After regaining consciousness, Lin Shu slowly opened her eyes.
She was in a dimly lit room.
‘Where… am I?’
Lin Shu blinked twice. After her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she realized she was in Liya’s room.
Everything here was so familiar, just like when they were still in Terpess.
The spacious bed, the heavy curtains, the lace clothes thrown carelessly on the carpet — she could even smell the scent that belonged solely to Liya in the room.
Her shoulder felt heavy, making her instinctively turn her head. Her nose suddenly brushed against a few soft strands of hair.
It was Liya.
She had fallen asleep resting on Lin Shu’s shoulder, her long blonde hair pressed against the side of Lin Shu’s neck. Her chest rose and fell evenly with her breathing, and her hand rested beside Lin Shu, her fingers lightly pinching a corner of Lin Shu’s clothes.
Lin Shu recalled her final memories: she had fought Liya’s mother, but she hadn’t succeeded.
‘So, I was forcibly taken away. I wonder how the manor is doing? Has Safina returned yet…?’
Lin Shu instinctively tried to move her body, only to suddenly realize she had been positioned with her hands raised high above her head.
‘Huh? I’m tied up?!’
*Clang!*
Lin Shu struggled hard. She found that her wrists and ankles were locked in metal shackles, fixed to the edge of the bed.
The significant commotion woke Liya.
“Mmm…” Liya murmured, slowly opening her eyes.
She looked at Lin Shu through bleary eyes, the corners of her mouth curving up. “Lin Shu.”
“What are you doing? Let me go!”
Lin Shu tried to break free with all her might. The handcuffs clattered, the restraint far firmer than she had imagined.
Liya pinned Lin Shu down on the bed, stopping her from thrashing. “It’s best not to move; you’ll hurt yourself.”
Lin Shu instinctively tried to summon vines to fight back, but a sudden sharp pain in her neck interrupted her consciousness.
*Hiss!*
‘It hurts!! What is this?’
Lin Shu turned her neck and realized she had been fitted with a collar. Whenever she tried to gather her thoughts to activate her ability, the restraint around her neck would send a needle-like sting, making it impossible to concentrate.
Liya hooked her finger into the collar around Lin Shu’s neck. “Does it hurt? Sorry, Mother didn’t mention that to me. But if you don’t use your skills, it won’t hurt.”
She wore a satisfied expression. “You can’t see it, but the collar is gold with patterns engraved on it. It suits you.”
Lin Shu’s breathing grew rapid as fear crept into her heart.
‘How is this any different from a fish being pressed onto a chopping board, waiting to be slaughtered?!’
Seemingly noticing Lin Shu’s unease, Liya reached out to stroke her cheek, but Lin Shu tilted her head to avoid her.
She comforted her, “It’s okay, Lin Shu. I won’t hurt you.”
“Why are you doing this to me? Why restrict my freedom?!”
Liya’s voice rose. “But I gave you time, and I gave you the truth, yet you insisted on staying in Drago! Are you going to stay in that fake paradise until Safina gets bored and throws you away?!”
“I’m doing all this for your own good!”
Lin Shu stared at her. “I don’t want this kind of ‘goodness.’ Unlock these.”
“Lin Shu, have you had enough?!”
Liya shouted hysterically, her eyes a mix of anger and sadness.
“Do you know how I lived during the days after you left?”
“I wasn’t doing well at all; I was in a daze every day.”
“For you, I studied the customs of human society to understand what you humans actually like. I even went to social balls I hate — everyone in the family thought I was crazy!”
“What exactly do you want? Whether it’s gold, silver, treasures, or status, I can give it all to you!”
“Can’t you feel my feelings…?” Liya’s voice gradually grew weaker.
Lin Shu looked at Liya quietly.
This person she had once sincerely liked now seemed to have lost all her strength, slumped on the bed.
“If…” Lin Shu murmured softly.
“If I hadn’t left, if I hadn’t followed Safina,” she looked directly at Liya, “would you still have done this?”
Liya’s expression froze.
Lin Shu still remembered their time in Terpess. Back then, she had done her best to keep up with Liya’s footsteps, risking her life for her.
But as Liya’s career flourished, she no longer spared even a glance for Lin Shu.
At that time, Lin Shu’s heart felt empty, as if a piece had been carved out.
Even so, she had held onto a shred of hope, thinking that as long as she did well enough, she would eventually be noticed. To satisfy Liya, she didn’t hesitate to take on life-threatening missions.
Until Lin Shu left, Liya’s first reaction was arrogance — angrily trying to prove that her destination was a mistake.
‘She probably thought I couldn’t live without her, that I had nowhere else to go.’
‘But is her current persistence for me, or for herself?’
Lin Shu continued, “How much of what you’ve done is truly for my sake, and how much is just to maintain your honor and pride as a young lady…?”
“Just like now, because you’re unwilling and can’t accept my choice, you’ve locked me here.”
“No! That’s not it!” Liya cut her off.
“Don’t you believe me, Lin Shu?”
She quickly stood up, pressing a hand to her chest, desperately trying to prove something. “But I clearly…”
The words caught in her throat, and a flash of determination crossing Liya’s face. She cupped Lin Shu’s face and leaned down.
“!” Lin Shu tried to twist her face away, but Liya forced her head back and pressed against her lips.
A frantic and forced kiss disrupted their breathing as their lips rubbed together intensely.
A whimper escaped Lin Shu’s throat.
‘No. I don’t want this kind of kiss that disregards my will.’
She struggled, but with her hands locked, she could only writhe her body.
Liya pressed her upper body down, pinning her in place with a knee between her legs.
When Liya tried to deepen the kiss, Lin Shu bit down hard.
“Mmph!”
Liya shuddered in pain and immediately straightened up.
She stared at Lin Shu in disbelief, slowly opening her mouth. Blood flowed from the wound on her tongue, spilling out and trickling down the corner of her mouth.
That streak of red was particularly jarring on her exquisite face.
Liya’s expression turned from shock to fury. She suddenly reached out and grabbed Lin Shu’s chin, pinning her against the headboard.
*Thud!*
The back of Lin Shu’s head hit the bedboard, causing a buzzing in her ears.
“You bit me?!” Liya cried out. “Are you even resisting your master now?”
“You are not my master!” Lin Shu retorted, gasping for breath.
“I am now. Since I’m the one providing you with the best food, clothes, and company, I am your master!”
Liya took a deep breath. Her tongue still hurt, but she was afraid of pushing Lin Shu’s heart even further away, so her tone softened.
“Don’t you understand yet?”
“I like you, Lin Shu.”
Lin Shu turned her head away, closing her eyes without saying a word.
Liya lowered her head, her hands clutching the bedding.
The room was deathly silent, the atmosphere suffocating.
After a long time, Liya got off the bed, straightened her messy skirt, and walked toward the door.
“You’ll understand…”
Leaving those words behind, Liya turned and went out.
*Bang!!* The door was slammed shut.