Third Person’s POV


    Paisley took the painting off the wall,id it t on the table, and examined it once more. After <b>taking </b><b>a </b>deep breath, she confirmed that it was indeed Asa.


    She finally understood why she had felt a strange sense of familiarity when she saw Asa.


    Comparing the painting to the features of Adide’s mother, Aire, there were a couple of simrities.


    She looked up at another painting that Adide had been staring at earlier; that one probably bore <b>an </b>even stronger resemnce to Aire.


    In herter years, Aire had be quite thin and seemed lifeless due to her blindness from weeping.


    Seeing that there were no outsiders in the study, Paisley said directly, “I have two things to tell you. First, the person in this painting bears a couple of simrities to Aire, Adide’s mother. Second, the person in the painting is named Asa, also known as Astria. She was rescued by Madison and is set to mate Eugene in an attempt to manipte him.”


    “What?” Caldwell was shaken. “Is she from Madison’s side? What happened to her that she needed Madison’s rescue?”


    “Caldwell, don’t panic. This so–called ‘rescue‘ might have some hidden story. I was already nning to have Craig draw a portrait of Asa and send someone to Fairfax County to investigate.”


    Adide quickly asked, “Does she look like my mother to you?”


    Paisley replied, “To be honest, I felt a sense of familiarity when I first saw her, but I couldn’t ce it. It wasn’t until I looked at these paintings that I realized the truth. Craig’s portraits are so detailed and capture even the subtleties of expression, which is why I recognized the resemnce.


    “But Asa is a living person, trained to carry herself like a noblewoman. So when I met her in person, the simrity wasn’t as obvious.”


    “Luna Adide, let me ask first,” Caldwell interjected, feeling numb from head to toe.


    He couldn’t exin why, but the sense of unreality was overwhelming.


    He and Craig were in the middle of assessing which painting best matched the current description of her, preparing to distribute the most fitting ones for the search.


    Before they could finalize their selection, Paisley returned with the news that she had just seen the person in the painting.


    It felt like a dream–Caldwell had braced himself for a long and arduous journey to find her, even enterting the painful thought that she might no longer be alive


    Now, to learn that she was in the capital, within the Spectrehowl Pack, and positioned as Madison’s pawn,


    was surreal.


    Madison’s pawns rarely met happy ends, and Caldwell knew he had to get to the bottom of <b>this</b>.


    <b>III </b>


    Pushing his way to the front, Caldwell looked at Paisley and said, “You mentioned there’s <b>more </b><b>to </b>this ‘rescue‘ by Madison. What do you mean? Tell me now.”


    Paisley, seeing Caldwell’s desperation–his eyes bloodshot and on the verge of tears–prioritized <b>his </b>question over Adide’s for the first time.


    “As we all know, Madison has a penchant for collecting women who resemble Aire and gifting them <b>to </b>Hunt as breeders to bear his children…”


    Caldwell copsed to the floor, his face pale and sweaty. “What did you say?”


    “Caldwell!” Paisley shouted, trying to keep him grounded. “Stay with me! If she had been vited by Hunt, how could she be arranged to mate Eugene? Luna Cassia mentioned that she was engaged at a young <b>age</b><b>, </b>but her fiancé passed away, dying the mating. Unable to find a suitable mate in Fairfax County, she came to the capital and sought out Luna Cassia. Clearly, she was never Hunt’s breeder.”


    Paisley delivered this in one breath, fearing another blow <i>to </i>Caldwell.


    Lance helped Caldwell back into his chair. “Stay seated,” he said.


    Adide, observing Caldwell’s mix of excitement and fear, added, “But you need to brace yourself. She merely resembles the person in the painting. The painting itself was Craig’s interpretation based on her childhood appearance and your parents‘ features–it might not be entirely urate. So, this Asa might not


    be your sister.”


    Caldwell pressed a hand to his forehead, his voice trembling with a mix of excitement and weakness. “I know… I understand that. But I have to meet her. She was seven when she was kidnapped. She should still have some memories from before, even if they’re faint.”


    Lance cautioned, “I don’t think it’s wise to meet her so soon. As far as she’s concerned, Madison is her savior, and she likely knows Madison’s intentions toward us. If you approach her or let her suspect you believe she’s your sister, she might exploit that. We need to gather information indirectly.”


    “Lance has a point,” Paisley said, “but who can we get to do that?”


    In the silence that followed, Craig suggested, “Why not Eugene? He’s currently discussing the mating with her.”


    Adide frowned. “But they can’t meet in private, right?”


    Craig gave a quick shake. “Sorry. I’ve been stuck in the Camp for weeks–going a little nuts.”


    Adide countered, “But Paisley visited the Spectrehowl Pack today, and they know she’s the goddaughter of Eugene’s mother. She could invite Asa out. Luna Cassia would probably agree.”


    Chapter <b>517 </b>