The “personality” of Kimi the Coldhearted gained the upper hand.
She decided to stay.
This decision sank into her stomach like a cold stone.
Wohard, that vicious dog, was staring at the elf who called herself Linalia with the same look one would give a holy statue.
His face was filled with pity, reverence, and a hint of masculine desire.
Sovinia felt a sharp wave of nausea, not because of that male lust, but from a strange sense of NTR.
It was like her trusty hunting dog, catching the scent of a tastier piece of meat, forgetting its owner, and wagging its tail as it trotted over.
Linalia steadied herself with Wohard’s help.
She bowed slightly, her movements as graceful as a poem.
The tattered cloak slipped from her shoulder; she caught it smoothly, held it in both hands, and offered it back to Wohard.
A simple action, yet she performed it with ritualistic ceremony, as if knighting a warrior.
She took a step forward, which drew more attention to the exposed view beneath her torn skirt.
The black stockings on her straight thighs were slightly wrinkled from her fall, tightly stretched over her plump thighs.
The lace trim at the top of the stockings peeked in and out from the ripped fabric.
With her light steps, the skin wrapped in those stockings seemed to breathe, exuding deadly seduction.
“Thank you, brave warrior,” she said, her voice soft and sincere.
“I, Linalia, will never forget your kindness. But this cloak—you need it more than I do.”
Sovinia watched coldly, but her gaze uncontrollably slid to those thighs wrapped in black stockings.
Damn it, who invented these things?
They had lower defense than any armor, yet were more lethal than the sharpest weapon.
How could that stupid virgin dog resist?
It was cheating.
Add in that pitiful expression, and it was tailor-made to harvest men’s hearts.
For a virgin, the lethality was too high.
Just as Sovinia had expected.
Wohard took the cloak awkwardly, his cheeks flushing slightly.
“N-no need to thank me, Princess Highness. It was my duty.”
Sovinia thought of a good plan: bluff her way through.
The Elven Princess didn’t know that she had fooled Wohard into believing she was the princess.
She said, “Alright, let’s go. I’ll lead the way.”
Wohard remembered something.
“Oh, Princess Highness, I have good news! Your sister is safe too—she’s been freed from captivity!”
Sister?
Sovinia’s eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly.
She stood still, motionless, expressionless, staring at the woman named Linalia.
But deep inside, she couldn’t help吐槽ing.
What was in this stupid dog’s head—straw?
Since when did the Demon Castle double as a family reunion center?
Were they going to hand out numbers and queue up for recognition next?
This was Hell, a slaughterhouse, not a warm-hearted theater!
Now this stupid dog had crushed her chance to bluff through.
Maybe she should just risk killing the real princess.
No, that was too risky.
Sovinia suppressed the urge to draw her sword.
Tension coiled around her heart like a vine, tightening.
Linalia followed Wohard’s gesture and looked at Sovinia.
Curiosity flickered in her golden eyes, then turned into scrutiny.
Barefoot, wearing only those textured black stockings, she stepped over the red carpet, avoiding the goblin corpses and their blood.
Her movements were graceful, without a hint of disarray.
She took a few steps forward, her figure swaying.
The tattered hem of her skirt fluttered with her movements, like a black butterfly dancing among flowers.
She stopped at the bottom of the steps below Sovinia, sized her up.
Sovinia could feel Linalia’s gaze scanning her—again and again—lingering on the ill-fitting helmet on her head.
For some reason, her mood soured considerably.
Could you stop staring?
I know this helmet is terrible, but it’s practical…
“Hmm…”
Linalia let out a meaningful hum, then turned back to Wohard with a sweet smile.
“She does seem to be of my race. But, brave warrior, I have no sister. I only have one younger brother.”
Wohard’s smile stiffened.
He looked at Linalia, then at Sovinia.
Sovinia’s mind was racing, trying to grind out a result in her area of weakness—lying.
After frantic mental churning, her efforts paid off: she got one answer—kill!
At that moment, Wohard’s gaze swept over Sovinia’s slender waist and chest.
He let out a dry laugh.
“Could it be… Miss Sovinia, since elves are generally slender… you are actually the princess’s younger brother?”
Sovinia nearly spat blood.
Younger brother?
Was this stupid dog’s imagination all focused on identifying relatives?
But… if this real princess was willing to acknowledge it, she might hold her nose and accept being a younger brother.
Maybe she could even get a noble title.
Unfortunately, she didn’t seem as easy to fool as that stupid dog.
Sovinia still didn’t speak, but her grip on the Moonlight Blade tightened.
Linalia’s pressure was too much.
That pure, bone-deep “noble” aura was something she, as a fake, could never imitate.
Every additional word this woman spoke increased the risk of exposure.
Killing intent began to churn in her heart like magma underground.
Just kill her, shut her up, and all problems would be solved.
Sovinia thought this as she took one step down the stairs.
Linalia didn’t seem to care about Wohard’s wild speculation.
She simply looked at him with those innocent golden eyes and asked softly, “This… miss, what is her name?”
Wohard realized his rudeness.
He quickly cleared his throat to salvage the situation.
“Ah, forgive my recklessness. My name is Wohard. I am… a Human Hero.”
He pointed at Sovinia.
“This is Miss Sovinia. We escaped together from the depths of the Demon Castle. She said she was the Elven Princess, so I mistakenly thought… Of course, it’s possible Miss Sovinia has lost her memory and doesn’t remember that she’s actually your younger brother…”
Linalia let out a stifled laugh, like the clear sound of silver bells.
“Sir Hero, you’re amusing.”
She blinked, her long eyelashes like butterfly wings.
“My younger brother is only twelve years old. He’s not this… tall.”
Her gaze lingered meaningfully on Sovinia’s long legs for a moment.
Wohard grew even more embarrassed.
He scratched his helmet.
“Maybe… being imprisoned too long made him grow fast?”
“What I mean is,” Linalia said, her smile fading, her tone turning serious.
She looked directly into Wohard’s eyes and said each word clearly, “This so-called ‘Sovinia’ is not the Elven Princess.”
Wohard turned his head, his gaze fixed on Sovinia’s face.
Sovinia felt cold sweat trickling down her back.
Her mind was spinning wildly, trying to fabricate a reasonable lie, but her thoughts were a tangled mess.
What now?
Admit she wasn’t the princess?
Then how would she explain the earlier lie?
Would this stupid dog immediately turn hostile?
The trust she had worked so hard to build was about to collapse.
No, she couldn’t admit it!
She couldn’t lose this stupid dog—at least not until she got her head back!
“I…” she heard her own voice, dry and rough.
She steeled herself and said, “I… I should be the princess, it’s just that—”
“You’re lying.”
Linalia’s voice wasn’t loud.
She straightened the small crown on her head, a gesture filled with undeniable authority.
Sovinia opened her mouth, but no words came out.
She didn’t know how to respond.
Admit?
Deny?
If she said more, who knew what would happen.
Damn it, when would the fighting start?
The simplest thing in the world was definitely cutting off heads.
Just as the atmosphere froze to a breaking point, Wohard stepped forward, standing between the two women.
“Princess Linalia, please don’t say that.”
His tone was gentle, but his stance was firm.
“Miss Sovinia… she might just have lost her memory. Or maybe she was just too scared, afraid I wouldn’t take her away from this horrible place, so she pretended to be the princess.
“Either way, she is a brave lady, a pitiful victim, and a trustworthy companion.”
Sovinia looked at Wohard’s broad back in slight surprise.
This stupid dog… was actually speaking up for her?
Linalia’s brow furrowed slightly.
“But… Sir Hero, don’t you find it strange? In the heart of the Demon race’s stronghold, how could an amnesiac elven ‘princess’ suddenly appear? Have you considered that some Demon race members can disguise themselves as elves?”
The words struck Sovinia like lightning.
Danger!
This Elven Princess had seen through her real identity.
If this continued, her head would fly off.
Sovinia’s body tensed instinctively.
Killing intent surged uncontrollably again.
She moved another step closer, her gaze locked on Linalia’s pale, fragile neck.
The distance was about right.
If she suddenly attacked, swung her sword, and leaned forward, she could strike her head at extreme speed.
In a flash of thought, the Unpredictable Card Deck within her soul began to hum.
She was ready to gamble, hoping to draw [Blazing Strike +3] on her first try to increase the lethal strike’s odds.
If the princess died, she would be safe.
The stupid dog would have to listen to her.
But Linalia seemed to sense the danger.
Like a startled fawn, she trembled slightly and retreated half a step without a trace, hiding behind Wohard’s other side.
She even reached out a hand and lightly grasped Wohard’s arm, leaning slightly toward him.
Tears welled up in her golden eyes.
“Sir Hero, I… I’m a little scared…”
The action was flawless: it displayed her vulnerability, used Wohard’s body as a shield, and subtly drew closer to him.
Sovinia gritted her teeth.
This princess’s self-preservation instincts were excellent.
Wohard immediately had his protective instincts triggered.
He patted Linalia’s hand and comforted her, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”
“And Princess Highness, you’re overthinking it. Miss Sovinia absolutely cannot be of the Demon race. All along this journey, we fought side by side. She is an outstanding warrior, never a burden. Moreover, she is very familiar with the roads of the Demon Castle; she has been leading the way. She is just as pitiful as you.”
“Leading the way?”
Linalia seized on the keyword.
“Are you leaving the Demon Castle?”
“Yes,” Wohard confirmed.
Linalia’s face showed an innocent expression.
She tilted her head curiously and asked, “Then why are you… all the way in the central area of the Demon Castle? It’s very dangerous around here.”
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