“?!” Liya’s heart jolted violently, and she instantly stopped what she was doing.
Inside her, it felt as if some kind of link had suddenly snapped.
What was that?
It seemed like a faint connection… had disappeared?
Liya pressed her palm against her chest in confusion, unable to shake the sense that something was missing.
Beside her, the horse neighed and stomped its hooves in place a few times, visibly excited for the adventure ahead.
Liya snapped back to her senses and stroked the horse’s mane.
Was it just her imagination? Or maybe it was the influence of the magical beasts in the Forbidden Forest that was affecting her mind before they entered?
Forget it. For now, the most important thing was to focus on the mission and obtain the Demon Flower—it was a crucial resource for her family.
“Where did that girl go? Why isn’t she here yet?” Liya turned and swept her gaze across the camp, but Lin Shu was nowhere to be seen.
“Miss, should I go look for her?” The maid standing behind her hurried forward to ask.
Normally, Lin Shu would have had everything prepared and would be waiting at the departure point ahead of time.
Is she slacking off just because she’s a little injured?
Liya frowned, clearly displeased.
“Miss, we’re all ready and can set out at any time,” the family members behind her reported as they led their horses forward.
Time was tight. This operation was a key chance to prove her abilities to the family elders.
Tch, that deadweight—might as well leave her behind.
“No need to worry about her.” Liya swung onto her horse, her golden hair arcing sharply through the air.
She gripped the reins and shouted to the team behind her, “Listen to my command! Move out!”
*****
After the bloodkin marched into the Forbidden Forest in groups, only a handful of people remained to guard the camp. The only sound in the air was the crackling of the campfire, making the place feel especially quiet.
The maid was tidying up the camp when she suddenly heard the soft sound of footsteps.
She looked up and saw two familiar figures.
Sefina and Lin Shu emerged side by side from the small grove at the camp’s edge.
Why were they together? And coming from that grove? Suspicion crept into the maid’s heart.
“Miss Sefina.” As the two approached, the maid curtsied and raised her voice, not bothering to hide her accusatory tone as she fixed her gaze on Lin Shu behind Sefina:
“Miss Liya was just looking for you. What’s wrong with you? You knew Miss Liya was about to depart, yet you went wandering off with someone else.”
She pointed toward the Forbidden Forest. “Miss Liya and the others just went in not long ago. If you go now, you might still have a chance to redeem yourself.”
Lin Shu ignored her. She’d heard enough of these condescending scoldings.
“Hey, where are you going?” Seeing Lin Shu walking past without a word, the maid immediately chased after her. “I’m talking to you—are you deaf?”
“Oh my, the Tepes family’s maids are so feisty?” Sefina’s lazy voice cut in.
Sefina turned, swept her hand through the air, and drew a lace parasol from the void. Holding the handle, she brought the parasol between the maid and Lin Shu.
She tilted her head slightly and smiled, asking, “Are you sure you want to go against me?”
“Of course not, Miss Sefina.” The maid quickly reined herself in and straightened her expression, but her eyes still darted resentfully toward Lin Shu as she whispered, “But… she’s our Miss Liya’s familiar…”
“Used to be,” Sefina softly corrected, “but now, she’s my familiar.”
What?!” The maid cried out in disbelief, turning sharply to look at Lin Shu.
Lin Shu simply gazed back calmly, answering the question with silence.
The commotion drew over the few remaining Tepes family guards in the camp. They quickly gathered, hands on their weapons, watching Sefina warily and glancing in confusion at the maid and Lin Shu, unsure how to proceed.
Sefina put down her parasol and looked sideways at Lin Shu:
“Sweetheart,” her voice lazily returned to its usual tone, “it seems there are still people who don’t quite understand whom you belong to now.”
“In that case, why don’t you tell them yourself what our relationship is?”
All eyes turned to Lin Shu.
The maid’s shock faded, replaced by resentment, while the guards in the back looked tense.
Sefina moved closer to Lin Shu, gently lifting her chin with a hand, her voice low and seductive:
“Come now, tell me—who am I to you?”
Again with this kind of intimacy. Lin Shu shrank back, dodging her hand.
She looked straight at Sefina’s smiling face, the gentle anticipation in those eyes making Lin Shu’s cheeks burn.
Before, she’d only ever called Liya by that title, and Liya had rarely looked at her so earnestly, waiting for that name.
It made her even more uncomfortable.
The title she’d called out to Liya countless times—now she had to say it to someone else.
Lin Shu hesitated for a moment, averted her gaze, then spoke:
“Master.” She took a breath, forced down the awkwardness, and repeated in a calm voice, “You are my Master.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the maid, furious, charged forward: “You traitor! Ungrateful wretch!”
Screaming, she pulled several daggers from under her skirt and hurled them at Lin Shu.
“Swish!”
Sefina stepped forward in a flash, blocking Lin Shu and opening her parasol.
The seemingly delicate parasol stopped all the sharp daggers cold. The blades fell powerless to the ground with a dull thud.
“I already told you, she’s mine now. If you make things difficult for her, you’re making things difficult for me.” Sefina lifted her parasol, resting it lightly on her shoulder, her faint smile still on her lips.
The maid’s face went pale; she clutched her skirt tightly, not daring to make another move.
The guards behind her, hearing this, silently slid their half-drawn weapons back into their sheaths.
They couldn’t risk offending the Drago family, especially since they were still collaborating with their young mistress.
The maid never imagined Lin Shu would run to Sefina’s side.
“Miss Liya will never forgive you,” the maid spat, her venomous gaze fixed on Lin Shu.
“I’ve already repaid Miss Liya’s kindness over the years.” Lin Shu’s voice was calm and dull, her eyes numb and lifeless. “Please tell her—I’m leaving the Tepes family.”
With that, she turned and followed Sefina.
Sefina walked to the edge of the camp, where a carriage bearing the Drago family crest was waiting.
Two pitch-black horses stood quietly, eerie flames licking at their hooves, as if they had returned from the underworld.
Sefina stepped onto the carriage first, then turned and offered her hand to Lin Shu. “Come, sweetheart.”
When Lin Shu placed her hand in Sefina’s, Sefina gave a gentle tug, pulling her up into the carriage.
“We’re going home.”
Interesting