“Lady Mei, if you did not mind me asking, how did you know Nao? Nao has been a companion for me for a long time now so I was curious” Lady Mei turned around with a curious look on her face.

Maria waited for her question to be acknowledged by the other.

Maria knew she had no right to ask such personal questions about Nao. Nao was her one person and deserved to have her one life.

And if that life included people Maria did not know, then it was more than alright with her. Maria had no right to feel annoyed at Nao for keeping this from her.

“Me and Nao? Well, I’ve known her for far longer than you but I can’t say I know her better than you. The one who knew Nao was my adopted mother. They had a history together” Lady Mei’s reply had not been something Maria had expected.

In reality, her mind had made up various scenarios to justify Nao’s familiarity with Lady Mei. and there were so many options as well to choose from.

Lover, friend, acquaintance, worker, they all fitted the criterion. But no matter what Maria thought about their relationship, all she felt was annoyance.

“You used to be such a cute kid back then and your adopted mother was a lovely person. It’s just a shame that she met her end in that fight” Nao injected her own opinion.

Nao had a small and fond smile on her face. Maria had seldom seen that smile on the elder demon’s face and her chest felt tight as she took it in.

That smile was not for her and it hurt for some reason.

“So how did you end up with our family, Nao? Don’t tell me! You fell for my mother?” Maria teaser and she was thankful when her voice came out as teasing. It showed nothing of the doubt she felt inside.

Whether Nao knew about Maria’s feelings or not, Maria had to pretend as if she did not. Even Maria did not know what she was feeling half the time after all.

“I don’t like your mother like that but I did own Lady Silvya a favor. However, protecting you is more than duty and I am not ashamed to admit it” the cloud of doubt and oppression lessened inside Maria.

Breathing became easier and the city looked a little brighter all of a sudden.

Even the amused chuckle of Lady Mei walking in front of them did not sound annoying to Maria. Somehow, those words seemed to have lifted a huge weight off of Maria’s shoulder.

“You are not a duty to me either. I feel like I can see it all through because of you Nao” Maria thought she saw a little color creep up Nao’s face but her complexion did not allow Maria to see it.

“Hey, can you both flirt later? More importantly, how about your clothes? Do they fit?” Lady Mei asked as she turned around to the pair who supported new looks.

Maria felt especially grateful to be out of her barely their clothes. Her body was finally covered due to the robe she had been offered.

However, the fact that these clothes hugged Maria in all the right places did make her worry. Even Nao’s measurements were spot-on and showed off her great physique.

“They’re great. Now, let us come back to the main part before we retire. I need to help Lady Maria with her routine tonight since she decided to use those chains today” Maria felt herself heat as soon as those words registered inside her mind.

She had forgotten that she had used her chains today. The lack of any instant reaction in her body and the lack of heat had made her feel safer than it way.

Nao, apparently, did not think the same and had decided to help Maria without informing her about it first.

If those words made Lady Mei any more suspicious about what kind of ‘help’ Nao was offering, then she did not show it at all. Instead, her face turned serious and she signaled someone to leave.

Maria watched as shadows disappeared from around her and the atmosphere changed inside the room. She had not even realized that they had been under inspection.

Nor had she realized just how close those guards had gotten to her and Nao.

“Your shadow guards are as impeccable as ever. They don’t give off any presence at all, almost as if they’re dead” Nao stressed the last part only to get a chuckle from Lady Mei.

“They’re dead human bodies being occupied by demons. They might as well be dead” Lady Mei made light of the situation but it caused Maria to tense up.

Dead bodies could be occupied by demons? Didn’t the initial phase need a live human for the ritual?

“Don’t think too much of it. It is not harmful and we don’t go around killing people. Those demons are not even ours but rather, a gift to our family from someone special. You will meet them soon and then you can ask them” Lady Mei assured and Nao nodded.

If Nao was vouching for this then it must be legit. Maria had to accept this face and move on. There were more important things for her to worry about after all.

Nao was looking at Maria and the look asked Maria to take control of this situation. Nao was willing to leave it to Maria despite her having better odds of being able to pull it off.

It humbled and terrified Maria. Was she even capable of doing something like this? But she had to, did she not?

“Lady Mei, I, the oracle, am here to ask for your help in arranging a voyage to the grand canyon. I will try to repay you for this favor in any way I possibly can” Maria asked. It was a formal oath to ask for help and only the oracle used it.

By doing this, Maria was showing the other that she was ready to take responsibility for her actions but will not back down.

Maria’s eyes held Lady Mei’s own and the start they shared could have spanned for a minute or an hour. Maria knew she had to hold on to that stare or she might lose credibility.

Lady Mei might still help her out but the essence of that help would not be the same.

“I can’t” Lady Mei finally said with a regretful face. It was the face of someone who did want to help but had something holding her back.

“Can’t or won’t?” Nao finally interfered once the situation looked as if it would go out of hand.

“I can’t. The train cannot be allowed to leave the station for the next week due to the royal orders. The royal guards would be storming the city to check for some people they’ve lost and everyone was ordered to be kept in here for the time being” Lady Mei finally dropped the bomb and Maria felt her heart clench in fear.