“Why did you become her familiar, Lin Shu?” “I’ve been looking for you. I know you were taken away…”
Hati didn’t care what Sefina was saying. After confirming that Miya was dead, only one thought remained in her mind: they had to escape immediately.
She held Lin Shu close, kicked off the ground, and leaped toward the dense forest behind the mountain.
“She’s here. We have to move fast. It’ll be bad if her family’s team catches up too.”
Hati dashed frantically through the thick vegetation, landing nimbly on several thick branches before using the momentum to jump down and run toward the foot of the mountain.
Sefina’s voice was left behind in the whistling wind.
Lin Shu leaned against Hati’s shoulder, staring blankly at Sefina, who remained in the distance.
She saw Sefina try to give chase, but because she was in such a hurry, her stride was too wide. Her high heels twisted on the uneven ground, and she tumbled to the earth.
Sefina looked up at her with eyes filled with desperate sorrow. Her figure grew smaller and smaller as the distance increased.
‘Something’s wrong.’
Lin Shu realized that Sefina’s behavior and reactions were completely different from what Drago’s guard had told her.
If it were true—if Sefina had found a replacement and no longer needed her, as the guard had said that night—why would she look so heartbroken?
If she really didn’t care, why would she chase after them?
‘No, that’s not right!’
‘What exactly is the truth?’
She didn’t have time to react. As Hati carried her further away, Sefina’s figure vanished from her sight.
A hand suddenly pressed down on the hood of her cloak, covering her face more securely.
Hati pushed Lin Shu’s hood down and warned, “Watch out. Don’t let the branches scratch you. I’m going to start accelerating.”
The sound of the wind howling in her ears grew more intense, and the receding scenery blurred. Hati’s explosive power was incredible. The violent jolting caused Lin Shu to subconsciously grip her clothes.
“Lin Shu, are you okay?” Hati didn’t forget to tilt her head and ask.
Lin Shu’s mind was a mess, and she couldn’t speak.
Just then, the neighing of a horse echoed from the sky.
Sefina’s carriage sped through the air, quickly approaching from above them.
“She caught up? Why? Didn’t she say she didn’t want you anymore?” Hati shouted as she ran.
She wove through the trees, attempting to use the terrain to shake off the carriage.
“Did she see that move you pulled just now and decide you’re too cool to let go after all?”
The carriage in the sky suddenly accelerated, matching Hati’s speed.
“Argh! It’s just like that night. She’s freaking persistent!” Hati complained irritably.
She skidded to a halt, sliding a short distance across the ground. Hati set Lin Shu down gently, leaning her against the trunk of a tree.
“Wait—”
“Lin Shu, I’ll be right back.”
Before Lin Shu could stop her, Hati shot out like a rocket, lunging toward the carriage that was diving straight for them.
“Vampire, what do you mean by this?! You used Lin Shu and threw her away, and now you’re chasing us? Are you regretting it now?!” Hati gathered her strength and slammed a fist into the carriage cabin.
*Boom!*
The magnificent carriage instantly shattered, its parts disintegrating in midair.
The horse pulling the carriage reared up in fright, letting out a sharp neigh.
Sefina leaped from the front of the carriage, landing steadily on the ground.
“What are you talking about? I never abandoned Lin Shu.” A hint of bewilderment surfaced in Sefina’s eyes. “What kind of malicious assumptions are you making?”
Hati also landed on the ground, dropping into a combat stance. “Lin Shu told me herself! She said she finished the task for your family and that you didn’t need her anymore!”
“Oh, right! You’ve been lying to her the whole time too. That key was obviously not a blessing!”
“Impossible! I never said such a thing. I wanted to protect her!”
Hati was indignant. “I don’t believe a word you say! You don’t care about her at all. Do you know how miserable she was with that blonde vampire?!”
Sefina’s pupils shrank.
“She was wearing shackles like a slave. If I had arrived any later, her leg would have been nearly ruined!”
“Protecting, protecting—what exactly have you protected?!”
“I…” Sefina was momentarily unable to retort.
It was because of her absence, because she had failed to protect Lin Shu, that Lin Shu had suffered such things.
“Every time you’re mentioned, Lin Shu’s scent turns bitter. You heinous vampire!” Hati shouted.
Seizing the moment Sefina was distracted, Hati lunged at her, raising her right leg high and swinging it toward Sefina’s face.
***
Lin Shu leaned against the tree. The series of events that had occurred one after another made her mental state even worse.
Her eyelids were so heavy she could hardly keep them open.
‘No, I can’t faint now.’
‘Since Sefina chased us down, and since I’ve decided to go to the Sacred Race for answers…’
‘At the very least, I have to clear up the current situation!’
Lin Shu lifted her hand, brought the back of it to her mouth, and bit down hard with her teeth.
The intense pain instantly dispelled the dizziness, and the metallic taste of blood rushed into her nose.
‘Pull yourself together, Lin Shu!’
She braced herself against the tree trunk behind her and stood up bit by bit.
The moonlight filtering through the gaps in the leaves spilled over Lin Shu.
Lin Shu was surprised to find that the moment she came into contact with the moonlight, her body seemed to regain a bit of vitality, and her mental state improved slightly.
‘I feel much better than before. Is it the physical influence of the new contract under the moonlight?’
She didn’t have time to think. Lin Shu hurried toward the direction where Hati and Sefina were fighting.
*Boom!*
Another loud explosion echoed in front of her. A powerful shockwave kicked up fallen leaves and dust. Lin Shu looked over quickly, her heart tightening.
Hati had already pinned Sefina to the ground. Her other wolf claw was raised high, aimed directly at Sefina’s heart, ready to strike.
“Hati!” Lin Shu cried out hoarsely. “Stop!”
Hati’s ears twitched violently, and her claw froze midair.
Sefina took the opportunity to break free from Hati’s restraint. She stumbled back several steps, clutching her injured arm, and looked at Lin Shu with an urgent gaze.
The three people stood in the wilderness forest.
“Lin Shu, why would you say those things to her? I never did that, nor did I ever think that…” Sefina asked desperately.
“Huh?!” Hati froze instantly. Her eyes widened as she looked at Sefina, then she whipped her head around to look at Lin Shu.
Lin Shu clenched her fists and took a deep breath, asking the question at the bottom of her heart.
“Sefina, after I was taken by Liya, did you send the leader of your family guards to save me?”
Sefina was visibly stunned. “Guards? No, I didn’t.”
“I was seriously injured because of this wolf.” Sefina glanced at Hati beside her.
Hati crossed her arms over her chest. “What are you looking at me for? Yeah, I gave you a scratch. I guess that counts as… evidence?”
“When I returned to the manor, I received news that you were taken by Liya. I rushed to Tepus immediately.”
“I wouldn’t trust anyone else with this, so I went myself.”
Lin Shu’s heart began to pound wildly.
‘So at that time, Sefina hadn’t gone out somewhere to meet an old friend? She was fighting Hati?’
‘Was everything I believed until now just a story woven by others?’