Vol. 5 Ch. 54

Realizing what Aurora was signaling, Noa froze for a moment.

It wasn’t until Aurora mouthed “Run” a second time that Noa snapped out of her daze.

Questions flooded her mind. What was Aurora playing at? Why did she suddenly want Noa to run?

Was this part of one of her mischievous pranks?

Before Noa could figure it out, the voice of the ancestor sounded in her mind:

“Listen to her, Noa. Run.”

The ancestor’s tone carried an unusual urgency, even excitement.

This time, Noa didn’t hesitate. Trusting her ancestor more than her unpredictable sister, she turned and bolted.

Aurora, watching her eldest sister flee, finally relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. Her usual cheerful expression returned as she leaned comfortably against their parents.

“Everything’s fine now~,” she declared.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Aurora?” Leon asked, still concerned.

“Yes, Dad, I’m fine now.”

Leon set her down gently. “Good. Don’t eat anything strange for the next few days, okay?”

“Okay, Dad,” Aurora chirped.

With his worry for Aurora resolved, Leon remembered his earlier task.

But when he turned around to resume his search, the “task” was nowhere to be seen.

His heart sank, and he quickly looked at Rosvisser.

The couple exchanged a knowing glance and, without hesitation, left to track down Noa.

Watching her parents hurry off, Aurora pushed her bangs back with a sigh.

“What do they even want with Noa…?”

Meanwhile, Noa had darted into the Silver Dragon Sanctuary.

The backyard was too open—no matter where she ran, she could easily be spotted.

The sanctuary’s main building, however, had countless rooms. She could hide in one, giving her parents plenty to search through.

Although she still had no idea why they were looking for her, both Aurora and the ancestor had urged her to run, so she had no choice but to listen.

Noa found a storage room, opened the door, and slipped inside.

She closed the door quietly behind her, leaving the lights off. Only a faint glimmer of light from a small window illuminated the room.

Crouching in a corner behind a stack of boxes, Noa tried to catch her breath.

“Are you sure this is a safe spot?” the ancestor asked.

“Positive,” Noa replied. “No one usually comes here. Even the maids only clean this place once a week.”

“Your Silver Dragon maids are quite lazy,” the ancestor quipped.

“If you’re so diligent, why don’t you come clean it yourself?”

The ancestor cleared her throat, then continued: “Why did Aurora tell you to hide? Did she sense something?”

“I was about to ask you the same thing,” Noa replied. “Why did you tell me to run?”

Before the ancestor could respond, the storage room door suddenly swung open.

Light flooded in, and a familiar voice called out, “Noa? What are you doing in here? It’s filthy. Come out!”

“Milan…”

Noa squinted against the light and saw her maid standing in the doorway.

She was about to brush it off with an excuse when Leon’s voice echoed from a distance:

“Milan! Have you seen Noa?”

Milan froze, her gaze shifting to the corner where Noa crouched.

Noa immediately curled into a ball, hugging her knees and pressing a finger to her lips in a pleading gesture.

Milan’s expression softened, and with a barely noticeable nod, she turned back toward the door.

“No, Father Leon,” she replied, her tone steady.

“Alright, thank you.”

Hearing their father’s response fade, Noa sighed in relief.

But when Milan turned back to the corner, Noa was gone.

All that remained was an open window and a breeze wafting into the room.

“Of all the rotten luck…” the ancestor muttered as Noa clambered out of the window.

“You’ve been with me long enough to know I attract bad luck,” Noa replied, recalling her unfortunate history.

“Bullied at school, stumbled upon ancient ruins during a routine inspection, injured during a promotion exam, and now this—hiding in a storage room only to get found by a maid.”

“Maybe try hiding somewhere no one would think to look,” the ancestor suggested dryly.

Noa dashed down a corridor and ducked into another room.

After locking the door, she tried to catch her breath.

But before long, footsteps approached.

“She must be nearby,” Leon’s voice carried through the hall.

Noa’s eyes widened. “How do they keep finding me?!”

“I have a theory,” the ancestor said. “Your father’s skill at hide-and-seek has been a sham. He’s only been going easy on your siblings all this time!”

Noa didn’t have time to respond. She slipped out through another window and ran into yet another room.

The pattern repeated—each hiding spot seemed promising at first, only for her parents to appear moments later.

“Noa, where are you planning to hide now?”

“The safest place is the most dangerous,” Noa declared.

“Huh?”

Without hesitation, Noa dashed to her parents’ bedroom, slipped inside, and quietly shut the door.

Once in the room, she glanced around, finally opening the wardrobe.

The scent of Rosvisser’s perfume lingered faintly, calming her as she nestled among the clothes.

The variety of garments caught her eye. While elegant robes were expected, something else stood out.

“What’s this…?” Noa murmured, holding up a piece of lacy fabric. “Mom wears this? With… lace edges?”

“And these red ropes… Wait, don’t they look like the ones Aurora once tied me up with?”

“And… bunny ears? Since when does Mom like rabbits?”

The ancestor’s exasperated voice cut through her thoughts.

“Enough, Noa. You’ll understand these things when you’re older.”

Setting the bunny ears aside, Noa frowned. “You still haven’t told me why you wanted me to hide.”

The ancestor hesitated before replying:

“Because—” she drew the word out, as if for dramatic effect, “hide-and-seek is thrilling!”

“…” Noa stared blankly at the air, utterly unamused.

Sensing her frustration, the ancestor relented.

“Fine. I sensed traces of the Primordial Force on your father. That’s why I told you to hide.”

Noa’s brows furrowed. “The Primordial Force? But only Mom has been studying it. Dad’s never mentioned it before.”

“Exactly. It’s suspicious. Combined with Aurora’s reaction, I thought it best for you to stay hidden until we know more.”

Before Noa could reply, the ancestor interjected:

“Wait! Your parents are coming!”

Noa froze, peering through the wardrobe’s crack.

Leon and Rosvisser entered the room, scanning every corner.

“She’s here somewhere…”

“She’s clever—she won’t make it easy for us.”

“Should we check somewhere else?”

“Alright, let’s go.”

As their footsteps receded, Noa exhaled in relief and gently pushed the wardrobe door open.

But as she stepped out, her path was blocked.

Leon and Rosvisser stood in front of her, arms crossed, smirking triumphantly.

“Noa,” Leon said, “why are you running from us?”

Caught off guard, Noa quickly grabbed the bunny ears, placed them on her head, and replied in the flattest tone imaginable:

“I don’t know what’s going on. I’m just a little white rabbit.”