"I'm sorry," Elaphia whispered.
The ferocious beast rose into the air, its thin, long arms easily capturing the somewhat dazed Patunasankus. Then it frantically flapped its bone wings, ascending into the air and flying toward the distant mountains.
In the moonlight, Elaphia's silver hair danced in the wind stirred by the ferocious beast. Beneath her black-framed glasses, crimson eyes flashed.
She simply allowed the princess to be captured by the ferocious beast.
Another victim.
Elaphia thought.
She lowered her eyes, just as she had often done in the past, waiting for the princess's hatred and curses upon experiencing betrayal.
Only in the victims' curses and imprecations against her would Elaphia's heart feel somewhat better. Someone as sinful as her deserved nothing else.
But for some reason, the princess didn't choose to curse her, to denounce her actions, in the heart-wrenching aftermath of betrayal like past victims had done.
Throughout the entire process of the ferocious beast's dive and capture, Patunasankus didn't scream, didn't show fear.
Elaphia could clearly recall the princess's final gaze at her.
It was even somewhat unforgettable.
Whenever she closed her eyes, various images kept flooding in—and these images were all about a girl with dandelion-colored hair.
What kind of look was that?
The princess seemed completely indifferent to her betrayal—no hatred, no curses. In her eyes, there was only curiosity.
Elaphia could accept being hated, could accept being cursed, because these were what she deserved.
But...
She especially couldn't bear to look directly into the princess's eyes again, those eyes as blue as the sky, without a trace of shadow.
Elaphia clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging deep into her palms. Intense pain spread throughout, but it couldn't dispel the hatred in her heart.
She had betrayed again, just like all the people she had betrayed in the past.
She really deserved to die.
Sometimes Elaphia also wished she could die quickly.
It would be best to fall completely into the nine hells with the curses of her victims.
But not yet, not yet!
Elaphia knew she still had a more important thing to do. She absolutely had to die for this extremely important matter.
"Vlad, Vlad Dreka!"
Elaphia gnashed her teeth as she repeated this name, over and over.
Her master's name, the name she thought about day and night, the name of the object of her sworn revenge, the name of the person she wanted to devour alive.
"Curse you, Vlad!"
Elaphia's crimson eyes were an ominous light imprisoned in the night.
He must know!
He absolutely must know!
She swore, that bastard would regret what he had done!
Hatred boiled in Elaphia's heart.
Every breath she exhaled, every humiliation she endured, every trust she betrayed, every drop of power she accumulated was for one wish.
Even if she failed again and again, screamed in agony under torture again and again, had her dignity crushed again and again, no matter how many more times...
She would definitely crush that scumbag!
This was her last dignity.
"Elaphia, what have you done?"
A strong voice, suppressing something, came. Elaphia turned around.
Accompanied by a powerful heartbeat, a figure gradually emerged from the hazy night. Cherry-colored long hair seemed like burning flames under the moonlight.
Undoubtedly it was Loranhir, the strongest hero.
When did she arrive?
Elaphia wondered.
Could the Eye of Detection she had placed in advance not sense her at all?
The Eye of Detection, which had been specifically enhanced against the hero's immense power, should have detected the hero from far away.
As everyone knows, the more powerful a being is, the stronger the unconscious aura they emit. Without precise control, it is easy for others to detect.
Truly worthy of being a hero, able to conceal her presence at all times, allowing people to sense only the weak blood energy of an ordinary person.
Hiding to the level of an ordinary person, it was normal for the Eye of Detection to overlook her.
Elaphia pushed up her glasses, the crimson in her eyes quickly receding.
The Heart of the Red Queen resounded, and Elaphia felt immense pressure.
She knew that if she didn't provide a reasonable explanation, she would certainly die. The hero would not spare her.
And she definitely couldn't withstand even one strike from the hero.
Elaphia didn't want to die yet.
At least, she couldn't die now.
"This is part of the plan," Elaphia said with an unchanged expression.
In a brief moment, she had already thought of a solution.
"Part? You're telling me this is part of the plan?"
Loranhir's heartbeat grew faster, a suppressed anger making her whole body tremble like a burning flame.
She was there; actually, she had been there all along.
Before Patunasankus followed Elaphia to the lakeside, she was already present, hiding in the darkness, secretly watching the princess.
Loranhir was very self-aware.
She was just a coward who could do nothing except be frightened to the point her heart pounded wildly.
Just imagining the scene of the ferocious beast's certain appearance tonight made her vaguely terrified. She still remembered how utterly frightened she was the last time she faced the ferocious beast.
Her heart kept anxiously pounding non-stop. If she hadn't deliberately kept her distance, Elaphia would have discovered her in advance.
This tension and fear continued until she saw the princess dance.
Dandelion-colored hair dancing in the wind, skirts flying, silver light dancing.
The girl was like a golden light, her bare feet tapping on the water's surface like a series of rapid beats, elegantly splashing water.
In an instant, it was as if all the light in the world was concentrated on her.
Under the night sky, the dandelion-like girl was beautiful to the extreme.
Loranhir was dumbfounded, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
Such a beautiful dance.
But she was just a village girl without much culture, unable to offer eloquent praise. After pondering for a long time, she could only say: "F***, really f***ing beautiful."
Having uttered this terrible line that even she was dismayed to hear, she instinctively covered her mouth.
She was entranced.
This trance continued until the ferocious beast attacked. Just seeing the shadow in the night sky made her vaguely afraid.
As long as Elaphia acted, everything would be fine.
That's what she had been thinking.
This fantasy shattered completely when she saw the ferocious beast capture the princess while Elaphia remained unmoved.
In an instant, it was as if kindling had been thrown into an abandoned forge. The tiny spark immediately expanded several times, crackling as it burned.
Iron, in the flame.