A Peacock Husband of Five Princesses by day, a Noble Assassin by Night Chapter 84 84: Stealing the chest

After a brief pause, Nadia offered them a gentle smile. "I don't mind," she said, her voice carrying a quiet warmth. "In fact, I understand how you feel. I, too, miss my late daughter. And when her anniversary cos, I sotis see her face in people who resemble her. And I too miss my grandson…"

Kael and Laura both froze in shock.

"You… had a grandson?" Laura asked, eyes widening.

Nadia chuckled softly at their expressions. "Yes." She took a sip of her tea before adding, "I'm a lot older than I look."

Laura studied her carefully. While Nadia did appear middle-aged, there was nothing particularly extraordinary about her presence. She didn't seem like a high-ranking noble or a powerful mage. In fact, by her aura, she was only around Tier-3. The conclusion was obvious—she had likely married young and lost her daughter early in life.

Accepting her explanation without further suspicion, they allowed the conversation to shift.

Nadia went on speaking about the town's culture, its famous delicacies, and the notable attractions they could explore in their free ti. Kael and Laura listened with polite interest, though Laura discreetly pulled out her communication scroll, sending a ssage to Penelope as she just wants to get it over with. Sothing about this woman didn't just seem right for Laura. This middle-aged woman, who her husband thinks looks like his mom, gave the vibes of soone filled with secrets. Her woman intuition telling her not to be involved with her.

Little did she expect that her woman's intuition is indeed quite precise.

An hour later, Penelope arrived, accompanied by the five rcenaries she had hired for protection. The group remained outside while Penelope entered alone.

The mont she stepped inside and saw Nadia, she stopped in her tracks. Her eyes widened in sheer disbelief.

"Grandmaster Elowyn?" she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Kael and Laura exchanged surprised glances.

Nadia—or rather, Elowyn—smiled knowingly. "It's been a long ti since I heard that na. Do you people still rember ?"

Penelope's lips parted slightly, unable to hide her awe. "Of course, I do… Which alchemist wouldn't? Your portrait was hung right in the entrance hall of our headquarters, among the best alchemists." She took a step closer, her hands trembling slightly. "You're the forr president of the Alchemist Association. The only one who ever ca close to creating the Philosopher's Stone. The creator of the White Tincture—Elowyn Garfeld. You are a legend."

Kael and Laura turned their stunned gazes toward Nadia, who simply sipped her tea, unfazed by the reverence in Penelope's voice. Laura nodded to herself, thinking in her head. "I knew it. This woman isn't a simple hoowner. She was a forr grandmaster. She could easily tell whether one was an alchemist or not.

Nadia smiled softly. "As I said earlier, I left that life behind forty years ago. Now, I go by the na Nadia. And I'm just a middle-aged single woman who was renting my house to alchemists for their experints."

Kael and Laura exchanged astonished glances.

Laura hesitated for a mont before asking, "Then… how old are you?"

Penelope spoke up for her sake. "Grandmaster Elowyn is over ninety years old."

Kael's eyebrows shot up. Laura, too, looked taken aback, staring at the woman before her. Despite her seemingly middle-aged appearance, Nadia had lived nearly a century. And then she rembered Nadia saying she has a grandson. Now that makes perfectly sense.

The grandmaster sighed, setting her teacup down gently. "Unfortunately, even after spending millions of gold coins from the Alchemist Association's funds on my research—money that could have helped hundreds of young alchemists—I still couldn't create the Philosopher's Stone." A wistful look crossed her face. "I dread of a world where even a common man could live for centuries, not just those blessed with divine blood. But alas… neither was my dream fulfilled, nor do I have much lifespan left to see that day."

Penelope leaned forward, her voice filled with determination. "Grandmaster, you should return to the association. It's not the sa as before. Things have changed."

Nadia gave a weak smile and shook her head. "I've already given up, child. I only wish to live in peace now. Everything I discovered, every piece of my research, I left it all with the association. If no one has succeeded in creating the Philosopher's Stone after all these years, then perhaps it is truly impossible. Just a foolish dream."

For a brief mont, Kael's eyes flickered—an almost imperceptible shift, as he heard a sexy whisper in his head, except the words aren't as sexy as the voice. "Kael, sothing in this house slls like you."

anwhile, Penelope, however, remained undeterred. "Maybe so… but I'm still young, and I won't give up." Her voice carried a quiet conviction.

Nadia smiled at that, a trace of warmth in her gaze. "Then I wish you the best of luck." She stood up, smoothing out her robes. "You may use the lab as you wish, as long as you follow the rules. And if you ever need anything, you can always visit upstairs."

Penelope smiled and bowed slightly. "Thank you, Grandmaster."

As the conversation settled, a sense of quiet understanding passed between them.

Leaving Penelope at the alchemist lab, Kael and Laura toured around the town to see if there was any interesting place to spend. They returned by sunset, had their dinner, and went to sleep.

Soon, midnight arrived.

Under the cover of night, Kael moved silently through the streets, his assassin outfit blending seamlessly into the darkness. A black cat spirit perched on his shoulder, its glowing eyes watching the path ahead.

Kael exhaled slowly, his voice a whisper. "Are you absolutely sure about this, Cleo?" His grip tightened on the hilt of his dagger. "I won't walk into a trap again for a stupid thing. Not like last ti." His mind flickered to the mory of the necromancer's sexual harassnt—the suffocating aura of death, the chilling sense of helplessness.

Cleodora's tail flicked as it purred in response. "I am sure, Kael. Inside that house, there is soone… sothing that slls like you."

Kael's steps hesitated for a brief mont. This was the sa cryptic statent the spirit had murmured to him earlier that day—right when Nadia had dismissed the Philosopher's Stone as a foolish dream.

Kael moved like a shadow through the residence, his every step soundless. The black cat spirit on his shoulder twitched its tail, its glowing eyes fixed ahead as it guided him.

The air inside was still, undisturbed by his presence. He barely breathed as he followed the spirit's direction, leading him straight to the bedroom.

There, on the bed, lay Nadia—fast asleep, her breaths slow and steady.

She hadn't sensed him.

Kael's eyes flickered to the wardrobe. The cat spirit's voice echoed in his mind. The strongest scent cos from there.

Carefully, he approached. His hands, trained for precision, worked the door open without a creak. Inside, nestled between layers of neatly arranged garnts, sat an old wooden chest. A powerful enchantnt shimred faintly over its surface.

The black cat spirit whispered, "It's inside. Whatever slls like you… it's in there, for sure."

Kael hesitated, not because he was worried about that enchantnt. But it is because of the fact that he is stealing from a person who isn't a criminal or any known sinner. So, what he was doing is a cri here.

But the curiosity of learning sothing that is connected to him couldn't help but urge him to do it.

In the end, he acted.