Chapter 342
Princess Windsor had quite a connection with the Royal Symphony, and Aivina was eager to glean some news about Shaer from her. She had been trying to reach out for a while, but each attempt was met with various excuses for refusal.
However, this time, Princess Windsor stormed in, furious, leaving Aivina bewildered.
In recent days, Aivina had exhausted every possible method to obtain even a hint of Shaer's whereabouts. Now, with her childhood friend at her doorstep, she didn't want to miss this chance to gather information.
"Stop pretending!"
Windsor strode up to Aivina, grabbing her by the throat with a wild look in her eyes. "Where is Shaer?! Where have you hidden her?!"
"Uh..."
Aivina couldn't utter a word, her throat in a vice grip. She dared not pry Windsor's hand away or use her abilities to force her to let go... She was desperate to know Shaer's fate.
The person before her might hold the key to the truth, and Aivina didn't want to offend her.
It wasn't until Aivina felt her vision darkening that Windsor finally released her grip.
Thud—
"Cough, cough..."
The expensive antique chair toppled over as Aivina knelt on the ground, clutching her throat and coughing violently.
"Sha... Shaer?"
Aivina hadn't forgotten what she had just heard. She looked up at Windsor, shock evident in her voice. "Do you... know where she is now?"
"Stop playing games, Aivina. You’re the only ‘psychologist’ in the entire noble circle. You're smart and capable, but I never thought you’d dare to hypnotize me..."
Windsor picked up a silver dinner knife from the round table, pointing it at Aivina.
"Tell me, where is Shaer?"
Shaer... where?
Wasn't she captured by the Royal Symphony?
Wait... Shaer escaped?
Why did Princess Windsor find her before the Queen's Blade or the Royal Symphony?
Could it be that Shaer's escape was due to this princess's blunder?
Hearing that Shaer had already fled, the weight that had been pressing on Aivina's chest finally began to lift. She steadied herself against the table and calmly replied, "I don’t know what you’re talking about, Your Highness."
"I hope your tongue remains this tough when the Holy Law Tribunal arrives."
Windsor sneered, revealing her sharp canines.
"I’ve already notified them. Just wait."
The Holy Law Tribunal?
Shouldn't she have called the Royal Symphony or the Queen's Blade?
Seeking help from afar, there was only one possibility.
Shaer escaped because of Windsor's mistake.
And Windsor didn’t want the Royal Symphony or the Queen's Blade to know about it.
With this deduction, Aivina quickly devised a plan to buy time.
She needed to delay the interrogation, allowing Shaer to get as far away as possible.
"So it’s you who’s caused trouble again, Windsor."
Aivina smirked, her smile not reaching her eyes. "Just like before, it’s a relief not to have your sister around."
She aimed to create the illusion of being attacked to prolong the questioning.
The easiest way was to provoke Windsor into attacking her.
Aivina understood Windsor's weakness well; mentioning her sister would surely make her furious.
But this time, Aivina miscalculated. Instead of anger, Windsor remained eerily calm upon hearing her words.
With a smirk that was neither a smile nor a frown, Windsor finally spoke, "By the way... you seem to be unaware that Shaer has been imprisoned by me for nearly a month?"
"She’s quite the catch, isn’t she? Whether it’s her arms or thighs, they’re all quite delectable... and her blood? Top-notch, better than the finest wine."
"Oh, and she often tries to fish for news about you. What have you been up to, my dear Aivina? Hosting tea parties?"
Windsor raised an eyebrow, smiling. "When I get her back, we’ll have a good chat about this."
"You...!"
Aivina's fists clenched tightly, a dark purple glow flickering in her eyes.
"You... are attacking me, aren’t you? Miss Aivina."
The sacrificial holy relic at Windsor's neck ignited with purple flames. After a slight sway, she raised the knife, aiming it at Aivina.
"I’ll be sure to tell the Holy Law Tribunal about this act of self-defense."
Whoosh—
Windsor hurled the knife, aiming straight for Aivina's abdomen.
Swish—
But the knife passed right through Aivina's body, embedding itself deep into the fireplace behind her.
Aivina instinctively clutched her abdomen, but there was no wound. Windsor, on the other hand, stared in shock at the knife that had somehow ended up in her hand.
"Damn ‘psychologist’..."
Windsor raised the knife again, but this time, a hand seized her wrist.
Crack—
"Ah—!!!"
Windsor screamed as her wrist was broken. But before her cry could fade, the falling knife was caught by another hand, plunging directly into the spot where Windsor's heart lay.
Swoosh—
Thud—
Crack—
Swoosh—
One stab! Two stabs! Three stabs! Four stabs!
In just a second and a half, the person behind Windsor delivered four swift strikes, rendering her incapable of resistance.
Thud—
Windsor's body collapsed, her lifeless eyes staring at the figure behind her, pupils constricting in fear.
But it was too late for regrets.
In the next moment, a flying knife pierced her eye, penetrating her brain, blood splattering everywhere.
In an instant, Windsor became a cooling corpse.
Aivina stood frozen, tears welling in her eyes as she gazed at the red-haired girl standing behind Windsor.
She dared not call out Shaer's name, fearing it would be heard. Instead, she rushed past Windsor's body and threw herself into Shaer's embrace.
The real sensation, the warmth, the familiar scent... This embrace that Aivina had longed for felt surreal, as if she were dreaming.
Suddenly, Aivina seemed to remember something. She pulled away from Shaer, rolled up her sleeve, and anxiously examined her arm. "Shaer, are you okay? Did Windsor do anything to you...?"
"I'm fine. Sorry for staying over there longer than expected to gather information."
Shaer cupped Aivina's face in her hands, soothing her gently. "You know I can leave anytime I want. No one can stop me."
Of course, Shaer didn’t possess such powers; she was merely trying to comfort Aivina.
Tears streamed down Aivina's face as she kissed Shaer, the two of them holding each other tightly.
But at that moment, an untimely voice interrupted them from the doorway.
"Um... now isn’t really the time for kissing. With all due respect, we need to get moving."
Lucy stood at the door, keeping watch while breaking the moment.
Aivina snapped back to reality, her joy at seeing Shaer quickly replaced by urgency as she glanced at the corpse on the floor.
Regaining her composure, Aivina pushed Shaer away and said quickly, "Shaer, we need to buy a ticket to ‘New World Island’ right away. It’s been independent from the Ansu Federation for a long time, and anti-Ansu sentiment is high there. The royal family’s reach doesn’t extend that far."
As she spoke, Aivina crouched down, yanked the knife from Windsor's corpse, and quickly wiped away any traces of Shaer's grip with her clothing. Then, gripping the knife tightly, she stabbed Windsor several times, splattering blood across her own face.
After completing this, Aivina stood up, panting, and looked at Shaer. "I can handle things here. You need to go... Lucy, please take Shaer away from here... I’m begging you."
A hint of desperation crept into Aivina's voice. She knew someone had to stay behind... otherwise, the royal family would go mad searching for them, and no one would escape.
Aivina wanted Shaer to leave, to find a place where the royal family couldn’t reach her and live out her life in peace.
"Hurry, I see the Holy Law Tribunal's carriage coming."
Lucy urged from the doorway.
"Sorry, Aivina. I’ll explain later."
To avoid wasting time, Shaer spoke softly to Aivina.
Aivina seemed to realize something. Just as she stepped forward to say something, she heard a sharp snap of fingers, and everything before her vanished into thin air.
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