So what?
There was no proof.
Black Mirage's face turned livid, and the rasping sound from his throat grew louder.
Serena slowly stood up straight, looking down at his twisted face from above.
"Did you really think your pathetic, parasitic schemes could ever shake the indomitable spirit of this nation?"
"In your dreams."
She smirked, her expression one of wicked, unrestrained confidence, a commanding aura that towered over him.
"Ah! Aaaah!" Black Mirage screamed in fury.
Nicholas had already walked up behind Serena and once again took her hand. He glanced up at the Department of Defense captain. "Thank you for your hard work. Take these men away. This should allow you to root out many of the footholds they've established within Elyndor."
The captain gave Nicholas a military salute, then turned and saluted Serena as well, before giving his command. "Take all the Norvane operatives away!"
Everything was cleaned up, leaving no trace behind.
***
The Lancaster family manor.
The atmosphere was heavy.
After hearing what Mr. Harrison's assistant had said, everyone's heart was in their throat.
Old Mr. Lancaster's brow furrowed deeply as if a thought had struck him. He suddenly clutched his chest, his face turning pale.
"Grandfather!"
Julian immediately rushed forward to support him.
The old man's breathing was ragged.
Alfred quickly took out Old Mr. Lancaster's medication. "This is the medicine Miss Serena prepared for him."
After swallowing a pill, Old Mr. Lancaster's color finally improved slightly.
Seeing that Old Mr. Lancaster was
so upset he'd nearly had a heart
attack, sabella put on a
expression and said softly "Grandfather, don't worry. I'll call Serena right now and ask.
With that, she walked to the home's landline and began dialing Serena's number.
She knew that if she were the one calling, Serena probably wouldn't even answer.
Catherine frowned, about to stop her.
But then Isabella said, "We're not going to question her about why she lied. The main thing is to make sure she's safe. As long as she's okay, we can af rest easy, and Grandfather. won't have to worry so much."
That's what she said out loud.
But what Isabella was really thinking was at this hour, Serena must be fooling around with some guy she picked up.
Calling her now would be the perfect way to let the family see Serena's true colors! Without waiting for Catherine to say anything, she dialed the number.
The phone rang for a long time, but no one picked up.
Old Mr. Lancaster's expression grew even more grave.
The rest of the Lancaster family also looked over, their faces filled with worry.
Isabella suppressed a smile. Just as she was about to suggest to the family that "Serena might be doing something she can't be disturbed from," the call was suddenly connected.
The girl's cool voice came through the line, sounding crisp and pleasant.
"Hello?"
Isabella's sharp ears picked up a muffled grunt-like sound in the background.
Her eyes darted around.
Could it be... Serena was in the middle of...
She immediately seized the chance
to speak. "Serena, it's me. Where are you right now? You haven't been home these past few days, and Grandfather, Mom, Dad, and Julian miss you a lot. They were afraid to calf you, so... I wanted to call on their behalf and see how you're doing."
She deliberately avoided mentioning that everyone knew she wasn't at the research institute.
She wanted Serena to lie to them all again, right in front of the family!