The clothing room was warm.
Soft golden mana lamps illuminated every corner.
Rows upon rows of noble attire filled the room.
Elegant dresses hung neatly upon polished wooden stands.
Silver mirrors reflected the gentle light.
The atmosphere felt calm.
Peaceful.
Refined.
Lyra stood before the largest mirror.
For a brief moment...
She barely recognized herself.
The midnight-blue gown Eleanor had selected fit perfectly.
Silver embroidery traced elegant patterns across the fabric.
The dress resembled a star-filled night sky.
Its flowing layers moved gently whenever she shifted.
Her long black hair had been carefully arranged.
Golden ornaments decorated portions of it.
Not excessive.
Not flashy.
Just enough.
The woman staring back at her reflection no longer resembled the giant serpent that had guarded a mine for centuries.
She looked...
Human.
The thought felt strange.
Very strange.
Eleanor carefully adjusted the final folds of the dress.
Straightened several loose strands of hair.
Checked the accessories.
Then nodded in satisfaction.
"Perfect."
Lyra continued staring at the mirror.
The reflection staring back felt unfamiliar.
Eventually.
The serpent woman looked toward Eleanor.
The question that had been lingering in her mind resurfaced.
"May I ask something?"
The head maid smiled softly.
"Of course."
Lyra remained silent for several moments.
Then finally spoke.
"Why do you trust Kel so much?"
The room became quiet.
A surprisingly simple question.
Yet somehow...
A difficult one.
Eleanor's hands paused.
The head maid looked toward the mirror.
Toward Lyra's reflection.
Toward her own reflection standing behind her.
Then she smiled.
A small smile.
Not the smile of a servant.
Not the smile of politeness.
A genuine smile.
"You know..."
She folded her hands together.
"Four months ago..."
A pause.
"I didn't."
Lyra blinked.
"You didn't?"
The head maid shook her head.
"No."
The answer came immediately.
"I respected him."
A pause.
"Because he was my lord."
Another.
"But trust?"
Eleanor laughed softly.
"No."
The serpent woman listened carefully.
Because the answer surprised her.
Eleanor continued.
"When Lord Kel arrived..."
The head maid walked toward the window.
Outside.
The city lights illuminated Frostbound Coast.
The city was alive.
Merchants.
Workers.
Travelers.
Visitors.
Nobles.
All moving beneath roads Kel had built.
Eleanor looked toward the distant lights.
"When he first arrived..."
A pause.
"He was fifteen."
Another.
"The heir of House Rosenfeld."
Another.
"The eldest son of the ruling ducal house of the North."
Another.
"A noble born with everything."
The room remained silent.
Lyra listened.
Eleanor's voice gradually softened.
"Many nobles inherit power."
A pause.
"Many inherit authority."
Another.
"Many inherit wealth."
Another.
"Very few know what to do with it."
The serpent woman slowly nodded.
That matched what she had observed over centuries.
Eleanor continued.
"When he arrived..."
The head maid looked outside once more.
"Frostbound Coast was struggling."
The memories resurfaced.
Snow-covered roads.
Broken infrastructure.
Limited trade.
Fear of monsters.
Economic stagnation.
A territory surviving rather than living.
Then Kel arrived.
And everything changed.
The head maid's eyes reflected the city lights.
"He worked."
A pause.
"Relentlessly."
Another.
"Day after day."
Another.
"Night after night."
Lyra remained silent.
Eleanor laughed quietly.
"Sometimes I wondered if he even slept."
The serpent almost smiled.
That sounded believable.
The head maid continued.
"He studied reports."
Another.
"He reorganized departments."
Another.
"He established systems."
Another.
"He built roads."
Another.
"He expanded trade."
Another.
"He developed the sea."
Another.
"He reclaimed territory."
Another.
"He fought monsters personally."
Another.
"He solved problems before people realized those problems existed."
The list continued.
And continued.
And continued.
Lyra slowly realized something.
Eleanor wasn't reciting achievements.
She was recounting memories.
Moments she had personally witnessed.
The head maid smiled.
"He never asked people to trust him."
A pause.
"He never demanded loyalty."
Another.
"He never stood in a plaza giving grand speeches."
Another.
"He never declared himself a savior."
The room became silent.
Then Eleanor turned around.
And looked directly at Lyra.
"He simply worked."
Simple words.
Yet they carried weight.
Because Lyra could feel the sincerity behind them.
Eleanor continued.
"People trusted him because of what they saw."
A pause.
"Not because of what he said."
Another.
"His actions earned trust."
Another.
"His actions earned loyalty."
Another.
"His actions transformed this territory."
The head maid smiled softly.
"And eventually..."
A pause.
"I realized I trusted him too."
The serpent woman remained quiet.
Because strangely...
She understood.
More than she expected.
After all.
Hadn't she done the same thing?
She had entered negotiations fully prepared to distrust him.
Yet the more she observed...
The harder that became.
Because his actions rarely contradicted his words.
That alone made him unusual.
Far beneath Scarder Lake.
Seiren quietly listened.
Then spoke.
"She's beginning to understand."
Kel's voice echoed through the telepathic connection.
"Understanding what?"
The Guardian laughed softly.
"Why people follow you."
Kel sighed.
"I never asked them to."
"Exactly."
The Guardian sounded amused.
Meanwhile.
The conversation inside the clothing room gradually came to an end.
Lyra looked toward her reflection once more.
Then toward Eleanor.
The head maid had just finished adjusting the final details.
Everything was ready.
The party awaited.
Guests awaited.
The future awaited.
Then—
Knock.
The sound echoed through the room.
Eleanor smiled.
"Come in."
The door opened.
And for a brief moment...
The room became silent.
Lyra instinctively turned.
Then froze.
Kel Rosenfeld stood at the entrance.
For once...
The young Count wasn't wearing travel attire.
Wasn't wearing training clothes.
Wasn't covered in dust.
Wasn't carrying weapons.
Instead...
He wore formal noble attire.
A black coat embroidered with silver patterns.
Dark trousers.
White gloves.
A silver cloak draped elegantly across one shoulder.
The outfit carried authority.
Nobility.
Presence.
Yet somehow...
It didn't overshadow him.
Rather...
It emphasized what was already there.
The natural confidence.
The calm demeanor.
The quiet authority.
For a brief moment...
Lyra found herself staring.
The young Count's golden eyes shifted toward her.
Then paused.
Several seconds passed.
Kel genuinely looked surprised.
Not dramatically.
Simply surprised.
As though he hadn't expected the transformation.
The serpent woman suddenly felt nervous.
A ridiculous feeling.
She had faced death countless times.
Yet somehow...
Being observed by one human felt different.
Then Kel smiled.
A small smile.
Warm.
Genuine.
And without hesitation...
He spoke.
"You look beautiful, Lyra."
Silence filled the room.
Complete silence.
Eleanor immediately smiled.
Lyra froze.
Her mind stopped working.
Entirely.
The ancient serpent who had survived centuries of cultivation.
The woman who had faced monsters.
The woman who had negotiated with nobles.
The woman who had lived for hundreds of years.
Could not think of a single response.
Not one.
And somewhere far beneath Scarder Lake...
Seiren laughed so hard she nearly lost her composure.
Because for perhaps the first time all day...
The terrifying ancient serpent looked completely defeated.