The car pulled into the mansion driveway and both of them stepped out, chatting and smiling as they walked to the front door.

Hearing the sound, Natasha came to the door and saw the two of them walking side by side like a couple.

A wave of jealousy stirred in her chest because she already knew deep down. Even if she and Dante ended up together, she would never be able to do the things normal couples did out in public the way Emma could.

She was his master and practically an adoptive mother to him. If people found out she was with her own student, the consequences would be something she didn’t even want to think about.

So in her mind, there was no future where their relationship could ever be made public.

Thinking about it made Natasha feel a little discouraged.

’If only I was in her position...’ She glanced at Emma, a trace of envy hiding in her eyes. ’Things would have been so much easier.’

She had never envied anyone this much in her entire life.

As she was lost in her thoughts, the two of them had already reached her.

"Master, why are you still awake? I told you we’d be back late." Emma looked at her with a helpless expression.

Natasha was always like this. Gentle, selfless, and generous, always putting others before herself.

’I don’t know how I’m ever going to repay her.’ Emma looked at her master with genuine gratitude.

"Haha, I was just training." Natasha saw the look in Emma’s eyes and felt arrows of guilt poking her from every direction. ’How am I supposed to tell her that I couldn’t focus on anything because my mind was stuck on the gala the whole night? And how do I tell her that I’m insanely jealous of my own student?’

Her eyes moved to Dante who was taking off his suit jacket behind Emma.

Dante saw the resentment in her eyes and immediately wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her. He couldn’t do that yet so he quickly thought of something else.

"Master, is there anything to eat? I’m starving." He said, rubbing the back of his head.

Natasha’s face visibly brightened after hearing his words. ’Right. I still have control over his stomach.’

’So what if Emma has his heart? I’ll conquer his body and that thing soon enough. By then, the scores will be even!’

"I made some food earlier. Let me heat it up for you." She said and headed to the kitchen with a spring in her step.

Emma watched her go and then glanced at Dante with a suspicious look. "Didn’t you eat a lot at the gala?"

"Hey, don’t look at me like that. The portions were tiny and I’m an awakener now."

Emma went back to her room to freshen up after the long night while Dante and Natasha stayed at the dining table.

He ate through everything without leaving a single plate untouched and the two of them chatted quietly about nothing in particular until Natasha’s mood had fully recovered.

He had to cool her down now because there was another huge surprise waiting for her tonight.

***

Late at night, Emma was rolling around on her bed, grinning like an idiot as she replayed everything that happened today.

’What if he actually confessed back there?’ She asked herself, her heart racing at just the possibility.

Dante, who had just returned to his room, checked her feed and shook his head with a helpless look.

She was so lost in her feelings that she had completely forgotten about the mission rewards.

’At this rate, she probably won’t remember until tomorrow. Let me just remind her.’

[Congratulations! You have successfully completed the tutorial mission!]

[You have obtained the chance to upgrade your bloodline to Legendary and awaken it!]

[Do you wish to proceed?]

"Uh..." Emma was pulled out of her fantasies and stared at the screen with a blank face before it clicked. "Wait, the rewards! How did I forget about this?!"

She let go of the pillow and shot up like a spring, her eyes lit with excitement. When she first heard about the reward, she wasn’t that interested. She only agreed to become an awakener after hearing she could train alongside Dante and protect him like a proper big sister.

But now, she absolutely wanted to be one.

’I need to get stronger quickly. Otherwise, instead of me bullying him, he’s going to be the one bullying me!’ Emma thought as her cheeks warmed up on their own.

It was obvious she didn’t hate being on the receiving end but her pride would never let her admit that.

"System, is there anything I need to prepare before proceeding?" She asked in a serious tone.

[Just lie on your bed and close your eyes.]

Emma opened her mouth expecting something complicated but it was that simple. She didn’t complain and lay down on the bed, closing her eyes.

[Would you like to proceed with the bloodline upgrade and awakening?]

’Yes!’ Emma answered without a shred of hesitation. Dante had become an awakener and was chosen as the successor of Eden’s Gate. She knew he was destined for something great.

If she wanted to stand beside him, she had to follow in his footsteps.

The moment Emma accepted, a freezing wave of mana exploded from her room and ripped through the entire mansion like a blizzard had been unleashed indoors.

Every window on her floor frosted over instantly. The temperature dropped so fast that the air turned white, mist rolling down the hallway.

Natasha was cultivating in her room when her eyes snapped open. She was on her feet and out of her room before the second wave even hit.

’This mana... It’s coming from Emma’s room!’ She rushed down the hallway without slowing down even as the frost bit at her bare feet.

At the same time, Dante’s door flew open and he came running out with panic written all over his face. "Master, what’s going on?! Something is happening in Emma’s room!"

"I know. Follow me." Natasha said and both of them moved toward Emma’s door.

The closer they got, the colder it became. By the time they reached her room, the entire door was sealed under a thick layer of ice.

Natasha raised her palm and a ball of fire formed in her hand. She compressed it into a thin beam and traced it along the edges of the door frame.

The ice hissed and cracked as the beam cut through it and a second later, the door fell forward with a heavy thud.

A wall of freezing air slammed into both of them the moment it opened. Dante raised his arm to shield his face and Natasha narrowed her eyes against the cold.

When he lowered his arm, the sight in front of him made his "panic" very convincing.

Emma was floating three feet above her bed. A thin shell of glowing ice covered her entire body, pulsing with a pale blue light from the inside. Her hair was suspended around her head like she was drifting underwater and the ice was still spreading, crawling across the ceiling, the walls, and the floor in patterns that looked less like frost and more like veins.

The room had turned into a frozen chamber.

"EMMA!" Dante pretended to rush forward without thinking and reached for her body.

"Dante, STOP!" Natasha caught his arm and pulled him back hard before he got anywhere close. "Don’t touch her!"

"But she’s—"

"She’s fine!" Natasha’s grip tightened on his arm, her eyes never leaving Emma’s floating body.

"She’s not in danger. Her bloodline is awakening."

Dante stopped pulling against her and looked at his master. "Her bloodline?"

Natasha gave him a nod but her mind was somewhere else.

’No, this isn’t just an awakening.’ She observed Emma’s body more closely and what she found made her eyes widen. ’Her bloodline is actually evolving!’

She knew Emma’s Frozen Spirit Bloodline well. It was one of the strongest Epic grade bloodlines out there. And now it was upgrading right in front of her eyes. At the very least, it would reach Legendary.

A mana surge this strong wouldn’t go unnoticed. Any awakener within a mile would be able to feel it and some of them might come looking.

Natasha didn’t waste another second. She raised her hand and activated the concealment barrier she had set up around the mansion for situations exactly like this.

A transparent veil rippled outward from the walls and sealed the entire property under a dome of mana, swallowing all the cold energy that had been leaking out. From the outside, the mansion would look and feel completely normal.

’That should hold.’ Natasha lowered her hand and turned her attention back to Emma.

’But what caused her bloodline to awaken out of nowhere? And more importantly, a bloodline evolving while it’s still dormant is very unusual.’ As she tried to make sense of it, her confused eyes slowly drifted toward Dante.

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