On the morning they were about to depart, Elara once again felt the malicious gaze brought by the insect eggs, like a hallucination.
The feeling lasted only a moment, so brief it seemed unreal. If her spiritual sensitivity hadn't greatly improved, she likely would have ignored it altogether.
Taking advantage of the fact that the Gerbera Empress's group hadn't fully gathered yet, Elara had her Puppet Soldiers secretly investigate the surroundings, but nothing was found.
She sent them to search several more times, still with no results.
Frowning slightly, she thought for a few seconds, then explained everything about the strange soldiers and insect eggs to Prince Leland before leaving, also giving him 5,000 special pills and a list of their main ingredients.
After that was done, the Gerbera Empress's side was also ready. Not only did the Gerbera Empress come in person, but Prince Luis came along too.
Elara and Prince Yu led the people of the Gerbera Kingdom westward on the journey home.
Prince Leland's territory stretched to the Central Continent, and it had taken Elara and Prince Yu over half a month to reach him. Now, returning would also take a considerable amount of time.
On the way, the Gerbera Empress occasionally chatted with them, mostly asking about the western lands of the continent, but the conversation often shifted to Leif.
Each time Elara met the Gerbera Empress, she saw Prince Luis sitting behind the empress with a semi-transparent veil on his face.
This prince of the Gerbera Kingdom had a very different personality from Leif. He was sharp and fierce, and if any male attendants offended or displeased him, he would not hesitate to strike with his whip.
Yet he strictly obeyed all the rules imposed on men in their female-dominated society.
During this half-month-long journey, Elara never saw him leave his carriage alone.
Whenever he had to come out, he wore a veil and curtains, covering himself completely from head to toe, and ordered the male attendants to form a barrier around him, keeping others far away, especially when women were present.
Among the three nations' armies, even though the customs around gender were different, the strict military rules kept things peaceful, with each side respecting boundaries.
After half a month, they had passed through Dahlia territory, and Prince Yu led Giles and Gareth to return to their country first.
Elara continued leading the Gerbera Empress's group toward Plumera Kingdom.
After leaving Dahlia territory, the malicious insect-egg sensation no longer appeared, but another type of watching presence returned.
It was those assassins. The ones lying in wait along this route. Hadn't they left even after all these months?
After sensing the killing intent in the hidden stares again, Elara ordered the army to halt, then silently led Uno toward the source of those gazes.
The closer they got to the hidden points, the more the air smelled of blood.
The hostile gazes had faded significantly, and once they reached a clearing deep in the forest, Elara saw someone who absolutely should not be there.
It was that man, the one who had given her a child before saying he would seek help from his clan in a nearby city.
He was now lying in a chaotic sea of corpses, covered in blood, holding a blood-red glowing sword.
Sensing someone's approach, he looked in Elara's direction. Then his eyes lit up strangely, and he used the sword to stand, walking toward her.
"Sis... mm, benefactor. You're back."
Elara was about to ask why he was here, but suddenly stopped, her eyes shifting to her sleeve.
Inside her sleeve was the puppet bell Elijah had given her. This bell would automatically shake near any man who had been taken by the Lianhuang Sect to carry her child.
And now, hidden in her sleeve, that bell was rapidly shaking. Ever since she approached this man who shouldn't have been here.
Elara stood silently for a long while, suppressing her shock, then looked up at the blood-covered man with gentle features smiling at her.
Elijah's voice echoed in her mind, "When those men taken by Vanya to carry your child get near the puppet bell, it will gently shake."
Carrying her child. She suddenly remembered the baby handed to her months ago, the one she had instantly taken a liking to.
So, that really was her child?
And this man, he had been one of those forced by the Lianhuang Sect to carry her child?
Then how had he escaped and made it here alone?
Elara couldn't help but carefully examine the man in front of her. Her gaze moved over his blood-covered body, which gave off a murderous aura completely at odds with his ordinary and delicate features, and that red sword that looked anything but ordinary...
She quietly took a breath and didn't respond to him. Instead, she silently took out the Eye of Absolute Truth that Senior Brother Emory and Morin had given her.
In the next moment, the man who had appeared ordinary and delicate suddenly changed before her eyes.
His long hair turned blood red, his skin became pale as snow, and his facial features looked like the perfect creation of the greatest artist...
This face and figure were shockingly familiar to Elara. She had seen it once before, when Sindri revealed his true self...
Sindri... he was actually Sindri?!
The man, still wearing the same ordinary face, got closer and closer to Elara, but she suddenly raised her hand and pushed him away.
"Sindri. What. Are. You. Doing."
The man who was pushed back had been about to show a sad expression. But when he heard Elara speak his name, one word at a time, he paused. The sadness vanished, replaced by a mix of surprise and uncertainty as he looked at her. He wanted to move closer, but didn't dare.
He struggled with himself for a few seconds, then finally held back the urge to approach. He took a few careful steps back, his joyful yet sorrowful eyes locked on Elara, afraid that any move might upset her again.
"Sister... you recognized me... you really still remember me!"
As he spoke, his face and body gradually returned to their original form. His overly beautiful and handsome face, paired with a tall, upright figure, appeared like a spirit suddenly revealed from the mountains.
Because "Elara still remembered him," his blood-red eyes curved in a joyful arc. His voice was soft and pleasant, but when he saw Elara still looking at him with coldness and even some wariness, Sindri's smile slowly faded.
He lowered his head. His bright red hair fell down, covering part of his face. Though he was a whole head taller than Elara, he looked completely lost and sad, like a child who had done something wrong.
"Sister, I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have tried to uncover your secrets back then. But I swear. I've never done anything to hurt you. I'm no longer part of the Lianhuang Sect either. They can't control me or make me hurt you again. All the people who wanted to harm you... I've already killed them all for you."
"Sister... can you forgive me..."
His voice was full of a soft, aching plea. Despite being nearly two meters tall, he carefully reached out and gently held the edge of Elara's sleeve. His beautiful brows and eyes were filled with a cautious effort to please.
Elara looked at him, but her expression didn't change at all. The alertness in her heart didn't lessen even slightly.
"Sindri, what exactly do you want to do."
He was the number three ranked top killer on the entire continent, known as a walking reaper. Even now, Elara might not be able to stop him if he exploded into action.
So the moment she saw his true face, all the emotions stirred up by the rattling puppet bell disappeared.
Sindri, a master of both killing and disguise, had been hiding in her household for so long without being noticed. Given his current appearance, Elara didn't believe a single word he said.
As if he had noticed the continued coldness and wariness in her eyes, the cautious look on Sindri's face turned much more dim. He pressed his lips together tightly, and the bright red color of his lips looked like spilled blood.
The next second, he took a step closer to Elara. Then, just as her brows furrowed slightly, he suddenly raised his hand and dug deep into his own chest.
The sound of flesh tearing echoed, and blood gushed out from his chest, quickly soaking the front of his robe.
Elara's cold and guarded expression finally changed. She looked on in stunned shock as he ripped out his still-beating heart from the left side of his chest. Covered in blood, Sindri half-knelt in front of her, like a beast offering its weakness in submission. He extended his blood-drenched hand to present the heart, still hot and pulsing, to Elara.
"Sister, my heart is my biggest weakness. If you crush it, I will die instantly."
"I'm putting it in your hands. From now on, you can kill me anytime. Like this, will you trust me just a little more, Sister"