Chapter 4

In a certain northern land.

A grand carriage, heavy and imposing, glided into the circular driveway in front of the white castle, which rose majestically over the vast land, surrounding a fountain.

The carriage, with its chic black and burnt sienna color scheme, came to a quiet stop, and a servant who had been waiting opened its door. Two tall men slowly descended, and the servants lined up near the entrance bowed in unison.

"Welcome back, sir."

"It's been a while, hasn't it? Has anything changed?" One of the men scanned the servants with a gentle smile in his voice.

His name is Sirius Z. Whitely.

He is the master of this castle and the young head of the Whitely family, a northern financial powerhouse, who is 22 years old this year.

With his neatly cut light blonde hair and deep blue, almond-shaped eyes, his face is so perfectly chiseled that it looks like a porcelain doll that doesn't give off any warmth.

Dressed in a pristine white suit with a tightly tied tie, polished shoes, and spotless white gloves, his appearance tells of his slight obsession with cleanliness.

People who see Sirius for the first time shudder at his coldness, but he is very kind to those he cares about, and everyone in the castle understands this well.

By Sirius's side stands his secretary, Rishu Whitely.

He is Sirius's cousin and childhood friend. With his aqua hair and eyes and silver-rimmed glasses, he has been Sirius's right-hand man since childhood and is one of Sirius's closest confidants.

"Sorry to be abrupt, but after finishing the urgent matter, we will head to the Cyphard territory."

"Yes."

Sirius and Rishu entered the castle and briskly walked down the wide, long corridor leading to the study.

This castle, standing alone in the northern land, has no roads leading to it. It is Sirius's base, accessible only by teleportation magic to a select few.

Sirius, appointed as the head of the Whitely family by his father Daryl at the age of 20, immediately entered the transition period.

His main job was to make appearances at the three financial powerhouses, but this time, coinciding with the appointment period of the eastern financial powerhouse, he had to travel around the world for nearly two years.

During this time, Sirius learned from Daryl that Shera had passed away. Daryl attended her funeral, but Sirius wished he could have attended as well.

The territory ruled by the noble queen of the spirits.

Due to Daryl and Shera being old friends, Sirius often visited the Cyphard territory with Daryl when he was young. However, in the past two years, his busy schedule made it difficult to find personal time, and he had not visited for a long time.

"I will send a letter for permission to visit immediately. Oh, my Olivia. I hope she isn't crying alone, overwhelmed by loneliness after Lady Shera's passing..."

Upon arriving at the study, he signaled a servant to prepare a notepad, but before he could start writing,

"There is something I need to report on this matter..." Seth, the butler who had been standing by, hesitantly began to speak.

"What is it, Seth?"

Noticing his unusual behavior, Rishu tilted his head slightly and asked.

"In fact, due to the suspicious points when delivering Olivia's birthday gift, I took the liberty of investigating the area around the Cyphard family."

Sirius and Rishu were taken aback.

It is unthinkable for a servant to investigate the Cyphard family, an old friend of the master, let alone the previous generation. Moreover, that territory is under extraterritorial law, and no authority can enter without permission.

"Of course, I did not step foot into the sacred territory. However, I am prepared to accept any punishment."

Seth bowed deeply.

He is an excellent butler. For him to take such action, something must have been seriously wrong.

"Seth, report."

Rishu understood and urged Seth to continue.

"Yes."

Seth straightened his posture and began to speak.

"A merchant who was supposed to deliver a gift to the Cyphard family this year reported that he was stopped just before the territory and had to pay a considerable toll to proceed."

"Huh? Go on."

Rishu, who had involuntarily spoken, urged him to continue.

"The merchant was asked to pay an exorbitant amount, but since it was a gift for Olivia, he paid the amount as requested and delivered the goods to the front of the manor. However, the amount of goods was too much for the old butler who received them, so he called five servants from inside the manor to help. The merchant observed this and noticed that none of the servants were familiar. When he inquired, he was told that all the servants had resigned. Moreover, the old butler suggested that if he wanted to be favored in the future, he should give a bribe."

"......"

"......"

Sirius and Rishu listened in silence, their expressions unchanged.

"After receiving this report, I instructed the neighboring territory to gather information discreetly."

Indeed, I would have done the same.

Rishu nodded in agreement but raised his head in surprise at Seth's next words.

"This was brought to the Nolundi territory's chamber of commerce."

Seth received a tray from a servant standing behind him. On the tray was a set of tea ware, which Sirius and Rishu recognized immediately.

The elegant white vessel, adorned with delicate silver lily of the valley patterns, was clearly a valuable piece.

Rishu picked up a cup and examined the back, where, as expected, a familiar engraving was found.

"Does this mean that someone has pawned this?"

Seth nodded firmly in response.

"The person who brought this in is a servant of the Cyphard family. The lady of the house apparently did not like the design, and for similar reasons, several pieces of tableware and dresses were also brought in. They were all bought at reasonable prices, and the servant was given gold coins to ensure continued favor. The representative of the chamber of commerce was about to report this to us and looked quite pale."

Seth pointed to several boxes stacked behind him.

"They all arrived this morning."

"Indeed, well done."

Rishu exhaled lightly.

These items are priceless. They are all one-of-a-kind pieces made specifically for Olivia, and if they were to be sold on the market, even a single tea set would be worth a fortune.

Sirius and Rishu knew that Alek had remarried shortly after Shera's passing, but they had no idea how Olivia was living. Sirius himself had been extremely busy over the past two years and had not been able to visit.

Rishu glanced at Sirius's face. Though he appeared expressionless, Rishu, who had known him for a long time, could see that he was incredibly furious.

"Immediately check on Lady Olivia's condition. We will grant permission to enter the territory."

Rishu informed Seth.

"Understood. I have already arranged for people in the neighboring territories."

Seth signaled the servants and was about to leave the room when suddenly, the room was enveloped in a bright light.

After a moment, the light subsided, and in the center of the table in front of them, a beautiful bird with iridescent wings was perched, moving its wings gracefully. All the servants standing by the wall, shielding Sirius and Rishu, were on high alert, wary of the unknown entity.

"It's fine."

Sirius, who had been staring at the bird, reached out without hesitation. However, it dissolved into shimmering particles of light, leaving behind a ribbon and a letter. Sirius, with a wistful expression, gently stroked the ribbon and the letter before slowly reading it.