Zhe Zilin stood at the doorway. Inside the room was Ailia; outside was Osha.
To say he was not nervous would be a lie.
When his hand rested on the door handle, a baffling question suddenly rose in his heart—Will I still be able to walk out of this room alive?
He pushed the door open. This was the first time Osha and Ailia had met in such calm.
Looking at the two girls inside the room who were like needle against wheat awn, Zhe Zilin furrowed his brows.
He thought to himself that both of them currently possessed rather peaceful mindsets. Neither side had shown any irritable emotions.
This time, they should be able to resolve the conflict… maybe. Probably. Possibly.
…
“Heh? So you’re the witch Ailia.”
Osha patted her head, putting on an expression as though she had only just remembered.
She folded her arms across her chest, her mocking gaze sweeping over Ailia.
“I almost didn’t recognize you. That little quail who always follows behind Ed’s butt—what, planning to compete with me?”
Osha took a step forward.
If Zhe Zilin had not been standing between them, the distance between the two would likely have been no more than a single foot.
That was not a safe distance in the slightest.
“Princess Osha. Fragile on the surface, yet far more ruthless than anyone inside. Are you finally dropping the act and revealing your true nature?”
Ailia spoke with an unchanged expression, meeting her blow for blow.
“Heh. And is your personality pure and simple?”
Osha curved the corners of her lips as she spoke.
“In front of Ed you’re a little wildcat wagging its tail. In front of everyone else you’re the cold and heartless World-Ender Witch. Do you really have the face to evaluate me?”
Osha circled past Zhe Zilin. Her slender, jade-white fingers jabbed against Ailia’s upright chest.
Then she suddenly applied force, forcing Ailia back several steps.
“Is it these two things that give you the confidence to compete with me?”
Ailia’s figure swayed. She stared at the smiling azure eyes before her as the eerie aura around her instantly tightened.
Osha slowly spoke.
“I advise you not to do that.”
Though she said this, she showed no intention of making any concession. She still wore a smile as she issued a threat.
“Otherwise, I cannot guarantee who will die first.”
Right now Zhe Zilin felt like a powerless wife, standing in place and unable to do anything.
He could not favor either side.
The moment either of them sensed even the slightest tilt in balance, the current situation would collapse in an instant.
Although the atmosphere was stretched to the extreme and the balance could shatter at any moment, at least for now neither side showed any intention of truly making a major move.
Zhe Zilin hurriedly squeezed between the two of them, grabbed both their shoulders, and once again pulled them apart to a safe distance.
“Calm down, calm down. Fighting won’t solve the problem.”
Osha turned her head to look at Ailia, her expression still carrying a mocking edge.
“A little threat and you already want to hide behind Ed. No wonder in the past you only dared to peek from the side. Isn’t that right, you coward?”
Ailia seemed to have been struck in a sore spot and froze in place.
Even after the words had completely faded, Osha’s expression remained unchanged.
“You secretly took Ed away from my side, didn’t you? And you only dared to do it behind my back.”
Osha lazily curved the corners of her lips.
“The World-Ender Witch’s strength is not bad, and your magic has improved as well. But it’s still a little lacking.”
She walked deeper into the room without a care and sat down opposite Ailia of her own accord.
Her body leaned to one side, legs crossed, black long skirt cascading down—the picture of arrogance and dominance.
“What exactly happened with Ed’s memory loss? I know someone as weak as you finds it difficult to protect him properly. But if you cannot give a reasonable explanation, I will still hold you accountable.”
Osha did not know that Zhe Zilin’s memory loss was Ailia’s doing. She had simply come to demand answers.
Unable even to protect the person she loved—what a… cowardly waste.
And she had actually allowed this kind of person to steal Ed away.
Osha could not help finding it amusing. Against someone like this, merely displaying overwhelming pressure would probably make her tuck her tail between her legs and flee.
After all, Ailia was only a witch. Even if she was one of the Four Great Witches, how could she compare to her—the divine envoy of Lucifer, King of Hell?
Osha’s thoughts were simple.
If Ailia could not provide a reasonable explanation, then she would personally deliver divine punishment.
That was also the purpose of her visit.
“Her Highness the Princess has grown used to being overbearing in the royal palace. Do not forget that this is the Northern Territory.”
Ailia was not one to admit defeat either. She retorted, “In other words, if not for your good birth, how could you have ever received Lucifer’s divine gift? And you would never have had the chance to meet Ed in your entire life.”
Osha’s eyes suddenly turned cold. Any words related to Ed were automatically classified as her bottom line.
This particular sentence just happened to touch her reverse scale.
The girl’s voice turned icy.
“You merely had good luck and got to know Ed earlier. What right do you have to compare birth with me?”
Ailia’s expression showed confusion, and her voice carried sarcasm.
“If not for your birth, how could you have ever been arranged to marry the son of the Prime Minister?”
Osha laughed.
“Heh.”
She pointed at Ailia. “Are you trying to make excuses for your own incompetence?”
“You only deserve to peek from the side, to be a powerless bystander. Unable even to protect the person you love—what right do you have to argue with me here?”
The girl furrowed her brows and lowered her voice, yet every word rang clearly throughout the entire room.
“A self-righteous coward who thinks herself deeply affectionate. A thief who steals other people’s happiness.”
“That is still a hundred times better than someone like you—self-important, hypocritical to the extreme, who does not even care when Ed is in danger and his life is at stake, who only immerses herself in her own happiness, a selfish and arrogant creature!”
“Have you ever considered that people like you, once they obtain something, never cherish it, and when they cannot obtain it they seek to destroy it? You never care about the feelings of the one you love. You merely use a self-moved performance of madness to attract attention!”
Ailia’s expression was extremely serious. Her brows were tightly locked into the shape of the character “八,” enough to show the fury she felt at this moment.
Facing Osha’s mockery, she rarely gave rise to a towering rage.
As for Osha, she froze for a moment.
“Good. Very good.”
She could not help but begin clapping. She stood up and looked toward Zhe Zilin.
“Darling, this woman failed to protect you and allowed you to suffer irreversible harm. No matter what, I must deliver divine punishment upon her.”
“Moreover, this cowardly creature actually dares to mock me. Truly unrepentant.”
A dagger appeared in Osha’s hand. It seemed as though hundreds upon hundreds of restless souls resided within it. The aura of death began to circulate throughout the room.
“Once I kill her, I will take you back to the Royal Capital.”
The moment the words fell, a strange green firelight dispelled the deathly aura filling the room.
The dark-red long robe on Ailia’s body erupted with blood-colored radiance. Her eyes lowered as she spoke in a firm tone.
“You will not take Ed away!”