Each room in the Vespera manor was designed to block sound with utmost human effort, but for a family blessed by mana, such mundane methods proved insufficient to hinder their hearing. More potent measures would have been necessary, yet, for reasons unknown, they seemed not to have been employed.
Thus, Sydney's woeful scream, amplified not only by the totality of her emotions but also by her unique fiery mana, reached every corner of the mansion without fail, shaking even those dwelling beneath the grand building.
°°°
Alex, carefully cradling a dark blue plant with luminescent leaves in both hands, halted mid-motion, failing to deliver it to the outstretched gloved palm beside her. In that brief moment of hesitation and surprise, triggered by the raging scream that assaulted her ears, the once-seated Duke vanished from before her, leaving her alone in the room.
