Chapter 416: A Name from the Past

A Name from the Past

Brinda nodded.

"It’s nice to meet you, Felberta, and Oliver."

She gestured toward the chairs.

"I am Brinda. You can call me the secretary of His Highness as well as the person who handles finances."

Felberta smiled.

"Then you must be a very busy woman."

"You have no idea."

Brinda’s smile became slightly wry.

"His Highness has a talent for creating work faster than we can finish it."

For the first time, Felberta’s smile looked genuinely amused.

"I’ve heard that capable rulers tend to have that problem."

Brinda’s eyes narrowed slightly.

That sentence sounded innocent.

But she couldn’t help wondering whether Felberta already knew more about Victor than she had revealed.

Still, Brinda didn’t press the matter.

"So, now that introductions are done, how about we take our seats and talk about why you’re here, Felberta?"

"Of course."

Felberta returned to her chair.

Brinda sat opposite her.

Oliver remained standing behind Felberta, hands folded neatly behind his back.

For several seconds, nobody spoke.

The room seemed to grow smaller.

Brinda poured herself some tea.

Felberta did the same.

The porcelain cups touched the table with soft clicks.

Both women smiled.

Yet beneath those smiles, neither was relaxing.

Felberta lifted her cup and took a slow sip.

Then she said casually,

"Let me get straight to the point."

Brinda looked directly at her.

"I want to make a deal."

The words were simple.

But Brinda immediately understood that this was the real reason for the meeting.

"A deal, is it?"

She tilted her head slightly.

Felberta didn’t appear nervous.

If anything, she seemed completely comfortable.

She drank her tea as though she were sitting in her own home.

Brinda quietly activated her perception.

Mana spread through the room like an invisible thread.

She examined Felberta first.

Nothing unusual.

Her mana level was no greater than that of an ordinary person.

Brinda’s brows furrowed slightly.

’She’s really hiding nothing?’

Brinda’s attention shifted toward Oliver.

The moment her senses brushed against him, her instincts screamed.

It was so sudden that she almost flinched.

Brinda immediately pulled her probing back.

Her fingers tightened around the teacup in her hand.

’Don’t.’

That was the only warning her instincts gave her.

She didn’t know how strong Oliver actually was.

She couldn’t tell what was hidden beneath that calm exterior.

But she knew one thing.

Trying to forcefully examine him would be a terrible idea.

A very, very terrible idea.

Brinda lowered her gaze slightly, pretending nothing had happened.

She took a quiet breath and loosened her grip on the cup.

Felberta noticed the tiny change in her expression.

Of course she did.

Nothing escaped that woman’s attention.

Yet Felberta didn’t point it out.

She simply continued smiling as though she hadn’t noticed anything at all.

"Yes," Felberta said.

She lifted her teacup and took a small sip.

"You see, I heard some rumors about what is going on here."

She rested the cup against its saucer.

"At first, I thought that there must be some mistake. But after reconfirming it from several different sources, it turned out to be real."

Brinda listened carefully.

"You see, I find the things you people are trying to do to be great. So I came here to help you by providing you with financial support."

Financial support.

Brinda’s eyebrow twitched.

For the first time since entering the room, her expression almost betrayed her surprise.

Money was exactly what Fantom City desperately needed.

The timing was almost suspiciously perfect.

But Brinda had worked beside Victor long enough to know better than to accept an offer simply because it solved a problem.

She leaned back slightly.

"Oh..."

Her voice remained calm.

"So what do you want in exchange for your support?"

Felberta smiled.

"No need to be so stiff, Ms. Brinda."

Her tone remained light.

Then she added,

"Or should I say, Ms. Thelia Renia?"

The world seemed to stop.

Brinda’s fingers froze.

The teacup in her hand remained suspended a few inches above the table.

Her smile disappeared.

For one heartbeat, her breathing stopped completely.

The name.

That name.

Nobody here knew it.

Nobody.

Not Eon.

Not even Victor.

She had buried that identity so deeply that sometimes she wondered whether Thelia Renia had ever truly existed.

But this woman had just spoken it as casually as if they had known each other for years.

’How?’

Brinda’s pupils contracted.

’How does she know that name?’

Her mind raced through every possibility.

Had someone investigated her?

Had one of her enemies survived?

Had information leaked from her past?

No.

There were too many safeguards.

Too many years had passed.

And yet Felberta had said it.

Perfectly.

Brinda slowly lowered the cup.

Her hand moved beneath the table.

Mana began gathering around her fingers.

Her eyes became cold.

She didn’t know who this woman was.

But anyone capable of uncovering Thelia Renia was dangerous.

Before Brinda could gather enough mana to launch an attack, something cold touched her neck.

Her body stiffened.

Oliver had moved.

There had been no warning.

No sound.

One moment he stood behind Felberta.

The next, a blade rested lightly against Brinda’s throat.

Brinda’s eyes shifted sideways.

The steel was close enough that even the slightest movement would draw blood.

She hadn’t sensed him move.

Not even a little.

Her expression hardened.

Felberta, meanwhile, remained completely calm.

She hadn’t even put down her tea.

"Oliver, please don’t point a blade at our business partner."

Oliver’s eyes remained fixed on Brinda for another moment.

Then he calmly withdrew the knife.

He stepped backward and returned to Felberta’s side.

Brinda exhaled slowly.

Only then did she realize how tightly her muscles had locked.

She touched her neck lightly.

No blood.

But the warning had been clear.

One wrong move.

One impulsive decision.

And this meeting would have ended very differently.

Felberta smiled gently.

"So now that we are all calm, let’s continue our talk."

Her voice carried no hostility.

Almost as if nothing had happened.

"Don’t worry, Ms. Brinda."

She picked up her teacup again.

"This deal will benefit us both greatly."