Lyra has noticed from the beginning that there is something strange with her master.

Okay, probably not from the beginning. It began to happen when she entered the magic academy.

It's not like she has become a totally different person, but she can tell the subtle difference. And her orders are a lot weirder than usual.

At first, she didn't really think about it, but now she knows why.

It happened by total coincidence. She wasn't purposely trying to eavesdrop or anything. She wasn't randomly wandering around the Viscount's office for no reason. She wasn't curious about what actually happened.

And then she heard it. From behind the door her master said, "I think I have a power to see the future." 

It all makes sense now. All her strange actions, all her odd requests must be because she knows something about the future.

Still, discovering her master's big secret in such a way made Lyra feel bad. 

What a terrible maid she was.

Aurora didn't tell her because she didn't trust her enough, and that thought made her feel sad. But the fact that she had been eavesdropping and found out her secret like this made her realize that her master was right; she wasn't trustworthy. 

Lyra walked through the garden of the Viscount's family with a defeated feeling. She couldn't forgive herself for what she had done. 

Why couldn't she have just waited for her master to tell her herself? she thought. Why couldn't she have controlled her curiosity better? What if her master found out what she had done? Would she... throw her away?

The thought terrified her.

It's been many years since she has served as her maid. She's already a part of her life. If she lost that... 

Lyra snapped back to reality when she suddenly felt something dark watching her, like a wild beast eyeing its prey. She immediately looked in the direction the feeling came from, but there was nothing there, just an empty garden of flowers. 

Is she imagining it? She wondered. Or...

She pushed aside her fear and slowly walked in that direction. There should have been guards around that area, so someone or something shouldn't have been able to enter so easily, but...

"Don't look back," a sudden whisper came from behind her. Lyra was stunned.

"You're Lyra, correct?" whispered the man behind her.

Lyra nodded in fear.

"I have a message for your master," he said, putting something in her hand. "Don't drop it."

Lyra immediately grabbed it tightly. The man's voice was calm, but she felt danger in every word he said.

"Tell your master I accept her invitation," he said. "I'm looking forward to talking with her directly."

Suddenly a strong wind pushed her back and the feeling of someone watching her disappeared. She looked back and there was no one there.

She looked at her hand and saw a white envelope there.

She immediately ran inside.

"Lyra, don't run inside," an older maid scolded her, but she ignored it. She hurried to her master's room.

She knocked on the door with heavy breath.

"Miss," she said. "It's me."

"Come in, Lyra."

She entered and saw her master lying on the bed. A blanket covered half of her body and she had a book on her lap.

Aurora looked at her. "What's wrong, Lyra?" she said, worried. "You don't look so good."

"I-I'm fine," she stammered. "Someone gave this to me for you."

She held out the envelope to Aurora.

"Oh," Aurora's eyes opened wider, "so they've finally made a move."

"Y-you know who this is from...?" Lyra asked.

Aurora smiled. "The one I've been asking you to find for a while now, the Information Guild."

***

The next day, Aurora stood beside her horse and carriage, ready to head back to the magic academy. Her father gave her a hug and said, "Don't worry about what happened. Just enjoy your time at the academy. I'll take care of everything." Aurora nodded and smiled in return, feeling reassured by her father's words.

Her maid, Lyra, quietly entered the carriage with Aurora's belongings. 

"I love you, Father," Aurora said, turning to her father. "I'll see you later." 

She gave him one last smile before climbing into the carriage and setting off for the academy.

The carriage began to move and Aurora settled in, trying to find a comfortable position. The carriage jostled along the uneven road, and Aurora let out a sigh. No matter how well-made the carriage was, it couldn't compare to the comfort of a car.

Lyra sat across from her, looking down at her hands, fidgeting nervously.

"What is it, Lyra?" Aurora asked, noticing her maid's unease.

"Wha-nothing, Miss," Lyra replied, surprised by the question.

"I've known you for a long time," Aurora said. "I can tell when something is on your mind."

Lyra let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, Miss," she apologized.

"So, what is it?" Aurora asked, looking at her intently.

"About that guild," Lyra said slowly, "they are dangerous. Are you sure you want to be in contact with them?"

"Hm," Aurora mused. "I believe you asked me this question before."

"Yes... but after meeting them, I've realized just how dangerous they can be," Lyra added with concern.

Looking at her worried maid, Aurora placed her hand on top of Lyra's. "Just trust me, okay? I know it's dangerous, but I can't gain anything without taking risks." 

Lyra understood. She knew Aurora's interest in the guild must have something to do with her future sight abilities. All she could do was nod in agreement.

The rest of the journey passed without any issues. They arrived at the magic academy about two hours later.

As Aurora stepped out of the carriage, a familiar small figure came into view. "Aurora!" the small girl with twintails exclaimed as she hugged her. "I missed you!"

Aurora laughed. "I've only been gone for a day though. But I missed you too, Ruby." She hugged her back.

Behind her, her maid stepped out of the carriage. "Miss, I will go ahead and unpack in your room," Lyra said, carrying Aurora's belongings.

"Oh, right. Thank you, Lyra," Aurora said.

Lyra nodded and headed off to take care of Aurora's things.

"So," Aurora said, "how long are you going to keep hugging me?"

"Just a little bit more," Ruby replied, hugging her tighter.

"Fine," Aurora said, patting Ruby's head.

"Okay, I'm done," Ruby said as she finally let go.

"Your face is so red," Aurora said, touching her forehead. "Are you sick?"

"Yes," Ruby said. "love sick."

"Don't joke around," Aurora said.

"I'm fine, really," Ruby replied. "Let's get inside."

"Yes," Aurora said, as they walked towards the academy. "And by the way, Ruby, that necklace suits you."

Ruby's face reddened even more. "Thanks," she said.

"Are you sure you're not sick?" Aurora asked again.

"I'm fine, geez!" Ruby said, trying to hide her blushing face. "Anyway, how have things been? I heard you were called home because there was a problem?"

"Yes," Aurora replied. "But it's fine. My father will handle it."

"So, no problem then?" Ruby asked.

"I guess not," Aurora said.

"If you need any help," Ruby said. "Just tell me. I'll force my dad to do something about it."

Aurora smiled, "Thank you."

Sometimes she forgets that Ruby's family is higher ranked than hers. A marquis family.

"Oh, speaking of that," Ruby said. "I remember Marina came to me yesterday."

"Ah, the potion making genius?" Aurora asked.

Did she take the bait? Aurora wondered.

Ruby nodded. "She asked if you could help her with something about the herb. It's fine if you don't want to though, I'm not trying to force you to do anything."

"It's fine, I don't mind helping my classmate," Aurora said. "Though I can't promise anything, at least I'm willing to hear her out first."

"Thank you," Ruby said. "And she dislikes Nova too, so she can join our alliance."

"Oh, that would be great," Aurora said, smiling at the thought of gaining another ally in their little group.

***

The Viscount Starlight is in turmoil. 

Rejecting a business deal with people who have a higher rank than him is not easy, especially when it's an offer from the Magic Association. They even sent their director to speak with him.

But that's all not his biggest problem.

Nicholas Wolf is a young man with green hair, around twenty years old, of unknown origin. He's a rising young merchant whose reputation is quite good, so he have no problem working with him, but... 

The door knocked, and the butler entered the room with a polite announcement, "My lord, Nicholas Wolf has arrived."

"Alright," the Viscount replied, "Please send him in."

Moments later, Nicholas walked into the room with a friendly expression on his face. 

"Good day, my lord," he greeted, "My name is Nicholas Wolf, thank you for inviting me here."

The Viscount nodded in response. "Please, have a seat," he gestured towards a comfortable chair.

"Thank you," Nicholas smiled as he sat down. 

"Listen," The Viscount said, his tone serious, "I've done my research on you, and I'm willing to work with you, but I need to ask you something."

Nicholas nodded, looking relieved. "Of course, my lord. What is it?"

The Viscount's gaze turned harsh. "What is your relationship with my daughter?"

"W-What?" Nicholas stammered, confused and terrified. "Where did you meet her? What do you do with her? Why does she trust you?"

The Viscount's glare was intense.

"S-sorry, my lord," Nicholas said, his voice trembling. "But, what is this about?"

The butler cleared his throat. "My lord, we've already done a thorough check on everything. I don't think there's any hidden connection."

The Viscount calmed down and said, "Alright, let's start from there. Do you know my daughter?"

"Y-yes, my lord," Nicholas replied. "I have heard of her, Aurora Starlight. I heard she is quite a charming young lady."

The Viscount approved of the description but remained hostile towards Nicholas. "And, what is your relationship with her?"

"I-I think you've got the wrong person, my lord," Nicholas said. "We've never even met before. There are a lot of merchants in this kingdom, you might be confusing me with someone else."

The Viscount remained suspicious. "Really? But your name is Nicholas Wolf, right?"

"That's true, my lord," Nicholas confirmed.

"But you claim you don't know my daughter?"

"That's right, my lord. I've never met her," Nicholas said.

"Then why is she specifically asking me to work with you?" The Viscount asked, confusion etched on his face.

"Pardon? She is?" Nicholas said, surprised. "I... I don't know, my lord."

"Are you sure?" The Viscount said, his tone serious. "I won't forgive you if I find out that you forced my daughter to recommend you."

"I swear, my lord," Nicholas said, his voice panicked. "I didn't do anything like that."

The Viscount stared at him, studying his expression.

"What do you think?" The Viscount addressed the butler.

"I think he truly doesn't know the young lady, my lord," the butler said.

"Then why would she specifically pick him?" The Viscount asked.

"I believe she might have heard of him through rumors," the butler said. "His growth as a merchant is quite impressive, after all. Or maybe..." the butler stopped, his gaze meeting the Viscount's. The Viscount nodded, understanding.

The Viscount had already confided in his trusty butler about his daughter's powers. His family had been loyal to the Viscount's family for generations, so he trusted his judgement.

The message was clear, his daughter might have seen this man through her clairvoyance ability, even though they had never met in person.

The Viscount let out a long breath. "Fine, I will trust you for now. Then let's talk about business."

***