The promenade of Lockburg is deep and silent. The bright autumn sun passes through the window, cutting out the well-defined light and shadow on the carpet, and walking in it, you only feel that the light is getting brighter and the dark is getting darker. The guards standing in the corner held their heads high, their faces no longer obscured by their visors with solemn expressions and resolute eyes. The maid who occasionally walked by them bowed respectfully, perhaps with a little uneasiness in her eyes, but not in her footsteps—the castle, shrouded in deeper and deeper shadows, was not mired in fear and panic, like a splendid but not sturdy ship in the midst of a raging wave.

Ed thought he was polite and didn't squint, but Moira, who was holding his arm, saw his distraction out of nowhere, and smiled sideways at him.

"Are you looking for something?" she asked.

Ed cleared his throat and blushed slightly in embarrassment: "No...... Not really. Just feel like here...... It's calm. ”

Unexpectedly calm.

Moira chuckled lowly.

"I'm probably used to it. She laughed at herself, "Just like me." ”

Ed couldn't help but glance at her. The sun shines mercilessly on her pale and flabby skin and the fine lines at the corners of her eyes, and even the fragrance powder that has been deliberately thickened to cover the gray under her eyes can be clearly illuminated. Compared to two years ago, she was indeed like a withering flower, no longer the color of the past, but her eyes were as calm as water, but there was a faint light of another light.

Ed withdrew his gaze. He thought he could at least agree with her last sentence—perhaps it was because she was here, calmly walking between light and shadow, and that the people who remained in this castle were able to maintain such peace.

Because her light is soft and firm...... It was like a faint but indestructible hope.

"It's here. ”

Moira stopped, motioning for the guards to push open the heavy wooden door in front of them. There was something strange about the smell that came to my face, it was the dullness of the air that had not been circulated for a long time, and the sweet fragrance of the candle mixed with spices when it burned, it was not unpleasant, but it made people feel stuffy in the chest.

The wooden door closed behind them, and there was darkness in sight. The thick curtains completely block the sunlight, and the little bit that peeks through the gap makes people's eyes dazzle.

As Moira lit the candle, Ed realized that no one was following him—it was just the two of them in the room.

In the past, this moment of solitude was enough to give birth to countless deadly rumors, but at this moment, it is clear that no one cares about this anymore.

"It's ...... The King's Bedchamber. Moira's voice was as soft as a wisp of smoke from a candle flame, "But I didn't let Frederick in." ”

A chill ran down Ed's spine for no apparent reason.

He looked around silently. In the dim light, this richly decorated room was suffocatingly gloomy. The dark red curtains, the dark red carpet, the patterns woven with gold threads glowed with cold light, and the heavy hanging bed drapered made the big bed look like a huge coffin...... Even if Ante suddenly came out of it, it probably wouldn't surprise him too much.

"I've always liked it here. Moira sighed under her breath, "How many kings have died here?" I don't want to think about it...... When I first moved in, I always felt that there were countless ghosts floating around, but Ante said that he would not change rooms. To him, it was like the throne of the Pomegranate Hall, or the crown on his head, which belonged only to the king...... I didn't think it was for some other reason. ”

She held up the menorah and shook her head to refuse Ed's help, only motioning for him to look up.

The ceiling of the room was painted with a large painted painting, which was already somewhat faded and blurred by the flickering candlelight, but it was still a star map.

Unlike the star charts favored by mages that accurately marked the positions of the stars, the stories of the stars were drawn on the ceiling. Mixed with legends passed down from elves and dwarves, plus the imagination of humans themselves, almost every star today has its own story. The artist apparently deliberately chose the ones that are related to human beings—the nine notes that flow from Omer's mouth are connected in the center of the picture to form a spiral-like symbol, symbolizing the life and freedom that the gods have bestowed upon humans. Around that symbol, the first human to be welcomed into the Temple, the knight Mallory, bowed his head sadly, and it was not his bravery that became immortal, but his eyes that were nostalgic, and Goran, the founder of the first human kingdom, crowned himself, and the only jewel in his crown now shone in the night sky......

The unnamed artist is highly skilled, and the whole picture is full of many figures and scattered, which can roughly correspond to the position of the stars in the sky, and the paint that painted the stars must have been mixed with silver powder, which still reflects a faint light.

The moment he realized it was a star map, Ed knew what he was looking for.

In the west of the sky, near Angelo, there was a red star, the dull color was not striking, at first glance it looked more like a little paint accidentally lit, but on closer inspection, it was clearly outlined in a dull silver. And not far from it, two tiny stars seem to be some kind of casual decoration, and if you are not careful, you will miss it.

Ed closed his eyes slightly, sketching in his mind the starry sky he was increasingly familiar with, to make sure he had found the right thing.

However, if he tried to find some kind of clue in this painting, it would probably not be so easy—there were too many stars that did not exist in the night sky, and at the moment, he could not tell which of them were just used to confuse the eye.

"You see?" Moira followed his gaze, "the star...... There are only three horns, like the one of a snowdrop...... The night before, it suddenly lit up. ”

Ed looked back in surprise.

"It was only on for a short while. "And then it dimmed." I tried and tried, and it was hard to see it in the bright light, but in the dim candlelight, it would glow faintly like a real star...... Although only slightly brighter than the other stars...... And that's probably my delusion. ”

“...... The star. Ed asked, "Was it there before?"

Moira smiled wryly and shook her head: "I don't know either...... I've lived here for almost a decade, and I didn't really look at this painting before. ”

She didn't like it, even though it was vivid and beautiful. If it appeared on the ceiling of a certain hall, she would probably be happy to appreciate it, but this was the dormitory...... Who likes to sleep with so many pairs of eyes looking down on you?

However, with legends painted on the ceiling of almost every room in Lockburg, the painting is not so bizarre. If it weren't for the fact that she was sitting in this room that had been closed for a long time when the star suddenly lit up, perhaps no one would have discovered the secret hidden in the painting.

.