The Mercenary Queen Strikes Back (Lily Hastings) novel Chapter 55

Chapter 55

The man hissed under his breath. “Let’s go, now.”

The two figures melted into the darkness, retreating hastily with an air of flustered escape. Downstairs, Nova didn’t look away until she was sure the two figures had disappeared.

Jordan noticed her behavior. Puzzled, he asked, “What happened? Did you see something?”

Nova replied with a faint, teasing smile, “Just a couple of stray cats passing by. They’ve run off now.” Jordan took her words at face value and nodded, not overthinking it.

Nova added casually, “I’ll take your mission.”

*****

A week passed in a flash. Saturday was approaching.

Nova was about to attend a top high-society ball in Ravenport as the new owner of Frostwave Bar

Come to think of it, Ghost-Hammer would arrive in Ravenport in days.

Even traveling from a war-torn country to Zoria and then making his way to this small city would take no more than a week.

But for mercenaries like Ghost-Hammer, he inevitably had international enemies. Breaking away from the battlefield, shaking off pursuers, and covering his tracks all took

Given Ghost-Hammer’s meticulous nature, Nova trusted he wouldn’t carelessly cause trouble for her.

During a break, Sophia said happily, her cheeks cupped in her hands, “It’s finally Friday, Nova. We don’t have to drag ourselves out of bed for class tomorrow, and the elite ball is in the evening. You’re going, right?”

It was a blessing to have a kitchen genius like Sophia. As a member of the Dessert Club, she brought Nova an Oreo crumble cup, caramel pudding, cream puffs, and other treats-a new delight every day.

Nova’s hand, holding the spoon for the Oreo crumble cup, paused abruptly as she narrowed her eyes slightly.

Sophia quickly explained, “Oh, sorry. I always thought of you as an old friend and assumed you knew about the ball.

(*

“In Ravenport, people hold these high-society balls regularly, mainly inviting young ladies from wealthy families and aristocratic young men.

“Lots of people from our school will be there. Your brother and sister, Zane, Ethan, Claire, Jessica… They’re all going.

“The adults will be there too. Your parents are definitely attending. “The grown-ups talk business. For us, it’s just a social gathering.”

Sophia wasn’t aware of the connection between Nova and Frostwave Bar. She simply assumed Nova would attend as the third heiress of the Blake family.

Nova’s tension eased. “Yeah, I’ll be there.”

Sophia cheered. “Great! Ethan’s going too. He keeps boasting about how dashing he’ll look in a white suit.”

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Chapter 55-

Nova shit frer a glance.

Sophia realized she had made it sound like she was close to Ethan. She quickly waved her hands and explained, “Uh, well… Ethan often came to find you so he added my contact just to stay in touch. That’s all.

Nova wasn’t suspicious, just genuinely curious

For most students, mornings dragged on endlessly. One dull class after another made it hard to stay awake.

But for Nova, being able to study like an ordinary girl was a life she could only dream of during her days dodging bullets. She enjoyed her classes and completed her assignments seriously.

For Nova, the morning hours flew by.

*****

Afternoon rolled around, and it was club activity time.

Nova headed toward the Free Combat Club, while Sophia went to the Dessert Club.

As Nova passed by the school gymnasium, a low-profile girl with twin braids, thick black-rimmed glasses, and blunt bangs stopped her.

Nova raised an eyebrow and sidestepped to walk around her, but the girl spoke up from behind, “Can we talk, Nova?”

At SLRA, Nova was already well-known. Everyone knew that the duel champion was the long-lost third daughter of the Blake family.

Aside from the elusive hidden experts, she was considered the strongest student on campus.

“Not interested.” Nova refused bluntly, one hand in her pocket as she kept walking. She had no interest in chatting with strangers. Unless the person could offer something that would make her stop.

The twin-braided girl clenched her fists, lowered her head, then mustered her courage and spoke firmly under the passing students, “I know your true identity. Nova, you’re an assassin.”

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