An explosion boomed, and flames shot into the sky—

"Rory, run! Don’t look back—"

"Mama..."

The scene, buried deep in her memory, gradually overlapped with the face of the woman before her.

"Joy, where are your manners..." Seeing that the new girl was just staring blankly instead of bowing to the lady, the middle-aged woman scolded her in a hushed voice.

The girl quickly suppressed the strange look in her eyes and gave the woman a proper bow.

"Don’t scare the children." The woman smiled gently. "Please, have a seat."

The middle-aged woman gave a fawning laugh and quickly had all seven girls sit on the sofa across from the lady.

"You all seem quite good, but I don’t need this many people."

"That’s fine, just pick whichever one catches your eye..."

The woman looked them over, then turned to ask an old woman behind her who hadn’t said much, "Mama Young, you can pick first..."

The old woman looked very stern, her face devoid of any expression. The girls were all rather afraid of her and lowered their heads, terrified of being chosen. Only the girl named Joy kept her eyes open and looked at her.

"Which of you knows how to cook?"

No one raised their hand except for Joy.

The old woman pointed at Joy. "You’ll do."

The girl seemed very happy as she stood up and bowed.

The woman asked gently, "What’s your name?"

"Joy Young."

"Your surname is Young, too?" The woman hadn’t expected the girl to share her family name and couldn’t help but feel a bit more warmly toward her. "Where are you from?"

"Youngmeade Village..."

"Good. Then you can go to the kitchen with Mama Young."

Although Mama Young looked stern, as long as you were quick and didn’t make mistakes, she rarely scolded anyone.

"Joy, the madam loved the fish soup you made yesterday. Make it again for lunch," Mama Young said, walking in with a fresh sea fish.

She was now quite satisfied with this girl who shared her surname; she wasn’t chatty and worked efficiently.

"The same recipe as yesterday?"

"Yes. The madam damaged her health when she gave birth to the young master, so she usually needs more nourishing foods..."

The girl nodded, but sighed inwardly.

’Victor Trent actually didn’t tell them about Norman Trent. So everyone here thinks Norman was sent to Crestland to study abroad.’

The girl was Aurora Sinclair, who had successfully become a maid for Victor Trent’s mistress, Raina Young.

Mr. C had only told her that the mistress’s surname was Young and had her use the same surname for her alias. He never mentioned that this mistress looked so much like the mother from her memories.

’What on earth is going on?’

As Aurora Sinclair scaled the fish, she thought about how she would wait until the surveillance around her was gone before finding a chance to contact Morgan.

"Joy, add two more dishes. The Family Head is coming back for dinner..."

Mama Young seemed very happy, her voice sounding much brighter.

Aurora Sinclair asked, "What does the Family Head like to eat?"

"He likes spicy food, so make some more spicy dishes..."

「Meanwhile.」

In his car, Victor Trent was listening with his eyes closed to a report from August Trent, who had just returned from Kingsford.

"Family Head, The Martial Alliance only gave the eldest young master a sinecure. He doesn’t have much real power."

"That’s to be expected. The Morgan and Lockwood Families have an extraordinary relationship with Sunstone."

August Trent was resentful. They had been scheming for so many years just to have the Trent Family return to Kingsford in a position of supremacy, but now the Young Master of the Morgan Family had ruined everything.

"What’s the status of the investigation into Sunstone?"

A cautious look appeared on August Trent’s face. "Family Head, there’s nothing unusual at Sunstone. It’s very quiet. So, is what the master said about the Martial Lord true?"

Victor Trent’s eyes snapped open, and he shot August a glare. "He witnessed that terrifying Strength with his own eyes. What do you think?"

August Trent immediately schooled his expression and lowered his head.

"A Martial Lord has emerged from Sunstone, but no one in Veridia’s Martial World knows about it. This shows that this Martial Lord’s realm isn’t very stable. Leave a few people to keep an eye on Sunstone. The rest of you, watch the Morgan Family and the Sinclairs."

"Yes..."

Victor Trent turned to look out the window.

The sky outside was a brilliant blue, clear of clouds and wind.

But he felt a deep sense of unease, a feeling that a storm was brewing.

***

"The Family Head is here..."

Raina Young stepped forward and thoughtfully took the briefcase from his hand.

Victor Trent was genuinely fond of her. He wrapped his arm around her waist, leaned in, and gave her a kiss. "Have you been feeling better lately?"

Raina Young said softly, "Much better."

Victor Trent leaned close to her ear and said suggestively, "Then how about we give Nancy another little brother?"

Raina Young shot him a sideways glance, her face slightly flushed. "You old lecher."

"More children mean more blessings. I just love the children you give me..."

Raina Young didn’t reply, instead changing the subject in a soft voice, "Come and eat. We have some new maids. There’s one girl who’s a good cook."

"Is that so? For you to praise her cooking, I’ll have to give it a proper taste."