0130 Flickering Gaze

“How is Huanluo’s injury?” Someone, maintaining her usual posture of avoiding eye contact with the maids, asked in her customary manner.

“The wound is no longer a problem,” the young maid who had been diligently changing Huanluo’s bandages whispered softly in response. “If the general is willing, she can walk around anytime.”

Hearing this, the woman said no more. She quietly stood aside, gazing out the window. The other maids began arranging the breakfast from the food boxes brought into the room—two bowls of soup noodles, two baskets of dim sum, and two glasses of milk. The provisions were certainly not lacking. She looked at the meatball soup noodles specially prepared for her with a satisfied expression, clasped her hands, and prepared to eat.

Normally, the order of breakfast was as follows: first, help Huanluo sit up on the bed; then bring her warm water prepared by the maids to soothe her throat; next, serve her favorite vegetable noodles and place the dim sum and milk on the bedside table for easy access. These tasks should have been done entirely by the maids. However, since her injury, Huanluo disliked anyone but this woman being near her for long periods. Except for the unavoidable dressing changes, all the maids kept their distance and worked quickly.

This was one of the main reasons why this woman could remain calmly by Huanluo’s side.

But today, something had shifted ever so slightly. For the first time since her injury, after the maids quietly left the room, Huanluo took the initiative to sit up, threw back the covers, let her feet touch the floor, and prepared to stand.

The woman stared at her with a look of disbelief, as if seeing a ghost in broad daylight. “You... you’re really getting up?”

Huanluo said little. She walked straight to the table, sat down, and slowly ate the vegetable noodle soup in front of her. While eating, she shot a glance at the woman, silently urging her to eat quickly and keep quiet. The woman, shaken by the rare show of will from Huanluo these past days, obediently followed the old adage of “eat without speaking, rest without talking,” quietly eating her noodles.

Only after the woman had eaten her fill and burped for the first time that day did Huanluo finally speak again: “What do you plan to do?”

“Do? What do you mean?” The woman, who had been trying hard to lower her presence, was momentarily stunned by the question. Then she smiled and replied, “Ah, what else can I do? If you don’t mind, I’ll just stay by your side, waiting for the injustice to be cleared.”

“Is that so?” Huanluo’s tone was as indifferent as discussing the weather, her expression unchanged—cold and still like the waters of a celestial lake. Her sharp purple eyes scrutinized every move the woman made, even catching her subtle nervous gestures. “You really plan to stay in the White Tower Kingdom forever? Even if Liangyin dies, it wouldn’t matter?”

A cold sweat trickled down the woman’s back, her uneasy gaze gradually turning confused as she stared at Huanluo, unsure if she truly understood what she was thinking. “But now, even if I wanted to leave the White Tower Kingdom, they wouldn’t let me. If I really am a spy, that would be like releasing a tiger into the wild. Besides, I don’t even know exactly where Liangyin has been sent... um, to look for the night specter. Wanting to rescue Liangyin is just a dream, really.” The mention of Summer Sunflower—the one who sent Liangyin away—made the woman awkwardly dodge with an “um.”

“So, you don’t want to deal with Lance anymore?” Huanluo asked bluntly, her poker face showing no hesitation, asking whatever came to mind.

“Well,” the woman stiffened at the direct question but forced a casual smile, lifting the corners of her mouth as she looked at Huanluo. “I did capture him once and gave him a taste of whipping, candles, and the tiger bench. But now, I don’t have the strength for that.” Suddenly remembering Huanluo’s parents’ death, her thoughts spun wildly and she corrected herself, “Of course, if you still trust me, I’m willing to stand with you on the battlefield to defend the White Tower Kingdom, doing my best.”

“Really?” Huanluo abruptly stood and leaned close to the woman’s cheek, whispering, “Then what have you been packing lately?”

“Ah ha ha ha, what could I possibly pack? Even if I wanted to leave, I have no luggage to pack. It all got buried with the house in Arcadia...” The woman was startled by Huanluo’s sudden closeness but tried to remain composed, while secretly wondering: she usually sleeps through the day—could she have been pretending?

“...” Hearing this forced explanation, Huanluo said nothing more, slowly straightening to her usual upright posture. Her slightly lowered head hid her eyes beneath her bangs, making her emotions unreadable. Yet the oppressive aura she emitted grew heavier, pressing down on the woman until she felt an overwhelming urge to grasp Huanluo’s hand and pour out all the plans she held in her heart.

“I want to leave and rescue Liangyin.” Actions speak louder than words; the woman bit her teeth and decisively revealed her purpose. Staying here wouldn’t improve the situation. Lance clearly held a high position among the beasts, and his swift reclamation of Arcadia proved he was no pacifist. War was only a matter of time. If the fighting continued in the White Tower Kingdom, as a key suspect with an unknown background, the woman would only find herself increasingly at a disadvantage. Moreover, she had a secret held by Andy—a secret about the four-element mage. If Andy exposed it, she wouldn’t even have a chance to survive.

As for the two cryptic hints Lance gave her before leaving Arcadia, the woman snorted coldly, refusing to respond.

What did he mean by “places not yet occupied by the beasts”? Was that supposed to be concern for her?

“I’ll go with you.”

No expected objection or displeasure came. The woman stared at Huanluo in disbelief, as if the voice that had just spoken wasn’t Huanluo’s, but an identical-looking intelligent automaton. Huanluo, after the woman’s confession, raised her head with a confident expression that seemed to say, “Nothing you say can stop me.”

“Why? You don’t care about the White Tower Kingdom anymore?” The woman couldn’t comprehend Huanluo’s decision.

“No,” Huanluo’s cold voice now sounded strangely pleasant, making the woman feel both delighted and bewildered. “My original plan was to accompany you and... others to rescue Liangyin after resolving the Arcadia matter. Although things with Arcadia didn’t end as expected, my original plan remains unchanged.” After saying this, Huanluo, accustomed to straightforwardness, couldn’t help but let her gaze flicker briefly.