In Dragon Flame City.
A slender woman with violet hair sat in a quiet café, savoring the afternoon's tranquility.
The piano melodies played by the café's staff floated gently in the warm sunlight.
Tiffany occupied a corner table by the window, contemplating that Chu Yan should be on his way back by now.
Taking a sip of her bitter yet sweet coffee, her attention was drawn to a pulse from her magical stone.
"Is it news from Sossia? She should be returning with Chu Yan as well; is she here to inform me of his results?"
She lifted her teacup, preparing to savor its warmth while confirming the message's content.
The glowing aura from the magical stone projected a letter onto the table; the envelope opened by itself, and the letter floated out, unfurling in a ceremonial manner.
The handwriting on the letter was unmistakably Sossia's, as if freshly penned.
[To Tiffany, the view at the Dead Sea border is quite nice; although it is a perilous realm, it is not lacking in the grandeur birthed from earth and sea. Here are a few night scenes to share with you.]
"I would prefer you to bring him back sooner rather than send me postcards... Huh?!"
Tiffany's initial sarcastic thoughts halted abruptly as her brow furrowed in seriousness.
The writing on the paper began to fade, replaced by a few images.
The first image showcased the night view from the terrace of the lord's castle. Behind the executioner loomed a sky heavy with clouds, paired with the churning sea below.
But that wasn't the main point—Chu Yan was hugging her from the front, posing together for the picture.
The second image depicted Chu Yan reclining on the executioner's lap, fast asleep in the carriage on their return journey.
This was clearly intentional!
"Crash—"
The café's server heard the sound of porcelain shattering and turned to see the cup in Tiffany's hand had broken.
Her expression darkened; shadows enveloped her eyes, filled with a chilling gloom, yet her grip on the handle remained steady, despite the cup's body vanishing entirely.
Coffee spilled across the table along with fragments.
Fortunately, the enchantment she had cast prevented the coffee from splattering her clothes.
Assuming a cup from the café had exploded, the server hurriedly rushed over to apologize: "I'm very sorry! I'll get you a new cup right away; you weren't burned, were you?"
The strikingly beautiful violet-haired lady gently shook her head, revealing a polite smile, but paired with the shadow on her face, the smile carried an oppressive air.
The server felt a chill, instinctively retracting her neck.
"It's fine; my magic merely misfired. This is my fault. Please bring me another cup; here's a cleaning fee."
Tiffany placed a tip down and moved to another table, calming herself.
She understood that Chu Yan's closeness with the executioner was likely due to their previous interaction; he still perceived her as the same executioner from before.
Yet Sossia, who could have easily avoided intimacy by citing "we're in official business right now," had instead grown close and deliberately sent her these images!
Tiffany prepared a plethora of harsh words to reply to Sossia.
However, merely writing a letter would not be satisfying enough; she considered connecting through a projection. But thinking of doing so in a café, she decided against it for the sake of decorum.
After all, Sossia would eventually return.
"Perhaps I should send these postcards to Chu Yan's parent from the Black Ice Dragonborn; I wonder what expression they would have upon seeing them?"
Tiffany downed her coffee in one go, collected her thoughts, and left the café.
...
In the carriage.
Chu Yan stirred awake from the softness of the executioner's lap, stretching as he sat up.
Though the makeshift pillow was quite comfortable, lying awkwardly on the carriage seat was not exactly ideal.
This sentiment had persisted for several days.
Yet every day, he still found himself resting on the executioner's pristine lap—an unavoidable circumstance since she had invited him, and Chu Yan felt obliged to accommodate her.
"Where are we now?" he asked.
"Not far yet; you've only slept for a little while. Are you troubled?"
Does it look like I sit here and slack off every day? Just because I'm not frowning doesn't mean I'm unhappy!
Though similar words had slipped from his mouth to Shanoya before.
"I've been sleeping a lot these past few days without much activity; my excess energy is starting to affect my sleep quality."
"Is that so? Would you like to chase after the carriage outside? That could help burn off some energy."
When the executioner made this earnest suggestion, he was genuinely taken aback.
Chasing after the carriage? Might as well have him pull it.
That way, he could expend energy while also shortening the travel time.
"Let's skip that; once my sleep quality drops to a certain level, I'll likely end up fainting again."
So, worse sleep quality equals better sleep quality.
The executioner paused, momentarily bewildered by his logic; this reasoning was indeed quite peculiar.
But upon further thought, it was likely just an excuse to avoid exerting himself.
She, too, was feeling the monotony of the journey, though she managed to suppress her restlessness without displaying it.
At this moment, what she longed for most was a reply from Tiffany, eagerly anticipating her indignant, furious response.
That would be quite amusing—watching Tiffany get close to people while wielding her identity.
Even if Chu Yan was indeed a special case and his closeness wasn't a significant issue, Tiffany still had her fair share of mischief.
The executioner's gaze drifted to the young dragonborn beside her, noting his uniqueness stemmed from his three "mothers."
Women from the three major dragonborn families.
This matter was highly confidential; the majority of the upper echelons in the Dragon Flame family were unaware and would not delve deeper.
As long as he had dragonborn blood, it sufficed. Besides, Chu Yan showed no intention of vying for status within the family, which further diminished his presence and kept anyone from questioning the origins of his arrival into the Dragon Flame family.
Had it not been for Sossia's position as the executioner, she might never have come to know of the intricacies between them.
Tiffany had secretly arrived to meet him; who knew if the Black Ice Dragonborn had any private dealings with Chu Yan?
"Chu Yan, has anyone from the Black Ice Dragonborn contacted you?"
Chu Yan was slouched in a lazy pose, nearly reclining in his chair, when the mention of "Black Ice Dragonborn" triggered an instinctual response, causing him to tumble to the floor.
He scrambled up, his face a mixture of seriousness and embarrassment.
"Executioner, you already know about the Black Ice Dragonborn?"
Sossia was curious about his reaction.
He was already aware of a parent from the Black Ice Dragonborn, yet he seemed oblivious to Tiffany's presence.
Could it be that Veline thought Tiffany was too unreliable and hadn't mentioned her to Chu Yan?
"Yes, I know. You don't need to hide it from me; I won't speak of it to outsiders."
Chu Yan resigned himself. He had thought he could keep this under wraps, but it seemed the executioner was already aware. What part of his plan had gone awry?
Could it be that everyone outside knew he had killed a direct descendant of the Black Ice Dragonborn?!
"Ah, so the executioner already knows. I'm sorry; I've caused trouble... I did kill Connie and disposed of her body in the sea."
"...Huh?"