*Thump* *Thump* *Thump*

The sound of two hearts beating with excitement echoed throughout Xavier and Sophie’s ears as they stared at the mechanical cube before them.

“J-Just one more piece…” Xavier muttered.

The cube was 99% completed, just one more pierce needed to be moved in order for it to fully unlock.

“D-Do you want to move the final piece?” Sophie asked.

Xavier nervously shook his head.

“N-No, you can do it…”

It was strange, despite having little to no interest in the cube at the start, now that the puzzle was almost complete, he couldn’t help but feel overwhelming joy.

Sophie nervously nodded before grabbing onto the piece with her soft, slim fingers. Once she grabbed a hold of it-

*Clink!*

She pulled it and just like that, with a final click, the cube was unlocked.

“Y-You did it…” Xavier muttered.

“W-We did…” Sophie added with a yawn.

Their eyes were etched onto the heavy lump of metal before them. What was once a solid lump of metal with outlines was an even larger mechanical and futuristic looking lump of metal with the outlined parts sticking out.

Despite the outlined parts sticking out, it somehow still maintained the shape of a cube, just a larger one.

What stood out the most about it however, was the giant red core sphere at the centre of it. It was dark and damp as it failed to emit any light, but based on the fact that this was an ancient relic, it was probably something of value.

“What now?” Xavier asked.

“I’m not sure…” Sophie replied.

They’d solved the puzzle but nothing else had happened. Despite unlocking the cube the core remained inside and it wouldn’t budge.

Sophie handed Xavier the cube and watched as he played around with it, tapping the core repeatedly while also swinging the cube around.

After around five minutes, they gave up.

“That felt like a waste of time.” Sophie muttered.

Her eyes had dark circles beneath them, she was slowly dozing off as she remained seated in the same position.

“Hey… Xavier… I’m a bit sleepy… There’s another… Step for it activate… I’ll find out when I’m awake….”

Those were Sophie’s last words before suddenly collapsing onto Xavier’s chest.

Xavier looked down, watching as the beauty slept with the most peaceful expression in the world. Her luminous orange hair with their bright red edges seemed even more sparkly than usual.

His eyes had somehow fallen on her small pink lips and slender neck. Despite having self-restraint, inside Xavier was still a late adolescent. He was at an age where he couldn’t help but feel the lust for those things.

“She probably exhausted a lot of brain energy on the puzzle… It makes sense she’s tired.” Xavier muttered before picking her up.

He put her in a princess carry and placed the cube on top of her.

“Well, no reason to be here any longer. Let’s go back inside.” He muttered.

With that being said, Xavier’s figure vanished from the rooftop, scattering the droplets of water around in the process.

*Swoosh!*

A few seconds later they appeared in the hallway. Xavier still holding onto her in a princess carry as they walked down.

There were a few servants who were still cleaning up but whenever they made eye contact, they’d avert their eyes.

‘Seems that they’re still scared of me.’ Xavier concluded.

“I wonder which room, Sophie’s in?” Xavier asked as he walked past the unoccupied rooms.

While walking, he suddenly smiled as a familiar figure appeared.

It was Anastasia, she was quietly waiting for Xavier and Sophie by the end of the hall. When Xavier reached her, she extended her arms out, gesturing that she could carry Sophie. Anastasia noticed the Ancient Relic on top of Sophie but ignored it as she didn’t know what it was.

“I’ll take her to her room. It’s next to mine which is in the same side of the mansion as both of you and the young lady’s.”

Anastasia looked down at Sophie’s sleeping figure once Xavier handed her over. “Although I was annoyed you brought somewhere here without discussing with us first, After getting to know her, I’ll admit that it was the right choice.”

“Her IQ is probably the highest in this mansion. Her thread manipulation ability is versatile and powerful, able to subdue even a Marquess. She also seems quite loyal to you. I’ve been watching her and she hasn’t made any suspicious moves. Though, it could be that she’s waiting for the right time.”

“That’s a good analysis, but what are you getting at?” Xavier asked.

“She’s proved useful and will be a good help to the household.. So what I’m trying to say is…” Anastasia averted her eyes. “I’m sorry for the way I reacted. I’m starting to think you’re not that bad-“

“Um, Anastasia, is that really how you should apologise? For starters, you’re not even looking me in the eyes. I’ll only forgive you if you go down on your hands and knees and ask properly.” Interrupted Xavier as he shook his head.

With a twitch of her ears, Anastasia froze. She instantly felt regret for her apology as a surge of rage overwhelmed her. Before Xavier even knew it, she was glaring at him with hateful eyes.

Xavier chuckled at her reaction before he patted her on the head. “I’m joking, you don’t have to apologise. You just act the way you do because you want to keep Sangrea, safe right? She’s lucky to have such a reliable maid.” He claimed with a smile.

Anastasia who was startled by his pat and words, took a moment to react before head-butting his hand away as her hands were occupied with carrying Sophie.

“…”

Without saying anything, she turned away to the other hallway before walking down it. She had said nothing but her brows were still stuck together in a frown.

Despite that, it didn’t feel like a frown of hate or disgust like the one from usual. This one was different.

“As long as you understand.” She muttered

Xavier watched with a smile as she disappeared down the hall. His eyes then slowly drifted to the right. “Hey, Mr Head butler.” He said.

The Butler’s towering figure suddenly appeared beside Xavier, a smile present on the Butler’s face as he adjusted his glasses and muttered. “So you noticed me.”

“It’s hard not to when you’ve been spying on me all this time.” Xavier responded.

“Haha, so you noticed that too. Have your senses gotten sharper?” The butler asked.

“I guess they have. Weren’t you training with my mother and sister in the hidden training ground?” Xavier asked.

The butler grinned. “I’ve left them with some tasks. You have quite the talented family.”

Xavier nodded with a smile. “I’d say it’s genetics, but we’re not blood related. I’m sure you already know that.”

The butler nodded. “Yes, I am aware.”

“…”

‘So he knows that too. Just how much does this old man know?’ Xavier wondered.

The Butler glanced over at the ancient relic with a surprised look. “I never expected that Sophie girl to actually be able to decipher the puzzle.”

Xavier stared at the Ancient Relic with narrowed eyes.

“Ah right, you were watching. Yeah, it’s a hard puzzle, but now that we’ve deciphered it, we’re not sure what to do next. Do you have any ideas?”

The butler smiled before shaking his head. “None. But I’m sure you’ll figure things out eventually.”

Xavier let out a sigh. “Wouldn’t that be nice.”

He looked back over at the Butler who was still there. “So, don’t you have anything better to do? Or do you need me for something?” Xavier asked.

The butler opened his mouth to respond but after thinking things through, he shook his head.

“I did, but it’s fine now. Go get some rest.” He said.

Xavier nodded before walking down the hall in the opposite direction that Anastasia and Sophie had gone. “Then, with that, I’ll take my leave.”

The butler responded with a nod before waving Xavier a goodbye.

‘Sneaky as always, that butler.’ Xavier thought to himself as he continued to walk.

*Step* *Step* *Step*

The hall which Xavier was on was unusually quiet. There weren’t any servantsa round and the only sounds he could hear were the raindrops crashing against the window.

When he finally reached the end of it and turned to the right, he noticed Sangrea sat on the floor with her back against the wall.

Her arms were wrapped around her knees and her head was lowered.

“Sangrea?” Xavier called out to her.

Sangrea slowly raised her head, showing him dark cold eyes before responding to his call. “Xavi?”

Xavier was quick to notice that something was different about her, usually she’d be prepped up with joy from seeing him, but…

“…”

Without saying anything, Xavier sat down beside her before putting his arm over her shoulder. When he sat down, it was then that he noticed.

Her shadow, it was moving out of control, twitching and changing shape non-stop while wriggling around.

“S-Stay away… It’s dangerous… I can’t control it…” She muttered with a trembling voice.

“Did you send the servants away from this area because of this?” He asked.

Sangrea nodded.

Xavier didn’t know much of the situation, he wasn’t sure why she was struggling to contain her shadow ability which she could use effortlessly.

But he didn’t care. He just sat there beside her with his arm wrapped around her shoulder. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll wait here until you can get things back under control.”

Without saying anything, Sangrea slowly leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes, focusing as she began trying to contain it.