Austin finally understood the reasoning behind his aunt's words and why she believed Lily's parents had spread the rumor to protect her.
It all made sense now.
In this world, spirits were extremely dangerous and they came in many different forms.
They couldn't be seen unless they wanted to be seen, and that alone was enough to strike fear into anyone's heart.
Everyone knew how chaotic and violent spirits were.
So if the rumors were false, then Lily wasn't cursed at all.
But if they were true and if she could really attract dangerous spirits, then it also meant that she might be able to control them.
Austin came to this conclusion because if dangerous spirits were drawn to her, then Graypine City would have been in a constant state of chaos.
Even the slavers would've been torn to shreds by now.
But none of that had happened, and that meant the rumors were either fake… or slightly wrong; that is, Lily had the power to not only attract spirits but to tame them as well.
And that would explain the flickering torches and cracked doors.
In other words, Lily had been quietly feeding the rumors her parents created, and she had been doing just enough to make them seem real while secretly waiting for House Han to come save her.
So, if Austin freed Lily and took her in as his retainer, her strength, talent, and skills would only be beneficial to him in the long run.
"Alright, I've decided to get her out of there."
Hearing this, a huge grin spread across Sue's face because she knew of the benefits Lily's alchemical knowledge could bring to Austin, especially since he would soon become the Lord of the Western Estate.
"I knew you'd say that, so I acted ahead."
"What do you mean?" Austin asked.
"Po and I already freed her, and now, she's been fed, washed, and dressed in clean clothes."
"So, she's here? In the rest house?" Austin blinked in surprise, but the adorable, shocked look on his face caused Sue's grin to widen even more as she sipped her tea before answering.
"Yep. She's currently in a separate room, and once you've given the order, I'll ask two of your guards to escort her here."
Austin was short of words and he couldn't help but smile as he lifted his tea to his lips.
"I knew it. You really are the best Aunt in the world."
"Well, duh. Your Aunt always has your best interest at heart and that is never gonna change."
"Thank you so much Aunt Sue, for everything."
"You're welcome, dear. Alright, your Aunt needs to get something to eat. The guards will bring Lily here shortly, so you can have a chat with her if you want to." Sue informed him and Austin nodded in response as he watched her leave the room.
A few minutes later, a knock was heard on the door, then a beautiful young lady with silver-colored hair and amethyst-colored eyes stepped into the room.
Lily was wearing a delicate purple colored chima skirt and a white long-sleeved upper garment.
But there was something else that caught Austin's attention.
She had white fox ears and a single tail that hung low behind her as she stood silently before him with her gaze fixed on the floor and her hands nervously clutching her skirt.
Austin urged her to take a seat in front of him and she walked towards him before sitting across from him.
"Can you read?" Austin asked as he looked at the scrolls in front of him. In this world, most commoners were unable to read but a few nobles and aristocratic families could.
"Y-yes, Your Highness."
"Good." Austin slid two scrolls toward her.
These were what he had been working on since he arrived at Graypine City while Sue and Po had been preoccupied with finding Lily.
Lily looked at the two scrolls in front of her with apprehension, then she slowly grabbed one of them.
Upon opening it and reading its contents, her eyes widened in surprise.
The scroll was actually an Imperial Writ of Transfer, declaring that Lily was no longer a slave but instead a retainer of the fourth prince himself.
Although it did not free her completely, it was enough to protect her from being reclaimed or resold.
Once she registered the content of the scroll, her hands tightly clutched the parchment. "My Lord, this is…"
"Read this as well," Austin interjected as he slid the second scroll toward her.
Lily opened it, and once again, her hands tightened on the parchment because, unlike the Writ of Transfer Austin contained in the first scroll, the second scroll detailed how the fourth prince was giving her the freedom to choose between two options.
Lily could either choose to live freely in the Jade Swallow Estate under the fourth prince's protection, or she could choose to serve as a lady-in-waiting to Lina and Mira since she was already a close friend of both sisters.
Though both options ensured her safety, the details in them mattered a lot.
The Western Estate was also called The Jade Swallow Estate, and the first choice meant that Lily could live freely within the estate; however, she wouldn't be able to visit the Jade Mansion unless the twins came to see her.
But, as a lady-in-waiting to both Lina and Mira, Lily could be with her friends as much as she wanted and she would most likely move into the Jade Mansion along with them once their wedding took place in the next few weeks.
All of these were detailed comprehensively in the scroll to enable her to make a proper choice after giving it some thought and consideration.
"You have until tomorrow morning to make your choice. We're leaving the city first thing in the morning and we'll be going back to the palace, as well as to see your friends again."
Hearing this, a huge wave of happiness coursed through Lily's body as she swiftly bowed to Austin, thanking him with tears streaming down her cheeks.
Before today, Lily doubted that she'd ever see her friends again.
She was grateful for the story her parents had spread to protect her, but she had feared it wouldn't be enough to trick the slavers for long.
Moreover, with the disgrace surrounding House Han, Lily doubted that the Han household would come to her rescue.
Besides, she still couldn't believe her father had been involved in an act of treason against the empire and everything that had happened still felt like a horrible nightmare to her.
She recalled how she had been in her room a few weeks ago organizing herbs, and then out of nowhere, a barrage of arrows rained down on her father's mansion, killing all of his guards before their whole family was apprehended.
Everything else that had followed, happened so fast, and before she knew it, her life was never the same again.
But now, the fourth prince had not only restored her dignity, but he had also granted her a chance to live close to both Lina and Mira.
However, one might wonder why Lily would feel relieved to be with Lina and Mira again after what the rumors said Lord Han had done.
But Lily wasn't bothered by the rumors circling around the Han Household because she was smart enough to understand that someone with a lot of power in the empire must have done something to implicate both households, and this was why she was really happy about the fourth prince's offer to take her to Lina and Mira again.
She had heard about the rumors of the fourth prince being engaged to the twins, but she never expected him to be kind enough to care about reuniting her with Lina and Mira.
Yes, maybe he had his reasons.
Maybe he expected something in return.
But Lily didn't care about that because she was ready to repay him, no matter what.
And so with that thought in mind, Lily bowed respectfully and thanked him once again before excusing herself from his room.
Meanwhile, Austin watched as she slowly walked out of his room, her tail swishing excitedly behind her.
A smile appeared on his lips because he could see how happy the fox girl felt about getting the chance to see her friends again.
But just as he watched Lily getting closer to the door, his vision suddenly turned blurry, and he noticed something flickering behind her before it vanished into thin air as she stepped out of his room.
Austin couldn't believe what he had just seen.
'Wait a minute…did she just have nine tails?'
He was certain of it.
The remaining eight magical tails had appeared and vanished just as he was about to have a better look at them.
He couldn't make sense of what he had just seen but since he couldn't view Lily's profile yet due to how low her loyalty level was, Austin decided not to think too much about it right now.