xuan's pupils twitched, but he quickly regained his composure.
He had expected the room to be filled with all sorts of contraband. After all, the atmosphere outside suggested a place shrouded in mystery.
However, what shocked him was that the room wasn't filled with contraband at all. Instead, it was a cozy little room, predominantly white with Golden accents and decorated with all sorts of plush toys.
The room definitely had a young girl's touch!
'Whose room is this?'
"Hm?"
But an even greater shock awaited Su Xuan!
On the bed, the translucent figure of a woman flickered into view, like a drifting wisp of a soul.
Moreover, the woman bore a striking resemblance to Roxia.
The only difference was her fuller, more developed figure, which far surpassed Roxia's in certain aspects. This was likely because Roxia was still young—not yet eighteen—and still had plenty of room for Growth.
'Then...'
Su Xuan stroked his chin, pondering to himself. 'This woman must be Rosaline's soul, right?'
As he mulled it over, a notification popped up in his field of vision.
[Rosaline's Memory Fragment]
'This is a Memory Fragment?' Su Xuan was a bit surprised. He had assumed a Memory Fragment would be an actual, physical shard.
'So they take the form of a soul.'
"This room is quite nice. And the bed is so soft~"
Ivsha walked to the bedside and lightly touched the mattress. The comfortable feeling brought a seductive smile to her lips as she murmured softly, "Wouldn't it be wonderful to perform a Life Magic ritual on such a soft bed!"
"?"
Although Ivsha's voice was faint, Su Xuan still caught it.
'She'd better have been talking about a Life Magic ritual!'
In response, Ivsha shot Su Xuan a meaningful glance. Her purpose for coming here wasn't just for that.
Just then, a figure appeared silently behind him and asked softly, "Mr. Su Xuan, what brings you here?"
Su Xuan froze at the sound of the voice.
He whipped around to find Natasha standing right behind him.
"I..."
Su Xuan hesitated for a moment. He couldn't very well tell Natasha he was here to uncover a secret, could he?
After a moment of thought, he answered, "I felt something here calling to me, and I found myself drawn here before I knew it."
"'Something here calling to you...'"
Natasha's gaze drifted towards the inside of the room, her eyes unfocused. She looked at the drifting soul on the bed, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes blinking as if she understood what Su Xuan meant.
"Is it because of Rosaline? You knew her, didn't you?"
Natasha looked at Su Xuan with excitement, still clinging to the hope that Rosaline was alive.
"..."
Su Xuan fell silent for a few seconds before saying coolly, "Perhaps. Is this Rosaline's room?"
'Even though I already figured it out, I still have to pretend to ask.'
"Mm."
Natasha nodded, her eyes glinting. "Ever since that incident, Rosaline's room has been kept empty. I'm in charge of cleaning it."
"And that wisp of a soul?"
Su Xuan glanced at the soul in the room. He knew it was Rosaline's Memory Fragment, but of course, Natasha didn't.
"That's a wisp of a Soul Mark that was left in the White Rose. After Rosaline went missing, we brought it back home," Natasha explained.
"I see."
Hearing her words, Su Xuan nodded thoughtfully.
"Mr. Su Xuan, this is a restricted area of the Yerman Clan. We shouldn't linger here for too long," Natasha said with a gentle smile.
"Oh, alright."
Su Xuan took a few steps back. It was best to avoid trespassing in another family's restricted areas.
'As for how to obtain this Memory Fragment...'
'I'll need to give it some careful thought.'
Over the next hour, Su Xuan learned from Natasha about the intricate relationships between several of the Knight houses. Afterward, he returned to the Guild.
After he left, Natasha returned to Rosaline's room.
She walked up to Rosaline's Memory Fragment and gently reached out to touch it with her slender, jade-like fingers.
To her surprise, the Soul Body—which should have been intangible and unable to communicate—responded to her touch.
"Rosaline, is that you?"
Natasha asked the soul.
The soul didn't speak, but merely gave a slight nod.
"Wonderful!"
Receiving a clear response, a stunningly beautiful smile graced Natasha's face. At that moment, her lovely eyes even began to glow with a faint, pale Golden light.
Though she was over thirty, her skin, nourished by Magic Power, remained as smooth and radiant as an eighteen-year-old's. Yet, compared to a young girl, she possessed a unique, mature charm.
Just then, Rosaline's Soul Body emitted a soft sound.
"Thank you."
"Rosaline..."
Upon hearing this, a shimmer of light flickered in Natasha's beautiful eyes.
She smiled and said, "Don't worry. I will find a way to resurrect you. I swear it on my own soul!"
The moment she finished speaking, Natasha's finger twitched. A wisp of Magic Power flowed out, gradually enveloping Rosaline's soul.
In the blink of an eye, Rosaline's Soul Body vanished without a trace, ultimately transforming into a Rose petal that came to rest on Natasha's collarbone.
Just then, the door to the room was suddenly pushed open.
"Aunt Natasha?"
The newcomer was none other than Roxia. She was taken aback for a moment to see Natasha in her aunt Rosaline's room.
But she quickly understood. Natasha must have been missing Rosaline again, which was why she was here.
"I'm sorry. I always think of them when I'm alone," Natasha said, lowering her head slightly.
"Aunt Natasha..."
Roxia was about to offer some comfort, but Natasha quickly forced a smile. "I'm fine. It's just me getting sentimental in my old age. Don't pay it any mind."
She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and added, "You must be here for something important, right?"
"Mm."
Roxia nodded. She had come to retrieve Rosaline's personal sword in preparation for tomorrow's selection trials.
"Then I'll be going. I'll let you get to it."
Natasha turned and left with a sway of her hips.
Roxia didn't give it much thought. She took the sword from the wall and left.
...
"I was right, wasn't I, Mr. Su Xuan?~"
"A very interesting secret, indeed~"
Ivsha stared at the scene on the screen, her expression one of excitement.
"Mm..."
Su Xuan nodded, his expression grim.
The scene on the screen was, of course, from inside Rosaline's room. Ivsha had left a wisp of her Magic Power there, which, combined with the unique God's-eye perspective of a Player, allowed them to monitor events in real-time.
Although it would only last for about thirty minutes, it was long enough for Su Xuan to learn something new.
'Natasha lied!'
'That Memory Fragment of Rosaline didn't come from the White Rose at all!'
'Even Roxia and the others had no idea it existed.'
Furthermore, Su Xuan's brow furrowed. He had tried to inspect Natasha's stat panel but found he couldn't use Perception on it.
This confused him. At first, he'd assumed she was just a story-driven NPC without an Attribute panel, but now it seemed things weren't so simple.
"Mr. Su Xuan, look what I did! Don't I deserve some credit?"
Ivsha suddenly clung tightly to Su Xuan's arm, her heart-shaped tail swaying gently. She looked at him expectantly, fishing for praise and begging for a reward.
"Wait, Ivsha! Didn't we just... before we left for Sunset City?"
Su Xuan's brow furrowed. He clearly remembered rewarding Ivsha right before they set off for Sunset City.
'Why is she asking again now...?'
"But~"
Ivsha lightly sucked on her fingertip, heart shapes flashing in her pupils.
She cooed seductively, "That was nowhere near enough, my master~"