Zhe Zilin walked downstairs and stopped in front of Osha’s room.
A corpse still lay nearby. Blood flowed from its throat. The man had clearly been killed by having his throat slit.
Blood covered the entire second floor, yet the path from the room door to the staircase remained strangely clean.
Zhe Zilin didn’t hesitate. He knocked on the door.
If he wanted to clear himself of suspicion, he needed an alibi. He had to make it look like everything was done by the half-orcs during their escape.
As long as he stayed in Osha’s room until Griet arrived with the guards, he could remove himself from suspicion.
Of course, that only worked if Osha followed the script he had in mind.
No sound came from inside the room.
When Zhe Zilin knocked a second time, the door opened by itself.
He glanced back warily. The only clean spot on the floor was now being swallowed by blood, spreading slowly toward his feet.
To avoid stepping in it, Zhe Zilin stepped into the room.
The blood seemed to have a mind of its own. It covered the entire second floor and finally stopped right at the doorway.
Inside, Osha sat at a wooden table. Her golden hair was loose. She held a comb in her hand and stared quietly at her reflection in the mirror.
“I’ve seen too many men. They all say they like me and would do anything for me… Is it only because of this face?”
Osha turned her head slightly. She traced her fingertip along her jawline with a hint of mockery and let out a soft laugh.
“No matter how beautiful someone is, it’s useless. People who don’t matter try everything to get close, but the one I love most still won’t stay.”
Zhe Zilin didn’t reply.
His body was exhausted. He spoke up. “Princess, please allow me to sit on the floor. I’m very tired.”
Osha answered without hesitation. “No.”
She turned to face him, ignoring his fatigue, and gave an order.
“Comb my hair.”
Zhe Zilin dragged his heavy legs over to stand behind her. He took the comb from her hand.
After staying up all night, his mind wasn’t clear. Only when he held the comb did he realize he had no idea how to do this.
“Princess, I don’t know how.”
Osha showed no emotion on her face. She simply looked at Zhe Zilin through the mirror.
“You can only call me Osha.”
She reached out and grabbed the hand holding the comb. She began teaching him how to comb a woman’s hair.
Her slightly cool fingertips rested on the back of his hand. They felt as cold as frost in the middle of the night.
Osha’s grip was light, yet it carried an undeniable sense of control. She firmly guided his stiff fingers, forcing him to hold the wooden comb and slowly run it through her soft, fluffy golden hair.
Morning wind slipped through the door crack, carrying a faint scent of blood that mixed with the light fragrance of her hair inside the room. The two smells intertwined and created a strange but not unpleasant scent.
Osha’s long eyelashes hung low, hiding all emotion in her eyes.
Her fair and delicate face was half soft and half shadowed under the flickering candlelight.
She slightly raised her chin and focused on watching the comb move through her hair. A faint, unreadable smile rested on her lips.
“You see? It’s very simple.”
She let go of Zhe Zilin’s hand and allowed the comb to continue moving on its own through her hair.
“You used to be like this too. You never learned how to comb my hair…”
Under Osha’s guidance, Zhe Zilin slowly turned her slightly messy hair into smooth, neat strands.
He deliberately responded to her quiet words. “It’s done. I learn quickly, don’t I?”
Osha didn’t turn around. She continued staring at herself in the mirror. Her fingertips gently stroked her now-smooth hair. Her tone carried self-mockery, yet also a trace of stubborn obsession.
“Mm. People change. You’ve become different too.”
Zhe Zilin’s chest tightened slightly.
Is Osha about to confront me directly?
Leon was already dead. If he admitted his identity now, he would complete the first wish.
Confessing that he was Leibang Ed right now might also help Osha claim he had stayed in her room all night when Griet arrived.
But Osha didn’t continue. She suddenly lifted her gaze and looked straight at Zhe Zilin through the mirror. Her tired and gloomy eyes met hers.
Those beautiful emerald pupils had lost their earlier melancholy. Now they held a fine, obsessive light — sharp and unyielding.
“Why did you kill Leon? Ed, you rarely killed people on your own before.”
Zhe Zilin had known from the moment he met Osha on the second floor that she would question him.
But how could he explain?
To stop you from meeting Ailia. To stop you from destroying everything?
He thought for a moment, then answered with her own words.
“People change.”
“I killed him because of you.”
“Because of me?”
Osha slowly turned her head. Her golden hair swayed gently with the movement. She looked up into Zhe Zilin’s eyes.
There was no doubt in her gaze. She was looking at eyes that held no lies.
“For me? A mere eldest son of the King of the North means nothing to me.”
To keep you alive. To keep Ailia alive. To keep myself alive.
Zhe Zilin didn’t lie, but he also couldn’t explain the truth.
He could only say, “Some things can only be done by me.”
Osha frowned and stared into his eyes, trying to dig out the secrets buried in his heart.
She failed. She fell into thought.
“Was it because Leon tried to do something indecent to me? That’s why you killed him? Because I’m a princess, killing him would affect the relationship between the North and the kingdom.”
Zhe Zilin froze for a second. He quickly hid his surprise and nodded seriously.
“I won’t let anyone try to defile you.”
Osha’s pupils shrank. She stared at him. Her emerald eyes were clear and bright.
“I also won’t let anyone defile what belongs to me.”
The flickering candlelight fell on Zhe Zilin’s tired face and clearly exposed the hurried cover-up in his eyes.
He had nodded too quickly just now. That perfectly timed certainty had hidden a trace of deliberate flattery.
This small flaw did not escape Osha’s notice.
She simply chose not to expose it. Instead, she chose to believe.
Osha suddenly smiled softly. The smile was extremely gentle. It washed away all the obsession and coldness from earlier. She looked like an innocent princess who had been sheltered in the palace all her life.
“Thank you, Ed. You still love me, right?”
The air instantly froze.
The candle flame shook violently. Light and shadow danced wildly across both their faces.
Zhe Zilin remained silent for a long time. He slowly lowered his head, then calmly met Osha’s gaze.
He had known this moment would come eventually. He had mentally prepared himself to reveal his true identity.
Yet now that it was happening, he still felt caught off guard.
He had imagined admitting it during a crisis to escape danger. He had imagined being cornered by her questions until he slipped up and used his identity to calm her anger.
But he never expected Osha to expose him so calmly.
She had traveled thousands of miles to this freezing northern land just to find one person. That person had been hiding and refusing to acknowledge her.
If it were Zhe Zilin in her place, he would have exploded with a hundred different emotions. Calmness would not have been one of them.
Yet when he looked at Osha now, this terrifying fallen angel’s spokesperson was clearly acting like a gentle princess.
Even if he made a thousand mistakes, as long as Osha believed his love for her remained unchanged, she would not fall.
She would always remain the gentle fiancée in Leibang Ed’s eyes.
In that moment, many thoughts became clear to Zhe Zilin.
He smiled sincerely as the first rays of morning sunlight touched him.
“Long time no see, Osha.”