Chapter 64: Chapter-64

Elara, still bent over her documents, lowered her head slightly. “You… don’t have anything to ask me?”

Lisa, continuing her work, glanced up briefly. “Well… what could I ask, Your Highness?”

Elara didn’t lift her eyes. “Most people would.”

Lisa smiled faintly, a calm, knowing curve of her lips. “That’s because they forget their place.” She stopped, looking at Elara with steady eyes. “Your Highness, you are our master. Whatever you desire, it is our duty to fulfill. Asking you a futile question… I see no reason to waste my time on it.”

The room fell into a comfortable silence, the only sound the soft crackle of the fire and the occasional scratch of Elara’s quill across paper.

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In the days that followed, the mansion buzzed with activity. Following Elara’s orders, the administrators summoned repairmen, and renovations began in earnest. With the Beast Knights lending their strength and precision, every task—from mending walls to restoring rooms—was completed faster than anyone had anticipated. The mansion slowly transformed, sturdy and orderly under her careful direction.

Meanwhile, in the capital, Elara’s “blind arrow” had hit its mark perfectly. Just as she had predicted, murmurs spread through the court. Whispers of the fourth princess, living in a dilapidated hut with barely enough money for a decent home, had reached every corner. Nobles talked in hushed tones, outraged at the perceived embarrassment to the royal family.

How could a kingdom allow one of its own princesses to live in squalor? What if other nations heard of it? Would the empire not become the subject of ridicule? Even the Emperor, faced with the mounting petitions and growing unrest among the nobles, found himself at a loss for words.

Finally, he acted. Calmly but decisively, the Emperor ordered that the fourth princess be provided with funds and everything she needed—enough to restore her home, secure her position, and silence the critics. The court was pacified, the nobles appeased, and Elara’s plan had worked exactly as she had intended.

With the funds secured and every arrangement already in place, Elara wasted no time. The moment the resources arrived, everyone moved into action. What looked like sudden order was, in truth, careful preparation finally unfolding exactly as planned.

Her decision to come to this place had never been about preservation magic alone.

More importantly, it was its position.

Among all the available locations, this mansion lay closest to the capital—yet remained just distant enough to stay out of its direct grasp. There were no proper land routes connecting it to the capital, only the river and air passages. Most people avoided the area entirely, complaining about inconvenience, limited access, and lack of development.

That was precisely why Elara chose it.

What others dismissed as isolation, she recognized as advantage.

Hidden beneath its neglect was something far more valuable: the location itself. When viewed on a map, the estate sat almost perfectly between the major cities, like a pin driven into the center of the empire. A strategic point—quiet, overlooked, and underestimated.

If Elara could secure her footing here, she wouldn’t just protect her funds and resources. She would gain something far greater: control over land that connected everything without belonging to anyone. A place free from constant scrutiny, yet close enough to influence trade, movement, and power.

The mansion was not a retreat.

It was a foundation.

And once her roots settled here, this forgotten place would become impossible to ignore.

Here’s a corrected, polished version with a smooth narrative tone, richer flow, and the same sharp, strategic feel—nothing abrupt, nothing repetitive, and pleasant to read aloud:

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Morning mist clung low over the mansion grounds, soft and pale against the chaos beneath it. Elara stood at the edge of the yard, surveying the damage time had done. Weeds rose to her thighs, brambles twisted over what had once been paths, and the land looked forgotten—abandoned by everyone except decay.

The funds were secured. The orders had been given.

Now it was time to claim it.

Dimitri lingered a short distance behind her, ledger pressed to his chest.

“Repairmen are on their way, Your Highness. Servants have been hired as instructed.” He hesitated. “Where shall we begin?”

Elara didn’t turn. She raised her hand and pointed, slow and deliberate.

“Here,” she said. “Clear all of it.”

The Beast Knights moved at once.

No unnecessary words. No confusion. Lyra lifted her hand and signed sharply, and the others responded as if they’d rehearsed it a hundred times. Axes sank into twisted wood. Hawk tore through vines with bare hands. Fox worked with precise, efficient cuts, while Wolf dragged debris aside, piling it high with raw strength.

The yard changed rapidly under their hands.

What had once been suffocating greenery was reduced to torn roots and exposed soil. Cracked stone paths emerged beneath the weeds—worn, but still true.

Elara paced along the edge, her expression calm, unreadable. She watched without comment.

Then—

Thunk.

A shovel struck something solid.

Marcus stiffened. “Metal.”

The work stopped instantly. Hands moved faster now, digging with urgency. Earth fell away to reveal an iron grate, heavy and rusted but intact. With a combined effort, it was lifted aside.

Below lay a stone-lined well, untouched by time. The water shimmered faintly, clear and cold.

Dimitri knelt, scooping a small handful. He tasted it, eyes widening.

“Pure,” he said quietly. “Untapped.”

Elara nodded once. “Good.”

The clearing continued.

In the far corner of the yard, brambles were ripped free to reveal a rotted wooden frame. One firm step from a fox knight collapsed it entirely.

Lyra froze, then signed quickly.

Stairs.

They descended carefully. The air grew damp, the tunnel short but intact, and then—

It opened.

A hidden river dock stretched out below, half-swallowed by neglect but solid at its core. Timber pilings stood deep and strong. The river flowed lazily beneath it, wide and steady.

Dimitri resurfaced moments later, breathless.

“A private dock,” he said, barely containing his excitement. “Connected directly to the main river trade route.”

Elara’s gaze sharpened. A faint smile touched her lips—brief, knowing.

“Precisely why I chose this place.”

The Beast Knights exchanged quiet looks of understanding.

Dimitri had been watching in quiet disbelief.

His gaze flicked from the uncovered well to Elara.

“Your Highness,” he asked carefully, “you knew this was here, didn’t you? Is that why you didn’t allow the repairmen into this section?”

Elara did not answer at once. She looked inward, weighing the question, then met his eyes.

“Then why do you think I did it?”

Dimitri froze. His mouth fell open before words caught up with his thoughts.

“Wait—then how did you even know a clean water well existed here?”

Elara turned to him slowly, her expression flat, almost pitying, as though the answer should have been obvious.

“Clean water was still flowing through the pipes,” she said. “Even after this place was abandoned for years.”

She gestured faintly toward the well.

“If the land alone were the source, the water would’ve turned stagnant long ago. Clearing weeds wouldn’t make it this pure.” Her voice remained calm, certain.

“So I assumed there had to be something more beneath us.”

Her gaze dropped back to the well—quiet, cold, undeniable proof.

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