Chapter 216: Hilrina: How Could It Be Him?! - Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

As Louise's words reached Tia's ears, her slender waist instinctively straightened as she looked at her friend in disbelief. Simultaneously, her hands tightly clutched the fabric of the bedsheet beside her. Though every word uttered was in the Saint Roland common tongue that she could understand, their combination was so intriguing and even somewhat puzzling to her. What? What on earth was Louise talking about? Taking the blame? What could this possibly mean? Clearly, Tia was still unable to recover from the sudden shock. Perhaps due to an excess of agitation, a sickly flush gradually appeared on Tia's previously pale face, her heart pounding rapidly. In the end, it was that guy who tore off the truth with cold and merciless words. He had fabricated all the lies right from the start, crafting them with the intent to instill guilt and obligation in her. The entire notion that twelve years had passed was entirely fictional. The so-called willingness to die for her was, in Tia's eyes, sheer nonsense. When even the previous claims didn't hold water, this one naturally stood as the most laughable joke in the world. Even the hypnosis was a spontaneous act on his part, just to witness her foolish reaction. Ultimately, she not only confided many untold feelings in front of him but, under his inducement, she had also willingly engaged in an act of helping him release his frustration. Any one of those incidents was enough to make someone suffer social death, or even an emotional collapse. Especially for someone like Tia, who'd never experienced the world's malice? Based on the dream talk heard by the Grand Princess Shirina during her visit, it seemed her subconscious was filled with murderous intent and resentment towards Lynn. After what had transpired, there was no way for their relationship to revert to what it was before. Such a degree of betrayal was enough to transform a girl with an immature mind into a woman. Though Tia's innate goodness temporarily prevented her from resolving to kill him, the subtle influences of those around her and the world's will to set things right were only a matter of time. It should've only been a matter of time. But after hearing Louise's cautious words, Tia's heart was suddenly swept by unexpected fear and anxiety. Even after being deeply hurt, merely hearing something related to him could still trigger such profound emotional turmoil. This would have been utterly impossible in the past. Tia truly has changed a lot. Observing Tia, whose brows were tightly knit, Louise's expression was exceedingly complex. Thinking back, even during the time when she had feelings for Sia, she managed to maintain basic decorum in front of the nuns and herself. If not for the occasion when Sia recklessly approached her, Louise would never have discovered the relationship between the two. She had thought having Sia was already enough to give her headaches. Yet now, another heavyweight seemed to have appeared. No. This one was much more glib than the military's rash fellow, and even more capable of deceiving women. Who knows what tricks he used to lure away her innocent, pure-hearted friend. Louise took a deep breath, trying to push all the blame onto the young man she had never interacted with closely. However, in her mind replayed the night when the youth, donned in a magician's costume, unhurriedly walked with the calm of someone opening a play, battling a demon with only a mortal’s resolve. A climax scene straight from a theatrical play. Such a dramatic moment that Louise, even now, struggled to forget. Additionally, other nuns from the combat department, after surviving that incident, frequently approached her lately, inquiring about the young man. Given the blush on the faces of these naive girls, how could Louise not understand that their intentions were anything but straightforward? Perhaps even Tia had begun to fall during such a time? After all, rescuing them was merely incidental. His true goal had always been her alone. At this moment, Louise's feelings were exceedingly complex. To say she had much resentment against the young man would be an exaggeration, after all, he saved her life once. Otherwise, she wouldn't just fail to avenge Sister Trina but end up as part of a recipient's body as well. That would be worse than death. Nevertheless, the goddess's blessing upon Tia, in her view, seemed more like a declaration, signifying that the current saintess should not indulge in worldly desires, nor contact any unclean men. Should she follow her heart, or the faithful belief she had always held? This tugged at Louise’s inner conflict. She knew very well that the one who truly abducted Lynn and opposed the entire empire was, in reality, Tia. She also realized that revealing the truth of that night to her best friend might heavily impact her heart. It could even affect the Moonlight Festival two days later. After a long silence, Louise finally sighed. Thinking carefully, no one in the city knew of the sacrifices and contributions the young man made for them in secret, and many wrongfully accused him as the actual recipient of parts. This just so happened to fit the desires of the old geezers in the Empire Council. In light of this, she couldn't just follow the crowd and slander him. It was a repayment for saving her life. With this thought, she smoothed the wrinkles out of her nun’s gown that she herself had pressed into it, then spoke seriously to Tia after a moment’s pause: "Tia, as a friend, I don’t want to see you continue to be so despondent.” “Think about it, Sister Trina once taught us that to judge if a person is worth associating with, it’s better to look at what they do rather than what they say.” “I don’t know what he told you that night, but after you lost consciousness, this is what he did.” “He-” In the following few minutes, with complex emotions, Louise recounted to Tia everything that happened that night in the Blue Pavilion Inn. "Achoo!" Atop a tall building, sitting at the edge, Lynn was jolted awake by a sneeze. He rubbed his rather heavy eyelids and yawned. It had been a day and a night since he escaped from Iviste. To maintain the integrity of the swamp abomination, continuously transferring the causal punishment brought by the Weaver of Fate, counting the night he parted from Tia, Lynn hadn’t slept for two days. Just now, he nearly dozed off, thankfully waking up due to a sneeze at a critical moment. Since when had his resolve grown so thin? Lynn pinched his thigh firmly, attempting to rouse himself, though ultimately it was futile. If Tia was previously akin to a spent candle, having successfully struck Cursustain, and after stopping the extraordinary power surge multiple times using Shade of Time and Weaver of Fate, as well as escaping from the half-demi-god Iviste, Lynn had, in comparison, one foot in the grave. Although the divine factor within him came from the witch and was further enhanced, he was still only a second-tier entity. Presently, his sustained vigor was just upheld by sheer determination; the true depletion was of his vitality and spirit. Noticing the creaky mechanical sound emanating from his entire body, Lynn realized he was running out of time. He sighed. Yet at present, he had matters to attend to. In two days, during the Moonlight Festival, he would confront a real deity like never before. Although the deity wasn't in their prime condition and was not in the best shape, they were not to be underestimated, unlike the often manifesting mental and avatar state Cursustain could not compare against. In fact, even Cursustain's impaired form couldn’t contend with such a force; measures had to be taken to bridge the vast gap in power. Before the Lunar Goddess, Lynn wouldn't stand a chance. All his measures, including his trump cards, the Thorned Crown and the Weaver of Fate, were merely laughable tricks of an ant. However, having come to this point, retreat was no longer an option. Moreover, life is inherently a journey of surpassing oneself through continuous challenges. He believed he could still struggle just a bit longer. Before proceeding, however, some external assistance was necessary. With this thought, Lynn slowly stood up from the rooftop, his gaze fixed on the grand yet deeply luxurious manor directly across the street. This was the upper district, a city bustling with the noble class. Unlike the chaos and filth of the lower district, here everything was orderly and pristine. Right now, he couldn’t seek assistance from Iviste and others; otherwise, the likelihood of being restrained was high. Ever since the witch Miss inherited the memories from the princess, she had become inexplicably distant too. Despite Tia and her being like water and fire, they seemed to have united against him, leaving Lynn feeling somewhat helpless. If not thrust into dire straits, he wouldn't be so desperate as to turn to the owner of this estate. Once he stepped inside, there was a higher chance he would be handed over to Saint Roland VI. There was a minuscule possibility that he could secure some measure of aid through negotiation. However, he was left with no choice but to gamble. He wagered that his eloquence and the Swallower of Lies would once again rescue him as they had countless times before. Thinking along these lines, Lynn pulled out the Bines cards, but he did not switch to the mode of the Weaver of Fate, instead summoning only the Thread of Infinity. With deft control, a thread of silk burrowed into the uppermost level of the mansion across the street. He then leaped, balancing himself like an acrobat across the thread, steadily making his way forward. At this hour, the streets were deserted. Even if an occasional carriage sped by, none would inexplicably gaze upward. Thus, he easily crossed the district, soon reaching the window of the mansion. So far, everything was proceeding as planned. Just as this thought formed in his mind, an intangible, imperceptible sense of dissonance suddenly descended. It felt as though a gigantic hand reached across time and space, plucking lightly at the strings of his fate. In an instant, the supposedly steadfast Thread of Infinity snapped, sending a wave of weightlessness crashing over him. This caused Lynn, just having opened the window, to lose his footing. Realizing this, he immediately adjusted his descent mid-air, ending up in an ungainly sprawl into the room. However, the sense of dissonance from fate hadn’t entirely dissipated. “Thud!” As he fell into the unknown room, Lynn felt his forehead collide with something hard and angular, followed by a sharp pain. Oh no! The intense dizziness surging in his mind, coupled with the accumulated injuries and fatigue, erupted all at once. Lynn tried to rise from the floor, yet each attempt saw him collapse once more. In the bright moonlight, his fuzzy mind could vaguely discern that he had landed in a woman’s bedroom, adorned with a particularly cozy setup. Such bad luck... In the last second before consciousness faded, the thought crossed Lynn's mind as he lay sprawled on the floor. "Your Highness, you've returned?" The moment Shirina entered the estate, a maid immediately stepped forward to relieve her of her coat. At that moment, the Grand Princess appeared weary. After giving brief instructions, she lethargically headed upstairs. After spending a day arguing against extreme proposals with the empire council's old folks and making reluctant compromises, she was utterly worn out. Such matters were immensely tiring. Especially considering there were more pressing issues at hand. Over at the Hermemius Tomb, the eighteenth batch of the gravedigger team had delved further, but constrained by the chamber’s "Severance" laws, they suffered massive losses with virtually no gains. Had it not been for the emperor repeatedly stressing the significance of the tomb's occupant, she wouldn't continue deploying her forces. It was beyond the reach of anyone below level five legend. This was precisely why the empire council persisted in involving the Third Princess Iviste in their excavation efforts initially. Yet ultimately, everything had been disrupted by that fellow named Lynn. Amidst thoughts of exasperation, Shirina ascended the stairs in her high heels, returning to her top-floor bedroom. Opening the door, she removed her hair tie, letting her platinum-blonde curls cascade down her back like a waterfall. She then casually bent over, hooking her index finger at the heel of her shoe. "Thud, thud." With two muffled sounds, her delicate feet, wrapped in flesh-colored stockings, slipped free from the shoes’ constraint. As she stretched her toes on the soft carpet, she entered the room gracefully. Compared to the Third Princess Iviste, Shirina was undoubtedly more voluptuous, akin to a mature woman, though her slender waist and shapely legs bore no trace of excess. Even without considering her looks, her extraordinarily captivating figure justified the acclaim of a "Goddess of Beauty." Yawning, she noticed the window and curtains slightly ajar for no apparent reason but thought nothing of it. Gently stepping forward to lock them, she intended to take a careless nap, tackle the pending work in the morning. Yet just as her fingers brushed the window pane, her stockinged foot landed on something unusual. The sensation of warm, soft skin, the distinct features underfoot, and the gentle rise and fall with each breath... It felt undeniably like someone’s face! “Who’s there?!” Startled and unprepared, Shirina instinctively cried out. Hastily lifting her foot, she yanked open the curtain, letting the moon's radiant light flood inside. Through its brilliance, she vaguely discerned the shadowy form sprawled on the floor, her pupils narrowing in surprise. Then, as if unable to believe her eyes, she rubbed them vigorously. How could it possibly be him?!