Chapter 1623: Vigilance and Dessert ( 1623 )

Celine and Gracelle began tapping through their own mana phones. Their eyes widened as they scrolled past the standard apps and found a small folder labeled with a little game icon.

"There really are games in here," Celine murmured, opening one.

"Oh, there’s more than one," Gracelle added, her finger swiping through the list.

Felicia smiled and reached for her drink.

"Big Sister Liana does warn about that. She said we shouldn’t use our phones to play games when we’re outside the Armand Estate. It’s too distracting. If someone is focused on a screen, they won’t notice their surroundings. They won’t hear footsteps approaching, won’t see shadows moving, won’t sense a threat until it’s already too late."

She tapped the table lightly with her finger.

"That’s the reason Mimi doesn’t play games on her phone when she’s outside the Armand Estate, even though she brings it everywhere. She knows it would make her lose focus. She knows it’s too dangerous. That’s why she only plays when she’s inside the Armand Estate, and only when she’s free."

She paused, her tail curling slowly behind her.

"And with the tension growing in the Human Nation, and the upcoming invasion, those warnings matter even more now. Big Sister Liana said a single moment of distraction could be the difference between life and death. Having fun is not a problem. But we must always stay alert. We must always know what is happening around us. The moment we stop paying attention is the moment we become vulnerable."

Delya took a slow sip of her cold chocolate drink, her dreamy smile never fading.

"Mm~ We can still use our phones, though. When we’re with Danna-sama, or when we’re all together like this. It’s fine to take pictures, to chat, to look at the maps. The only thing we shouldn’t do is let ourselves get so absorbed that we stop paying attention. There’s a difference between using something and being captured by it."

"Mm~ That’s true."

Felicia nodded, her tail swaying slowly behind her.

"When we’re with Husband, or when we’re with all of us together, using our phones isn’t dangerous. There are eyes watching, ears listening, people standing guard. But when we’re alone, or when we’re somewhere unfamiliar... that’s when we have to be careful."

She set her drink down.

"That’s what Big Sister Liana meant. Not that we should never use them. Only that we should never let them use us."

Gracelle leaned forward slightly.

"Big Sister Felicia? Can you show me how to use it? All the functions? I don’t want to miss anything."

"Okay~"

Felicia rose gracefully and walked over to Gracelle, sitting beside her. She leaned in and began pointing at the screen, explaining each icon and button with quiet patience. Gracelle watched with wide eyes, nodding and tapping along.

Celine rose as well and walked toward them, standing behind Gracelle and looking over her shoulder, still holding her own phone.

Delya stayed where she was, quietly enjoying her chocolate dessert.

Lyzia picked up Delya’s phone, her fingers scrolling slowly through the gallery. Picture after picture passed. Then her finger stopped.

Her breath caught.

It was a selfie of Javier and Delya, their bodies intertwined, flushed and breathless. Delya was pressed against him, her face turned back toward the camera with a lazy, satisfied smile, and Javier’s chest was visible behind her. The sheet was tangled around their waists.

Lyzia’s face flushed all the way to her ears. She rushed to swipe past it, her hand trembling.

Then another image appeared. Javier in his underwear inside the room, standing near the window, the morning light tracing the lines of his body. The lines of his chest, his stomach, the shape of his thighs, the low waistband of his trunks.

She kept staring, her eyes fixed on the image, her cheeks burning.

A hand smacked the top of her head.

"Ow!"

Lyzia yelped and spun around.

Liana stood behind her, arms crossed, eyes flat.

"Don’t look through other people’s phones. Give it back to Delya."

Lyzia pursed her lips. She set Delya’s phone down on the table and mumbled in a pout.

"I was just looking..."

Liana shook her head and let out a soft exhale.

"Still a no."

She crossed her arms and glanced down at Lyzia.

"You have your own phone, don’t you? Young Master gave it to you after you kept asking why everyone had one and you didn’t. I had to ask Young Master for that exception myself."

She paused, her eyes narrowing slightly. "The only people who ever got a mana phone outside the Armand family are Sir Alf, Mrs. Erinette, and General Hesbeirn. No one outside the family and their wives and fiancées has one except the most trusted aides. Be thankful Young Master agreed to give you one at all, and only because I was the one who asked him for it."

Lyzia pursed her lips, her cheeks still pink, and huffed. She grabbed a dessert from the table and bit into it in frustration.

Delya smiled dreamily.

"I don’t mind~ Lyzia can look if she wants."

Liana glanced at her, but before she could say anything, Delya tilted her head.

"Big Sister, weren’t you busy with your sisters before?"

"Ah... them?"

Liana smirked, crossing her arms.

"Since they agreed to my terms, I let them go. They promised to do the test. And Azariah’s husband wanted to dance with her, so I had no choice but to release her."

Liana glanced at Felicia, who was still teaching Gracelle and Celine about the phone’s functions, then took a seat beside Lyzia. She watched her little sister shovel dessert into her mouth, bite after bite, and her lips curved into a small smile.

"Careful with the sweets, Lyzia. Eat too many of those and you’ll get sick~"

"Hmph!"

Lyzia turned her head away and kept chewing.

"Elves don’t get fat from eating. We never do. Our bodies just burn it all away. Everyone knows that."

Liana’s smirk widened.

"Yes~ I do agree. Elves don’t get fat from eating dessert, sweets, or anything else. Our bodies are different from other races. We never have to worry about the weight."

She paused, her tone shifting.

"But eating too much dessert in one sitting can still upset your stomach, Lyzia. Too much sugar at once can make you feel sick, dizzy, and sluggish. And if you eat so much that you cannot sleep properly tonight, do not come crawling to me asking for a remedy, because I will remind you that I warned you~"

Lyzia paused mid-chew. She puffed her cheek and kept eating in frustration, her movements sharp and defiant.

Delya tilted her head and murmured softly.

"I wonder if Danna-sama is still busy with his invention..."

Liana tapped the mana talkie in her ear.

"I’ll ask him if he’s eaten."

( End Of Chapter )