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In the darkness, the passage of time had become blurred.
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Though only a few days had passed, it felt like thousands of years.
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And those thousands of years were filled with unending fear and terror.
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In the end, she had become numb.
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“When was it?”
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Willis asked.
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The next morning, sunlight poured in through the window.
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The girl, freshly washed by the maids, now lay peacefully on the bed.
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Yes, peacefully.
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It was said that the maid had been startled by her corpse-like face while bathing her.
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“On the sixth day, I went to deliver food and found she was nearly dead.”
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Annie Donald snorted.
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She seemed very dissatisfied.
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It would have been better if this fox spirit had disappeared!
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But women are always contrary.
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Even more so with girls.
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She couldn’t bear to watch such a beautiful elf die before her eyes—especially since she was the one Willis had designated to deliver her meals.
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She had to take responsibility.
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“So I made the decision to bring her out. After cleaning her up, she’s been sleeping here ever since.”
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“When the Rebels broke in, I was worried she’d get caught in the chaos.”
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Annie breathed a sigh of relief.
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“Thankfully, she didn’t.”
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“Six days, huh?”
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Willis sighed quietly, sitting at the bedside of Winnie Kanasha.
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Her battle wounds had been treated with the best herbs available at the time.
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It was said there wouldn’t be any scars left.
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With the Healer’s treatment, Willis’s wounds had already begun to heal.
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Covered in luxurious clothes, she still appeared to be the beautiful, noble Imperial Princess from the outside.
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Only Nidnia and the others still needed to keep this secret.
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At this moment, Willis didn’t dare let them get too close to her.
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Off to the side, Ofilia’s expression was complicated.
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She had lasted a day and a night.
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But this elf… had really survived six days!?
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Just one more day, and she and her kin could have been free!
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Though it was a shame, Ofilia looked at the girl sleeping on the bed.
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***
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A sense of deep respect welled up inside her, along with a bitter regret at her own weakness.
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What a pity.
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It was truly just one day short.
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Willis sat by the bed, gazing at the elf who seemed to be sleeping, lost in thought.
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Miraculously, since leaving the cellar, Winnie Kanasha hadn’t woken up.
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But under Willis’s gaze, her eyes slowly opened.
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“Your Highness, she’s awake!”
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Annie sounded a little excited.
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This way, her own mistake would be much less severe.
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But unexpectedly, after waking, Winnie didn’t make a sound.
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She just stared blankly at the ceiling, silent.
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Her eyes were lifeless, numb.
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“Winnie?”
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Willis called out, but there was no response.
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She tried threatening her, but the elf’s expression remained as dead as ever.
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Even with her eyes open, she looked as if she had already died.
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“Your Highness, this……should we call someone to take a look?”
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Annie hesitated.
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Willis shook her head.
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“It’s fine. Everyone leave, let her have some peace.”
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“Oh, and from now on, I’ll take care of her.”
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At once, Annie jumped up.
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“Why!? No way!”
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Startled by her reaction, Willis asked in confusion.
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“Why are you so worked up?”
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Knowing she was in the wrong, Annie mumbled.
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“I mean…… how could someone as noble as Your Highness care for her like a servant?”
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“Let the maids—or me—handle it.”
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The girl’s face turned red with embarrassment, her words coming out unclear.
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Willis was even more puzzled.
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“Aren’t you in love with my Sister? Now that things are settled, you finally have time to spend together and deepen your relationship.”
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“Why would you want to take this on? Wouldn’t it just take up all your time?”
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So understanding, Willis was nearly moved by her own generosity.
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But the other party didn’t appreciate it.
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“I……I don’t want to……”
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“Why?”
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Willis frowned.
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“No……nothing……you idiot!”
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With a soft curse, Annie hurriedly sped out of the room.
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Leaving Willis utterly bewildered.
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Why the insults now?
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Don’t think just because you’re familiar with me, I won’t take action against you!
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She turned to Ofilia.
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“Did you see what that was about?”
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She was answered only with a sulky,
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“Hmph! I don’t know!”
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After yesterday’s great battle, all the follow-up and cleanup would take at least a few days.
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Because the fighting had just ended, Willis hadn’t made the remaining City Defense Army and Miners do any more work.
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Instead, they rested and recovered.
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Replenishing their strength in case the enemy had any hidden moves.
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Otherwise, facing an attack in exhaustion might lead to collapse.
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Fortunately, after a day and night of rest, nothing unexpected had occurred.
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Even so, explaining things to the Empire and playing the role of the restored true Imperial Princess was still a headache for Willis.
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Now, after the great battle, the total number of usable City Defense Army under Willis had shrunk to about five thousand four hundred.
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Of the nearly thirteen hundred City Defense Army led by Hill Yu, only four hundred remained.
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The other five thousand were the ones left behind at the request of the Miners when the mine was attacked.
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Some of them were upright, never accepting bribes or abusing the Miners.
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Others had lesser offenses, minor bribes.
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Willis hadn’t punished them all equally.
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Now, these five thousand four hundred were completely loyal to her.
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It sounded like a lot, but with over thirty mines in the area, it wasn’t nearly enough.
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Aside from the City Defense Army and soldiers, the Miners had suffered greatly in the battle.
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Of nearly thirty thousand, only seventeen thousand remained.
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A staggering loss.
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On the streets and around the Castle Lord’s Mansion, bodies were everywhere!
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To call it a river of blood, the stench filling the air, was no exaggeration.
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How to deal with the corpses.
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And how to calm the Miners and civilians, restore production—these were all difficult problems facing Willis.
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Her brows furrowed as she thought of it.
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Seeing her emerge from Winnie’s room like this, Hill Yu stood outside, bandaged all over.
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Though injured, her Sister was still the same valiant Sister.
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“Is she alright?”
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Hill Yu asked.
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“Her body is fine. Psychologically… that’s another matter.”
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Willis regretted it.
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The child was too stubborn.
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If she couldn’t bear it, she should have said so—instead, she forced herself until she was like this.
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“Although she didn’t last the full seven days, I think……”
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Willis paused, as if making a difficult decision.
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“I think we should let her go.
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When she recovers, Sister, you should send her and her people away.”
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Willis walked out of the inner courtyard, her mood somber.
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Hill Yu tilted her head.
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“Can you bear it?”
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“If her heart can’t stay, there’s no point keeping her here.”
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The girl’s figure looked lonely as she walked away, and Hill Yu hurried to catch up.
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Afraid her Imperial Princess had suffered some trauma.
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But Willis gazed at the City Defense Army cleaning up bodies and repairing the courtyard walls around the Castle Lord’s Mansion.
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She said,
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“I have too much to do. If Winnie wants to leave, let her.
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Keeping her here would only bring more trouble.”
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“If force won’t work, then try gentleness… cough, I mean, if you love someone, you should let them go. Isn’t that right?”
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Hearing this, Hill Yu felt as if her understanding of Willis had been shattered once more.
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Her face filled with disbelief.
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“Sister, you’ve really changed.”
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