Chapter 55: A Gentle Late Night

No one knew how long it had been before Melorin’s consciousness slowly surfaced from the bottomless darkness.

She gradually opened her eyes, and what greeted her was a familiar environment.

She realized she had already returned to her bedroom bed, covered with a soft silk quilt and changed into clean sleepwear.

At that moment, Servia, who had been keeping watch nearby, immediately noticed the movement.

She hurriedly leaned closer, her face full of worry and concern.

“Melorin, are you alright.
How are you feeling?”

Seeing Servia looking at her with such concern, those gentle eyes filled with tenderness, Melorin felt as if she had returned to the days when she was a hero.

Back then, every time she was gravely injured on the battlefield, Servia would hold her like this, using holy healing magic to soothe her wounds bit by bit.

Melorin tugged at the corner of her lips, trying to force a relaxed smile.

Her voice was still a little hoarse.

“I’m fine.
Just a small injury, nothing worth mentioning.”

She subconsciously tried to raise her hand to touch Servia’s face in reassurance.

But the moment her arm moved, a wave of sore, powerless pain shot through every muscle in her body, as if every bone had been taken apart and put back together.

Seeing Melorin clearly so weak yet still forcing herself to act tough, Servia couldn’t help but laugh.

But that smile carried a trace of aching reproach.

“You really are something.
And you still say you’re fine.
You were just… like that earlier, and you’re still being stubborn.”

She let out a soft sigh, her tone becoming incomparably gentle.

“Don’t think about anything right now.
Just rest properly.
As for Louise, you don’t need to worry.
I’ll teach her well and won’t let her embarrass you.”

Hearing Servia say this, the last trace of worry in Melorin’s heart finally eased.

She lifted the hand she could still move and gently grasped Servia’s hand, squeezing it with all her remaining strength.

Smiling, she said.

“Then… I’ll leave her to you.”

Looking at Melorin, so weak yet still thinking of others, Servia’s heart felt both soft and sore.

She held Melorin’s hand in return.

With her other hand, she gently touched Melorin’s pale cheek, then bent down and kissed her on the cheek.

The movement was as light as a feather falling.

“Don’t worry,” she whispered.

“Have a good rest.”

With that, Servia stood up, tucked the quilt around her, and quietly left the room.

The moment the door softly closed, Servia leaned against the cold wall, clutching the corner of her clothes, her gaze slightly unfocused.

She murmured to herself, her voice tinged with an unspeakable regret.

“Melorin lying on the bed just now was really so cute.
Her face was so pale, her breathing so weak, like a frightened little rabbit.
I really wanted, really wanted to secretly bully her a little more…”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she immediately shook her head hard and slapped her cheeks.

Reproaching herself, she said.

“Servia, how can you think like that.
Melorin’s body has already been through such intense stimulation and is extremely weak.
If she were bullied again by you, she might really break completely.”

She took a deep breath, forcibly driving those dangerous thoughts from her mind.

She tried to shift her focus to more serious matters.

“Alright, Servia.
Go teach Louise now.
That’s something you personally promised in front of Melorin just now.
You can’t go back on your word.”

At the same time, Melorin lay on the bed, her thoughts surging like waves.

The sudden breakdown earlier was like a basin of icy water, completely extinguishing the spark of hope that had just been lit in her heart.

Despair spread like vines, continuously creeping and wrapping around her mind.

She couldn’t help mocking herself inwardly.

“Melorin, you really are too clever for your own good.
You thought that as long as you could understand it, you could use it, and escape Morgana’s control.
Who would have thought she had already prepared such a hidden move, a shackle that even I myself couldn’t detect.”

She recalled that brief confidence in the pavilion, followed by the total collapse that came after.

The hope she had just ignited was shattered in an instant.

“Damn Morgana, what a villain,” she cursed inwardly.

“Do you really enjoy playing with people that much.
Toying with me in the palm of your hand, watching me struggle, hope, and then despair again.
When my plan succeeds in the future, I’ll definitely make you pay.”

Thinking this, her mood, which had already sunk to rock bottom, eased slightly, as if she had grasped an illusory straw.

But that relief vanished in an instant.

She immediately fell into even deeper despair.

“No… that’s not right.
If Morgana could predict my actions today, then can she also predict my future plans.
Could my resistance and my hatred also be part of her design.
To what extent has she altered my consciousness?”

An even more terrifying question surfaced.

“When the time comes, even if I truly succeed and break free from her control…
Will I still be me.
Or have I already become the bride she wants, only still unaware of it myself?”

That thought sent a chill through her entire body.

She couldn’t help shaking her head, trying to fling away these suffocating thoughts.

“No… I can’t let these emotions bind me anymore.
Thinking about this now will only drive me mad.
I should just sleep properly.
After I wake up, everything should get better… right.”

She slowly closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling slightly.

Perhaps because her body was too exhausted, or perhaps because the continuous blows of the past few days had completely drained her spirit, she soon fell into a deep sleep.

Only her even and faint breathing echoed softly through the silent room.

No one knew how long passed before the door to Melorin’s room was silently pushed open a crack.

In her light sleep, Melorin heard the faint sound.

Whether it was bodily instinct or subconscious vigilance, she woke up.

But she didn’t open her eyes immediately.

She simply lay there quietly, feeling the movement of air within the room.

The footsteps were light, yet firm as they approached her bed.

Each step carried a familiar rhythm.

Suddenly, the edge of the bed sank slightly as someone sat down beside her.

Immediately after, a cool yet soft hand gently touched her cheek.

The fingertips tenderly traced her brow, the bridge of her nose, and finally rested on her lips.

A gentle voice sounded by her ear.

“Melorin, did you have a good day today?”

Melorin instantly recognized the owner of the voice.

It was Lilith.

She suddenly opened her eyes, surprise on her face, her red pupils still carrying the haze of just waking.

“Lilith.
You… where did you go today?”

Lilith was slightly startled by Melorin opening her eyes so suddenly.

But she quickly regained her usual calm and gentleness.

She didn’t withdraw her hand.

Instead, she caressed Melorin’s cheek even more softly, the corner of her lips lifting into a tired yet sincere smile.

“I went to take care of some things.
Some matters that the Demon King ordered me to handle.”