Sister Lina

When Ye Wei'an pushed open the door again, his mood was unexpectedly heavy.

Logically speaking, as a time traveler, he shouldn't have much to do with this frail, elderly man.

But just a moment ago, the other person's somewhat clumsy fatherly love made his breath catch in his throat.

He had to admit that Baron Harandil was mediocre as a lord. But to the original owner of this body, he was indeed a good father.

Kane, who was waiting outside the door, straightened his back and went to greet him as soon as he came out.

As a knight of the Xia Xing family, after completing the mission of bringing Ye Wei'an back, he was supposed to return to report.

"Young Master," he asked in a low voice before entering, "what should I say when I go in to report? About Lady Serena's assassination attempt on you, and the dirty work the Gray Ravens did in town... Should I inform the Baron?"

Kane's plan was simple: take advantage of the old baron's current lucidity to strike.

When the time comes, all the Baron needs to do is give an order, and they will be able to rightfully take down that wicked woman.

Ye Wei'an remained silent for a moment, then looked at the shadow at the end of the corridor.

"No need." He finally shook his head, his tone calm but undeniable. "There's no need for him to face these sordid truths before he dies. Bishop Orion is right, let him enjoy his last days."

"But if we don't expose her, that woman will definitely continue to cause trouble!" Kane warned urgently.

"That's my business, Kane. I don't need a dying old man to solve these problems for me." Ye Wei'an turned around and looked at him seriously. "I'll handle things myself. Since she likes to play the 'motherly love and filial piety' card, then I'll play along."

He did not explain his deeper concerns to Kane.

He wasn't afraid of Serena, but he had to be wary of the Emerys family behind her.

This Eastern Guardian family is a first-rate noble family in the kingdom and has considerable influence in the capital. Even if he has now won over Serena, he still cannot face the Amareske family.

Conversely, his younger brother, who was born of a legitimate son, was also a Xia Xing.

Although Serena is ruthless, as long as she hasn't gone mad, she won't really wipe out Xia Xing's territory completely, even for the sake of her own son's future.

"I understand." Kane lowered his head obediently, though unwilling.

"Go in and report back," Ye Wei'an gestured. "I'll go down first; the air here is thick with the smell of medicine, it's making me feel suffocated."

"Oh, right," he reminded Kane before leaving, "remember to bring our 'captives' to the family dungeon later, make a big show of it, don't keep their identities a secret, but make sure our people guard them personally, don't give anyone a chance to harm them."

"Yes, sir." Kane bowed respectfully, then turned and pushed open the door to enter the bedroom.

When Ye Wei'an reached the stairs, he found a young maid waiting at the corner. Upon seeing him come down, she hurriedly bowed and said, "Young Master, Head Madam Lina has prepared your room. Please follow me."

Ye Wei'an nodded slightly and walked through the west wing of the official residence along the long corridor covered with red carpet.

When the maid pushed open that familiar wooden door, a strong sense of incongruity washed over her.

He had assumed that after four years away, the place would be at least covered in cobwebs and smell of mildew, if not piled with clutter.

However, what appeared before her eyes was the exact same furnishing as in the original owner's memories:

The spellbooks on the bookshelf were neatly arranged according to spine height, the brass ink bottle on the table was polished to a shine, and even the creases of the bed were exactly the same as on the morning he left four years ago.

To his surprise, the room was spotless, with a faint, pleasant scent of soapberry and lavender in the air.

"Young master, your room is cleaned by head maid Lina every few days." The maid couldn't help but mutter as she drew back the curtains, "She's the head maid now, she could just tell us to do these chores, but she insists on doing them herself. By Goddess Woking, she's more devout than when she's cleaning the altar of a temple..."

"Who asked you to be so nosy? Have you finished cleaning the hallway yet?!"

A voice, tinged with embarrassment and annoyance, came from behind the screen in the living room.

Immediately afterwards, Lina walked out quickly, her signature gray hair slightly disheveled, with a faint trace of gray on the tip of her nose.

Her curvaceous figure was accentuated by the apron, and she was glaring reproachfully at the maid before waving her away.

After the maid scurried away with her tongue sticking out, Lina turned around somewhat awkwardly and met Ye Weian's meaningful gaze.

"Um... young master, please don't listen to her nonsense." She unconsciously twisted the rag in her hand, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. "I just think the other maids are clumsy and I'm afraid they might mess up those precious books you can't take with you. Now that you're back, see if there's anything else you don't like, and I'll adjust it for you."

Looking at the somewhat hesitant Lina, Ye Wei'an's distant gaze completely melted away.

Even without using [Thought Detection], he could sense the girl's genuine kindness.

"Sister Lina, it's been a long time," he said softly.

Hearing this long-lost form of address, Lina's eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Seeing this, Ye Wei'an didn't say much, but simply opened his arms wide and smiled at her.

Lina could no longer care about being reserved. Just like when she said goodbye that morning four years ago, she pounced on him.

Her taller, fuller figure crashed solidly into Ye Wei'an's arms, her stunning curves clinging tightly to his mage robes due to the momentum. Ye Wei'an could feel her slightly rapid breathing, a mixture of soap and a familiar scent of her hair.

The two embraced for a moment, until an untimely complaint came from the side.

"Hey, you two, don't pretend I don't exist!" Ellen suddenly handed over a cup of tea and interrupted.

Lina suddenly woke up and quickly broke free from Ye Weian's embrace, hurriedly adjusting her apron.

"Sister Lina, how have you been these past few years?" Ye Wei'an sat down in a chair and asked with concern, "Is life in the castle... going well?"

Lina smiled, concealing her inner turmoil: "It's alright, just like before, still handling some shopping and cleaning chores. Thanks to the protection of the Silver Mother (the moon goddess Serene), nothing too serious has happened."

Lina then went on to talk about recent events at home: which old servant had retired and gone back to his hometown, the roses in the garden were blooming unusually early this year, and members of the Emerysque family were coming and going more frequently, causing unease among the residents of the mansion...

As she was talking, Lina suddenly stopped, lowered her head somewhat embarrassed, and said, "Look at me, I just keep talking about these boring little things as soon as I see you."

"Thank you for your hard work, Sister Lina." Ye Wei'an smiled slightly.

Lina looked at Ye Weian with some surprise and couldn't help but tease him, "Young Master, you've really grown up. If you had come back before, you definitely wouldn't have had the patience to listen to me ramble on like this. Before, you would have walked in and started shouting, then told me all about the mage towers and flying carpets you saw in Susar, just like you did in your letter. It's nothing like you are now..."

"Now you're so composed, like an old scholar?"

Before Lina could reply, Eileen couldn't help but interrupt, the little girl angrily twisting her sleeves:

"Sister Lina, all you know how to do is say nice things to coax the young master! You're clearly in trouble yourself, why don't you mention a single word?"

"What's the trouble?"

Ye Wei'an's eyes turned cold instantly, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze.

Lina's expression changed slightly, and she quickly pulled Eileen back, saying, "What nonsense are you talking about, you little kid..."

"I'm not making this up!" Eileen shouted. "That wicked woman, Lady Serena, has been using Lina's 'old age' as an excuse for years to try and force her into marriage with one of the knights or male servants in the house, calling it a 'favor,' but really just to drive Lina out of the manor! And..."

Eileen added indignantly, "Your younger brother, Lord Xia Xing, has tried several times to ask Sister Lina to serve him. If Sister Lina hadn't firmly refused, he probably would have already taken advantage of her!"

Lina glanced at Ye Weian's face, which was even more striking than it had been four years ago, and a hint of melancholy suddenly appeared in her eyes. She sighed, half-jokingly, "Indeed, Ellen is right, I really am getting old... Young Master, do you also think that I've reached the point where I should just find someone to marry?"

How could Ye Wei'an not have noticed that she was faking it?

He pretended to scrutinize her face, which was at the peak of its beauty, and said slowly, "Hmm, looking at it this way, Sister Lina is indeed not young anymore."

Lina's face froze instantly, and a hint of undisguised sadness flashed across her gray eyes.

She was about to force a smile and make a self-deprecating remark when she heard Ye Wei'an's tone change, becoming domineering:

"—So it's perfect, this age is the most suitable for her to come to my side and help me take care of everything."

Lina froze, her heart skipped a beat, and she awkwardly looked away.

"Young Master... there's no need to say that to comfort me. My father still holds some status in the Xia Xing family. As long as he doesn't agree, Madam Serena and the others can't force me for the time being. I don't want to become a burden to you."

"Your father?" Ye Wei'an caught the key information. "I don't remember you mentioning your father to me. Who is he?"

“My father is Morey Sabastian.” Lina straightened her back a little when she mentioned her father. “He is the Grand Knight of the territory. Although he hasn’t been very fond of the lady these past few years, his guard of about a hundred men still obeys him. That’s why the lady hasn’t dared to go too far.”

"Sabastian?" Ye Wei'an recalled the knowledge about the geography and culture of Faerûn that the original owner had learned at the academy. "This surname... are you a descendant of the Leathermans?"

Lina looked at him with some surprise, then nodded: "By the Silver Mother, young master's knowledge is indeed far beyond that of ordinary people. No wonder you can become a mage. Our family migrated from the distant East of Leatherman three centuries ago, when that land was being invaded by red-robed mages. To escape the war, our ancestors crossed the endless wasteland and finally settled in Cormir."

Ye Wei'an was no stranger to Leatherman.

That was a wild country in the northeast of the continent of Faerûn, with a culture somewhat similar to the Slavic region of my hometown, known for its powerful berserkers and mysterious witches.

No wonder Lina was taller and more athletic than Cormier's wife, and had a strong personality, daring to resist the pressure from the mistress and the legitimate son.

No wonder in the original owner's memories, Knight Morey treated him, the unloved illegitimate son, quite well, unlike others who were snobbish. It was probably because of his daughter.