"Are you alright?"
In the grand hall, Es walked toward Yao Lian, who was sitting on a broken piece of stone, carefully wiping her sword clean. The twins, Regina and Mue, were also in the room, waiting. A few monts ago, Ryuk had gone into the throne room, ordering them not to follow.
"Hm? Yeah. And you?" Yao Lian responded without looking up, her focus on the blade's slightly dulled edge. She glanced at Es as the woman settled beside her. anwhile, the twins were busy with their own peculiar activities.
"Sam, you idiot! Can't you even hold the gems properly?" Mue shouted, her small hands working quickly to pry out the embedded jewels from the throne. With practiced ease, she tossed them toward Sand, who stood nearby, struggling to balance the growing pile of treasures in his arms.
Yao Lian sighed, ignoring their antics. She returned her attention to her sword, running her fingers over the blade, checking for any imperfections.
"Where will we go after this?" Es asked casually, leaning back on her hands. She was curious, but Yao Lian's reaction was unexpected. Her body stiffened slightly, fingers tightening around the hilt.
Leaving.
They were leaving this place—her holand. And she had no idea when, or if, she would return.
There was no one waiting for her back ho. She had always been treated as soone burdened with expectations rather than love. But despite everything, the attachnt remained. It was still her ho.
Her gaze drifted toward the throne room, where a faint light shimred through the cracks of the heavy doors.
A cruel man's image surfaced in her mind, making her lower her head with a small smile forming as she softly uttered, "Yeah… it looks like we are."
Her voice was hesitant, knowing deep down this might be the last ti she ever set foot on this continent.
But she couldn't stay. The vampires were coming. Their target was Rui Ke, and she had made up her mind to be by his side.
Not that he would let her leave, now that he went far as to give her this ring.
'Shaless.'
A mory flashed in her mind—the garden, the intensity in his eyes, the way he had claid her without hesitation.
That side of him, unexpected and raw, felt like sothing only she had the privilege to witness.
"Eh? Why are you blushing?"
Es narrowed her golden eyes. Suspicious.
Their relationship had changed. Not long ago, he had barely acknowledged Yao Lian. Now, she was sitting here, blushing over sothing he did—like giving her a ring.
Es closed her eyes. Sothing was definitely going on.
She didn't press further, though. Instead, her attention shifted toward the entrance as she opened her eyes, her golden pupils fixed forward, where two figures appeared—a dark elf and her friend.
Yao Lian followed her gaze. Her grip on the sword tightened slightly.
"Should we beat her up?" she asked, her voice calm but laced with sothing sharper as she rembered the way Rui Ke had shown his interest in this woman and talked casually with her, clearly plucking so strings of discomfort within her heart.
Es didn't hesitate. "I was thinking the sa thing."
She remained seated in a way where her chin rested on her palm, elbow propped on her knee. Her golden eyes glead as she watched the dark elf approach—the one who had caught her husband's attention due to being non-human.
That woman was becoming increasingly distracting; her current interesting side could potentially beco an addictive obsession in the future for Ryuk.
Too much of a problem.
And Es knew how problems needed to be dealt with.
Dark elf—not a chance.
WHOOSH
But before the two seated won could form a plan to deal with the dark elf, a sudden surge of energy made them turn toward the throne room. A radiant figure began to levitate in the air, the sheer force cracking the stone floor beneath.
Their eyes widened as they saw a woman—an exact replica of the one they had just fought—descending onto the ground.
'!?!!'
"How is she alive?!"
Yao Lian's body tensed. The woman they had just seen disappear had returned—this ti, erging from the basent. Without hesitation, she activated her fla Qi, channeling its power through her sword.
Flas ignited along the blade as she propelled herself forward, her body lifting mid-air with the force of her attack.
Her eyes flickered toward the twins, who stood dangerously close to the glowing figure. They could get caught in the blast.
No hesitation.
Yao Lian swung her burning sword down at the woman, ready to strike. But just as her blade was about to connect—
'!?'
A hand seized her wrist.
"Stop. What are you doing?"
Before Yao Lian could react, Ryuk appeared, intercepting her strike. His grip was firm, one hand stopping her sword by holding its hilt, the other wrapped around her wrist.
With a swift motion, he landed with her on the ground—his posture making it look as though he was hugging her from behind.
"Eh? I-I..."
Yao Lian's breath hitched. Her mind montarily blanked as she felt the solid warmth of his body behind her.
His right hand still held hers, while his left steadied her wrist. Tilting her head slightly, she found herself staring into his sharp amber gaze.
His chin rested atop her head, the height difference making it unavoidable.
"She is not an enemy, Yao Lian."
Es's voice broke through the tension as she stepped forward.
Thanks to her ability to perceive mana pathways, she could see it clearly—though this woman looked identical to their previous foe, her energy signature was entirely different.
Not that Es was only concerned about that.
Her gaze flickered between Ryuk and Yao Lian, eyes narrowing slightly.
Yao Lian, finally processing the situation, exhaled. "Oh, I see."
She could feel his embrace. In front of everyone.
Realizing what she had just done, she quickly pulled away. Her sword flickered out of existence as she stored it in her dinsional ring. Then, without thinking, her hand instinctively reached up—grasping Ryuk's for the briefest mont.
But he let go before she could hold on.
And just like that, he took a step back, putting distance between them.
"...."
"Pfft."
'His na was Sam, right?' Yao Lian, hearing a chuckle after being caught embarrassed by one of the twins who clearly laughed at her futile effort, shot a cold glare in that direction towards the boy standing near the throne, making her rember his na.
'Shit,' Sam flinched before averting his gaze.
"I hope to et you soon, Empress." Ryuk, on the other hand, already aware that the first aim of Xiuying would probably be to head toward the edge of Lower Town where most likely vampires had already arrived, gave a nod as he could see that his actions had already won her trust. He turned and added further, "I hope you do not forget our deal afterward."
While grabbing Es and Yao Lian's hands, he reminded Xiuying Fenghuang about sothing he had discussed with her after letting her absorb the energy—a deal between both of them.
"Where?" Es, understanding that the reason he had held her hand was most likely to teleport sowhere, noticed the twins also arrived holding each other's hands as they looked toward Ryuk for their next destination.
"Regina, bring the battleships stealthily to the other side of the Jade Dominion."
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