The girl’s figure was stunningly beautiful, her soft and delicate body swaying gently with each step.
Her slender jade arms extended, slowly reaching toward the green leaf crown on her snow-white hair.
Her palms pressed together as her shoulders and neck lowered bit by bit, until it passed her collarbone and gradually slid down.
The rose petals on her chest trembled slightly, falling one by one.
She twisted her waist, bringing a faint orchid fragrance that made one’s heart race.
Her wrists lifted lightly, and violet flowers floated into the air, dancing alongside her.
On the final step, she turned gracefully.
The yellow tulips seemed a beat too slow, failing to fully cover her curvaceous figure as petals rustled down.
The girl’s feet suddenly gave way, her breath disordered, and she wanted to support herself on Elena’s shoulder.
Her Highness the Princess was one step ahead, catching her waist and steadying the girl firmly.
“Can’t stand steady? Want to lean on me and rest a bit?”
The princess’s gaze was deep, her faint smile carrying hidden meaning.
The tips of Shiya’s ears beneath her snow-white hair grew hot.
She hooked her arm around Elena’s shoulder and turned them both around.
“No need. Let’s finish the dance quickly.”
Elena’s eyes darkened a shade.
She said nothing, simply following Shiya’s force to stand side by side with her.
The girl was in front, like a lily under the moon; she was behind, like a gilded rose.
One was pure and flawless, the other brilliant and fragrant.
When the weary girl tried to raise her hand, the princess considerately supported her elbow.
When the girl wanted to turn and evade, the princess followed closely, her palm pressed firmly against the girl’s waist, accompanying her like a shadow, inseparable.
The lonely figure that was once to be a sacrifice to the god was transformed into an elegant, graceful duet dance by someone’s increasingly bold advances.
Flowers and leaves fell and rose again, fragrance lingering around them.
Until the final motion ended.
Elena wrapped her arms around Shiya’s sides, her nose tip brushing against that small, pitiable earlobe.
Hot breath spread evenly, seeping through the skin and firmly ensnaring the girl’s heart.
Shiya blushed, suddenly breaking free from the princess.
She supported herself on the table, one hand over her violently pounding heart.
Elena stepped back and couldn’t help holding her breath.
‘No wonder Miss Ilya had avoided them and waited outside.’
Because now, the green leaves and petals surrounding Shiya had all withered away…
Instead, a layer of even purer, flawless white bloomed, like a lily blossoming under the moonlight.
The originally elegant and noble princess was as if enchanted by the Flower God’s Bride.
Her pale blue eyes lingered on that white for a long time.
Even her breathing softened.
Only when the girl quickly turned her back to her and shot a shy, annoyed glare did Elena reluctantly withdraw her gaze, turning her head away, her ears radiating waves of heat.
‘So not only was Shiya’s hair snow-white… even that was snow-white…’
Elena stepped forward, took off her wine-red coat, and draped it over the girl.
But at that moment, Shiya’s golden eyes dimmed.
She extended an arm as smooth as suet jade and firmly gripped Elena’s wrist.
“Elena-sister, I don’t want to be the Flower God’s Bride. I… I only want to be your bride.”
Elena opened her mouth, her gaze drifting.
“Shiya, you can’t just say things like that, can you?”
The princess could feel a wave of heat spreading from her lower abdomen.
Unfortunately, the oblivious girl leaned her cherry-pink lips close to her ear and whispered softly.
“Let’s continue the swordsmanship practice we didn’t finish earlier.”
Elena’s pale blue eyes turned completely deep, as if a dark current was silently swirling within them.
She nodded.
“Okay.”
Then the princess gently restrained the girl’s shoulders and placed her tenderly onto the table.
This scene seemed to have caught Shiya off guard.
She pushed hard against Elena’s shoulders, her long, shapely legs thrashing in the air.
“Wait, Elena-sister, we can’t practice swords here.”
But the princess seemed to have lost all patience.
She leaned down, forming sword fingers with two digits, and struck the girl’s weak point.
Slowly, she executed the sword technique, bit by bit, until she hit a solid magical barrier.
“It’s fine. Ilya and the others won’t be back so soon.”
“Shiya, I came here today to tell you this.”
“I don’t want you to become anyone’s bride.”
If Shiya were no longer pure, then the deal between Elena and Flower God Village would be completely off.
She despised herself for being so irrational, yet at the same time felt grateful that she had finally chosen Shiya.
As the numbing, tingling sensation in her body subsided, Shiya bit her lower lip and shoved Elena away.
“No means no, Elena-sister. Tonight, I’ll wait for you in the same flower forest as last night.”
Elena looked down at Shiya for a long time, deep in thought.
But she didn’t expose the girl’s little scheme.
Elena nodded, stood up, paused for a moment, and then couldn’t resist tracing a line across the girl’s body.
After eliciting a soft whimper from her, she left the wooden cabin.
A blush spread across her face that didn’t fade for a long time.
Shiya let out a long sigh.
Guilt flickered in her eyes, but it was soon replaced by a firm will to escape.
Just then, Ilya stepped out from a hidden door.
The girl’s gaze first lingered on Shiya for a moment, until Shiya belatedly realized and started covering herself, before Ilya shyly looked away.
“Sister Shiya, is everything alright?”
Shiya shook her head.
“Let’s proceed with the plan. Go to the village chief now and report that the Flower God’s Bride is meeting privately with Her Highness the Princess tonight.”
“That will draw the people of Flower God Village over.”
Let’s go back to last night.
The burly man brought Shiya and knocked on Ilya’s door.
Seeing Ilya’s naive and innocent expression, the man’s expression softened for once.
“Little Ilya, I’m entrusting this Flower God’s Bride to stay with you a bit longer.”
He pushed the girl into the room, then spoke bluntly to Ilya.
“There will be people watching outside. If you run into trouble you can’t handle, go find them.”
Ilya watched the man leave, closed the door, and turned back to look at Shiya, whose eyes were like dead water and who was slowly collapsing onto the floor.
The girl gently hugged Shiya, letting the white-haired sister bury her face in her shoulder and soak her clothes with tears.
Shiya cried until her eyes were red and swollen.
She sniffled, lifted her head, and stared fixedly at Ilya.
“Ilya, will you… one day be chosen as the Flower God’s Bride like me?”
Her tone was calm again—or rather, she had forcibly suppressed her crumbling emotions.
This sudden question caught Ilya completely off guard.
She slowly lowered her head and looked at her own toes.
“Maybe.”
More precisely, it was an inevitability.
Ever since Shiya came to Flower God Village, besides Ilya, who was a few years younger, she hadn’t seen any other girls in the village.
The answer was almost obvious.
Those chosen as the Flower God’s Bride all disappeared without a trace.
More likely, they were already dead.
Then, as the only girl in Flower God Village, it was only a matter of time before Ilya became the sacrifice.
Shiya sensed she had found a lifeline.
She tightly gripped Ilya’s hand, her gaze utterly serious.
“Ilya, run away with me. And bring your brother along.”
Ilya was clearly moved by Shiya’s words and began to hesitate.
Just then, a young man’s voice suddenly sounded behind them.
“Ilya, what are you talking about?”
Shiya was startled.
She turned to see Ilya’s brother, Yige’er, emerging from an inconspicuous hidden door.
The young man looked exhausted, his eyes bloodshot.
He wore a long black coat, travel-worn, clearly just back from outside.
“Brother, Sister Shiya just said…”
Ilya trotted forward, clinging to him, wanting to grab his arm.
But Yige’er dodged her.
He waved his hand, signaling her not to come close.
The siblings had grown apart, unknown since when.
A layer of sorrowful mist filled Ilya’s eyes.
Yige’er’s body tensed for a moment, but then his tone turned harsh.
“Ilya, don’t listen to strangers so easily. It’ll only bring you trouble.”
Then, without even glancing at Shiya, Ilya’s brother turned and went upstairs, slamming his bedroom door shut.
As he passed by the girl, Shiya noticed a rustling sound as his leather boots trod on the wooden floor.
Looking down, she saw some crimson soil debris right in front of her.
Shiya’s heart tightened.
She immediately connected it to the tragedy that had happened to the student council members earlier that day.
‘Was it Yige’er? To take revenge for that couple from Flower God Village? Did he also kill the female student?’
Just then, Ilya came over and hugged her arm.
Looking up, her light blue eyes were tinged with drowsiness.
“Sister Shiya, it’s already late. Let’s talk about everything tomorrow after we wake up.”
Shiya’s eyes flickered with struggle as she looked at the closed door on the second floor.
Finally, she gently freed herself from Ilya’s embrace.
Her voice was extremely soft, betraying nothing unusual.
“Ilya, if your brother ran into those student council members who violated the female villager this morning, what would he do?”
The innocent girl swung her little fists and answered without hesitation.
“He’d give them a good beating, of course, and then drag them to apologize.”
Shiya hesitated no more.
She took Ilya upstairs and knocked on Yige’er’s bedroom door.
This time, through the crack in the door, she could clearly smell a faint scent of blood.
Despite many misgivings, Shiya had to take this risk.
Without Yige’er’s support, she and Ilya alone couldn’t escape Flower God Village.
There was no answer from inside.
She gently turned the doorknob and easily pushed the door open.
The man had apparently not locked it deliberately, awaiting the inevitable guest.
But when Shiya fully opened the door and saw Yige’er covered in blood, sitting on the floor in a sorry state,holding a hunting rifle, slowly squeezing the trigger, aiming it directly between his own eyebrows—
Shiya’s body went rigid.
She felt as if she had fallen into an ice cave, thousands of ice needles piercing her forehead.