Chapter 83: Who?

However, in the midst of this extreme excitement and expectation, a thought struck Ling Xiya like a bolt from the blue!

She… she had killed Eve.

Who was Eve?

Who was Eve?

Who exactly was Eve?

Why… was she feeling pain?

The smile on Ling Xiya’s face froze instantly.

The crazed look in her eyes faded rapidly, as if doused with ice water.

In its place was an unbelievable blankness and… a faint trace of panic that she herself was unwilling to admit.

She looked down at her hands—those hands that had just been stained with blood…

And now, they held a Magic Pattern Dagger…

Ling Xiya’s body began to tremble uncontrollably.

She suddenly covered her face, her body sliding slowly down the door panel until she collapsed onto the cold floor.

The small black knife slipped from her weak hand, hitting the floor with a sharp “clatter” that sounded exceptionally piercing in the silent room.

The red snake on the blade seemed to mock her stupidity and misery.

She was now a maid: humble, dependent, and full of jealousy.

To stay by that woman’s side, she had lost everything she once had, even becoming the very kind of existence she had once loathed the most.

A massive sense of absurdity and a belated, heart-wrenching sorrow instantly overwhelmed her.

“Uuu…”

Suppressed sobbing finally overflowed from between Ling Xiya’s fingers.

At first, it was just a faint whimper, but it soon turned into uncontrollable, heart-wrenching wails.

Like a lost child, she curled up in the cold corner, her whole body shaking as she cried.

Tears mixed with the wet blood on her face, flowing down and spreading into a small, blurry stain on the floor.

She had killed Eve to stay by her master’s side.

But now that she had succeeded, there was no anticipated ecstasy or peace in her heart—only boundless emptiness and despair.

What exactly… have I done?

Hiding in the shadows, Isayat, who had watched the entire scene through magic crystals, wore a smile that was cold and satisfied, even carrying a hint of cruel pleasure.

She looked at the figure curled on the floor weeping through the Crystal Ball, lightly stroking its cold surface as if she were stroking a perfect work of art.

“Very good… very good indeed…”

She whispered, her voice so gentle it was hair-raising.

“My little pet, you really didn’t disappoint me… this crazed appearance is truly fascinating…”

“Your blessing… has indeed arrived.”

The curve of Isayat’s lips grew colder.

“You have proven your value with your loyalty and madness. Now, you will stay by my side forever… forever. You can never leave again…”

The crying in the Crystal Ball seemed to serve as the best footnote to her words, shrill and despairing.

………………………………

Just then, soft footsteps came from behind, carrying a familiar, heart-pounding fluctuation of dark magic.

Ling Xiya’s body suddenly froze, and her crying stopped abruptly, leaving only irrepressible sobs and violent tremors.

She knew who had arrived.

A pair of soft, ice-cold hands gently rested on her trembling shoulders.

The touch was as delicate as silk, yet possessed an irresistible strength.

Ling Xiya instinctively tried to hide, but she was held down by those hands, unable to move.

“My little pet, why are you crying so sadly?”

Isayat’s voice rang out above her head, still in that hair-raisingly gentle tone, as if she were soothing a wronged child.

“Haven’t you already gotten what you wanted? You’re by my side now, forever.”

“Master…”

Ling Xiya choked out, her voice so hoarse it was almost toneless.

“I… I…”

What did she want to say? To say she regretted it?

Isayat leaned down slightly, her cool breath brushing against Ling Xiya’s ear, carrying a hint of sweet, cloying bloodiness.

“Shh… don’t speak.”

Her fingers gently slid across Ling Xiya’s cheek, wiping away her tears with movements so tender it was as if she were handling a rare treasure.

“I know what you did. You did very well, my Ling Xiya.”

Ling Xiya jerked her head up, her tear-blurred vision meeting those deep pink eyes.

There was no blame or disgust in them—only a kind of… near-obsessive appreciation and a cold, controlling smile.

“You cleared the obstacles for me, proving your loyalty with the most precious thing you had—oh, perhaps to you, it is no longer precious now.”

Isayat’s fingers rested on Ling Xiya’s lips, pressing lightly.

“See? To stay by my side, you were willing to do anything, weren’t you? This determination, this madness—it’s truly fascinating.”

“No… it’s not…”

Ling Xiya shook her head, tears surging forth again.

“I… I just…”

“Just what?”

Isayat interrupted her, her voice still gentle but carrying an unquestionable power.

“Just too afraid of losing me? Just too desperate for my approval? There’s nothing wrong with that, my little pet. Desire itself is not shameful, and it’s only natural to pay a price for what you desire.”

She gently took Ling Xiya into her arms.

Ling Xiya’s body was as stiff as a stone, resisting with every fiber of her being, but that invisible magic was like a gentle net, trapping her so she couldn’t break free.

Isayat’s embrace was cold and soft, carrying a strange, intoxicating scent.

“You’re in pain, aren’t you?” Isayat’s voice whispered in her ear like a devil’s temptation.

“That’s because you’re still clinging to the past. Clinging to that phantom—those things will only bind you and cause you pain.”

“Let me go… Master…”

Ling Xiya’s voice was weak, filled with desperate struggle.

“Let you go? And let you return to the past? To the state of being a pathetic mess who eventually fled to me?”

Isayat chuckled, her laughter piercing Ling Xiya’s heart like an icicle.

“No…!”

Ling Xiya let out a painful roar, trying to push Isayat away, but the other woman held her tighter.

“Look at me, Ling Xiya.”

Isayat’s voice suddenly turned stern for a moment, carrying an undeniable command.

Ling Xiya’s body trembled uncontrollably, forced to raise her head and meet those pink eyes once more.

“You…”