Chapter 42: The Weary Gladys
Isana’s home was also in the northern district, not far from Wode Academy.
After leaving Isana’s room, Erika was amazed to discover that her home was ridiculously large—practically a small palace. Not only was the area vast, but the interior decoration was especially luxurious.
Compared to the rental house Erika and Gladys lived in, it was like heaven and earth.
As expected of a duke’s household...
With such thoughts in her heart, after she and Isana exited the room, the guards’ gazes also turned to the two girls.
These guards were Isana’s personal guards. They might not have known about her perverted hobby, but since they frequently helped her bring people back, they more or less understood the little princess’s temperament.
Seeing the two come out, the guards all bowed respectfully.
But no matter how polite they were, Erika would never forget those guards who tied her up before.
It’s you!
She shot a fierce glare at the one bowing. That person also noticed Erika’s hostile gaze and gave an awkward smile.
…
“Bye-bye, Erika~ I’ll be waiting for you at the academy tomorrow~”
In the night, Isana happily waved to Erika.
In contrast, Erika, thinking about how she had nearly been stripped earlier, couldn’t help but feel a little fearful—she shrugged and quickly slipped away.
Before she knew it, it was already nighttime. The street vendors had packed up and gone home.
At night, people in the Imperial Capital didn’t seem to have any mood for strolling; the streets in the northern part of the city were rather empty, with only the oil lamps on either side of the road offering a faint sense of warmth.
The sky above the capital wasn’t as dark as one might imagine—on the contrary, under the bright moonlight, the sky appeared silver-bright.
With a steady pace, Erika walked with her small hands clasped behind her, gazing up at the night sky as her heart stirred with thoughts.
According to the information she received from Meladin, her Dragon Core Crystal should be in this place.
So was Jocelyn O'Casey, the one who took her Dragon Core Crystal, also living here?
Or had she already handed it over to someone else?
But this country didn’t welcome non-human species. How was she supposed to investigate the whereabouts of the Dragon Core Crystal?
Everything ahead seemed bleak...
Shaking her head, Erika decided to put it aside for now. Actually, she already had a Dragon Core Crystal. She just needed to study well, train her physical strength or magical power, and wait for the crystal to fuse. Why worry so much?
“Little girl, why are you wandering outside alone so late?”
While Erika was deep in thought, a patrolling soldier noticed her.
Seeing her dressed in a lavish noble outfit, the soldier couldn’t help but come over and ask with concern.
“Ah, I’m heading home now,” Erika replied, looking up.
“Hurry home then. A little girl like you wandering around this late is dangerous.”
“Got it, thank you, uncle.”
With a polite nod, Erika quickened her pace homeward.
Passing through the commercial district, Erika arrived at the familiar small house.
This area was actually on the outskirts with few residents. Because it was close to the public execution ground of the capital, the housing here was relatively cheap—but not many people wanted to live here.
After all, who would want to hear the screams of executions from time to time?
When she pushed open the door, the room was dark. Only the hall emitted a faint glow from an oil lamp.
The flickering light cast shadows of the furniture onto the walls.
Something felt odd. Erika blinked and softly called out.
“Gladys?”
No response.
Did Gladys go out again?
Frowning, Erika jogged toward the source of the firelight.
But what she saw was Gladys calmly reclining on the sofa.
She still wore that white long dress, her hair cascading down both sides of the sofa. Her expression was peaceful, but her face was slightly pale, and her lips looked dry and lacked their usual luster.
“Gladys!”
Erika called out softly, a trace of worry rising in her heart.
Could something have happened to her?
She looked so weak... like she was sick.
Rushing over, Erika was just about to touch her when she faintly heard the sound of Gladys’s gentle breathing.
So she was asleep...
She breathed a small sigh of relief and pursed her lips, planning to find a blanket to cover her.
“Erika, you’re back.”
To her surprise, Gladys suddenly woke up. When she saw Erika, her face remained as gentle as ever.
She reached out her pale hand and softly smoothed Erika’s grayish-white hair. “Why did you come back so late?”
“B-Because I got lost.”
Being asked like that, Erika turned her gaze away a little embarrassed—she couldn’t possibly tell her she was almost stripped by a **, could she? That would be too humiliating!
But Gladys seemed to understand Erika very well. As the latter averted her eyes, she chuckled softly.
“You still don’t know how to lie. You got so lost you changed your clothes too?”
“I-I just went out to play for a while. I fell in a river on the way... then... went to someone’s house... and changed...”
“Forget it.”
Rising slightly, Gladys didn’t press the matter despite Erika’s clumsy lie. If she didn’t want to say it, Gladys didn’t intend to push.
She adjusted the sofa she had wrinkled while sleeping, then gently wrapped her arms around Erika’s waist.
“Coming back this late, you must be hungry. I bought you something good.”
“Something good? What is it?”
“See for yourself.”
Only then did Erika notice the table filled with snacks like dried meat.
Of course, aside from meat buns, Erika also loved the taste of dried beef.
“Wow! Gladys, you’re the best!”
“Go on, eat.”
As she spoke, Gladys let go of her and lightly patted her bottom.
Just as she was about to devour the tasty dried meat, Erika suddenly paused. Then she suppressed her excitement and tilted her head back toward Gladys.
“Gladys... aren’t you hungry?”
“No. You go eat. Today I’ll let you skip the vegetables.”
“That’s not it...”
Erika turned back and returned to Gladys’s side, this time taking the initiative to hold her arm.
“You stop lying too. You looked like you were sick earlier—what happened to you?”
“Nothing, I’m just a bit tired.”
“What did you do today?”
“Worked.”
Letting out a small sigh, Gladys gave a bitter smile. “The cost of living in the capital is higher than I expected. Now that I have to feed a little glutton like you, of course working is tiring.”
“How are you making money?” Erika asked curiously.
“Selling healing potions.”
Without hiding anything, Gladys pulled out a red potion bottle—the same kind Erika had seen before.
“I can make some healing potions. I’m just tired, that’s all.”
“Then I’ll... eat less from now on, don’t work so hard.”
“Alright, go eat.”
Hearing Erika’s words, Gladys seemed very pleased. A touch of vitality returned to her stunning face.
She reached out and gently pinched Erika’s cheek. “This dried beef is only for today. From now on, you still need to eat more vegetables and fruits. Don’t miss out on nutrition. That’s the only way you’ll fuse with the Dragon Core Crystal faster.”
“Okay.”