Chapter 125 Your Highness, I Saw Your Future Self - Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

When Lynn awoke from his groggy slumber, he noticed a faint, familiar scent of roses lingering around his nose. And there was a cool dampness faintly clinging to his chest. It seemed that a woman was leaning over him, though he didn't know what she was doing. Lynn silently sighed in his heart. He hadn't expected that despite being the king of strategies himself, he would end up thwarted after encountering this peculiar woman, Evester. Though the collar around his neck had been removed, he found himself in an even more desperate situation. Feeling the restraining numbness in his limbs, and the strange familiar-smelling fabric that blocked his eyes and mouth, Lynn abandoned his thoughts. Apparently, after learning he had lost his memory, the woman's obsession became even more pronounced. She had taken to treating him wholly like a pet dog, keeping him by her side. Moments later, Lynn suddenly felt the fabric blocking his mouth loosen, and it seemed he could speak again. Oh? A good opportunity! "Your Highness, I really think memories aren't that critical," he said hurriedly, dreading that she'd cover his mouth again. "Don't dwell on the past; focus on the present. So many wonderful things await you in the future." However, the woman seemed unfazed by his words and merely caressed his cheek softly. "Good dog, it's time to eat." With the sound of utensils clinking, Lynn could faintly smell the aroma of food. Moments later, her soft lips pressed against his. Then, chewed-up food was passed into his mouth. Damn it. This woman was truly insane. Feeling this intimate contact devoid of any desire or affection, Lynn thought to himself gloomily. Undeterred, he swallowed the food instinctively as he spoke indistinctly, "By the way, Your Highness, aren’t you concerned about the royal selection? The autumn hunt is near. If you don’t return to the capital soon, I fear..." Before he could finish, her lips touched his again, mingling with her sweet breath. Gulp! Lynn swallowed the broth. Damn. She intended to bribe him with gourmet food. Did she think I, the young master, would gulp down—gulp! And so, in this awkward silence mingled with a peculiar atmosphere, the woman fed Lynn everything on the plate. Truly deranged. Feeling his stomach’s fullness, Lynn thought critically. If it had been any other woman treating him this way, his neat-freak self would have spat it right out. But alas, it was Evester. The witch, in her youthful form. Dammit. On closer thought, compared to the end-time witch, Evester in terms of age, strength, or any other measure, was simply a little girl not yet fully matured. To think of it this way seems kind of indecent... no! He almost forgot what was important! "Your Highness, we're at a crucial stage of the royal selection process," Lynn couldn't think of a way to change the woman and had to resort to using her former deep obsession to prod her, "Even if you've broken free from the negative standings, risks remain." "But with my help, I swear on my head, in just one month—two, no, one month! You can escape being ranked last!" "You’re really different now!" He suddenly heard a rustling nearby but continued trying to persuade her, "With Duke's support and the great harvest from Orne City, once we’re back, His Majesty would definitely reward you!" The rustling persisted, now coupled with the sound of bare feet lightly treading the ground. "The Night Executioner! I predict there’s an eighty percent chance His Majesty will entrust the organization to you!" "That's the largest violent group in the imperial gray zone!!!" "With such a force at your side, you’d no longer be the backup-less third princess but a formidable contender in this royal selection!!!" Relying on his foreknowledge of the plot, Lynn decided to throw a heavy bombshell. He didn't want to be trapped here by this woman forever! Although lying here every day, having all necessities cared for by a beautiful elder sister, even enjoying imported delicacies, was quite appealing—this was not what he wanted! Breathing heavily, Lynn silently mused. “Are you done?” The woman seemed to stop her movements and asked quietly. "I’m done." Biting his lip, Lynn replied. According to the original storyline and Evester’s character, with all the grand rhetoric he had presented, she should undoubtedly be enticed. Yet, detecting the calmness in her voice, Lynn felt an uncanny sense of unease. "Did you remember anything about our master today?" Her voice was exceptionally gentle. "No." "In that case, time for bed." Upon hearing this, the woman slowly approached, stuffing his mouth with a bundle of warm fabric, "It's freshly changed today, you know." "It's your favorite, isn't it?" Damn it. This woman was utterly impenetrable! As he listened to the sound of her wheelchair rolling away, Lynn was enraged. Yet as the familiar rose scent subtly wafted from the fabric, though angry, he restrained himself. At the same time, he tried shifting his focus elsewhere. No wonder she's a sixth-order demigod with a life essence surpassing ordinary people, thus retaining a pleasant fragrance. It’s not that he’s a pervert, but rather a product of his personality. Something like life, if you can’t resist it, might as well enjoy it. In the following days, Lynn was continuously confined to his bed, being tended to like a pet by Evester. During this period, he even tried resisting or resorted to outright cursing. Once, while partaking in gourmet food, he suddenly bit Evester's tongue tip in an attempt to provoke her. However, she merely patted his head silently and after tidying up, simply turned and left. Lynn was utterly baffled. Honestly, he had no idea what Evester had experienced these past days. Yet from her recent overly gentle, unordinary conduct, Lynn vaguely perceived a shift in her mindset. It was difficult to ascertain whether this change was good or bad. Given the situation, he couldn't figure out what this woman was truly after. Was it solely to get him to remember everything that had transpired between them? But the thing is, like math, if you don't know, you don't know; it's not something that can just be recalled through effort and determination. At present, he had nothing better to resort to. He could only leave it all to time. Failure to return to the capital before the autumn hunt would result in missing out on significant narrative milestones, something that would greatly frustrate him, and make everyone’s position increasingly disadvantageous. Though anxiousness subtly crept in, Lynn knew that Evester posed the biggest immediate threat. Unless the underlying issues were thoroughly resolved, the future would eventually unravel with chaos. Time slipped by incessantly. How long had it been since then? Four days? Five? Or perhaps longer? Lynn didn't know. As he was tied to the bed all day, unable to move, he completely lost track of time. Any normal person probably would’ve crumbled by now. Only he managed to entertain himself endlessly in an imaginary world, barely hanging on. Yet even so, Lynn sensed faintly, like a tightly wound chord, he seemed close to reaching a breaking point. Just when he thought these drag days would never end. Unexpectedly, that afternoon brought a sudden change. “Bad, bad guy?” Accompanied by the familiar voice in his ear, Lynn suddenly felt something furry brushing against him. How could she be here? Surprised, Lynn moved his body as best he could. After Afiya carried away the fabric in his mouth, Lynn took a few deep breaths before speaking, "What are you doing here?" In this awkward predicament, he couldn't bear letting others see him like this. But Afiya showed no sign of disdain. Instead, she lightly licked his cheek with her tongue. “I came to let you go.” The little black cat whispered softly in his ear. Then, holding a cold set of keys in her mouth, she approached the shackle on Lynn's right hand and fussed around with it, eventually managing to unlock it. Feeling his right hand regain freedom, Lynn almost cried out in relief. Maintaining the same position for so many days had left his shoulders and wrists stiff, and now he grimaced while stretching his joints. Just as Afiya began to work on releasing the other three shackles binding him, she suddenly felt a gentle pat on her head. "I appreciate your good intentions," came Lynn's somewhat hoarse voice. "But if you really let me go like this, you’ll definitely be severely punished by Her Highness later." From what he understood about Evester, she wouldn’t spare even Afiya from harsh repercussions. A hint of sorrow flickered through Afiya's eyes. "But if you stay trapped here forever, someday you'll be driven mad by Her Highness!" "Don't worry, I'm not that fragile," Lynn said slowly. "However, there is one thing I need your help with." "The shackle you've unlocked, latch it back but don't lock it. Let me stay in a position where I can move freely at any time." "Also..." With a whisper, Afiya's eyes widened gradually. "Will this really work?" she asked hesitantly. "I'm not sure," Lynn said while stretching his stiff right arm. "But it's the only option right now." Actually, that wasn't entirely true. If this method failed, the only path left was the last desperate measure. Even Lynn himself wasn’t sure what would happen if he was forced to choose that path. Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that. He mused silently. “It’s time to eat.” Come evening, under the gentle voice of Evester, the door slowly opened. Yet upon seeing the scene in the room, she paused immediately. At that moment, Lynn, who should have been shackled on the bed, had somehow freed his right hand and looked at her calmly. "Your Highness, can we talk?" Lynn spoke slowly. “.” Evester silently placed the plate on the floor. “The chains have loosened.” She ignored Lynn’s intention and, pushing her wheelchair, glided slowly toward him. “Don’t be afraid, let me hold you.” As she spoke, she gently opened her arms, as if to wrap him in a comforting embrace. Seeing this, Lynn sighed softly. Clearly, in her current state, there was no way to have a rational conversation with the princess. Seeing the gentle gaze from Evester, he didn’t approach her but rather opened his right hand to reveal what he held. “Your Highness, don’t come any closer.” Lynn's voice suddenly became more serious. “As you can see, this is a vial of ghoul toxin extract. For an ordinary person, just one drop will cause heart paralysis within a minute.” “If you continue to ignore my words, I won’t hesitate to drink the liquid from this vial.” With that, he uncorked the bottle and brought it near his mouth. “.” Evester stopped just as he had hoped. Yet, for some reason, a peculiar look flickered in her crimson eyes. “Are you trying to die again?” Evester’s tone was oddly familiar, as if she had seen this scene before. But Lynn had no recollection. Hearing her words, a sense of foreboding passed through Lynn’s mind. Yet, given the situation, he had no alternative route. “Exactly,” Lynn replied softly. “I’d rather die than be treated like livestock, stripped of the autonomy even for basic needs.” Hearing his sentiment, Evester was silent for a moment before speaking up: “This vial… Afiya must have sneaked it to you, right?” “.” Lynn didn’t respond, only furrowing his brow. “Despite being under my command, she betrays me. That’s punishable,” Evester’s eyes gleamed, “And why do you think I wasn’t aware of her actions?” A flash of surprise flickered in Lynn’s eyes, and he glanced at the vial, realization dawning on him. “The one in your hand is the antidote.” Evester slowly pulled out another vial from her sleeve. “The real ghoul toxin extract is with me.” With that, she uncorked the bottle she was holding. “You—” Lynn’s eyes widened, instinctively wanting to stop her. But with only his right hand free and the considerable distance between them, he could only watch helplessly as she drank down the contents of the bottle. “Cough, cough…” In mere moments, a faint paleness washed over Evester's face. “You want to die, but I won’t let you,” she chuckled softly. "Since that’s the case, there’s only one solution.” “It’s me who brings you sorrow. If I die, you might find relief, right?” At that moment, Evester sat distantly in her wheelchair. Her long white hair and bloodless, delicate face lent her a fragile air. Yet even so, a soft smile remained at the corner of her lips as she gazed at him silently. “You’re freaking insane?!” Lynn struggled against the shackle, but all that ensued were bleeding marks and no progress. Ordinarily, a sixth-order demigod wouldn’t die from something like ghoul toxin extract. But the dosage was overwhelming. Besides, he wasn’t clear on the current state of Evester’s physical recovery. Lynn was about to shout for help when he saw Evester lightly raise a finger to her lips. “What?” A sly smile appeared on her pale face. “It seems you actually don’t want me to die?” “If that’s true, then I’ll let you make the choice.” With that, she lightly tossed a key toward him. “Two choices.” “First, unlock the chains and leave the manor without looking back. Though leaving will sadden me, it can't be helped.” “Second… you use the antidote to save me.” A strange sparkle passed through her crimson eyes. “However, you have to come on your own… and feed me with your mouth.” Evester tapped her delicate finger against her lips softly. “.” Lynn observed the key on the bed in silence, weaving thoughts unknown even to himself. After a while, he picked up the key, unlocking his bindings one by one. Under Evester's expectant gaze, Lynn leapt off the bed, and as he approached her, he poured the vial’s contents into his mouth. Seeing this, she gleefully opened her arms, ready to welcome her little pet into her embrace. The appropriate affectionate gestures between a master and pet, were purportedly beneficial for enhancing bonds. It was something she learned from a book. Unexpectedly, what welcomed Evester was a slightly rough maneuver. Pressing her slender shoulders, Lynn pushed her against the chair, then, like a conqueror, firmly tilted her chin. Following an intense exchange, Lynn lifted his head, and a silver threads of moisture descended. Evester’s chest heaved with rapid breaths, and she gasped softly. Her fingers tightened unconsciously as she stared in disbelief, as though she had never expected such a response. “You don’t need to test me with such means,” Lynn whispered as he gazed at the startled Evester, “No matter what, I won’t leave your side and your safety will always be my top priority.” At this moment, the tension strung within Lynn during these past days finally snapped. He had reached a some breaking point, unable to withstand everything concerning Evester anymore. “There’s no doubt, I mean it.” Crouched before Evester’s wheelchair, Lynn looked up at her. For an unexplained reason, a bad premonition emerged in Evester’s heart for the first time. Lynn’s calm demeanor seemed likened to the eerie silence before a storm. What is he going to do? Seeing Evester's instinct to evade, Lynn smiled slightly: “It's uncanny how similar you are.” “Both in appearance and otherwise.” “Though you never asked where I went afterwards, as your subordinate, I think it’s necessary to report.” “You—” Evester’s heart beat wildly. Yet, what spread across her chest was not joy, but an inexplicable fear. "Your Highness," Lynn spoke softly, gazing into her striking crimson eyes, "During that one month I was gone, I was actually by your side." "But it was a future version of you." Seeking votes, brothers! It's the middle of the month with double votes!! By the way, promoting a friend’s book here~