Back near the castle!
Xue Lan scooped up little Eirene and dashed up the grand royal stairs, her tight white shirt unfortunately straining against her generous chest with every hurried step, the undone buttons offering fleeting glimpses of soft, pale skin flushed from the chill.
The hallways blurred past in a swirl of polished stone and flickering lantern light until they reached Victoria's reinforced chamber door, sealed shut like a virgin's chastity belt.
"Can you open it?" Xue Lan asked, breathless.
"Nn!" Eirene nodded innocently.
In the next heartbeat, the girl simply phased through the thick metal as if it were morning mist, her control over that whimsical power growing sharper by the day.
"..."
Xue Lan stood there, staring at the unyielding door like a fool left behind at the altar.
The little rascal had misunderstood and abandoned her without a second thought.
