The spacious boulevards were abuzz with activity as people from all walks of life, from the inly dressedmoners to the opulently adorned nobility, found their gazes invariably drawn to a man and woman at the heart of the thoroughfare. Each passerby, despite the briefest of encounters, couldn''t resist a second nce at the pair.


    Strolling through the capital''s streets with his daughter''s hand in his, Ansel''s spirits were buoyant.


    "My dear Helen," the young Hydral said with a smile, "do you have any further thoughts on Madam Ronger''s remarks?"


    "...None," Ravenna responded softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Even without Ans... even without father, I had already found my answer."


    "Otherwise, I wouldn''t believe that only... father could be the one to apany me on this journey."


    Her gaze dropped slightly beneath the veil of misty ckce. "Such insight and vision are not possessed by everyone. I''ve never held... any great expectations for the Rongers."


    Despite her words of denial, it was clear from her uncontroble emotional tone and subtle bodynguage that Ravenna was revealing her true feelings without saying a word.


    "Your demeanor back then hardly seemed as nonchnt as you im now."


    Ansel remarked, gently squeezing Ravenna''s hand and brushing his fingertips against her palm, mimicking the desperate grip of miss puppet from earlier.


    Ravenna fell silent, perhaps unable to articte a response that could continue to persuade herself.


    It was a truth that required no borate unveiling, one that Ravenna had been prepared for, yet had never actively sought to reveal


    — Even the students who had steadfastly followed Eileen through the most challenging times had never believed in the possibility of that future.


    In this vast and enigmatic world of the extraordinary, Ravenna Ziegler found herself alone after her grandfather''s death.


    It was an absurd reality where the few who were close to her could not stand by her side, and the devil who toyed with her, calling her "daughter," was the only one who matched her stature.


    Even more absurd was the fact that before bing a devil, he had been her best friend, and she had once had the chance to escape the suffocating loneliness.


    Had their alliance not fractured, had they still been working together, even just for three years… the entire empire could have been transformed. The future deemed impossible by Ronger would no longer be a fleeting illusion but a tangible reality within reach.


    But that future was indeed impossible now. What remained was a pitiful puppet, bound and calling the devil "father."


    In that moment, when Ansel mercilessly exposed the Rongers'' negative attitude towards Eileen''s ideals, a sh of anger had ignited in Ravenna''s heart, yet that me could not be sustained.


    Instead, she sincerely uttered… those words.


    "After calling out ''father,'' did you feel a rebellious thrill, as if venting your resentment?"


    Ansel asked with a narrowed smile, caressing Ravenna''s delicate hand wrapped in ckce gloves.


    At the moment she said Ansel is the one believing in that future, Ravenna, who had seemed somewhat out of control, had for the first time spoken the word "father" without any thought of resistance.


    The young Hydral could feel the slight tremble of the petite schr''s body as she embracedhim, which brought him great pleasure.


    "... Perhaps," Ravenna whispered in response.


    "I seek a definitive answer, my dear Helen."


    The obedient miss puppet paused for a moment before replying, "There was... a moment. Indeed, that answer gave me a fleeting sense of pleasure, a forbidden, rebellious pleasure."


    —Even without it, I have better. This thought, more or less present in everyone''s heart, is the source of the pleasure Ravenna described.


    But of course, it was only a moment, because...


    "Because, Ans... father, you would not walk that path either."


    Those who were close to her could not see, nor had the ability to step onto that path.


    Those who had broken ties with her, despite being far ahead on that path, sought to actively destroy it.


    What a... ludicrous world.


    Is this what Ansel wanted me to see? To see how isted I am, to see that if I hadn''t parted ways with him, perhaps everything could have been different?


    Compared to Seraphina, Ravenna could always see Ansel''s intentions at first nce—at least the most superficial ones.


    But most of the time, it didn''t bring any help. At the beginning, she could at least use this to resist Ansel, but now... it only made Ravenna feel the harshness of reality even more, serving no other purpose.


    After all, she had gone from "never being enved by Ansel" to now "maintaining a bnce in the rtionship with Ansel as much as possible."


    Miss puppet couldn''t resist the temptation—if she could help Ansel solve his problems, then everything woulde to the most beautiful conclusion.


    So... let it continue, whether as father and daughter, master and servant, or even as pets.


    It''s just dignity,pletely sacrificial.


    In her heart, that desire, that hope, never dimmed or flickered out, no matter how negative reality was.


    Ansel, who was always attentive to everything about Ravenna, noticed her barely perceptible emotional fluctuations, just as Ravenna understood him, he too understood her all too well.


    To the point of some disappointment.


    Disappointed that Ravenna hadn''t changed, and disappointed at the predetermined end of this taming.


    Honestly, although Ansel disliked anything that deviated from the track, especially a dramatic change at the end that waspletely out of his control, if it was a change like Seraphina''s, he didn''t really mind.


    But Ravenna... born for that ideal, living for that ideal, the path paved by her character and thinking, Ansel could see its end at a nce.


    So... it''s on to the next stage then.


    I wish you could surprise me, but that''s clearly impossible, Ravenna.


    "Are you familiar with this ce, Helen?" Ansel, seemingly meandering through the streets without purpose, led Ravenna to the front of a shop.


    Ravenna silently surveyed her surroundings. She had never been here before, but this area... was within the control of the Etheric Academy.


    Centered around the sorcerer''s tower, Yuktreshil, this upscale area was home to a multitude of sorcerers, nobles, and merchants from across the nation, selling various materials or precious items.


    This shop, located somewhat far from Yuktreshil, was in the outermost area, where the merchants were lesser-known individuals, unlikely to offer anything of significant value. Ravenna wondered why Ansel had brought her here.


    "I... have never been here, father," Ravenna softly replied.


    "Not familiar? No matter, there''s someone you know in that shop."


    Leaning on his scepter, Ansel led Ravenna into the shop. As soon as the door opened, a warm and eager voice immediately greeted them, causing Ravenna to freeze on the spot.


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