Chapter 163
But just moments ago, Aivina was more concerned that Shaer might become lost in the false comfort induced by hypnosis. She was focused on observing Shaer’s mental state after the fall, leaving little room for other thoughts.
At that moment, Shaer suddenly stood up and asked a question with a hint of urgency, disrupting Aivina's meditative state.
In her line of sight, droplets of water fell from Shaer’s hair, and Aivina instinctively followed the path of the falling droplets with her gaze.
In an instant, Aivina felt her emotions begin to unravel, a fiery heat rising to her cheeks.
“I... I’m fine... I didn’t see anything. I just wanted you to better feel the sensation of falling and hitting the water, so...”
Aivina shut her eyes tightly, stepping back repeatedly until her foot slipped on the puddle that had spilled onto the floor.
The soft slippers, designed for comfort indoors, lacked any anti-slip features. As she closed her eyes and stepped back into the water, Aivina felt her foot slide out from under her, and then everything spun around her.
This is it... I’m going to embarrass myself in front of Shaer...
“Watch out!”
In her daze, she heard Shaer’s startled shout, and then she braced herself, waiting for the painful impact of her back hitting the ground.
But the expected hard floor never came. Instead, she found herself leaning back, almost lying on the ground.
Yet, the back of her head felt something soft... as if a hand was cradling it.
Crack—
“Miss! What’s going on...”
Bang—
The bathroom door swung open for a moment, and before Aivina could even catch what Nia was saying, it slammed shut again.
“Are you okay?”
This was a question Aivina should have asked, but it came from above her instead.
Aivina’s glasses had fallen to the side, and she felt damp strands of hair brushing against her face. Slowly, she opened her eyes a crack.
Before her, she saw Shaer, bare-skinned, kneeling with her legs slightly apart, supporting herself with one hand on the ground while the other cradled the back of her head. The soft touch she had felt earlier was indeed Shaer’s right hand.
Seeing Aivina’s eyes barely open, Shaer felt a slight relief wash over her.
When she noticed Aivina’s unusual state and began to retreat, Shaer had already sensed something was off.
As Aivina was about to slip, Shaer summoned a shadow beneath her to cushion her head, preventing any impact.
But to avoid scaring Aivina when she opened her eyes, Shaer had switched places with the shadow.
Now, however, Shaer felt a twinge of anxiety and worry. She didn’t know how she appeared to Aivina—whether she looked like one of those grotesque, flesh-eating monsters.
“I’m fine...”
Aivina shook her head gently, her blush now impossible to hide.
“Sorry,” Shaer said, looking down at Aivina. “I didn’t mean to involve you, but I was being selfish... I just wanted to live a little longer.”
For some reason, Shaer’s words pierced Aivina’s heart with a slight sting.
Shaer’s tendency to shoulder all the burdens alone made Aivina feel uneasy, yet she couldn’t find the words to express it.
Her role was merely that of a friend, able to offer some help but never quite reaching the point of “sharing joys and sorrows” together.
If only she could face these challenges alongside Shaer.
But Shaer always kept a certain distance from others, her psychological defenses high. Whenever danger approached, she would push everyone else away.
Just then, Shaer’s voice came again from above.
“Is there something you want to do or something you desire? I can help you as much as I can, as a reward for this healing...”
A reward...
What could I possibly want that I can’t have?
Hearing Shaer mention a reward, Aivina’s earlier agitation began to cool.
Shaer didn’t see her as one of her own.
She pressed her lips together, looked up at Shaer, and said, “Yes.”
“What is it?”
“Revenge.”
Before Shaer could react, Aivina propped herself up on her elbows, biting down hard on Shaer’s soft neck without holding back.
With that bite, Aivina felt a slight release of her pent-up frustration. She tilted her head back slowly, looking at Shaer above her, and calmly said, “Could you move aside?”
“Uh...”
Shaer shifted to give her some space. Aivina stood up, adjusted her clothes, and turned to leave the bathroom.
Revenge?
Was it for the time Shaer had bitten Aivina before?
For Shaer, that incident had happened not long ago, but for Aivina in this simulation, it had been over forty days.
Shaer touched the bite mark on her neck, a slight pain reminding her of the moment, leaving her feeling a bit lost.
Looking at Aivina, it seemed the impact hadn’t been too severe. After all, even if it were Shaer, she wouldn’t be able to bite down on a terrifying flesh-eating monster.
But why did Aivina look a bit angry?
Shaer realized she was starting to struggle to understand Aivina’s thoughts.
Now wasn’t the time for such musings; she needed to leave Aivina’s side quickly before the next disaster struck—being in close contact with Aivina and Nia was akin to touching the extraordinary.
She glanced at the clean clothes laid out nearby and began to get dressed.
Meanwhile, outside the bathroom, Aivina was heading toward the vanity.
Her glasses had fallen inside the bathroom, but she didn’t want to go back for them.
Nia, who had been waiting nearby, approached Aivina as she emerged and said, “I’m sorry, Miss, I didn’t know you were...”
“It’s fine.”
Aivina put on a new pair of glasses, walked to the window, and pulled the curtains back slightly to gaze at the fountain and garden outside.
In Aivina’s view, a faint blood-red mist enveloped the entire estate, even the water shooting from the fountain was tinged with crimson.
She looked up and saw a blurred dark red shadow swirling above the estate, like an ominous omen.
Had Shaer been walking through a pollution far worse than this to get here? How had she managed to endure it?
“Nia, have the investigation department look into the police deaths at the boundary between the Gem District and Bell Tower Alley. Don’t let any other organizations interfere.”
Aivina instructed Nia.
The deaths of a few detectives weren’t a big deal, especially in the corrupt precinct of Bell Tower Alley, where a stray bullet wouldn’t even hit an innocent.
“Understood, I’ll notify them right away.”
Nia nodded and quickly left the room.
She needed to relay the information and return to Aivina’s side. Nia instinctively felt that Shaer’s secrets were becoming too numerous and dangerous lately. She feared that if she was even a moment late, Aivina might encounter some misfortune.
Or worse, be kidnapped outright.
Aivina watched the raindrops begin to fall outside, her earlier chaotic emotions now settling. A hint of shame began to rise within her.
Now that she was calm, Aivina realized that her earlier behavior had been somewhat childish.
Shaer chose to face things alone ultimately because she didn’t want to involve Aivina. Aivina, who couldn’t offer much help, had no reason to be angry.
What was it that caused this tangled feeling...?
Like Shaer, Aivina was also skilled at hiding her feelings deep within her heart. But now, she had a premonition that if she didn’t speak up, she and Shaer would only drift further apart.
Not long after Nia left, Shaer pushed open the bathroom door and stepped out, now dressed in the black-and-white outfit Aivina had prepared for her.
This dress fit her perfectly, unlike the previous one that had been slightly oversized. Aivina’s old clothes or a custom outfit for Shaer, she couldn’t tell.
“Shaer,” Aivina turned to her, pointing out the window. “Is that shadow in the sky the one that followed you here?”
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