Transmigrated as the Villainous Love Rival of the Abusive Novel's Heroine [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 59.2

Chapter 59.2: Driven to Tears

Meanwhile, a woman holding a water jug discarded it in disgust. Heaven knows that the spring where some “Princess” had bathed was the place where their villagers got their drinking water.

The village was parched; originally, even grass wouldn’t grow, until Lady Cody used magic to move a spring eye and an underground river here, guiding the villagers to plant greenery around it, turning this desolate land into an oasis.

“Mama, why don’t we resist?” a hot-blooded boy, at an age where he dreamed of becoming a hero, asked his mother.

The thin, sickly woman gently stroked her son’s back, saying in a place where the soldiers wouldn’t notice: “Lady Cody said that we must protect ourselves. We cannot let hot blood cloud our judgment and make us forget our own weakness.”

The people living in the village were all family members of the front-line soldiers; they were either elderly, sickly wives, disabled husbands, or young children. These people were protected in the rear; as long as the front-line soldiers didn’t die, they were safe.

“Mama, I don’t understand,” the boy frowned. He liked the adults of the Heim family, so he didn’t want their honor to be violated.

“Be good. The adults have their own ways of solving things,” the woman shook her head. Once, they had defended the adults’ reputation like that, too. But the adults were not happy. Because while they were struggling to maintain those reputations, people bled and died.

“If you throw away your lives for these empty names…” Lady Cody, dressed in a magnificent deep-red gown, stepped over the blood-stained ground, her eyes downcast, her usually gentle face turning cold and frigid. Her words chilled those who were happily expecting her praise to the marrow, freezing the joyful smiles on their faces.

She said, “If you throw away your lives for these empty names, I will regret saving you.” To save someone who does not cherish themselves is a failure. At least, that was what Cody believed.

Some people were scared to tears. They knew very well that even if the adults of the Heim family made wrong choices and lost many benefits, they would not regret them. “Regretting past choices is a waste of time; it’s better to look forward,” the First Duke of Heim would say lazily while tinkering with potions.

But now, Lady Cody had uttered the word “regret.” From then on, they became very protective of their own lives. Later they slowly understood: their lives were not just their own, but also belonged to their family members struggling at the front. They were the home the front-line soldiers returned to.

“Cody has always been very good at educating people,” Yin Shaoqing lamented while peeling a Snow Fruit. Ladon, who would grab any opportunity to hold her little master, was currently suspended to the side by chains. The magic-inhibiting locks Yin Shaoqing made were incredibly sturdy; they were shackles Ladon couldn’t break.

“Hurr…” The tall demoness struggled and roared incessantly. She didn’t want to be in chains; she wanted to embrace her master.

“Stay still. This is a punishment.” Yin Shaoqing turned her head, her features covered in frost. She had truly been too lenient with this half-demon, to the point that she even dared to break her promise and act without permission.

Processing Snow Fruits was not easy; setting aside the magical refining, just for the “blessing” part, Yin Shaoqing had failed over a dozen times. Half of the thirty Snow Fruits were ruined instantly. And the half-demon undergoing punishment wouldn’t stop struggling, making noise over there.

Yin Shaoqing’s limit of patience was reached. She pressed the tip of her tongue against her teeth, the violent factors churning in her blood. She stepped through the darkness, walking toward the demoness who suddenly went silent and began to instinctively fear the immense pressure approaching.

Slender fingers grabbed her collar and pulled it off; Yin Shaoqing snapped the chains with one grip.

“Get out.”

The short lolita spoke in a tone so indifferent it lacked any inflection. Her voice wasn’t loud, and she wasn’t even particularly fierce. But the demoness, who was fearless enough to take on a Great Mage, whimpered in panic and terror. She stared with her fire-glazed eyes, shrinking back and wailing, reaching out her hand to beg her master to return the collar to her.

A pet who loses the gift bestowed by its master will eventually be discarded. Ladon bit her own lower lip until it bled. The tall demoness shook uncontrollably, scratching her own neck; sharp nails tore her skin, seeping blood.

But her master saw none of this, because after the collar was pulled off, Ladon’s attempt to snatch it back had annoyed Yin Shaoqing. She waved her hand and threw Ladon out of the room, locking the door. No matter how much Ladon pounded on the door, she wouldn’t open it.

“Wooo… wooo…” Like an injured beast wailing in grief.

Ladon slammed against the door in despair. The door, reinforced by Yin Shaoqing’s magic, couldn’t be broken, but she still slammed into it recklessly. She slammed until her head was bloody, still wanting to go home. She didn’t want to be discarded…

Thud, thud… thud… After the banging outside continued for a day, it finally slowed down and stopped. Yin Shaoqing, knowing the “Boy Who Cried Wolf” routine, ignored it. She was carefully poking a magic stone with a magic needle; the Snow Fruit processing had reached its final and most critical moment, and she couldn’t be distracted.

“Huff… ugh…” The half-demon lying in a pool of blood stared fixedly at the door with squinted eyes, her limbs turning cold from blood loss. The tall demoness curled up together, whimpering softly. The pain and blurred vision made her wail and struggle to crawl forward; she hammered on the door with all her might.

Once… and once more. But those strikes, made with exhausted strength, didn’t even make a sound. The light in Ladon’s eyes gradually faded; panic and pain made her let out the howl of a beast on the brink of death.

“Do you know the story of the Boy Who Cried Wolf?” Yin Shaoqing had said one day when she locked the constantly meddling demoness outside the door. “If you keep deceiving me like this, one day you’ll get hurt.”

But the cunning demoness didn’t listen; the demonic blood in her body told her it was fine. So many times, while Yin Shaoqing was focused on researching an antidote for her, the detestable half-demon would bite her neck fiercely. Like an untamable wild wolf, she would seriously wound her master, suck her blood, and then be thrown out of the room by her angry master.

“Wooo…” At those times, Ladon would also act pitiable and slam the door the same way. Except this time, the wolf had truly come.

Snow Fruits were Ladon’s last hope. Yin Shaoqing, in her total concentration, had overlooked one thing. In her extreme anger, she had taken back Ladon’s collar, causing her half-demon to feel immense panic and despair.

And when she joyfully opened the door, prepared to fetch her half-demon to give her the medicine, the sight of the blood-stained floor and the scarred woman made her blood turn cold instantly. Cold, suffocating.

Do you know the Twin Flowers? Two complementary flowers; if they never met, they would do fine individually. But once they meet, and after attracting and fitting together, a permanent parting would drive one mad.

What happened that day? Cody, facing the two foul-smelling nobles, was a bit distracted. For no other reason than her backyard had exploded. Not that backyard, but the actual back of the house. Yin’s flames had ignited even the rain; the golden fire was so bright and scorching, enticing people to turn into moths and throw themselves into it. Even if they were burned into a handful of ash.

Yin had lost control. The short figure in the flames let out the crackling and snapping sound of bones grinding and breaking; it was agonizing to hear and spine-chilling. The short figure broke through the shackles, her height stretching and rising in the midst of the soaring flames. The woman, who had forcibly grown thirty centimeters, embraced her half-demon.

A silent wail. Not just beasts, humans also emit such sounds.

In fact, Ladon had been seriously injured when attacking the monster’s nest. A massive monster covered in spikes suddenly self-destructed at the brink of death. Ladon, who was carrying the Snow Fruits, accidentally dropped one while jumping to dodge. And this stupid half-demon had forcibly suppressed her survival instinct, using her body to shield that fruit. Two two-meter-long spikes pierced into Ladon from behind, impaling her body.

The heavy injury made Ladon cough blood incessantly, but her body naturally concealed the wounds; even her aura did not weaken in the slightest. This was likely a form of camouflage—though a hollow show of strength, it could intimidate enemies, preventing them from attacking easily.

But her little master was not an enemy. And because of this concealment, this disaster occurred. By the time Yin Shaoqing opened the door, Ladon had turned icy cold from excessive blood loss, and her heartbeat was nearly undetectable. Yin Shaoqing, not realizing this was the suspended animation protection mechanism of the demonic blood in Ladon, nearly destroyed Cody’s entire castle in her loss of control. If not for the Fat Calico Cat speaking up in time to stop her, the dark clouds of that day might have been burned away by the golden flames.

“What are you standing there for? Carry her to the bed and treat her wounds!” The cat leaped up and landed a kick, leaving a paw print on Yin Shaoqing’s beautiful and heroic face. How could there be such a host?! Not caring who the female lead is, not focusing on the mission, only knowing how to contract half-demons and fall in love!

Hmph, if it weren’t for love, the cat didn’t believe a mere familiar could make its host lose control like this.

“But, what attracted you to her?” the cat didn’t understand. It didn’t think its host was the type to fall in love at first sight.

“It’s the ‘waiting’,” Yin Shaoqing held the half-demon’s hand, smoothing her disheveled hair. She still remembered the way those eyes looked at her on the day of enrollment. Like a traveler walking alone in the desert who found an oasis and cheered as they stepped in, only to discover with a surprise another traveler they could journey with. More like a ship sailing at night in a sea full of storms and unease, seeing the faint light of a lighthouse from afar. It was hope, it was rain after a long wait.

“It’s as if she had been waiting for me for a long time.” Yin Shaoqing was a bit confused; she didn’t remember when she had met Ladon. But she could see her soul reaching out to another soul that was hugging its knees and waiting bitterly.

I’ve waited for so long, why did you only just arrive? that soul said.

‘Hmph, you’re only so fearless because I said I’d wait for you to find me first, right?’ a somewhat proud soul muttered. She was being made to wait bitterly only because the True God’s oath could not be broken.

Yin Shaoqing pressed her hand over her heart, her eyes lowered. Perhaps she really had come late.

A tiny touch near her arm brought Yin Shaoqing back to her senses. She looked up with some joy, only to find Ladon was still unconscious.

“?” She instinctively looked at her arm. Was Ladon’s hand that close to her arm before?

“Ladon?” Yin Shaoqing tried calling the person on the bed softly. But after waiting a long time, no one answered. The Fat Calico Cat, hidden in Yin Shaoqing’s soul, covered its paws over its mouth, snickering. This half-demon was so silly.

Fine… Yin Shaoqing helplessly lowered her eyes again, giving her familiar an opportunity to do things in secret. Sure enough, a moment later, the tiny movement by her arm appeared again. Those two fingers moved cautiously, like a little person with long legs, sneaking into the “wicked master’s” territory. Then they grabbed the collar and pulled hard—well, it didn’t move…

The pale demoness licked her lips and glanced at her master. Her master didn’t seem to notice? The ignorant beast didn’t sense the gaze or the focused attention, so she assumed her master hadn’t found out. Little did she know her small movements were all seen by Yin Shaoqing.

Two fingers couldn’t pull it, so Ladon used three. But Ladon, who had just woken up and had her demonic blood partially purified by the Snow Fruit, was extremely weak. Ladon’s face turned red from the effort of trying to pull it with her whole hand. The collar was pressed under Yin Shaoqing’s arm, and it was her lack of movement that gave Ladon the courage to pull incessantly. Eventually, she simply turned on her side and used both hands.

Alas, her heartless, “black sesame-filled” dog of a master was being very mean, pressing down hard on the collar and refusing to give it to her. The half-demon, having used all her strength, stared blankly at the black collar for a long time.

“Wooo…” The soft whimpering started again. Yin Shaoqing looked up decisively, only to see the tall half-demon curling into a ball again, biting the corner of the blanket and sobbing softly in grievance. Master took the collar away, and I can’t get it back, wooo…

Ladon was aggrieved to death, like a half-demon beast that hadn’t been weaned, crying piteously. For someone so big to cry like that—it was heartbreaking.

Yin Shaoqing let out a long sigh, picked up the collar, and put it back on her. Who knew Ladon would have such a temper and “hold a grudge”; she whimpered and pushed her master away with her hands. Master doesn’t want her anymore, so she doesn’t want Master either!

Ladon’s struggle felt to Yin Shaoqing like the light pats of a kitten, itchy and without any real resistance. However, if she rashly put it on her familiar now, Ladon would definitely close off her heart and truly be hurt. Yin Shaoqing simply held both of Ladon’s wrists with one hand, pinning them above her head, then lowered her head and kissed her lips fiercely.

The pale thin lips were unexpectedly soft. Yin Shaoqing just pressed against them lightly, stroking them with her lips, pecking them. She continued until the person was kissed into a daze, opening her body and accepting her master’s intimacy without resistance. Yin Shaoqing’s kiss didn’t have a wild sense of aggression; it was gentle, filled with soothing affection and love.

The tearful half-demon hummed comfortably, feeling as if she were wrapped in warm water, incredibly cozy. Reaching out to wipe the tears from Ladon’s face, Yin Shaoqing put the collar back on her. This time, Ladon didn’t resist; she even affectionately nuzzled her face against Yin Shaoqing’s palm.

Truly a clingy familiar… Yin Shaoqing thought lovingly.

During the time Yin Shaoqing was guarding Ladon, Duke Cody arranged for Nonat and Celis to attack a monster nest to get Snow Fruits.

“Duke Cody, you should be clear about our status,” Nonat gritted his teeth. He never imagined that he, a dignified elven prince, would have to start as a lowly soldier?! Furthermore, he had to go fight monsters with those disgusting commoners? Was this a joke? Were they even worthy?

“I’m truly sorry, Duke Cody,” Celis bit her lip, her face pale, looking very uncomfortable. She held up her magnificent skirt to avoid the filthy mud. “We are representatives of the Vattel Royal Family and the Alf Elven Royalty, so I believe, Duke Cody, you should respect our glory and honor.”

They were the representatives of two great nobilities. A sliver of disdain flashed in Celis’s emerald eyes; on the surface, she remained the proud and reserved princess, polite and strong. But what crooked thought could escape the eyes of Cody, a woman who had lived for over two hundred years?

Cody folded her feather fan. Her red puff skirt was stained with mud, but she didn’t care. She simply raised her hand and walked slowly toward the Vattel princess with a peaceful expression. One step, two steps… like an abyss demon coldly staring at its prey, approaching leisurely to kill the cornered girl.

When the third step was taken, at a distance of an arm’s length from Celis, the proud princess finally couldn’t hold out; her face turned pale, and she fell to the ground drenched in cold sweat. Her body shook uncontrollably; it was an instinctive reaction.

The short and cute Duke lowered her eyes, and with a flick of her feather fan, she tilted up Celis’s chin.

“I do not like looking up at others. This point, little girl of the Vattel family, you must remember firmly.”

The Twelfth Duke of the Heim family, Duke Cody Heimdall, looked down upon the royal glory, treading the dignity of the ancient nobility under her feet, and spoke with such arrogance.

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