Chapter 3

In the alternating torment of dizziness and intense pain brought by the liquid, I vaguely felt someone gently lift me up.

The warm embrace dispelled the bone chilling cold, and a large hand, trembling with almost tender care, stroked my dry and knotted long hair. Scalding liquid dripped onto my icy face, the heat so intense that it made my very soul tremble. “Jovia…”

“If all this had never happened... If we were still like before... How wonderful it would be..."

Is it Anders?

He... is crying?

I used all my strength and struggled for a long time before I could barely open my heavy eyelids. Unfortunately, there was no Anders in front of me, only the expressionless guard who roughly dragged me towards the dazzling courtyard.

The scorching sun burned my exposed skin like flames, and my body's moisture was evaporating rapidly. My throat was as dry as a desert, and every breath brought a searing pain.

Anders and Lisa were under the exquisite pavilion in the courtyard. Seeing me being dragged there, Lisa immediately put on a worried and innocent face: "Oh dear, haven't you eaten for a long time? Are you hungry?" Her voice was sickeningly sweet.

My throat was dry and sore, and I couldn't make a clear sound. I just weakly shook my head.

The guard beside her, at Lisa's glance, mercilessly kicked me in the waist and abdomen!

"Ugh!"

This kick hit the wound that had not yet fully healed! The intense pain made my vision go black, and fresh blood instantly soaked through the torn fabric on my abdomen.

I saw Lisa flash a mocking smile, which immediately turned into a feigned look of concern.

Anders's brows furrowed in annoyance. He quickly took off his expensive velvet coat and, with a hastiness he didn't even notice, covered my blood stained body.

"Enough! Heal her wounds immediately!" His voice was filled with suppressed anger. "Stop pretending to be so pitiful! Lisa can't stand the smell of blood. Do you want to harm her again?"

Lisa's eyes sparkled as she gracefully bent down and dumped a plate of wilted, strangely glowing petals and stems, clearly enchanted refuse mixed with dirt and gravel, onto the filthy ground in front of me. "I know you must be starving. Eat up."

She said in a tone that was "kind", but her eyes were filled with malicious anticipation. I instinctively looked to Anders beside me, but he averted his gaze in disgust, as if even a glance at me would dirty his eyes.

I slowly and humbly lowered my head, like the most despicable livestock, using my mouth to gnaw at those vegetables smeared with filth.

I slowly and humbly lowered my head, like the most despicable livestock, using my mouth to gnaw at those petals smeared with filth.

Lisa's malicious voice rang out again, brimming with undisguised excitement:

"Jovia, why aren't you eating the flower petals? They're so nourishing for your kind! Come on, eat!"

I numbly stuffed a cold, luminescent petal into my mouth. Long term torture had already destroyed my sense of taste, unable to discern any flavor, only feeling a strange, chilling energy seep into my veins.

"Is it potent?" Lisa leaned closer, her smile growing wider, with a sickly satisfaction, "I heard you elves cultivate these in sacred groves, infused with your life essence. Consuming them must feel... invigorating, right?"

The petal in my mouth instantly dropped into the dust. I raised my head sharply, looking at Lisa's face, twisted with perverted pleasure, in disbelief.

A wave of icy weakness hit me like a tidal wave! I could no longer hold it back and collapsed to the ground, my limbs trembling uncontrollably.

"Ugh!" A cold sweat broke out over my body as the stolen life energy within the flower clashed violently with my own fading spirit.

Starblooms are plants that are toxic to elves. They reproduce by absorbing the energy of elves. I haven't seen them for a long time and have even forgotten what they look like.

"Clang!"

The piece of flowers petals in my mouth instantly dropped into the dust. I raised my head sharply, looking at Lisa's face, twisted with a perverted pleasure, in disbelief.

A wave of nausea hit me like a tidal wave! I could no longer hold it back and collapsed to the ground, opening my mouth.

"Ugh!"

"Good heavens! My shoes!" My vomit had soiled the tip of Lisa's diamond encrusted high heels.

Lisa jumped up in fright, her expression as if she wanted to kill me, but Anders couldn't see.

No command was needed. The guards immediately grabbed my hair and roughly dragged me away, simultaneously forcing a hard pebble into my mouth to silence all my sobs and retches.

Fortunately, I spat out some petals. I was calming down the strange sensation of the reduced energy in my body.

Anders quickly pulled Lisa into his arms, not even glancing at the shoes, and directly ordered the servant, "Throw them away! Go get Lisa ten pairs of the latest style!" His care for her remained meticulous, but the gaze he turned towards me was filled only with bottomless hatred.

"Jovia, stop that disgusting, pitiful face! Lisa was just joking with you. She told me that this is fresh vegetables that was flown in today. You completely ruined her good intentions. If you don't want to eat, throw all this garbage away!" He shouted at the servant.

Lisa changed into brand new, even more luxurious shoes. She looked at me mockingly and suddenly pointed outside, as if there was some good show about to start.

"Anders, don't blame Jovia." She pretended to console, snuggling in his arms, "She might really not be hungry. Not eating is fine. But she dirtied my shoes just now. She should compensate me, right? How about... letting her stay and keep me company while I have a manicure? It'll be like entertainment for me."

Anders sighed helplessly, pinching her cheek: "You're always so soft hearted, too kind."

He turned his head, his eyes instantly hardening like iron, gripping my chin to force me to raise my filthy face. Then he gently wiping away the bloodstains with a finger, it seems as if one has returned to the past.

It's impossible, I know: "Did you hear that? You offended Lisa. Now stay with her and have manicure. If you dare to make her even a little unhappy again, I'll make your life a living hell!"

I said nothing, merely nodding blankly, wondering what she meant, the mind was a bit-muddled…

Anders's fingers gripping my chin suddenly tightened, his knuckles turning white. He seemed to want to say something more, with a suppressed, indescribable anxiety, but was interrupted by a rapid ring of the communicator.

He quickly picked it up, listened for a few words, and his brows furrowed. He turned, tenderly kissed Lisa's forehead: "There's an emergency at the group. I need to handle it." Then he bent down and kissed Lisa's protruding belly with extreme care and affection.

Watching the warm scene of the family of three, a thick, sour feeling uncontrollably welled up at the tip of my nose.

Anders's figure vanished at the end of the corridor, and the gentle, lovable mask on Lisa's face shattered instantly. She gave me a huge, disdainful eye roll, her face full of disgust.

"I hate having dirty things around when I'm having manicure! Go to the trash can over there and stay there. Don't let me see you! "

Silently, dragging my heavy body, I moved to the corner of the courtyard where the huge metal trash can was, and curled up to sit. Although it stank, at least there was a small patch of shade here, allowing my sunburned body a moment of respite.

Before long, one of Lisa's personal maids came strutting over with an empty bucket, pinching her nose and looking me up and down with disdain.

"Hey, monster! Miss Lisa said she's short of the purest red pigment for her nail art. She thinks the most beautiful red is the color of fresh blood! She wants you to 'donate' a bucket of blood for her use."

With a clatter, a rusty dagger with dark red stains was thrown at my feet.

"Use this to cut! Hurry up!"

I looked at the filthy dagger and weakly said, "It's... rusty... it'll cause infection..."

The maid immediately put her hands on her hips and screeched, "Do you still think you're some delicate princess? Just giving you the knife was already a favor, and you still pick and choose! Hurry up and cut! Or else you'll get what's coming to you!"

The icy despair seized me once again. I trembled as I picked up the rusty dagger, its blade dull and blunt. I gritted my teeth and, with all my strength, slashed it across my wrist!

Bright red blood beads quickly seeped out, coalescing into a stream, dripping drop by drop into the bucket.

The pain in my wrist gradually numbed, and my body's heat rapidly dissipated with the loss of blood. I felt a bone chilling cold, my lips losing their color, and my vision going black in waves.

I don't know how long it was until the bottom of the bucket was finally covered in dark red liquid that I collapsed, releasing my hand, and the dagger dropped to the ground.

I leaned against the cold trash can, my consciousness already blurring.

Not far away, a few maids were chatting by the flower beds, their voices neither too loud nor too soft, just enough to drift into my ears.

"Miss Lisa's nail art is so beautiful! It's just that the special material she uses is so rare. I heard the diamonds on her manicure were strung together with the crystal cores of elves. That enchanting color is the blood and tears of the elves. Just a small bottle requires killing several elves!"

"Sigh, it's a pity that these monsters only have one crystal each. If they had more, we wouldn't have to go around catching them..."

These words were like thunderclaps in my mind! I turned as pale as paper in terror and used my last bit of strength to stand up, leaning on the wall.

In the air, there seemed to be a faint, desperate moan that belonged to an elf! My heart pounded like a drum, and I prayed frantically in my heart: Please... please don't let it be what I think...

The closer I got to Lisa's flower room, the clearer and more piercing the suffocating, desperate moans became!

I saw it!

Through the glass of the flower room, I saw several elf corpses lying haphazardly at Lisa's feet! Their beautiful eyes were wide open, empty and lifeless.

And Lisa, she was choking the neck of a young elf, her face wearing a cruel smile that was almost joyful. Her sharp scalpel skillfully pierced, sliced, and then dug out a still faintly pulsating, pale blue life crystal!

Red and light blue lights were flashing on her fingertips. Her nails were made with the lives of elves.

Then, in the elf's shrill, heart wrenching scream, she threw the crystal to the ground without hesitation and crushed it under her delicate high heels!

"Crack!"

That crisp sound seemed to shatter my heart at the same time!

Strapped to the same cold, rune-engraved metal table where …Lyra. My dearest childhood friend, the one who studies and plays with me, whose laughter used to echo through the royal gardens, Her vibrant green eyes, wide with terror, locked onto mine. A crude gag muffled her whimpers.

All the blood in my body froze, and the immense grief and anger almost made me lose my balance.

Just then, a familiar yet terrified, childish cry came from the depths of the flower room:

"Sister! Sister, save me!"

I turned my head sharply, my heart almost stopping!