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n

n“Stop looking at me like that,” Aurora complain.

n“Stop looking at you like what?” Karan replied. That teasing smile on this face grew in volume.

n“Stop with your creepy smile. Don’t you have work to do? Won’t someone come looking for you if you disappeared for so long?” Aurora questioned.

nRumors only needed a short time to begin circulation in a sealed environment. She was sure that everyone in the tower knew about her and Karan.

nThankfully, nothing major would result from this rumor since Aurora’s current disguise was male.

nAnd if Karan decided to return this early, the lingering doubt about something happening would also be crossed out from most people’s minds.

n“Work? Not really. But I can see that you need time to think on your own. Once you’re done thinking, you can contact me by unwrapping this ribbon from your wrist. I will help you out.” Karan took her hand and tied a green ribbon on her wrist.

nThe ribbon had a magical aura surrounding it. Aurora chose to accept it.

n“Then, I’ll be off. Don’t miss me too much. And don’t ruin the surprise for Rex, alright?” the god finally left.

nAurora felt a sigh of relief fill her lung once she saw the god leave.

nThis simple mission of ‘in-and-out’ had turned into a complicated mess. And Aurora had a feeling that things were going to get even harsher from this point onwards.

n“System, can you locate where I am?” Aurora had not gotten a good look at where she was being dragged toward.

nAurora knew the tower inside out. She had lived here long enough in her past life to be able to navigate it properly.

nOr so Aurora had thought.

nBut Aurora had never been to this restricted part of the tower before. She had been an adventurer and had kept clear of the godly affairs.

nAs such, she was not permitted into these parts and was now paying the price.

n(System is scanning surrounds.

nError: map not found. Should the system start the mapping process?)

nIt was just Aurora’s luck to end up in such a place.

nAccording to her programming, her system could map the basic areas of places she had been to before.

nIf her system had no data on this place, it could only be because she had never been here before.

n“Great. Now, what should I do? Am I even allowed to be here?” Speaking aloud at this point did not change things.

nNeither did questioning herself.

nThe lack of sound penetrating her hidden space also made Aurora vary. She quickly opened the door to peek outside.

nAs she had expected, the hallway in front of her was empty. But echoes of footsteps still reached her ears.

nAurora quickly shut the door after her. She just left it open enough to allow sound inside.

n“-orders from Lord Baron. Guards at the meeting said that Lord Karan arrived there alone. He won’t be able to get away in time to stop us.” The guard spoke.

nIt was Aurora’s lucky break that the guard decided to stop in front of her door while discussing these things.

n“But are you sure? He was brought here by Lady Astoria. Won’t she be angry? She made it pretty clear that she cares about that human male.” The other guard spoke.

nHe sounded scared of Astoria’s temper.

n“Don’t be fooled. Lady Astoria is just playing around. A human is beneath her status as a goddess. Besides, we are doing it for her. This way, Lady Astoria can finally romantically see Lord Baron.” The first guard spoke.

nAurora reached a horrible realization. These guards were talking about her and Astoria. And if she was right, they were talking about finding her to kill her.

n“I don’t see what killing Lady Astoria’s escort has to do with her liking Lord Baron. But I will have to agree with you about killing that escort. He doesn’t strike me as a good man. He’s too delicate and pretty.” Those words stabbed Aurora in the chest.

nIt might not have been her idea to dress up as a male. But it was still her body they were insulting.

nAurora took deep breaths in to calm her inner goddess down. This was also the time the third pair of footsteps arrived in the hallway.

n(Warning: System users 04- Alexander Beck detected.

nA warning will be issued to the user due to the proximity breach)

nAurora tried to stop her system from sending the warning but she was too late. The system must have informed that guard of Aurora’s positioning.

nWhy had she added the proximity check? When had she added it? She did not remember.

n(The creator did not add a proximity check. The system AI decided to upgrade and add the feature as a security enhancement.

nProximity check can be deactivated by clicking-)

nAurora closed her system screen in favor of listening to Alexander speak. She needed to be aware in case she was found out.

n“What are you both doing here? You do not have the clearance to be on this floor.” Alexander sounded exhausted.

nIt had approximately been five days since Aurora had last seen the guard but he looked like he had been through hell and back.

n“Oh, and what are you going to do about it? You are nothing but daddy’s little boy. Depended on him for everything. But I also heard something. They say that your daddy abandoned you when you fell in debt.” The guard taunted.

nAurora did not like the guard’s tone but she also chose not to step in.

nIt was not her fight.

nShe expected the guard to get angry. But the anger never came.

n“Yes, that all happened. So what? At least I am not trespassing in this area. I was assigned here by my father. Now leave before I report you both.” Aurora felt bad for the tired guard.

nBut that feeling did not last long.

n“You can come out now. There is no use hiding from me since your ‘system’ already gave itself away.” Aurora did not try to pretend like she was not there.

nHer system had betrayed her already.

nShe quickly stepped outside and stared the guard down. Her residual magic kept a check on the system and made sure the guard had no surprises for her.

n“So it way you? I guess you won’t take the system back even if I asked you to?” the guard asked.

nHe looked to be a far cry from the scared guard she had seen only a few days ago. He had a maturity about him now.

n“I will not risk it. You will have to live with your new circumstances.” Aurora replied.

nShe did not give the guard any false hope. She could not afford to let her guard down.

n“Yeah. I thought so. But what if I report you to the tower right now? That would be the end for you and Lady Astoria.” Alexander smirked. But his smile had no gloating quality.

n“If you report me now, then you will be killing yourself as well. Do you believe that the tower will be kind enough to let you live? They’ll brand you as a traitor as well for knowing about us.” Aurora informed.

n“You’re right. I will be killed. But maybe I am just crazy enough to take that risk. God knows that my father has abandoned me already.” The man, no, the teen replied.

nAnd when he turned to leave Aurora did not stop him.

nHis aura had betrayed him already. He was not going to tell anyone about her or Astoria.

n“If you’re looking for a way out, then just go left. If you are looking for anything else, the garden is the best place. Do not get caught by the guards.” Those were bold pieces of advice.

nAurora hesitated over her next words, but Alexander’s courage finally made up her mind.

n“You don’t have to stay in the tower all your life. It is a parasite that sucks you dry. If you want a new life, come find me in the Rocx valley. I’m sure you will not regret that decision.” Aurora offered.

nThe guard left the scene without looking back. But Aurora was sure he would reach a decision soon. His aura told that much to her.

n“So, the garden. I guess I better start looking there if I want to find the secret entrance.” Aurora whispered as she started walking.

nAlexander had taken a huge risk in telling her about this secret.

nBut Aurora found a fault with his information a few minutes after waking. She had no idea where the garden was. For all she knew, she could be going around in circles.

n“Hey, you! What are you doing here? Show me your permit or else I will have to report you.” Aurora slowly came to a stop. She looked at the guard who had stopped her.

nThe male guard looked a little flushed. But he also seemed to be built similar to her. And it gave Aurora a solution to her problem.

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