Wendy suddenly hugged Laxana’s ghostly body, his fingertips passing through the sheer, illusionary torso, only to feel an ice-cold touch that pierced to the bone.
“Have you lost your mind?”
Laxana’s eyes flew wide open, and she struggled frantically to break free.
But Wendy didn’t give her any chance. He pressed her down onto the bed directly.
“Laxana, I want you. Right now.”
Before he even finished speaking, he bit down on Laxana’s earlobe.
That familiar scent belonging to a Witch instantly surged into Wendy’s body through the point of contact like a maddening flood.
“Mmph! Wh-what are you doing?!”
Laxana’s entire body trembled, and an unnatural flush spread across her pale face.
“Stop it, I order you to stop!”
Wendy ignored her completely.
His only thought right now was to give everything he had to drag Laxana out of this damned Witch State.
“No, no, aaaah!!!”
Laxana struggled violently, fear and panic gradually creeping into her silver eyes.
Wendy kept his head down in silence, simply increasing his efforts.
Wave after wave of Witch Power was being crazily absorbed, converted, and purified by him.
Laxana’s body began to change.
That originally pale and translucent form was slowly becoming solid.
Those lifeless Silver Pupils began to show traces of color flowing within them.
“Stop… please…”
Laxana’s voice was already tinged with tears.
“I worked so hard… so hard to defeat her.”
Wendy closed his eyes, forcing himself not to look at Laxana’s pretty face that was about to break into tears.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, I’m really sorry.”
Laxana seemed to sense something and abruptly stopped struggling.
“You…”
She stared at Wendy intensely, anger, sorrow, Despair—all kinds of emotions interweaving in her eyes.
“You planned all of this from the start, didn’t you?”
“That’s why you deliberately went to purify Astreia, to lure me over and stop you… then seize the chance to catch me, and use your damned special constitution to ‘purify’ me too.”
Seeing this, Laxana let out a bitter laugh.
“Am I right, Your Highness?”
Wendy gritted his teeth and didn’t deny it.
Wendy didn’t answer, silently accelerating the Purification instead.
Laxana suddenly laughed.
That smile was filled with self-mockery and bitterness.
“I’m so stupid…”
she murmured to herself.
“I had already calculated so much, paid such a heavy price, and barely managed to snatch you back from her…”
“And in the end, I still fell into your hands.”
She raised her head to look at Wendy, all the madness and Paranoia in her gaze dissolving into profound helplessness in that moment.
“Wendy, do you know?”
“Actually… I’ve always liked you.”
“I’ve liked you ever since the first time I saw you at Sunset Fortress.”
“But now?”
Laxana’s eyes turned red.
“You’ve been siding with her the whole time…”
“Only that damned Astreia…”
Wendy’s hand froze for a moment.
Laxana noticed the Prince’s movement and suddenly reached out to hug him tightly.
She closed her eyes, letting Wendy do as he pleased with her.
“Since you want to purify me, then go ahead.”
“I can’t escape anyway.”
“There’s just one thing…”
“I want to ask you to promise me.”
Wendy was taken aback.
“After I return to normal, can you…”
Laxana’s voice grew softer and softer.
“Not abandon me?”
“I don’t ask you to treat me the way you treat Astreia.”
“I just want… to stay by your side, to be able to talk with you.”
“That’s… enough.”
Wendy’s heart ached with a sharp throb.
He lowered his head, looking at the woman in his arms who had once tormented him to the brink of death, yet had also tried everything to possess him alone.
At this moment, she was as fragile as a porcelain doll.
Wendy opened his mouth, but found he couldn’t say no.
“I…”
Laxana waited for a long time, but no answer came.
She gave a wry smile and released her hold.
“Forget it, pretend I didn’t say anything.”
The moment she finished speaking.
A blinding black light suddenly burst from Laxana’s body and plunged into Wendy’s!
The Purification was complete.
Laxana’s ghostly, illusory body became fully solid at this moment.
The pallid skin regained its color.
The lifeless silver eyes reignited with a radiance of countless hues.
The sheer black gauze disappeared in a flash of light, transforming into an ordinary white dress.
Laxana had recovered.
She had returned from her Lich Witch state back to her original self: Mage Laxana.
Wendy breathed a sigh of relief and was about to say something.
Laxana suddenly went limp in his arms, completely losing consciousness.
Startled, Wendy quickly caught her.
Just then, a dull sound.
A weak coughing sound came from beside the bed.
“Ugh, cough, cough…”
That body, which had been cold, stiff, and drained of all life force, now faintly moved its fingers.
Astreia had awakened.
She slowly opened her eyes. Her Magic Eyes, those twin flames of purple, were dimmer than before, but clear.
“You…”
Astreia propped herself up, looked at Wendy, then at the unconscious Laxana in his arms, and a complicated expression crossed her face.
“You purified her too?”
Wendy nodded.
Astreia was silent for a moment, then suddenly let out a cold laugh.
“Tsk. As expected of you.”
“This King almost had her Soul completely devour me, and yet you settled her in a few moves.”
She sat up from the bed, stretching her somewhat stiff limbs, then slowly walked over to Wendy.
She looked down at the unconscious Laxana from above.
“Want me to throw her out? Or just kill her?”
“Go on, how do you want to deal with her?”
Wendy instinctively held Laxana a little tighter.
Astreia raised an eyebrow.
“Could it be… you’ve gone soft?”
Wendy gritted his teeth and steeled himself to say,
“She… she’s actually a victim too.”
“Oh? A victim?”
Astreia looked at Wendy with great interest.
“When she was tormenting you, I didn’t see her show any mercy.”
“When she almost swallowed this King’s Soul, why didn’t you say she was a victim?”
Wendy was at a loss for words.
Astreia stared at him for a long while, then suddenly sighed.
“Forget it.”
“She’s back to normal now anyway, so she can’t cause any more trouble.”
“If you want to keep her, then keep her.”
Wendy was stunned, almost unable to believe it.
“You… you really agree?”
Astreia rolled her eyes.
“What else? Does this King really need to haggle over the childhood friend of a defeated opponent?”
She turned around, walked to the wardrobe, and casually pulled out a robe to put on.
“But…”
Astreia looked back, a dangerous glint flashing in those Magic Eyes wreathed in purple flames.
“If she ever dares make a move against me again, this King won’t hold back.”
Wendy quickly nodded.
“I’ll keep an eye on her.”
“Good.”
Astreia yawned.
“This King is going to take a bath now. Handle it yourself.”
With that, she headed toward the bathroom.
When she reached the door, she suddenly stopped.
“Oh, and Wendy.”
Astreia tilted her head, a meaningful smile curling at the corner of her lips.
“Next time you want to ‘purify’ this King, remember to give me a heads-up.”
“Huh?”
With that, the bathroom door closed.
Wendy stood there frozen, only snapping out of it after a long moment.
He lowered his head, looking at the sleeping Laxana in his arms, and suddenly found it a little amusing.
“After all that, I’ve ended up with another Witch by my side?”
Just as he was thinking that, Laxana stirred in his arms.
She slowly opened her eyes, which had already returned to their violet color, and looked at Wendy in a daze.
“Wendy…?”
“Yeah, it’s me.”
Laxana blinked, still not fully awake.
“I… I just now…”
Her memories seemed to be stuck at the moment before the Purification.
Wendy hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell her all the truth.
“So, you’re back to normal now.”
“Back to normal?”
Laxana froze, then suddenly sat up straight and looked down at herself.
A white dress, normal skin tone, normal hands and feet.
Everything had recovered.
“I… I really…”
Laxana looked up, her eyes instantly turning red.
“I’m really back to normal?”
Wendy nodded.
“Thank goodness…”
Laxana covered her face, her shoulders trembling violently.
“Thank goodness…”
Wendy was about to comfort her.
Laxana suddenly hugged him, burying her face in his chest, and burst into loud sobs.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
“I did so many terrible things.”
“I almost killed Astreia.”
“I… I was so scared…”
Wendy stiffened for a moment, but eventually raised his hand and gently patted her back.
“It’s okay.”
“Everything is over now.”
Laxana cried even harder.
Just then—
The bathroom door was slammed open.
Astreia, wrapped in a bathrobe with her wet hair still dripping, walked out with a blank expression.
“So noisy.”
She glanced at the two of them embracing, and let out a cold snort.
“This King isn’t dead yet, and you’re already sobbing and wailing?”
Laxana suddenly looked up at Astreia.
Their gazes met in midair.
The air froze instantly…