Chapter 811: Her Purity Shall Be Guarded By Me! Wait, Her Purity Is Gone?
"Crash!"
The phantom sound of crashing waves echoed through the quiet room.
A crimson, ethereal figure materialized beside the bed. The apparition gazed down at Skadi, who breathed softly in a deep sleep, its eyes swirling with an inexplicable, deep emotion. It reached out, gently brushing a spectral hand against her cheek.
Skadi's eyes snapped open.
The space before her was completely empty. She sat up, the silken bedsheet slipping down to pool at her waist, exposing her flawless, bare skin to the cool air. She blinked, her expression laced with rare bewilderment. Ren, Specter, and Gladiia were nowhere to be seen, yet the distinct, briny scent of the ocean lingered heavily in the room. She felt a strange sense of loss, unable to pinpoint the source of the phantom touch.
"Skadi, what's wrong?"
Two figures emerged from the adjoining bathroom. Specter and Gladiia stepped out, completely unbothered by the cool air against their bare skin. Glistening droplets of water slid down their silver hair, tracing the curves of their bodies.
Specter tilted her head, a soft, teasing lilt in her voice. "Are you looking for Ren? He hasn't returned yet~"
Skadi kept her strange encounter to herself, offering only a faint nod.
"Let's get you in the shower first," Gladiia interjected, her tone practical. "You need to clean up the... aftermath on your body."
Skadi lowered her gaze. Sure enough, her skin was painted with patches of dried, solidified evidence of their intense night together.
Meanwhile, in another sector of the landship.
"Your Highness Theresa!"
W bolted upright in bed, her chest heaving. For a moment, her mind was a blank, disoriented void. As she tried to shift her weight, a violent ache flared through every muscle and joint. It felt as though her entire skeleton had been dismantled and haphazardly glued back together.
"Tsk... did that bastard actually break me?"
W clicked her tongue, wincing as she rubbed her sore waist. As a Sarkaz mercenary, she had envisioned countless ways she might meet her end, blown to bits, crippled in a ditch, or bleeding out on a barren battlefield. Never in her wildest, most feverish nightmares did she imagine she would be ruthlessly plowed into the mattress until her mind went completely blank.
She scanned the unfamiliar, empty room. The bathroom door was ajar, and her clothes were neatly folded on a nearby chair. She didn't even bother with a shower. Grabbing her garments, she hastily threw them on, ignoring the sticky discomfort, and bolted out the door.
Ren and Skadi were gone. Her only priority was finding Theresa. A gnawing dread clawed at her chest. What if the Theresa she saw resurrected was just an illusion? A cruel trick of the mind? Even if she had thoroughly embarrassed herself in front of Her Highness by begging for mercy under Ren's relentless assault, W didn't care. She just needed to see her.
A frantic figure sprinted down the pristine corridors of Rhodes Island. W tore through the hallways, her eyes darting wildly, searching for any sign of the Sarkaz King.
Suddenly, the intercom crackled to life, and Kaltsit's sterile, authoritative voice echoed through the corridor.
"W. Cease your mindless running through the halls. Report to the conference room immediately."
W skidded to a halt, her boots squeaking against the polished floor. A feral grin split her face. She knew causing a ruckus would draw the old lynx's attention. Without a second thought, she pivoted on her heel and marched straight toward the conference room.
"Kaltsit! Where is she?!"
W slammed the heavy conference room doors open, storming inside.
Then, she froze. The breath hitched in her throat.
Standing near the center of the room, gently stroking the head of a flushed little Cautus girl named Amiya, was a painfully familiar figure. W stared, completely spellbound.
It was her. Theresa.
"W. It has been a long time."
Theresa's voice was a soft, melodic breeze that caressed W's ears, instantly melting away years of hardened mercenary grit.
W trembled. Her legs felt like lead, but she forced herself to take a step forward, then another.
"Your Highness Theresa... is it really you?" she whispered, her voice cracking. She needed absolute confirmation.
Theresa didn't just answer; she stepped forward and warmly enveloped W's trembling hands in her own. The soft, steady warmth of her skin was obvious proof.
"It's me," Theresa smiled, her eyes crinkling with genuine affection. "Thanks to you, W, I am able to see everyone again."
'It's really... really Her Highness Theresa. This is wonderful.'
The crushing boulder that had weighed down W's heart for years finally shattered. The ruthless, explosive-loving mercenary, who had never shed a single tear no matter how much blood she lost or how many bones she broke, felt hot moisture spilling down her cheeks. She wept. She cried just as hard as she had when Ren mercilessly exploited her deepest vulnerabilities, breaking her down to her absolute core during their intense negotiations.
"That's great..." W choked out, a watery smile breaking through her tears.
Her sacrifices, her humiliation, none of it was in vain.
However, her relief was violently short-lived.
Theresa's smile turned apologetic. "W, I already know the price you paid to bring me back. But that burden was never yours to bear."
W's heart skipped a beat. A sickeningly familiar premonition washed over her.
Theresa's tone shifted to one of calm resolve. "Therefore, I will take responsibility for my own life."
'Doesn't that mean she's going to pay the price herself?!'
"Absolutely not!" W practically shrieked, her protective instincts flaring into overdrive. She lunged forward, gripping Theresa's shoulders with desperate intensity. "I won't allow it! Absolutely not!"
"Let me protect Your Highness's purity! I don't care what happens to my own body!" W babbled frantically, her eyes wide with terror. "You don't understand! That guy is a monstrous, insatiable pervert! You... you won't be able to endure his torment!"
The memory of the previous night flashed through her mind. Even with herself and three superhuman Abyssal Hunters taking him on simultaneously, that monster had battered them into a quivering, senseless pulp. W simply couldn't fathom how the gentle, delicate Theresa could survive such a brutal, relentless pounding.
'Uh...' Actually, as her mind involuntarily conjured an image of Theresa pinned beneath Ren, W's breathing hitched, a strange, illicit thrill momentarily spiking her pulse. She violently shook her head, viciously suppressing the highly inappropriate thought.
Before she could argue further, Kaltsit's icy voice cut through the room.
"You are too late. Theresa has already paid a portion of the price and reached a formal agreement with Ren."
"Huh?!"
W's jaw dropped. Her mind short-circuited. It seemed a catastrophic event had occurred while she was unconscious from those massive, mind-melting impacts.
"Your Highness... wh-why?" W stammered, utterly heartbroken. She had failed. She had failed to protect the sacred purity of Her Highness Theresa.
"Haha, it is my life, after all," Theresa giggled, entirely unashamed. "I would feel terrible letting you pay for everything, W."
She tilted her head, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. "Besides, it was just my mouth for now. It's nothing too serious."
"The... mouth?"
W's gaze slowly drifted down, locking onto Theresa's soft, cherry-like lips. The sheer implications of that statement sent a violent twinge of phantom pain, and bizarre jealousy, straight through her heart.
"Damn it!" W cursed, stomping her foot. "No! I'll still bear everything from now on! Your Highness, you don't have to worry about a thing. If that bastard has the guts, let him fck me to death!"
Silence descended upon the conference room. Even the usually composed Theresa was momentarily rendered speechless by the sheer, unfiltered vulgarity of W's declaration.
Standing off to the side, Kaltsit watched the exchange with a highly complex, almost conflicted look in her feline eyes. After all, she was also someone who had essentially sold herself to the man. She crossed her arms, a rare flicker of genuine bewilderment crossing her stoic features. Three Abyssal Hunters and a Sarkaz mercenary had all been rendered unconscious. Was that level of stamina something a human male was truly capable of?
"Sister Theresa! I... I can help you too!" Amiya suddenly piped up, her flushed little face set in unusual, fierce determination. "And everyone else on Rhodes Island will..."
"Amiya," Theresa gently interrupted, patting the Cautus girl's head. "Your sister isn't that fragile, you know~"
She didn't want Amiya, or anyone else, sacrificing themselves for her sake.
But Kaltsit suddenly spoke up, her tone calculated and precise. "No. Perhaps there really is someone else who can share the burden for you... or rather, for us."
Theresa blinked, her long eyelashes fluttering in confusion. What did Kaltsit mean by that?
W's eyes instantly lit up like a flare. She whipped her head toward the lynx. "Who?!"
Even if Her Highness's delicate little mouth had already fallen to the enemy, W could still defend the rest of her! She absolutely had to protect the remaining purity of Her Highness Theresa!
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