Chapter 116
Aivina watched the pillow in Shaer’s arms, her lips involuntarily curling up a few millimeters.
After hanging up his things, Shaer draped his canvas bag by the door and asked, “Aivina, have you contacted the Deyton Group yet?”
“Not yet… What’s up?” Aivina replied, a hint of confusion in her voice.
It had only been a little over ten minutes since Shaer had suggested this idea, and Aivina hadn’t even drafted a letter, let alone reached out to anyone at the Deyton Group.
“Let’s hold off on that for now.”
After tossing the pillow onto the bed, Shaer turned to Aivina. “And don’t proceed with reporting to the church either.”
“Why?” Aivina asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.
It was no wonder Aivina was puzzled; this was clearly the best solution. If they did nothing, the cultist lurking in the Deyton Manor would definitely sniff them out.
“My intelligence network… is ready to take action.”
A wave of dizziness washed over Shaer, and he fell back onto the bed, murmuring, “We… just need to watch the show…”
“All the cultists… won’t escape…”
“Good night…”
Good night?
Aivina instinctively glanced at her watch; it was only around four-thirty. Was it really time for good night already?
What about dinner? Who was going to make dinner for her?
And what did it mean that the intelligence network would handle things?
Did it mean that the organization behind Shaer was finally ready to step in personally?
All they had to do was watch?
What kind of organization was behind Shaer, anyway?
It was a base of the Saintly Sect that had been entrenched in Deyton Manor for years, and a third-tier bishop from the sect was scheduled to come for inspection and assistance on the 23rd…
In such a dangerous situation, how could Shaer be so confident that they didn’t need to worry?
Watching Shaer fall asleep so unguarded and carefree, Aivina felt a pang of anxiety.
There were so many things she wanted to clarify, but clearly, a more pressing issue loomed before her.
If Shaer was asleep now, wouldn’t he wake up when she went to bed later?
“I… I’m feeling sleepy too… Nia, you should head back to your room and sleep as well. And could you please pull the curtains for me? Thanks.”
Nia, standing by the window pretending to be a tough guy: “?”
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Chapter 88: Incitement, Rituals, and Bloodletting (10,000-word chapter)
“Did you all fall asleep waiting for me?”
“I waited by the iron gate for ages, and no one came to open the door… Aivina, why did you call me here?”
“Hey? What’s that bite mark on your neck? Who bit you? Do you need medicine?”
At midnight, Adele, led by Nia to Aivina’s room, watched as Aivina sleepily opened the door, her disheveled black hair framing her face, and began chattering away.
It wasn’t until she held out a balm to apply to Aivina’s neck that Aivina seemed to snap back to reality, taking a small step back to avoid Adele’s hand.
“No need.”
Aivina’s sleepy eyes gradually cleared. She tugged at her collar, but it still couldn’t hide the bite mark left on her neck.
“Come in.”
Aivina stepped aside slightly to let Adele in.
Adele, seeing the dimly lit bedroom, felt no hesitation and walked right in, asking as she did, “I’m a bit sleepy too… What’s going on?”
It seemed Adele had come to Aivina’s manor completely unaware of the situation and had been easily tricked into entering the room.
Was she too trusting or just too carefree?
At that moment, Adele noticed that, under the flickering candlelight, there seemed to be another person sleeping on the bed.
“Shaer?”
Adele blinked and then turned to Aivina, whispering, “So you two are sleeping together?”
Adele kept her voice low, seemingly to avoid waking Shaer.
Before Aivina could respond, Adele cautiously suggested, “Should we talk somewhere else so we don’t disturb Shaer’s sleep…”
“It’s fine,” Aivina shook her head. “We’ve already slept.”
Adele asked, “How long did you sleep?”
“About seven and a half hours.”
“Hmm…”
Adele nodded. “That’s a decent amount of sleep; it’s good for your health.”
After a moment, Adele seemed to realize something, quickly counting on her fingers before turning to Aivina and asking, “You went to sleep at four-thirty?”
“Yes.”
Just as the two settled onto the sofa, their conversation seemed to have stirred Shaer from his slumber.
“Hmm…”
Finally able to relax after a tense day, Shaer stretched slowly in bed, pulling off the blanket that had somehow covered him, and propped himself up.
Rubbing his eyes, he looked at Aivina and Adele sitting on the sofa not far away, mumbling, “Is it morning already…?”
“Good evening… I mean, good morning… Hello, Shaer,” Adele greeted with a smile and a wave.
Aivina, sitting beside Adele, also turned her gaze toward Shaer.
Shaer appeared still half-asleep, slowly climbing to the edge of the bed, staring at the shoes on the floor as if pondering who had taken them off.
Originally, Aivina had planned to help Shaer turn over gently so he could rest his head on the pillow.
But just as she had removed Shaer’s shoes and socks, lifted her body to adjust him, and was about to pull her hands away, Shaer, still in a dream, wrapped his arms around her waist.
Aivina was certain that Shaer was in a half-dreaming state, yet he seemed to be murmuring her name.
Shaer seemed to say something like…
“Aivina… don’t be shy…”
And just like that, he held onto her waist, as if lost in a dream.
With Shaer’s arms around her, Aivina could only lie beside him in a rather awkward, curled-up position, half of her body resting on the pillow, the back of her head against the headboard, while Shaer’s face nestled against her chest.
At that moment, Aivina felt completely dazed, her mind nearly exploding, but she didn’t want to move… She just stayed in that position, letting Shaer hold her until she too drifted off into a light sleep.
Though the position was incredibly awkward, for some reason, Aivina felt an overwhelming sense of peace, as if her emotions were floating on a cloud, wishing that this moment would never end.
And then… she was jolted awake by Adele’s knocking.
But she had invited her over, so she couldn’t really blame her.
By now, Shaer had put on his shoes and sat down beside them.
Shaer now looked completely awake.
After sitting down, he turned to Adele and said, “Adele, to make a long story short, I need you to stay here for the next few days.”
Adele: “?”
You called me over in the middle of the night just for this?
Wait, hadn’t you two already gone to sleep? Now you want me to sleep here? What for? To have you watch me sleep?
Unreasonable.
Any person with a bit of backbone wouldn’t agree to such a ridiculous request.
Adele nodded slightly and asked quietly, “So… is there a pillow for me?”
“You can use my pillow,” Shaer explained. “I brought you here so you and Aivina could stay together.”
“Your teacher, Xielen, was involved with an evil cult before he died. You probably know the name without me saying it. He collected a lot of information about this cult during his lifetime.”
Hearing her teacher’s name, Adele’s expression dimmed.
She held deep respect for those who had saved her in times of adversity, aspiring to become someone as formidable as they were.
She admired her older sister, Yulis, who had cared for her since childhood.
She respected her teacher, Xielen, who had spent decades in the field of surgery, saving countless lives.
Even if she didn’t want to believe it, Adele knew that what Shaer said was likely true.
Because she had indeed found a wealth of rumors about the Saintly Sect in her teacher’s library… but at the time, Adele believed her teacher was collecting this information for some kind of research.
Adele looked at Shaer, hesitated for a moment, and then asked, “Xielen… he was brainwashed by the Saintly Sect, wasn’t he? That’s why he ended up like this, right?”
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