Chapter 84: Chapter 84: New Quest: The Name

Two days had passed since I experienced the worst day of my existence.

I was currently descending a grand staircase, each step echoing through the vast halls of this enormous mansion.

My eyes rested on Amelia and the nameless girl waiting at the bottom, both dressed in finery that would make lesser nobles weep with envy.

Yes, I had no choice but to follow whatever that crazy woman wanted.

I genuinely couldn’t comprehend what was going through Diana’s mind. She had taken not only me but both girls as well. Yet she hadn’t cared to explain anything.

She hadn’t spoken to me. She hadn’t even looked in my direction for the past two days.

But I could tell she cared about us. In her own twisted, indirect way.

She would ask the maids if we were being treated properly. She would instruct them to ensure our comfort. She would tell them to address any requests we might have.

Always through others. Never directly.

The situation was unbearably awkward. It felt exactly like one of those scenarios where you carefully fatten a goat with the finest grain, knowing full well it’s destined for slaughter.

Not that I had much of a choice in the matter.

Her assistant had made the options painfully clear. Either bring your luggage to Madam Diana’s residence, or take it back home where you came from.

Some choice that was.

So here I was. And honestly, things were far too comfortable here.

We were treated exceptionally well. Only a handful of servants seemed jealous about why these random strangers received noble treatment. The vast majority of guards and maids were genuinely happy to serve us.

Most of them had been completely charmed by the adorable little girl.

She and Amelia were currently being attended to by nearly a dozen maids. The little one seemed happy among them, her laughter echoing through the halls regularly.

And someone was even happier than her.

Amelia.

Despite being an adult, she acted like an excitable child around all this luxury. But I understood the truth behind her behavior.

She had been deprived of a normal childhood. Imprisoned. Hunted. Never allowed to simply exist as the young girl she once was.

Now she was enjoying everything she had missed.

But I also knew this royal treatment wouldn’t last much longer. Soon, this House of Winter would crumble into ruin.

For that exact reason, I had already begun planning for the future. Over the past two days, my eyes had been carefully analyzing the vault locations.

The treasury.

Every piece of luxury that could be converted to coin was being catalogued by my greedy mind.

I had deliberately ignored any opportunities for fucking and farming Gooner Points for the past two days in this mansion full with beautiful maids.

I understood clearly that the priority right now was money above all else.

The moment my foot touched the final step, the little girl noticed me.

She immediately broke away from the maid who had been styling her purple hair and ran straight toward me.

“Young miss, please wait!” the maid called out in exasperation. “I haven’t finished with your hair yet!”

But the girl didn’t care. She stopped right in front of me, standing there with those pleading gradient eyes. Blue melting into violet. The faint glow on her cheeks was visible now, no longer hidden behind a mask.

I didn’t need to conceal her features here. She was protected within these walls.

Then she spoke.

“I need a name.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Haven’t I already told you? Name yourself. Choose whatever you like. If you enjoy lilies, then call yourself Lily. That way, you’ll carry something you love forever. And you’ll never have to criticize someone else for giving you a garbage name.”

She shook her head vigorously.

“No, no. I don’t want it like that.” Her voice carried surprising conviction. “I want it from someone else.”

I shrugged casually. “Then why not ask the maids? They would be excellent at this sort of thing. I’m willing to bet that old maid Marielle has named countless children in her lifetime, judging by her age.”

The girl’s small fists clenched at her sides. “No. I don’t want it from them.”

Her eyes locked onto mine with intensity I hadn’t seen before. “I need it from you.”

I sighed heavily. “Stop with the tantrums. If I wanted to name you, I would have done it days ago. Addressing you as ’little one’ or ’the girl with no name’ has been a constant pain in my ass. But you know perfectly well that I’m terrible at these things.”

“It will be fine.” Her voice didn’t waver. “I won’t feel bad about any name you give me.”

“You’ll regret saying that later. I can guarantee it.”

“I won’t.” She stood her ground firmly. “I promise.”

I stared at the stubborn creature before me. She had been acting strangely lately. Opening up to me more and more with each passing day.

Or maybe I was the strange one. I genuinely had no understanding of how children functioned.

“Fine.” I relented with another sigh. “A name, huh? That should be easy enough.”

I scratched my chin thoughtfully.

“Let me think. My father named me Zarix because he was working on some engineering project related to database systems at the time. It basically referred to table indexes or something technical like that.”

The girl listened intently, though confusion flickered across her features.

“When I asked him why he chose such a strange name, he told me he only got his job because of a single interview question about that exact concept. So it was special to him.”

I nodded to myself.

“So, something special. And a name should also match the person’s characteristics.”

I looked down at her, memories of our first meeting flooding back.

“I found you at a slave auction. So matching your characteristics with my special moment, I know exactly what will suit you.”

For some reason, her face went pale. She looked terrified and tense, her small body growing rigid with each word of my reasoning.

I ignored her dramatics and delivered my verdict. “How about Lot Eight Slave Fifty?”

Her face dropped instantly.

“What?” I spread my hands defensively. “It’s perfect! It tells so many things at once. First, how we met. Second, how special that victory was for me. That number represents your—”

I stopped mid-explanation.

Tears were forming in her eyes. Glistening drops that threatened to spill down her glowing cheeks at any moment.

I think she didn’t like this one.

“On second thought,” I said quickly, “I don’t really like that name either. Let’s change the approach slightly.”

I fell silent, genuinely thinking for several minutes.

Honestly, I couldn’t remember the last time I had been this serious about something so stupid.

My mind processed the same two factors repeatedly. Special moment. Character traits. Something that combined both while actually sounding like a proper name.

Then it struck me. “How about Anastasia?”

Her tear-filled eyes blinked rapidly.

“Is that better?” I continued carefully. “If you don’t like it, just say so. Remember what I told you at the inn, right? Wanting something and dying with it still in your chest is pointless.”

Her sad, teary expression vanished in an instant. Color rushed back to her cheeks as she processed the name, her face practically glowing with something beyond her natural luminescence.

I exhaled in relief and explained my reasoning.

“The name Anastasia suits you well because it matches your character. You’ve been blessed by the celestials. By the gods themselves.” I paused. “And for me, this name means rebirth. I see your life as a restart. A new beginning.”

I looked away slightly, suddenly uncomfortable with how sincere I was being.

“Also, it sounds cute. Fitting for a princess. Which is exactly what you are.”

I cleared my throat. “So? Is this acceptable? Do you like it?”

Her actions provided the answer before any words could.

Her eyes shone brighter than I had ever seen them. Pure, radiant joy emanating from every feature. She threw herself at my legs, wrapping her small arms around them in a fierce embrace.

“Anastasia…” she murmured against my trousers. “Anastasia… Anastasia…”

She kept repeating it like a sacred mantra.

Before I could tell her to release me so I could attend to important matters, Amelia appeared beside us with a knowing smile.

“Oh my,” she said sweetly. “Your smile is even wider than it was after last night’s pudding. Did I miss something?”

Anastasia spun around with energy I didn’t know she possessed. Her joy had somehow multiplied even further.

“Big sis!” She practically bounced in place. “I have a name now! The very best name!”

With that declaration, she dashed back toward the maids. Jumping. Bouncing. Nearly tripping over her own dress in her excitement.

She climbed onto a sofa and stood tall, addressing everyone present with the confidence of royalty announcing a grand decree.

She told them her name. The meaning behind it. How it represented rebirth and celestial blessing.

Amelia and I watched her performance from a distance, both of us wearing smiles we couldn’t quite suppress.

Then a thought crossed my mind.

“By the way,” I said quietly, “I haven’t seen Diana today. Where is she?”

Amelia’s expression shifted slightly. “She’s in the meeting hall. Along with the heads of the other four houses.”

My smile faded.

This was it. The beginning of the end. Act One’s final Chapter was commencing, and poor Diana would be the victim of political machinations she couldn’t escape.

I needed to observe this situation firsthand.

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