“But you didn’t refuse this morning…” Or rather, you never refused her.
There were clearly countless opportunities to push her away.
The Duke’s Daughter’s eyes were filled with fierce possessiveness as she reached out to tuck the slightly messy strands of hair from Xunian’s forehead, but halfway up, she let her hand fall.
“Is the reason you refuse me because of her?”
Her?
The Duke’s Daughter’s gaze silently shifted under the bed, where Xunian had laid out a floor mat for Fu Ruxue.
Only then did Xunian realize she was referring to Fu Ruxue.
She answered calmly, “No.”
This time, unlike last time when she was completely powerless, Xunian felt her strength was the same as usual.
The woman lowered her head, revealing a vulnerable neck. Golden hair fell along the curve of her cheek, draping in front of her.
Her defenseless appearance made Xunian’s heart skip a beat.
Xunian’s hand reached into the sleeve where her knife was hidden, and she found it still there.
What if… Her gaze landed on the Duke’s Daughter’s fair neck, and her heartbeat quickened even more.
Inner turmoil twisted inside her as she clenched the knife handle tightly.
Without warning, the Duke’s Daughter leaned toward her.
Xunian’s heart pounded so hard it rose to her throat. Thinking she was about to be kissed again, she shut her eyes tightly, reaching behind the Duke’s Daughter’s back to brandish the knife.
The imagined sensation of lips on hers never came, only a slight weight on her shoulder.
Surprised, she opened her eyes to find the Duke’s Daughter carefully resting on her shoulder, not daring to move for fear of upsetting her.
Her breath was so light and delicate against Xunian’s shoulder that if one wasn’t paying close attention, they wouldn’t even notice it.
And yet, the knife tip was less than two centimeters from the Duke’s Daughter’s delicate neck, hanging like the Dagger of Damocles ready to pass judgment on her fate at any moment.
It was a moment of pure hesitation.
Struggle flashed across Xunian’s eyes, but she lowered the knife.
Her reason told her that because this was a dream, even if she struck, the Duke’s Daughter wouldn’t be harmed or lose anything. So she didn’t act.
But her heart softened.
A small voice inside told her she simply lacked the will to strike.
Was it because she was soft for that face?
The knife slipped back into her sleeve, and she said stiffly, “Go away.”
“Sorry.”
The Duke’s Daughter lifted her head from Xunian’s shoulder and moved back over a meter away. The loneliness in her eyes pierced Xunian’s heart.
Why did every movement of this person before her tug at her heartstrings?
Xunian kept telling herself she was not her; she was just a counterfeit who looked about thirty to forty percent similar.
Raising her eyes again, the tenderness disappeared, replaced by utter coldness.
“Where is the Key?”
Hearing the word “Key,” the Duke’s Daughter’s expression also turned cold. She narrowed her eyes.
“You want to leave here?”
Her originally clear eyes darkened, beginning to collapse piece by piece. Black Tendrils sprouted from the air behind her, reaching toward Xunian unconsciously.
Her once-glowing red pupils were now dim, terrifyingly hollow; just a glance sent chills down the spine.
“Why… leave…”
The Duke’s Daughter seemed to have lost her mind. The Black Tendrils wrapped around Xunian’s feet and crawled up her body, aiming to bind her entirely.
Xunian stabbed the knife into the Black Tendrils, but it pierced through them and lodged into her own leg, causing her to tremble in pain.
The Dream Realm was the Duke’s Daughter’s domain; here, Xunian was destined to lose.
The tendrils had already reached her abdomen. Struggling, Xunian lunged for the edge of the bed and grabbed the Teddy Bear lying there, radiating an eerie aura.
If she remembered correctly, last time she escaped the Dream Realm after accidentally touching something furry.
But she was still trapped. The situation spiraled out of control as her body was enveloped by the strange black substance, her arms already half bound.
What else was needed?!
She remembered last time, when she touched that soft, furry thing, she was with the Duke’s Daughter…
Only half of Xunian’s arm was left free of the Black Tendrils as they dragged her through the air to the Duke’s Daughter’s side.
The Duke’s Daughter’s hollow eyes stared at her, her hoarse voice whispering, “You can’t leave.”
Using the last unbound part of her arm, Xunian grabbed the Duke’s Daughter’s collar, closed her eyes, and leaned in.
Their lips met. Their breaths collided and mingled. The Duke’s Daughter’s eyes cleared instantly, stunned.
Xunian’s kiss was awkward but stirred the other’s thoughts into chaos, willing to sink with her.
At the same time, her other hand clutched the Teddy Bear tightly to her chest.
The scene pulled back. The Duke’s Daughter tried to hold her hand, wanting to keep her, but the pulling sensation reminded her to let go.
Though reluctant, the Duke’s Daughter’s pinky hooked Xunian’s in a gesture of attachment before releasing. Xunian drifted farther and farther away.
Her consciousness plunged into the abyss again.
“Swish—”
The Curtain was pulled open, and a blinding light poured in, making Xunian squint.
The figure at the window was backlit by the Sunlight, a wide smile on her face.
“Good morning.”
Fu Ruxue looked refreshed, as if she herself was a ray of light outside.
“The Housekeeper has always been obsessed with her head. Why don’t we try looking for the Headless Maid’s head first?”
“Alright.”
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Xunian rose, feeling a lingering fatigue in her body but an unexpectedly clear mind.
“Judging from the size and depth of the cut surfaces where their heads were severed, it must have been some large tool specifically designed for cutting.”
Such a large tool couldn’t just vanish without a trace.
Where on earth was it hidden?
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