“I’m sorry, Your Highness Fuluoruisi, but I have a marriage contract with Miss Luolan. I must decline your invitation.”
Shu Yue didn’t hesitate long, using Luolan as an excuse.
“I understand, Mr. Liya.”
Fuluoruisi didn’t press further, instead politely returning a smile.
“If you ever change your mind, you can reach me through the church’s channels. Qiguang Temple will always welcome you. I also wish you and Miss Luolan happiness.”
Hearing this blessing, Shu Yue didn’t know what to say, so she simply remained silent.
Her interaction with Fuluoruisi ended there.
The candidate saintess stepped aside, and Shu Yue walked past her without looking back.
Fuluoruisi, however, stood still, gazing after her until Shu Yue’s figure disappeared, then sighed somewhat dejectedly.
No sooner had Fuluoruisi finished sighing than she suddenly became alert, turning to look behind her.
Eustia stood there, her expression calm.
The two women stared at each other for a while before Fuluoruisi finally broke the slightly awkward silence.
She asked with a smile, “What exactly did you see in her?”
“What you said earlier, was it true?”
What Eustia referred to, of course, was the Holy Radiance Affinity.
Although this talent wasn’t particularly rare, since it had caught Fuluoruisi’s eye to the point of wanting to recruit her into her own temple, its level must be considerable.
Fuluoruisi just smiled without confirming or denying, a small retaliation for Eustia’s earlier evasion.
Eustia didn’t press further.
The answer was already clear enough.
On the other side, Shu Yue had returned to her room.
After closing the door, sealing the windows, and erecting a gray-black barrier, she dispelled the Mirror Flower Water Moon transformation.
‘That real Liya really did a number on me. Now that I’m going to Luolan’s family, I’ll definitely be targeted. But for the resources, I’ll have to endure it for now.’
Shu Yue looked down at the amethyst pendant on her chest and pouted slightly.
She didn’t waste any more time and began carving the core circuit again, striving to reach the second tier as soon as possible.
A first-tier strength was ultimately insufficient.
Her current methods were barely adequate against average second-tier opponents, but if she met a stronger second-tier, she’d be stretched thin.
Without using her bloodline power, victory would be difficult.
‘Let’s continue…’
Over the next few days, she neither sought out Luolan nor met with Eustia.
Instead, she stayed in her room, focusing on excavating the core circuit.
She successfully broke through to the late stage of Tier 1, then began continuously optimizing the circuit, aiming for the peak of Great Perfection.
As for the dragon blood, she temporarily set it aside.
Day Five.
Shu Yue was diligently organizing the circuit, correcting errors according to the optimal solution in the spell arts.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door, followed by a maid’s voice.
“Young Master Liya, we’re approaching Frost City. Please prepare to disembark with the young lady shortly.”
“I understand.”
Shu Yue retracted the gray-black barrier, stored it in a bottle and put it in her satchel, then changed clothes before pushing the door open.
Outside, the maid was waiting quietly.
Seeing her emerge, the maid led her to where Luolan was.
The Cloud Ark was enormous, and the residential area was quite spacious.
It took a considerable amount of time just to reach the deck.
Once outside, the first thing Shu Yue saw was the ice-blue-haired girl already standing on the deck.
Luolan glanced at her subtly, then continued looking into the distance, lost in thought.
Eustia and Fuluoruisi were also present.
The three women weren’t talking, and their relationship didn’t seem particularly good.
Perhaps they had already spoken, or maybe Shu Yue’s arrival had made them all fall silent.
Shu Yue noticed Luolan’s small gesture and couldn’t help but think, ‘Is she still thinking about what she said five days ago?’
To maintain Liya’s persona, she should have proactively approached Luolan.
But she wasn’t the real Liya after all.
She couldn’t force herself to be a sycophant.
Moreover, she carried the Silver Dragon bloodline, and the Dragon Race was inherently proud.
She was naturally influenced by it and had her own pride.
Thus, the atmosphere cooled instantly.
No one spoke, each harboring different thoughts.
Not until the Cloud Ark fully landed at the dock and the ramp was properly connected did Luolan finally speak.
“Liya, stay close behind me.”
“Mm.”
Shu Yue nodded.
‘In a unfamiliar place, sticking close to Luolan won’t lead me astray.’
She walked behind the young girl, about two steps behind.
Perhaps it was due to the temperature, or something else.
Eustia and Fuluoruisi each had their own unique fragrance, but Shu Yue couldn’t smell anything from Luolan.
It was as if temperature, scent, and emotion were all sealed deep inside her heart.
Shu Yue suddenly thought about how pitiful Luolan’s situation actually was.
Her father suddenly brought home a boy and then arranged a marriage contract between her and this boy she’d just met, also asking her to protect him in the future.
A year later, her father was gravely wounded and fell into a coma.
Although her mother had stabilized the entire Isolde family, the young lady must have surely experienced the pain of a family upheaval.
At a young age, she shouldered the heavy responsibility of reviving the family, climbing the Path of Transcendence, eventually taking over the position of Grand Duke Isolde to withstand external pressure.
But she still had a family. She wasn’t alone.
Liya, relying on the debt of her father’s life, could enjoy a lifetime of luxury without doing anything.
A stunning wife, the protection of the Isolde family—he lacked nothing.
But what about Shu Yue?
When she first transmigrated, she was probably only five or six years old, appearing alone in a forest.
She was lucky enough to meet someone, but unluckily, that person sold her to a town.
Later, after several twists and turns, she ended up under the tutelage of the Scabby-headed Master, barely scraping by a decent life.
Sometimes Shu Yue would fantasize.
What if someone had helped her back then?
For example, if on that night, instead of a village hunter finding her in a pile of dead leaves, it had been a girl with ice-blue hair…
Luolan said she would protect her.
But those words were meant for Liya.
And she, Shu Yue, was merely a despicable impostor.
None of this should belong to her.
She had stolen another person’s life.
“Luolan, where are we going?”
Shu Yue looked at the figure of the girl ahead and asked softly.
What she originally wanted to ask was: ‘Will you really protect me?’
But when the words reached her lips, they changed.
She, Shu Yue, didn’t need anyone’s protection!
Luolan answered as she walked.
“To see Mother. She… also wants to meet you.”
Then she added,
“I’m here. Nothing will happen.”
Luolan assumed Shu Yue was probably worried that her mother would make things difficult for her.
Whether she would or not, Luolan herself wasn’t sure.
But if anything did happen, she would stand in front of Shu Yue.
The one who had originally sent Liya away was Luolan’s biological mother—Lady Mei’er Yisuode.
This lady also had another surname.
Strom.
Meaning storm, it was the royal surname of the West Wind Empire.
“Oh.”
Shu Yue nodded nonchalantly.
There weren’t many people waiting at the platform.
Luolan’s return was sudden; she hadn’t notified the family in advance.
But when they saw Shu Yue following closely behind Luolan, they were all shocked.
At the same time, Shu Yue also felt hostile gazes directed at her from all directions.
She thought to herself,
‘So it’s already starting, huh?’