Wendy stood still.
His body felt like it was being pulled in two directions by an invisible force — rage on one side, despair on the other.
Astreia gripped his arm, her knuckles white from the force, those green eyes holding the look of a wounded beast.
Laxana tugged at his clothes, her body trembling slightly, tears threatening to fall from her eyes — the panic of being abandoned.
They both stared at him.
And ahead… was Xi Ya.
She stood behind that half-open door, bathed in a soft halo, holding a small lantern.
She did nothing, just watched him quietly, her violet eyes carrying an understanding and gentleness that could soothe all turmoil.
She was a harbor, a clear spring, the rain that could refresh his parched soul.
Reason told Wendy he should stop.
He should explain to Astreia and Laxana.
Even if it meant fabricating a lie, he had to calm these two women on the verge of losing control.
But his body, his soul, every cell of him was screaming.
‘Go in. Go with her.’
‘Only she can save you.’
Wendy’s foot lifted, as if possessed.
Light, slow, yet as decisive as crossing an irrevocable river of the dead.
Laxana watched Wendy’s retreating back — the back she had sworn to protect with her life — now so unfamiliar and resolute.
Her tears finally fell.
She let go helplessly.
Astreia’s hand hung in midair, her face full of disbelief.
They watched the man walk away without looking back, as if a piece of their hearts had been gouged out, cold wind rushing in.
Wendy didn’t turn around.
Step by step, he walked toward another woman.
He didn’t even dare to look back.
He was afraid that seeing their expressions would shake the resolve he had just mustered.
He forcefully cast aside everything behind him.
Pain, arguments, possessiveness, desire — all blocked out in that moment.
His world narrowed to the half-open side door ahead and the serene figure behind it that could grant him peace.
Xi Ya watched the Prince approach, her gentle smile unchanged.
She simply stepped aside, completely clearing the way into the door.
An invitation.
Wendy walked past her and stepped into that soft halo.
click
The door closed behind him.
No loud sound, just a soft click, yet it was like a gate separating two worlds completely.
The corridor fell into a deathly silence.
The tense atmosphere from before dissipated entirely with the closing of that door, leaving only boundless cold and emptiness.
Astreia and Laxana stood there like two forgotten statues.
The last sliver of light from the crack vanished as well.
In the darkness, Astreia’s body swayed slightly.
In the second before the door fully closed, she saw it.
She saw the last glance Xi Ya threw at them.
It was not gentleness, nor apology.
In those violet eyes flashed something.
A hint of cunning.
And the expression of a predator watching its prey finally step into the trap — a victor’s look.
That gaze chilled her bones more than Wendy’s back ever could.
Inside the door.
Wendy felt as if he had surfaced from the deep sea, greedily breathing fresh air.
That familiar, reassuring lavender scent was stronger than ever before.
It enveloped him, seeped into his skin, soothed every frayed nerve.
His brain, tense from creative stagnation, finally relaxed completely.
The inexplicable fire from the argument was gently extinguished by the scent.
Comfortable.
Unprecedentedly comfortable.
He turned to look at Xi Ya.
She was placing a magical lantern on a small table.
The soft light illuminated the modest room.
It looked like a private study, rows of bookshelves filled with ancient tomes, the air mixed with lavender and the unique smell of old pages.
“Sit down.”
Xi Ya pointed to a single-seat sofa in the center of the room.
Wendy obediently sat down.
The sofa had the same texture as the one in Reading Room B — soft and comfortable, enveloping him completely.
Xi Ya didn’t sit.
She walked to a bookshelf, stood on tiptoe, and pulled out a thick, coverless ancient book from the top shelf.
She carried the book to Wendy, didn’t hand it to him, but opened it herself.
“Look here.”
Her voice was soft, and she crouched down, spreading the book on Wendy’s lap.
To let him see better, she leaned forward slightly.
A few strands of pink hair slipped from her shoulder, lightly brushing the Prince’s hand.
Wendy’s body stiffened slightly.
But he didn’t move away.
All his attention was captured by the book on his lap and the woman so close to him.
Xi Ya’s fingers were slender and pale, gently tracing over the yellowed pages.
“The Federation’s official records attribute the victory to economic blockade. But here, in this pirate’s memoir, it mentions the ‘Battle of Gray Harbor’. The Federation’s victory actually came from a key figure.”
Her voice carried a unique cadence, each word striking clearly in Wendy’s heart.
“A woman.”
“A woman who spread fear within the ‘Iron Sail’ fleet.”
“She used no force at all, only exploited the weaknesses of human nature — greed, suspicion, and… lust.”
Wendy’s breathing unconsciously grew quicker with her narration.
He felt his withered thoughts being nourished by a clear spring, tender green shoots sprouting on the dry land.
This was it.
This was what he needed!
This feeling was far stronger and deeper than any physical pleasure.
It was the satisfaction of a soul being filled.
The pleasure of a mind resonating and elevating.
The Prince gazed at Xi Ya, crouched before him, focused on explaining, at her unreal beautiful profile in the lamplight, at her violet eyes reflecting ancient texts.
At that moment, everything outside the door became blurry and unimportant.
Astreia’s rage, Laxana’s tears, Tracy’s urging — all of it became distant, noisy background noise.
This small study was his haven.
And this woman before him was his only salvation.
“So, Wendy, do you understand now?”
Xi Ya finished a passage and looked up, meeting Wendy’s somewhat entranced gaze.
A gentle, encouraging smile appeared on her face, just like before.
“To destroy something, you don’t always need brute force.”
“Sometimes, you just need to find its weakest point, and then, gently, give it a push.”
Her voice was soft like a lover’s whisper.
“Like… this.”
She extended her other hand and lightly pressed her fingertip against Wendy’s lips.
Wendy’s body trembled as if shocked.
He looked at the unfathomable tenderness in her eyes, feeling himself sinking step by step into a sweet and dangerous whirlpool.
But he didn’t want to struggle.
He was even willing…