Chapter 1033: Shion’s First Encounter with Leona (1)

Snow was falling heavily, even though winter hadn’t arrived yet. But that was a common sight in the northern region.

From one end of the land to the other, nothing but endless snow stretched as far as the eye could see.

Even so, to the people of the northern region, snow wasn’t an enemy—it was a friend.

They had lived in those harsh conditions for thousands of years, and their bodies had naturally adapted to the climate.

"Ugh! It’s so cold!"

Ethan hugged himself, trying to ward off the biting cold.

He was already wearing a very thick bearskin coat. Unfortunately, even that wasn’t enough to keep him warm.

"Are you all right, Mr. Ethan?" Leona asked worriedly.

Ethan gave a stiff smile and shook his head.

"I’m... fine. I’m just not used to the northern region yet," he said helplessly.

He usually stayed in his office, which had a magical heater that kept the room temperature stable.

But two days ago, he had to travel to the Viscount Corvayne family’s estate to pick up Leona.

Now, he had to return to the city of Orested, a journey that would take more than a day.

Fortunately, they would be arriving soon, so he just had to hang in there.

Leona sat quietly, not daring to ask any further questions. She could see Ethan’s flushed face.

He seemed to be genuinely freezing. Leona wanted to offer him some help, but she was too shy to say anything.

Half an hour later, they finally arrived in the city of Orested—the center of the northern region.

Leona peeked out the window and was amazed.

"So, this is the city of Orested, huh? It’s so beautiful!" she murmured inwardly.

She had never been outside the city before. She had spent most of her time in the city ruled by the Corvayne family.

That city was small and boring. There was no entertainment there whatsoever, which had made her sick of it.

But the city of Orested was different. It was huge and bustling.

Merchants passed by one after another, while children ran joyfully along the sides of the road.

Many shops were open, welcoming guests coming from both directions.

"Is this your first time here?" Ethan asked.

"Mhmm! It is! This is my first time here!" Leona replied excitedly.

Then she realized she was getting a little too excited and quickly composed herself.

"Ahem! Sorry, I got a little carried away."

Ethan smiled and waved his hand.

"It’s okay. Just relax."

The horse-drawn carriage carrying them finally arrived at a five-story building. It was large—perhaps the largest building in the area.

Armed soldiers stood guard at the entrance, their faces stern.

Seeing the carriage arrive, one of them stepped forward and opened the door.

"Welcome back, Mr. Ethan," he greeted.

Ethan stepped out, then helped Leona down.

"Is Miel inside?" he asked.

The soldier shook his head.

"No, Miss Miel isn’t inside. She’s off today because she has a fever."

Ethan rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"She’s really irresponsible. Never mind. I’m going in first. Do a good job."

After patting the soldier on the shoulder, he climbed the stairs and walked into the building.

Leona hurried after him.

The building’s lobby was huge, with many people coming and going. They were likely staff members.

When they saw Ethan, they were startled and quickly bowed their heads to him.

Leona, who was walking behind him, felt like she was being respected as well.

’Even in a fantasy world, their respectful attitude is similar to that on Earth,’ she muttered inwardly.

Ethan led her to the top floor, where his office was located.

"Please, come in."

He opened the door and invited Leona inside.

"It’s a little cramped in here. I hope you’ll be comfortable."

Hearing that, the corner of Leona’s mouth twitched.

"Cramped?"

The room was twice the size of her office back on Earth.

A row of neatly arranged bookshelves stood along the right side, while a table with two sofas facing each other was placed in the center.

The carpet felt soft beneath her shoes. Its quality was unquestionable.

"Please have a seat. What would you like to drink? Tea or coffee?"

Leona walked over to the sofa and sat down.

"Just tea."

Ethan then brewed some tea for her.

While waiting for it to be ready, Leona curiously surveyed the room.

"Doesn’t a room this big make you feel uncomfortable, Mr. Ethan?"

She herself didn’t like such a large workspace. In her opinion, it wasn’t efficient.

Unfortunately, there were many items that had to be placed in his workspace at the time, so he had no choice but to have a large one.

"Hmmm..."

Ethan paused for a moment before answering, "To be honest, I don’t like it either. I think a room that’s too big makes it easy for me to forget where I put things. But at the same time, I can move around more freely. I can also store books that I’ll read later in my free time. The benefits far outweigh the drawbacks."

He walked over to her and set the tea down on the table.

"Here’s your tea."

"Thank you."

Leona took it and took a sip. The sweet, sour, and slightly bitter flavors blended together perfectly.

She closed her eyes and whispered, "Delicious..."

Unlike the commercial tea she usually drank, this tea had a unique aroma that was hard to put into words.

The flavors weren’t too strong and didn’t clash with one another. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this was the best tea she’d ever tried.

Ethan sat across from her and took a sip of his coffee. His body, which still felt cold from the weather outside, slowly relaxed.

Once he felt more comfortable, he set his cup down on the table and said, "I’m sure you’re wondering why I brought you here, aren’t you?"

Leona set her cup down as well and gave a slight nod.

"Can you explain it to me?"

"Of course."

Ethan nodded, then leaned back against the sofa.

"Actually, it’s Miss Shion who wants to meet you."

"Miss Shion?"

Leona’s eyes widened at the mention of that name.

It reminded her of a figure famous throughout the empire—the leader of the Blue Moon Trading House.

"Yes, Miss Shion," Ethan confirmed. "As for why she wants to meet you, I have no idea. Three days ago, she contacted me and asked me to find you."

Leona fell into deep thought. She couldn’t recall having any connection to Shion at all.

So, what was her purpose?

"Then why didn’t you tell my parents about this?"

Ethan shook his head.

"I can see that your relationship with them isn’t exactly harmonious. If I told them the truth, it would make them jump to the wrong conclusions. Do you understand what I mean?"

Leona gave a wry smile. Even an outsider like Ethan had noticed it. She couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

But there was nothing she could do about it. She had already studied the geography of the empire. She could have simply run away from this miserable life.

But there was no guarantee she’d survive out there. She had no power, no connections, and nothing to rely on.

Running away would essentially be suicide, even though it was her chance to rise up.

Unfortunately, she didn’t dare take that risk.

"All right, I’ll set up the communication device. You’ll talk to her. By the way, keep your composure, okay?" Ethan reminded her.

Leona took a deep breath before nodding heavily.

"I understand."