In the corner of the room, a delicate alchemy device was operating slowly, emitting a faint humming sound.
Blue liquid flowed slowly through the transparent pipes, with a drop of solution falling into the central collection bottle every few seconds, like the pulse of some kind of life.
On the windowsill were several pots of strangely shaped plants, their leaves an unnatural deep purple, shimmering slightly in the sunlight.
Lady Allen made sure the doors and windows were closed before casually snapping her fingers.
A faint energy fluctuation rose from every corner of the room, forming an almost invisible energy barrier, isolating the entire room from the outside world.
"Now we can speak freely."
Lady Allen’s voice suddenly became much younger, and her originally old and hunched figure began to transform before Ron and Lilia’s eyes.
Wrinkles gradually smoothed out, like ice melting under the sun;
The hunched back straightened, and the thin body became full;
The face that was once covered in age spots regained its glow, the hooked nose became small and turned up.
In the blink of an eye, a beautiful woman with long powder-purple hair replaced the original old woman, standing in front of them.
Ron had long seen this form of Lady Allen many times, but Lilia was too shocked to speak, her wide eyes filled with disbelief.
Her lips trembled slightly, she seemed to want to say something but couldn’t make a sound.
The girl instinctively took a step back, almost bumping into the bookshelf behind her.
"Ma... madam?" Lilia’s voice trembled, uncertain if she should believe what she was seeing.
Her brain raced, trying to connect the beautiful woman in front of her with the cranky old lady she knew.
"What, scared?" Lady Allen said with a smile, her voice pleasant and unlike her usual hoarse tone:
"Didn’t expect your harsh landlady to have such a side, did you?"
"Is this your true form, madam?" Lilia asked cautiously.
The trembling in her voice had lessened significantly, replaced by a hint of curiosity.
The purple-haired witch raised an elegant eyebrow:
"Not entirely, this is just the state during the peak of magic power fluctuations, a kind of ’reversion’, it won’t last long."
She showed an almost imperceptible regret in her eyes as she said this, but quickly regained her composure.
Lady Allen gestured for both of them to take a seat and then sat gracefully at the head of the table, a far cry from her usual roughness:
"Come, let’s have a good talk."
Lilia instinctively sprang into action.
The girl quickly walked to the cabinet in the corner, took out a set of exquisite tea sets, and skillfully began preparing tea.
She knew what kind of tea Lady Allen liked, at what time, and how much sugar to add, all engraved in her memory.
"Lilia, go to the backyard and help me sort out the herb garden."
Lady Allen suddenly said, her voice gentle yet irrefutable: "Those night-glow herbs need trimming, you should remember how to handle them."
Lilia’s hands paused for a moment, then she realized this was a sign that the other wanted to speak to Ron alone.
She nodded obediently, putting down the freshly brewed tea, and walked towards the door: "I’ll go right away."
When she reached the door, she paused, looking back at Ron, with a hint of unease and confusion in her eyes.
Ron noticed her gaze, nodded slightly, signaling that she could leave with peace of mind.
Only then did Lilia breathe a sigh of relief and turn to leave the room.
After Lilia left, the room fell into silence for a moment.
Lady Allen picked up the teacup, took a light sip, and nodded with satisfaction.
Even after so long apart, Lilia still remembered her taste preferences.
This detail, for some reason, brought a touch of warmth to her heart.
"A good student." She suddenly said, her fingers unconsciously intertwined, a habitual motion when she’s thinking:
"She likely has some kind of growth-related special talent, and combined with your guidance, her progress rate is pleasantly surprising."