Inside the castle's hot spring, mist filled the air, and the sound of cheerful conversation echoed occasionally.
"Sigh… The day after tomorrow, we're leaving Sedona City. Time flies so fast."
Catherine let out a soft sigh as she lay in the warm water, kicking her slender legs, her toes occasionally breaking the surface.
"Yeah, it really does." Dahlia agreed, gently stroking her skin and enjoying the soothing warmth of the hot spring.
Over the past few days, they had already soaked in the hot spring three times.
Unfortunately, Elisa refused to join them, fearing that she might accidentally reveal her identity.
"In the future, if you ever want to visit Sedona City, just come," Nicole said gently, tucking her falling hair behind her ear. "We'll always welcome you."
"Yeah, you're always welcome back!" Helen added, turning her head as she picked between her toes. Her long legs rested above the water, pressing lightly against her soft, pale chest.
"Why don't you just stay a few more days?" Ayesha suggested, tilting her head back.
She was floating on a flat stone in the hot spring, practicing her swimming movements by paddling her arms and legs.
But in doing so, her round, perky ass remained above the water, like two small hills trembling slightly with each movement of the horned beastkin girl.
"Splash!"
Water sprayed into the air as Freya suddenly stood up, covering her face while stretching her body.
She glared at Ayesha in frustration.
"Smack!"
Freya's palm landed firmly on Ayesha's perky ass, leaving a red handprint on her smooth, pale skin.
The wolf-eared girl huffed, "Ayesha, you kicked me!"
"Huh?!" Ayesha yelped, pouting as she rubbed her stinging ass, twisting her body in protest. "You bumped into my foot yourself!"
"What?" Freya froze for a moment, then glanced around and realized… she had actually swum over from the other side.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, she let out an awkward chuckle.
"Splash!"
Without another word, the wolf-eared girl dove underwater to escape.
But before she disappeared, she cheekily grabbed the horned beastkin's ample chest on her way down.
"Freya! Just you wait! Once I learn how to swim, I'll get you back for that!" Ayesha shouted, splashing water in frustration.
Catherine wiped the water from her face, her eyes shimmering. With a soft sigh, she murmured, "Everyone here is so fun… I almost don't want to leave."
Dahlia's body stiffened. She turned her head, noticing the melancholy on Catherine's face. She knew that her friend meant those words from the bottom of her heart.
"But I can't stay," Catherine forced a smile. "If I don't go back, my family will be worried."
"Parting now is just so you can have an even better reunion later," Nicole stretched lazily and added with a chuckle, "That's what the young master always says."
Catherine repeated the words softly to herself, her face gradually breaking into a warm smile.
"Tomorrow, let's go shopping," Nicole suggested gently. "You should bring some gifts back to the royal capital."
"Yes!" Catherine nodded eagerly. She had been so caught up in playing games, soaking in hot springs, and having fun that she hadn't even thought about buying souvenirs.
…
"Alright, I think I've soaked long enough," Dahlia stood up, her curvaceous body glistening as droplets trickled down her skin. "I still need to report on the fleet's cargo to Lord Lucas."
"I'll go with you." Nicole said as she stood as well.
"Me too!" Catherine raised a hand, clutching her chest as she stood up, still a bit shy about exposing herself.
"I'm staying!" Ayesha shouted without turning around.
"Me too, I want to soak a bit longer." Helen replied, still busy picking at her other foot.
"Alright."
Nicole nodded and glanced toward Freya, who had just surfaced for air before immediately diving back down again. Then she turned to the far side of the hot spring and called out, "Freya, we're leaving. Are you coming?"
A brief silence followed before Freya's cool voice replied, "No."
Nicole nodded. "Don't soak for too long, then."
Without waiting for a response, she led Catherine and Dahlia to dry off and get dressed before heading toward the study.
On the way, Catherine curiously asked, "Nicole, why don't Annie and Mina come to the hot springs?"
Nicole chuckled. "Mina has to stay by the young master's side—she's his personal knight, after all." She then added with a knowing smile, "As for Annie, she's busy helping with government affairs. She'll come to the hot springs later."
Of course, Nicole didn't mention the real reason—that the fox-eared girl avoided bathing with them because of her chest.
"Oh, I see." Catherine nodded in understanding. "It looks like everyone is doing their best to help Lord Lucas."
"We only help with small things. It's the young master who has done so much for us." Nicole said softly. She knew that all the beast-eared girls were deeply grateful to Lucas, even if they weren't good at expressing it.
"Mhm!" Catherine nodded innocently.
Dahlia, however, was lost in thought.
Letting beastkins and humans live together peacefully… How much determination and courage must it take to make that decision?
She couldn't help but admire the man who had made it possible.
Sometimes, Dahlia wondered—if Lord Lucas were the king of this country, would the lives of the common people be better? Just like the civilians in Sedona City—laughing, chatting, and never going hungry.
The three women walked naturally toward the study room, their hair wrapped in dry towels as they wiped off the moisture.
Catherine and Dahlia enjoyed this casualness. It was different from the royal capital, where they had to fully dry their hair and style it before even stepping out.
Before long, they reached the study room. After receiving permission, they gently pushed the door open.
"Creak!"
Nicole glanced around the room but didn't see Mina or Annie. She asked in surprise, "Huh? Young Master, where are Mina and Annie?"
"They went to the inner vault to retrieve the items for the auction two days from now." Lucas replied with a light chuckle.
"Can we see them now?" Nicole's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Of course." Lucas nodded. "It's a good opportunity for Dahlia to estimate their value."
The Inner Vault—Catherine and Dahlia had only learned about it in the past couple of days. They had heard rumors that it housed countless treasures, some worth a fortune, and that even a thousand gold coins wouldn't be enough to buy certain items.
They simply couldn't imagine what the Inner Vault was like. Could it really be more impressive than the treasure vault of the Siacan Kingdom? That seemed unlikely.
After all, a few years ago, the King of Siacan had a golden scepter crafted, and even that was only worth around a thousand gold coins. They found it hard to believe that anything in Lucas's vault could match such a price.
Now, however, the two of them were eagerly anticipating what Lucas would bring to the auction.
A hundred-gold-coin item? That would already be outrageous! Even Dahlia's family trading fleet only made around 3 hundred gold coins in profit per year.
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