The Teacher's "Secret Base"

After Evelyn dragged Luo Wei out to sneak away...

The new housekeeper, Ella, walked into the office carrying a stack of documents. She glanced around in confusion, only seeing Annie fast asleep and Monica scratching her head with a miserable expression.

"Huh? Where is... um, the head of the household?"

Monica looked up irritably. "She eloped with some wild man."

"Eh?" Ella made a puzzled sound.

"What about these accounts...?" The new housekeeper hesitated before piling them all onto Monica's desk.

The head of the household had instructed that Monica was in charge during her absence, so it was only right to hand everything over to her.

"There's still this much?!" Monica let out a wail. "Isn't this supposed to be her job? Who's the real head of the household here?!"

Monica suddenly realized—she'd been tricked! Evelyn had totally played her!

...

Meanwhile, after leaving Thornflower Castle, Evelyn led Luo Wei along the foot of the snowy mountains until they arrived at a manor not far from a human town.

Even in the height of summer, the climate here remained pleasantly cool. Luo Wei gazed into the distance, where a glacial lake shimmered like a blue mirror. The manor by the lakeside wasn’t large, but nestled between the mountains and water, the scenery was breathtaking.

"Mother bought this manor back then. I used to come here all the time as a child."

Evelyn looked fondly at the azure lake, her eyes glimmering as if lost in memories.

"Whenever Mother and Father had a fight, she’d bring me here to stay. Father would always come to take us back."

"But the last time... after Mother told me a few things, she never returned. So now, this place belongs to me!"

She held Luo Wei’s hand, proudly showing off. "The scenery’s nice, isn’t it?"

Luo Wei watched Evelyn’s smile as she continued recounting stories from her childhood.

Back then, after her mother abandoned her and her father no longer doted on her as before, young Evelyn’s status in the family plummeted, leaving her isolated and mistreated.

Whenever she felt wronged, she would sneak out here. The manor was free of the family’s troubles, and she’d stay for days at a time—no one came looking for her. Eventually, Annie would always drag her back, much to her reluctance.

But as she spoke of these memories, Evelyn’s expression wasn’t bitter at all. Luo Wei listened quietly; this was the first time she had shared so much of her past with him.

The two stepped into the manor’s hall. Since Annie sent people to clean periodically, it was still tidy.

Excited, Evelyn took Luo Wei on a tour, pointing out traces of her childhood everywhere.

"So this was when Teacher first became interested in the human world, huh?" Luo Wei picked up a little girl’s toy. Given the manor’s proximity to human settlements, there were all sorts of trinkets Evelyn had bought from human markets.

"Yep, exactly!" Evelyn turned back to Luo Wei, only to find him staring intently at something on the table with a strange smirk.

"Huh? What are you looking at...?"

Luo Wei had spotted a photo frame. The moment he saw the adorable young Evelyn, he couldn’t look away.

"Teacher was so cute as a kid!"

Little Evelyn had chubby cheeks, round with baby fat, and big, jewel-like emerald-green eyes—utterly adorable.

And from the photo, it was clear she’d always had that tsundere streak—her lips pursed stubbornly, as if she’d been forced to pose for the picture.

"Don’t look at that! I was so fat and ugly..." Evelyn, feeling like her dark history had been exposed, pressed the frame down with a sigh. "Let me show you something else."

"Not at all! I think you were adorable..." Luo Wei reluctantly tore his gaze away. The younger version of his teacher was criminally cute...

Next, Evelyn showed off her collection—vintage dresses and handbags filling several wardrobes. Apparently, her shopping addiction had started early.

After all, from that point on, Evelyn had been left alone. Perhaps indulging in retail therapy in the human world had become her only remaining joy.

After lighting the fireplace together, the crackling flames warmed the slightly chilly living room. The two sat side by side on the sofa, silently admiring the blue lake outside the window.

After a long while, Evelyn leaned her head against Luo Wei’s shoulder. "After you leave... you’ll miss me, right?"

"Of course," Luo Wei chuckled. "How could I not miss you, Teacher?"

Evelyn pouted. "Maybe not. Once you find someone new, or that ‘kind and gentle’ saintess comes back, you’ll forget all about me. I’ll just be stuck here in the cold north, all alone, staring into space like I waited for Mother—waiting forever for someone who never comes..."

Her tone was a mix of resentment and pitiful whining, making Luo Wei laugh.

Just as he was about to reassure her, she suddenly added:

"Maybe I should ask Witch Chaotilis to make me a ring too—one that lets me monitor you anytime! Then you’ll never escape my grasp!"

"Hey, no way!" The mention of rings made Luo Wei groan. Why was everyone so obsessed with spying on him? He had a right to privacy!

"Oh? Feeling guilty?" Evelyn leaned in, narrowing her eyes. "Relax, I was just joking. Asking Tilis for a ring? As if that’d ever happen!"

"Not at all..." Luo Wei said defensively. "I’m not guilty of anything."

Meeting her emerald-green eyes up close, he said seriously, "I promise I’ll think of you every day! Once I master teleportation magic, I’ll come here for meals daily. You’ll probably get sick of me..."

"Hmph, who knows how long that’ll take? I’m not holding my breath..."

Evelyn’s eyes sparkled mischievously before she giggled. "Once I sort out the family affairs, I’ll dump all the tedious work on Monica! Then I can travel again—I can’t miss Saint Callen’s limited-edition seasonal releases!"

Luo Wei muttered, "Sometimes I think handbags excite you more than I do..."

Evelyn burst out laughing. "Just kidding! The family’s a mess—I can’t just leave. Soon, Mother’s people from the City of Cain will arrive, and Thornflower Castle will be chaos again..."

The castle would inevitably become a battleground for endless disputes between factions. Just thinking about it made Evelyn slump back on the sofa in frustration.

"Ugh, this is so frustrating..." She kept rubbing her temples in exasperation.