Chapter 358
Now, all Xia'er wanted to know was one thing.
After the time rewind, did he still possess all his memories, just like her?
If she remembered correctly, it wouldn’t be long before Windsor would meet Qiangyin. If Qiangyin still had his memories, he might come looking for Windsor directly.
After all, Windsor was his daughter; he could never allow her to die again.
Xia'er quickly calmed herself, waiting patiently for events to unfold. Even when faced with Windsor's teasing, she kept her muscles tense, pretending not to see her.
There was still one more thing she wanted to understand.
Why did the time rewind… revert to the moment she first arrived in the simulation?
It couldn’t be mere coincidence.
It was highly likely that it was influenced by the system or her pocket watch.
Fortunately, this was just a simulation… she had managed to test this terrifying trump card within it…
She had to obtain that "uniqueness"!
Watching Windsor leave, a murderous intent gradually rose in Xia'er’s eyes. She would not allow anyone else to wield the power to control time.
…
Meanwhile, in the Cecile Palace, inside the music hall.
Just moments ago, Qiangyin had been chatting gently with Princess Vita, still wearing a smile. But now, his expression shifted slightly.
He stood up with a smile, excusing himself to visit the restroom, and quickly exited the music hall, heading towards the lavatory.
Once inside, he closed the door behind him and turned his back to it, raising his left hand.
A wave of intense headache and dizziness washed over him. His left index finger was rapidly decaying, rotting away until the bone was exposed, and finally, even the bone crumbled to dust—as if that single finger had endured countless years.
Had he used the watch chain?
What was happening? How much time did he have before the crisis escalated? Who had created this life-and-death situation?
Leaning against the wooden door, Qiangyin fought against the dizziness and murmurs in his head, slowly sinking to the floor. Sweat beaded on his forehead, dripping onto the ground as he watched his left index finger rot closer to his palm.
He had permanently lost 24 grams of flesh and blood…
This was the first time he had experienced a rewind…
He had to quickly identify… and eliminate the source of danger…
Otherwise, when the time came to use the watch chain, it would loop back again…
Until it consumed him entirely.
Chapter 197: Then! Kill Him!
Xia'er silently watched as the maid untied her ropes. After loosening her wrists slightly, she put on her shoes and walked straight to the table, lifting her notebook and holding it up to the oil lamp, letting the flames ignite it.
This was the notebook left for Xia'er by her simulation self. Though written in different characters, Xia'er dared not take the risk.
She couldn’t gamble on whether the other party truly couldn’t understand Chinese characters… This was a world of the extraordinary; even if one didn’t understand the characters, there could be abilities to analyze emotional text or recall the past based on the writing.
Though this was a simulation, she had to be cautious.
Because this time, the "uniqueness" item had appeared—something that could truly interfere with reality beyond the simulation.
The oil lamp, compared to a kerosene lamp, lacked that unpleasant odor, and it seemed to contain some fragrant substance, making the burning oil emit a pleasant aroma.
The maids paid no attention to Xia'er’s actions; to them, she was merely flipping through a book, and no one even noticed the smell of burning pages.
As the pages turned to ash, Xia'er moved towards the door. Passing by one of the maids, their eyes met for a brief moment.
The maid, who had locked eyes with Xia'er for a second, noticed nothing unusual. She simply set down her task of cleaning the carpet and walked over to the table to tidy up.
But soon, the maid accidentally knocked over the oil lamp, spilling its contents and igniting a fierce blaze on the wooden table.
“Ah!”
The maid let out a panicked cry, calling for another maid to help extinguish the fire, but found herself unable to step forward due to the lack of handy tools—because the flames, in their eyes, were far larger than in reality.
One maid ran to fetch a bucket of water, while another hurried out of the glass house to find a guard for assistance.
And Xia'er, as soon as the first maid splashed water onto the table, let the illusion dissipate, causing the flames in the maid's eyes to diminish sharply.
The smell of burning pages was now completely masked, and after that splash of water, the ashes were scattered, mingling with other pages, carbonized, and rendered nearly impossible to restore.
Standing by the door, Xia'er pondered for a moment before retreating back to the bed, sitting down directly.
She needed to observe the changes, avoiding any unusual incidents in front of Qiangyin.
Because she didn’t know if Qiangyin, like her, retained memories from before the time rewind, nor did she know if he could bring those memories back to reality…
If he could… in any sense, she would be in trouble; she had to be cautious.
This was the terrifying aspect of "uniqueness"… and the reason Xia'er could not allow it to fall into anyone else's hands.
With such a powerful weapon in her possession, she could choose not to use it, but it must never appear in someone else's grasp.
No, wait!
Xia'er suddenly looked up, recalling something.
It seemed she… could no longer continue observing here.
Because today, Tara appeared to be leading a group of heretical cultists from the Holy Ascendancy, planning to forcefully break into the prison…
Xia'er pressed her hand to her forehead, gently rubbing her temples as she contemplated her response.
…
Knock, knock, knock—
“Ladies’ chambers, gentlemen keep out, Lord Qiangyin…”
“Princess Windsor~ I’m here to check if Xia'er is still alive. There’s something else I need to confirm with her…”
“Didn’t you already look for her before…”
“…”
At this moment, Qiangyin was speaking with Windsor.
Though he was still following the original plan, his thoughts were completely entangled with his severed index finger, constantly searching his mind for anyone who might compel him to use that thing.
Who could it be…
“Then please relay a message, ask her…”
At this point, Qiangyin paused slightly.
In the past, he would have let Windsor act on her own, as long as she was happy.
But now, Qiangyin had to break the mold.
He had to do things he usually wouldn’t, to seek answers.
“Your Highness, I have other matters to attend to, I must take my leave.”
Qiangyin didn’t waste more words; he knew asking Windsor wouldn’t allow him to meet her new toy.
But the girl named Xia'er certainly had many mysteries; it was necessary to interrogate her again in person.
After exiting the room, Qiangyin closed the door behind him. Once outside the underground palace, he exchanged a glance with a guard, casting a sidelong look at the palace.
The guard seemed accustomed to such things; he nodded and then forcefully pulled the underground palace door shut, calling out, “The door’s broken again! Is there anyone to help?”
He needed to stall Windsor for a while, preventing her from seeing him visit that girl—he didn’t want Windsor to dislike him.
At this moment, Qiangyin hadn’t treated his injury; he merely wrapped it up hastily.
He walked towards the back door of the palace, heading straight for the back garden, where he saw the busy maids.
“What happened?”
Qiangyin casually stopped a maid and inquired.
“Lord… Qiangyin.”
The maid seemed to breathe a sigh of relief upon seeing him, nervously replying, “Just now, a servant accidentally knocked over the oil lamp, and the table caught fire. Fortunately, the flames didn’t spread, so there’s no need to call the royal fire brigade…”
“Oh… clean it up well, and don’t let Windsor find out.”
Qiangyin nodded with a smile, giving a reminder.
“Thank you, Lord Qiangyin!”
The maid bowed repeatedly in gratitude towards him.
Compared to Princess Windsor, Lord Qiangyin clearly had more support from the servants, especially among the maids, where his looks had a strong “charm factor.”
Upon reaching the back garden, Qiangyin saw the small grove planted there. He walked through the path and arrived at the glass cage surrounded by trees.
Through the steel-framed glass house, he could clearly see the scene inside… several maids were quickly cleaning up the mess on the table, while a red-haired girl sat calmly by the edge of the bed.
As if sensing Qiangyin’s gaze, the girl slowly looked up, and their eyes met for a brief moment.
The process… had been altered…
Sitting on the bed, Xia'er watched as Qiangyin approached the glass house, taking a calm breath.
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