“So… you want me to willingly take control of that kind of corrupting power?”
Wendy laid out his bold, almost reckless idea without hesitation.
However, to his surprise, the princess who had just been so decisive and unflinching—pinning people down like raw meat—refused outright this time.
“No way!”
Astreia shook her head like a rattle, her tone resolute.
“I will never enter that state again!”
“Huh?”
In all the time they’d spent together, Wendy had never been rejected so bluntly before. He felt a twinge of unhappiness.
“Why?”
But Astreia seemed struck on a sore spot.
She fell silent and turned to walk toward the edge of the forest.
Now Wendy was the one panicking.
He took a swift step forward and grabbed the princess’s armored cloak.
“What’s going on? Stop playing the mystery game!”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Astreia suddenly spun around.
Wendy’s vision blurred.
His back hit the rough tree trunk with a solid thud.
Then, Astreia pressed both hands on his shoulders and pinned him against the tree.
At this moment… it was just like that time.
The familiar scene, the familiar posture, even the oppressive shadow cast from above was exactly the same.
Wendy’s mind immediately went blank. Memories surged like a tidal wave—the night Astreia, under the witch’s influence, had grabbed his throat and emitted uncontrollable, disturbing moans.
His throat moved almost reflexively…
Just as the ominous sound was about to escape, Astreia spoke.
“Do you understand now, Wendy!”
The princess stared into his peach blossom eyes, her voice nearly a growl, “Whenever I recall the memories of descending into witchhood, I can’t help but want to hurt you…”
“I even want to sever your limbs and imprison you forever by my side!”
“I don’t want to hurt you anymore!”
Her roar, full of pain and cherished emotion, snapped Wendy back to reality.
That burning passion struck the softest place in his heart, sending warm waves rushing through his body.
For a moment, Wendy’s cheeks flushed.
He averted his gaze slightly, unable to look into those bright green starry eyes.
“I-I get it… why shout so loud?”
“S-sorry…”
Astreia suddenly realized her posture was also “hurting” Wendy.
She let go with a jolt, took a step back, and kept apologizing.
But as soon as she pulled away, Wendy reached out to grasp her armored hand again.
The prince’s slightly cool fingers traced gently over his cheek.
“It’s alright. If it’s you, Astreia… I don’t mind.”
Wendy’s cheeks warmed as he quietly added,
“Actually, I quite like being choked…”
This borderline reckless confession made Astreia’s eyes redden instantly.
All her pretended strength collapsed at once.
She pulled the prince tightly into her embrace, hot tears soaking his shoulder.
“Precisely because of that… I can’t let myself indulge!”
“…”
Wendy was almost breathless from being held so tightly.
But feeling the tremble of her voluptuous form against him, his heart pounded louder and louder until he felt like melting in this love.
Still, he forced the last shred of reason and patted her back, speaking seriously.
“Thank you, Astreia… but have you thought about this? What if when we get to the capital, the nobles use conspiracies to provoke you and you lose control again? Would you just start killing everyone? The capital is full of unarmed civilians, not those damn Orcs…”
“I will never lose control again!”
Astreia’s answer was as firm as ever.
“But what if it’s me?”
Wendy threw out a fatal question.
“What if those nobles use some special magic I don’t know about to control me, and do something… terrible to me in front of you? At that moment, could you really guarantee you won’t lose control?”
“…”
The princess’s body stiffened instantly.
She fell silent, unsure how to respond.
The conflict and pain in her eyes were almost spilling over.
“I don’t care what happens to those innocent people, nor do I care what becomes of the Valoran Kingdom…”
Wendy gently cupped her tear-stained pretty face, forcing her to meet his gaze.
“But I care about you, Astreia. I don’t want you to lose control and do anything you’d regret for the rest of your life! I want us to always be happy together, and to make that happen… we need power that can crush everything.”
“Trust me, together, we will master this power!”
At this moment, the prince and princess locked eyes and clasped fingers tightly.
Their heartbeats echoed through the silent forest, gradually merging as one.
After a long moment…
Astreia relented.
She lowered her gaze, tears still glistening on her lashes, voice barely above a whisper: “I believe in you, Wendy…”
As her words fell,
A warm kiss landed on the prince’s forehead, carrying the scent of sunshine after the rain.
Wendy slowly rose on tiptoe to gently respond.
The atmosphere grew even more tender and intimate…
But Wendy forcibly suppressed the fluttering in his chest and broke free from the princess’s embrace.
“Astreia, we only have three days. Time is tight. Let’s… better start training now…”
“Mm!”
They separated again.
Astreia took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tried hard to recall every detail of that night—the unknown female priestess and her strange face.
But… one minute, two minutes… ten minutes passed.
Nothing happened except her anger growing.
“No!”
The princess snapped her eyes open and punched the tree trunk, shaking leaves to the ground.
“I can’t get into that state at all!”
Hearing this, Wendy stroked his chin, thoughtful.
“Then what did it feel like when you became a witch?”
“Like… falling into a bottomless abyss, my soul frozen, but consciousness completely clear, my body utterly ruled by destruction and desire…”
Astreia answered sullenly.
“But now, whenever I think of that priestess’s face, I only feel jealousy, hatred, and anger. It’s so far from that pure feeling of corruption!”
Is that so?
Not jealousy, not hatred, not anger…
Wendy frowned slightly, beginning to worry.
The channel to becoming a witch, he only knew, involved the Holy Sword sealed with the Demon King and a few missing demonic tools.
Whether the corruption caused by these was reversible or not was still unknown.
So what should they do now…
Suddenly, Wendy’s mind flashed with what the strange female priestess had said:
[The closer and more emotional someone is to you, the easier they are to… influence.]
Close, emotional, vulnerable…
That’s it! A vulnerability in the soul!
Wendy clapped his hands, eyes brightening.
He’d found a blind spot.
What Astreia had recalled so far was only the feelings before and after corruption, so…
“Astreia! Think carefully—what was the feeling at the exact moment you became a witch?”
At this question, the princess lowered her head, lost in thought.
Gradually, a scene appeared in her mind.
Under cold night rain, a seductive female priestess stood before the prince who had his back turned, asking that question:
“Prince Wendy, would you be willing to elope with me…?”
At this memory, Astreia’s heart suddenly clenched.
But then, a voice, an answer she never wanted to hear, like the cruelest curse, pierced her soul.
“I·will·!”
Boom—!
It was as if the entire world collapsed in an instant!
Astreia’s face twisted in excruciating pain, a sharp, indescribable sting of betrayal exploded from her heart like countless needles, piercing through her whole body!
“Pfft—”
A mouthful of blood burst from her lips!
In Wendy’s eyes, the princess was now frantically exuding pitch-black demonic aura that seemed ready to swallow the light itself!
His expression changed immediately. He rushed forward to support her.
“Astreia! Are you alright? Stop this. Let’s rest first…”
Before he could finish,
An overwhelming terrifying power suddenly clamped down on his throat!
Wendy’s feet lifted off the ground in an instant, and he was effortlessly hoisted into the air!
“Rest…? No!”
Astreia slowly stood up, head lowered.
Her lifted eyes no longer shone green. Instead, a strange, maddened dark purple glimmered.
“I remember now…”
She licked the blood from her lips and showed a cruel, delighted smile.
“This feeling…”
“Is betrayal!”