Chapter 25: Is the eldest lady here? Save me

Elena’s body stiffened.

She wanted to touch Shiya’s beautiful snow-white hair, but the girl turned her head away.

The princess suppressed the deep emotions within her, making her tone more solemn and dignified to hide her own despicable nature.

“Shiya, I’m doing this for your own good. A girl as ordinary as you is too dangerous to stay in the Imperial Capital.”

“And after ten years—no, just five years—I will definitely come back to take you away.”

Shiya couldn’t help but sniffle and wipe the corner of her eye.

“Another promise like this. Elena, is making and breaking these promises as easy for you as crumpling up a piece of paper?”

“Shiya!”

Elena grew anxious.

Her hand, hovering in the air, clenched tightly, and she unconsciously took a step forward.

“Shiya! Can’t you just listen to me one more time, for my sake?”

What met her was the girl’s golden eyes, unwavering after squeezing out her tears.

“Elena, we’re just ordinary friends. I can’t bring myself to sacrifice for you willingly.”

Abandoning her superfluous weakness, Shiya’s mind was now exceptionally clear.

She quietly stepped back without a sound.

Flower God Village bore ill will toward her, and now even Elena was untrustworthy.

She had to escape.

But with her frail constitution, how could Shiya escape the notice of Elena, a powerful swordswoman?

Elena grabbed Shiya’s wrist and held on tightly, refusing to let go.

“Let me go!”

In her panic, Shiya, her voice trembling with tears, kept hitting Elena’s chest with her hands.

But the more Shiya struggled, the more Elena couldn’t bear to release the fragile and easily broken girl held in her palm.

Moreover, as Shiya’s soft force hit her body, Elena’s throat moved involuntarily, and her light blue eyes gradually deepened.

Each time the girl struggled, her snow-white hair danced in the air, carrying a faint, elegant orchid scent that lingered at Elena’s nose.

From now on, their opportunities to meet would be few.

“Shiya, I swear on my life that this time I will keep my promise. Please endure a little longer for me.”

The girl’s hand fell limply.

Her eyes red, she glared at Elena with an “I really hate you” look.

Hated so earnestly by Shiya, Elena’s breath gradually became irregular, her face flushed, and a strange sense of pleasure rose from the bottom of her heart.

Unfortunately, Shiya’s next sentence made her face fall again.

The slightly twisted, upturned corners of her mouth quickly pressed down.

“Elena, I have a reason I must go home. Flower God Village can never trap me.”

The home Shiya spoke of was naturally not the broken house in the Imperial Capital, but the place where her younger sister, Xiao Mei, was.

Elena’s grip unconsciously tightened.

Shiya let out a muffled groan, but she gritted her teeth and showed no sign of begging for mercy.

“Why? Shiya, what is there in the Imperial Capital that makes you so attached?”

“Is it… Leonora?”

The moment Elena said that name, Shiya was momentarily stunned, and her brow furrowed slightly.

“What does this have to do with the young lady?”

Shiya almost blurted out, instinctively defending Leonora.

Elena coldly swept her gaze over Shiya’s delicate face.

‘I saw you go into a room with Leonora. When you came out, your expression was tired, and you were holding a heavy bag of coins.’

Such words reached her lips but were stuck in her throat, eventually sinking back into her heart, where they began to rot and fester.

If she spoke of such things, it would only hurt Shiya’s heart and embarrass her.

And even if Shiya were sullied, Elena, as her sworn sister, wouldn’t care at all.

If Shiya, who was like a little sister, had dirty mud spots on her body, it would only require wiping with a finger, rubbing her snow-white skin until it turned red.

Shiya really couldn’t stand Elena’s sticky gaze.

Her body involuntarily shrank back.

“I just want to go home.”

Facing this princess she could not resist, the girl finally bowed her head in submission.

Her eyes burned, and her vision blurred.

Shiya had been in this unfamiliar world for three days.

Her family’s situation was already bad, and the stored food was almost gone before she left.

Then what about Xiao Mei?

She was too young to work outside.

If she got a fever or fell sick, she would have to endure it alone.

Or an even more likely outcome—

A quiet sob sounded.

“Shiya…”

Seeing Shiya on the verge of mental collapse, Elena suddenly snapped back to reality and released her wrist.

It seemed that from the very beginning, she had been ignoring Shiya’s feelings.

And she had been indulging in absurd thoughts.

At that moment, Elena truly wanted to gouge out her own heart with her sword to see if it was black.

Just then, a small hand took Shiya’s palm.

Ilya stood on tiptoe and, with her other hand, took out a handkerchief to wipe the mess from Shiya’s face.

Then she lowered her head and said timidly:

“Sister Shiya, please don’t leave. If you run away, our family will be punished.”

For a moment, Shiya’s body swayed.

She slowly bent over, clutching her chest, feeling like she couldn’t breathe.

No matter how she chose, it seemed she couldn’t escape Ilya’s soft plea or the exchange of interests between Flower God Village and the princess.

Her throat felt blocked by an emotion called despair.

This suffocating feeling, almost maddening, made her retch.

And just then, the shouts of several Student Council members came from the other side of the thick fog.

“It’s terrible, Princess Elena, our ship has sunk!”

By now, the island shore was already in chaos.

“Damn it, hurry up and save the ship! What are you still doing here?”

A Student Council member dressed like a noble viciously kicked an exhausted Flower God Village villager.

That villager was already exhausted and weakened; after being kicked, he fell with a muffled groan.

“Hey, don’t go too far! We did our best. If the ship sank, there’s nothing we can do.”

“That’s right. This kind of ship naturally sits deep in the water, and you insisted on bringing so much heavy cargo. It would be strange if it didn’t sink.”

Seeing their companion kicked down, several Flower God Village villagers became indignant and gathered around.

The noble student saw the situation turning unfavorable and, without a word, directly drew the ornate longsword set with gems at his waist.

“Stop, Ke Laode. What did I say before we came? No harassing the villagers.”

Elena hurried over upon hearing the commotion.

With extreme speed, she appeared beside that Student Council member, put two fingers together, and lightly pressed on his shoulder.

The noble student, who still wanted to pretend not to hear, suddenly felt his arm go numb and became completely unable to move.

The burly man who had been directing the villagers to rest on shore since earlier glanced at Elena.

“Your Highness, we did our best.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Elena nodded at his words, her expression very grim.

Then she asked a bespectacled Student Council member beside her:

“Has contact with the outside been established?”

The bespectacled student was sweating profusely.

“I’m sorry, Princess Elena. This thick fog seems to have some kind of blocking effect. Our distress signals have been cut off.”

Elena frowned slightly, her suspicious gaze sweeping over the burly man who seemed to be surrounded by villagers.

While everyone was in a state of panic, Shiya took Ilya’s hand and went to the seaside to check.

She had already discussed with Ilya beforehand that she would just take a look and would not take the opportunity to escape.

After all, now was not the best time.

Ignoring the few female villagers watching her from the shadows, Shiya crouched down and reached her slender hand into the seawater.

She had noticed earlier that strange ripples seemed to appear on the sea surface.

An ice-cold touch came to her palm.

Shiya’s brow relaxed a little, and the stuffy heat on her body dissipated somewhat.

But the next moment, a slippery tentacle instantly wrapped around her palm.

Splash—

The sound of someone falling into the water suddenly rang out, immediately capturing everyone’s attention.

Soon, a Flower God Village villager shouted in panic:

“Hurry, chase her! The Flower God’s bride has jumped into the sea and escaped!”

The burly man next to Elena’s face suddenly darkened.