Elena's eyes widened, and her face turned pale as she saw a dark mist swirling around the bed. The strange smoke twisted and drifted unnaturally, making her chest tighten in fear. "You… who are you? How did you get here?" she shrieked aloud in a sharp voice filled with panic. Her hands clutched the edge of the bed as her body trembled. "Guards… Knights!" she cried out desperately, but no one came. Her screams vanished into silence, and the room remained empty. The black smoke slowly gathered, taking the form of a man. A twisted, evil grin stretched across his lips as his figure solidified. "No one is going to hear you," he said coldly. "They have already been taken down." Elena's heart pounded violently.She raised out her hands and immediately shot out a few spells,the best she could muster at the moment however… The spells went through the smoke. Her throat felt dry, and her legs threatened to give out beneath her. "You… what do you want?" she trembled with fear , choking her voice. Every beat of her heart screamed danger. Thɪs chapter is updated by novęlfire.net "I don't want much," the shadowy man said with calm confidence. "But I can help in the fulfillment of your wish." "My wish?" Elena's eyes narrowed in disbelief, though the trembling in her body betrayed her doubt. "Yes. Your wish." His voice echoed eerily through the grand chamber. "I can fulfill it. I can give you the strength to kill the one you hate. I can give you the power to crush the entire Veydrin." He raised his hand toward her. "All you need to do is ." Elena stared at him as her breath became heavy. For a moment she was frozen,and her mind torn between terror and temptation. Finally, she whispered, "Can you really do it?" "There is nothing we cannot do," he replied. "You just need to grab our hand." Elena closed her eyes for a moment. Images of her ruined pride and bruised hopes flashed past, and the anger boiled into a cold, focused will. She thought of every slight, every whispered insult, every plan ruined by those in power. When she opened her eyes, the fear was there, but it was smaller now. Her voice came out faintly but it was steady. The man thought she would hesitate. But the next moment Elena's lips parted, her voice low and sharp. "I agree." His grin widened, stretching unnaturally across his face. "This… You made an excellent choice." Luke's voice was sharp as he leaned forward. "So there is no news of that person till now?" His eyes narrowed at his brother-in-law,and his tone full of blame. Ruth shook his head silently and that small gesture only fueled Luke's anger. His hand slammed against the table creating a loud crack. "How can you be this useless?" he demanded. His voice rose with frustration. "He has been using the same tricks for ages and you still cannot catch him? For someone with such a high standing, you are nothing but useless." Luke scoffed carrying deep hatred, the corners of his lips curled in disdain as his eyes burned with hostility. In truth, there was no one Luke hated more than Ruth. He blamed him for his sister's condition, a resentment carved into his heart even though the situation had long been explained. His feelings did not fade. "Useless," he muttered again, the word heavy and bitter. "Totally useless. You cannot even monitor your own people." "Luke, I think that's enough." Alina's voice cut in, sharp and firm. She reached over and clasped Emilia's hand, pulling her attention away from the rising tension. "Is the disease solved? You've been taking the poison for so long. Won't it leave an effect on you?" Her eyes were worried, her grip tight on Emilia's hand. Emilia gave a faint smile, though her expression held fatigue. "It couldn't be treated before because they didn't know what was used. But now that they've identified it, I've been given medicine to counter it. It seems to be working well. My body feels lighter already and the haziness in my mind has disappeared" Her voice wavered only slightly, carrying both relief and exhaustion. Then Alina's words came out with quiet bitterness. "Who would have thought the darkness was right under the lamp? That someone so close would betray you?" Emilia's expression froze. Her body stiffened as if struck by the weight of realization. She rose slowly, and her eyes became sharper than before. "Where is she?" Both Ruth and Luke's faces changed at once. They stood quickly, as if trying to block her path. "Why do you want to know?" Ruth asked,in a tensed voice. "I want to meet her," Emilia said calmly but her voice carried the determination. "No!" Luke's shout came first.He refuted coldly and harshly. "No," Ruth's voice echoed, just as sharp as Luke. The denial echoed off the walls, but Emilia did not waver. Her face held firm resolve. "No matter what, I want to meet her," she repeated. Her voice was steady and final. "It can't be done!" Luke's voice cracked with panic. Emilia's next words silenced the room. "If you don't allow it, I will stop eating." Her tone was cold, without a trace of hesitation. The threat hung heavy in the air. Ruth opened his mouth to argue, but Luke sprang up in shock, his face paling. "No, you can't do this. You just started to recover. You can't compromise your health now." His panic made him sound desperate. Seeing them Emilia sighed and spoke,"At least listen to my words first.I have a plan." Faced with Emilia's unshakable determination, the two men could only give in. Moments later, Emilia walked through the dim corridors of the prison. The air was damp and carried the smell of rust and blood. Guards pushed open the heavy door of an inner chamber. Inside, the scene was brutal. A battered figure lay slumped against the wall, and her body covered with cuts and bruises from endless torment. Jess was almost unrecognizable, her ragged state making her look more like a broken doll than a person. "Wake her up," Emilia commanded. Her voice was firm, colder than anyone had ever heard from her before. Her eyes, sharp as steel, locked onto Jess with a chilling calmness. Two soldiers appeared. A bucket of water splashed over Jess, jerking her awake. She gasped, choking for breath.Her body shivered from the sudden cold. Her eyes widened as they darted around, then filled with terror when they landed on Emilia. "Ahh… please let me go!"