Anna was slightly surprised to see Abigail, Fiona, and Kelly approaching her. She knew they were quite close to the small building where the demon resided; usually, she only chatted with these three near the kitchen to stay out of his sight, so she didn't act particularly friendly as they drew near.

As they approached, however, Anna noticed a mix of fear, bewilderment, and guilt on their faces. She realized something was wrong. Did the demon find them too noisy? What did he do to them?

Before she could piece it together, the three were upon her.

"You guys..."

Anna didn't even get the words out before Fiona stepped forward and shoved her shoulder—not with much force, but enough to make her stumble.

"I've... I've been sick of looking at you for a long time!" Fiona stared at Anna, her beautiful eyes wide as if trying to telegraph a secret message.

Anna, holding the heavy food box, couldn't dodge in time and took a step back. The bizarre development kept her silent for a moment. Are they possessed? Are they being coerced?

...By that demon?

The realization hit her: the demon must have discovered that Abigail and the others hadn't actually isolated her, so he had taken matters into his own hands. If that was the case, he was likely watching from the shadows right now, waiting for the perfect moment to play the hero saving the damsel in distress.

Anna's mind raced. She looked at Fiona and feigned confusion. "Fiona, what on earth is wrong with you?".

Fiona desperately wanted to tell Anna the truth so she could cooperate. She had finally figured out Lord Patrick's "plan"! He must love Anna so much that, because she wouldn't accept his proposal, he had devised this scheme to appear like a knight and rescue his princess. They had to obey his orders or face expulsion from Wilson Manor, but they didn't actually want to hurt Anna and incur the Lord's wrath.

"You seduced Lord Patrick!" Fiona shouted. "That is not your place!".

She tried to hint at the absurdity of her own words, knowing Lord Patrick was right behind them. Anna had already told them she had a lover; Fiona knew Anna would hear the dissonance in the accusation.

"I... I didn't..." Anna retreated another two steps.

Abigail and Kelly were currently at a loss, simply following Fiona's lead. The trio closed in on Anna. Seeing that the ground behind her was a patch of soft, thornless flowers, Fiona took a final step and pushed Anna down.

Anna had already noted the terrain. The moment Fiona pushed, Anna let herself go. The food box hit the ground with a thud, and the fragrant, expensive meal spilled across the grass.

"You are being noisy."

In the sudden silence following the crash of the food box, a cold, displeased voice rang out through the night.

All four girls froze—including Anna. Only Rothgar, hidden in the shadows, let his lips curl into a chilling smirk.

They turned toward the voice. Standing there was a handsome young man in an exquisite mage's robe, his face a mask of icy indifference. It was the genius four-star mage temporarily staying at the manor, Ulysses Russell.

As a guest of the Earl and a powerful mage, the awe he inspired instantly overrode the fear of Patrick's orders. Fiona and the others curtsied in terror, stammering apologies. "We are deeply sorry for disturbing your peace, Noble Lord!".

Ulysses didn't truly listen to them. "I require silence," he stated flatly.

The three maids curtsied again and beat a hasty retreat. Fiona tried to catch Anna's eye to signal her to leave as well, but Anna remained on the ground, staring at the spilled food, and Fiona was forced to leave her behind.

Anna rubbed the spot where she had landed and slowly sat up, beginning to methodically clean up the mess. Her movements were slow, as if she were waiting for someone.

But the person she expected never appeared.

Anna was certain Abigail's group had been coerced by the demon so he could stage a "rescue." So why isn't he showing up? Even if the "bullying" had been interrupted by the mage, she was still sitting on the ground cleaning up; he could still come over and offer comfort.

Unless, she thought, he doesn't dare come over.

Anna knew Priest Louis was useless against the demon and couldn't even detect its presence, but mages and priests operated on different systems of power. Perhaps Ulysses Russell could see the demon for what it was?. By all accounts, a four-star mage was incredibly powerful. If an elemental mage could detect and destroy a demon, a four-star one should have no trouble at all.

Could that be it? Is the demon so afraid of the mage that he won't show his face?

Hope, which had dwindled after the Priest's failure, surged in Anna's heart once more. She quickly finished gathering the spilled items and approached Ulysses, keeping her voice very low. "Noble Mage, I am deeply sorry for disturbing your tranquility just now. I have great respect for a young and talented genius such as yourself. Meeting you is a greater honor than meeting the Lord himself".

She had considered saying "greater honor than meeting the Goddess," but feared that if the mage were a devout believer, such a comment would be seen as blasphemy.

From his vantage point, Rothgar watched Anna approach the mage with a sense of satisfied control. She was not disappointing him; her ambition was as grand as he had anticipated.

Ulysses frowned slightly and spared Anna a brief glance. "The best apology would be to return my silence to me".

The dismissal was so blunt it was impossible to ignore. Anna suspected the demon was still watching from the dark, so she didn't dare ask the mage to "slay the monster," but she wasn't ready to leave yet. The mage was only there to recover from an injury; he might leave tomorrow, and she might never get another chance to speak with him.

Anna steeled herself and spoke rapidly. "I have had a dream of becoming a mage since I was a child... I wonder, my Lord, do you take students?"

Fiona and the others had explained the conventional way to become a mage and then crushed her with the reality of the cost, but Anna refused to give up. Petitioning a mage to take her as an apprentice was one of the few paths left to her. Even if the odds were astronomical, she had to try.

Even if the demon was watching, she didn't care. Wanting to be a mage didn't prove she knew his identity, nor did it suggest she had "fallen" for someone else. If she did nothing, she was truly throwing away her only chance at survival.