Chapter 43
When she woke up, she was in an unfamiliar room.
Zhuang Chi propped herself up, feeling her limbs were still a bit sluggish. She looked around and found that the room she was in looked surprisingly normal, a stark contrast to the premonition she had before passing out.
Even the bed beneath her was exceptionally soft, and she could tell the mattress was likely expensive. Zhuang Chi, who had expected to wake up in a place like a prison cell, was immediately confused upon waking.
To put it simply, she had been captured by that group of men in black.
When she appeared wearing Gu Ximian's school uniform jacket, the men in black had indeed mistaken her for Gu Ximian, just as she had anticipated, and a crowd of them chased after her. Zhuang Chi did try her best to deal with them for a while. Just as she had planned, she ran towards the school building as soon as she was out the door. Her Alpha stamina allowed her to barely maintain a distance from her pursuers. Everything had been developing smoothly.
But her opponent's preparations were far beyond her imagination. After a few minutes of a stalemate chase, Zhuang Chi suddenly felt a huge impact on her back, causing her to lose control of her body almost instantly and stumble to the ground.
In the moment before losing consciousness, Zhuang Chi watched the men in black running quickly towards her, her last hazy thought being: What the hell, they actually have guns.
But thankfully, it wasn't a real bullet that hit her. The spot on her back where she was hit still ached faintly. Zhuang Chi awkwardly tried to reach back to touch it but couldn't. She could only confirm that her skin wasn't broken. Probably a tranquilizer dart or something similar? Zhuang Chi thought. Is St. Blaisedon's security really that bad? To let people with guns into the school... who on earth are these people, and then...
What was the situation here? There was even a pair of slippers thoughtfully placed by the bed. Zhuang Chi hesitated before getting out of bed and, mustering her courage, started to walk around the room.
Just like her first impression, aside from the fact that the door wouldn't open, it looked like a normal bedroom in every way, complete with an attached bathroom. The decor was more understated compared to St. Blaisedon, but an extraordinary refinement was still evident everywhere. On the bedroom table sat a small pot of tea and a box of pastries. It was hard to tell if the pot's insulation was excellent or if someone had been here recently, because when Zhuang Chi opened the teapot to look, the tea was still steaming.
It was as if it had been prepared for her. Zhuang Chi frowned. Even though she was indeed a little thirsty, she ultimately didn't dare to touch it.
If there was anything strange about this place, Zhuang Chi thought, it was probably... the lack of anything that could be used as a weapon.
The stool was nailed to the floor. There were no sharp objects in the room. Or rather, the room had a very faint sense of being lived in, with very few small daily necessities. There were no glass items, and no mirror in the bathroom. The only place with glass was...
Zhuang Chi walked to the window and knocked on it. The glass was really thick.
There was no way to break it with her bare hands. And even if she did break the window, it would be useless. Zhuang Chi looked at the tightly spaced security bars outside the window and felt that even a cat would have a hard time squeezing through those iron bars. The people who had abducted her here obviously didn't think she could escape through the window either, as it wasn't even locked. It could be opened directly. Zhuang Chi pulled the window open. The sky outside was bright. A cool breeze blew across her face as she gazed into the distance.
...As far as the eye could see, there were only trees. Not a single building was visible. What kind of remote wilderness was this?
Could it be that I've been captured and locked up in a forest? ...Zhuang Chi stared in confusion for a long while, then, not giving up, reached out and shook the security bars. They didn't budge. She could only give up resentfully for now.
She didn't know what time it was or how long she had been unconscious. There wasn't even a clock in the room. Zhuang Chi sighed and closed the window again, feeling like her thoughts were in a tangled mess. It was difficult to determine the identity of the mastermind or their purpose for putting her in a place like this—
At a loss, she stared at the window, faintly seeing her own reflection in the glass. She was still wearing the same clothes she had on when she arrived, but at a glance, something seemed off. Zhuang Chi focused her gaze and finally noticed the abnormality in the blurry reflection.
...Huh? She frowned and moved closer to the window, hesitantly raising a hand to touch her neck ring. This... seemed different from the one she usually wore?
Knock, knock.
Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Two polite knocks startled Zhuang Chi, who whipped her head around. The thought of lying back down and pretending to be asleep flashed through her mind, but she ultimately decided to see what was happening, holding her breath and waiting to see who would walk in.
"Are you awake? May I come in?"
For a kidnapper, the person at the door was surprisingly polite, even asking for permission through the door first. But Zhuang Chi's mind was no longer on that. The voice, muffled by the thick door, was still distinct enough for her to instantly match it to its owner.
The person waited patiently at the door for a moment. When there was no response, they said flatly, "Then I'm coming in."
As the words fell, the door clicked open. The person who walked in was slender, with cool and detached features. Silver hair cascaded over her shoulders like moonlight, and the eyes that looked at Zhuang Chi were like the deep blue sea.
"So you're already awake."
Lily said, offering Zhuang Chi a faint smile.
The person who kidnapped her was Lily.
This realization washed over her like a tide. It took Zhuang Chi a moment to recover from her astonishment.
...Putting everything else aside, from a logical standpoint, it did seem to make sense. She had arrived at St. Blaisedon that day, was able to use Olivia's name to lure Gu Ximian out, and had bodyguards from her own country with her... As a foreign princess, if Lily had insisted on having her bodyguards accompany her for her safety upon entering the school, St. Blaisedon probably wouldn't have refused.
Then what's the reason? Zhuang Chi wondered. Does Lily have some personal grudge against Gu Ximian? The only reason I can think of...
"Why aren't you talking? Can't you speak? I had a doctor check your condition earlier. They said there were no major problems, aside from the lingering effects of the anesthetic."
Seemingly oblivious to her astonishment, Lily closed the door behind her, walked slowly to the table, and sat down. Her gaze swept over the untouched tea and pastries, then turned to Zhuang Chi, her deep blue eyes showing an inorganic coldness. "You haven't touched anything. Not to your liking? It seems I'll have to punish the maid who prepared these. Along with that incompetent doctor."
Lily said the word "punish" very calmly, but the underlying meaning startled Zhuang Chi, who subconsciously blurted out, "W-wait a minute. I just didn't eat because I was wary, it has nothing to do with the taste. And my voice is fine too..."
As she spoke, she felt it was absurd. How had she ended up pleading for Lily's subordinates the moment they met? Lily looked at her for a long moment, then chuckled softly. She picked up the teapot, poured two cups of tea, took one for herself, and sipped it slowly before saying unhurriedly, "Just as my investigation showed. You really are a simple, good person."
The extra cup was clearly poured for her, but Zhuang Chi's wariness shot up, and she remained far away by the window, not approaching.
...Let's think on the bright side. At least Lily seems willing to talk. Zhuang Chi hesitated for a long while before trying to ask directly, "Did you send those people? Why would you do that to Gu Ximian? Is it because... Olivia is close to her?"
"..." Lily didn't speak, finishing her cup of tea as if she hadn't heard. Then she said leisurely, "Are you sure you want to ask me that? Aren't you afraid you'll never get out of here after hearing the answer?"
Zhuang Chi was taken aback and asked incredulously, "...Are you saying you'll let me go if I don't ask?"
"Perhaps there's a chance." Lily replied nonchalantly, propping her head on one hand and looking at her lazily. "I wasn't trying to cause trouble for you in the first place. If you hadn't suddenly interfered and pulled a 'prince and the pauper' switch with Gu Ximian, and if my bodyguards weren't so stupid as to only recognize you after they'd knocked you out, you'd still be safe and sound at St. Blaisedon right now."
"My original plan was to make Gu Ximian, who was entering her susceptible period, lose consciousness, then leave her in a crowded place to teach her a little lesson. But I ended up catching you instead, so I had no choice but to bring you back here. You successfully ruined my plan, but you got yourself caught in the process. How are you feeling now, my brave knight?"
...That's great. Gu Ximian wasn't caught after that.
A weight lifted from her heart. Zhuang Chi silently exhaled, feeling that at least her efforts hadn't been in vain. But at the same time, she was intimidated by the casual malice in Lily's words. Looking at Lily, who appeared as pure and translucent as an elf, she sighed softly, "I still feel a little sorry. Because my sister has been very anxious these past two days, sending out everyone she could to look for you... She seems to really consider you a good friend. Even I can see that..."
"...I've gotten a bit sidetracked," Lily interrupted abruptly, lowering her gaze. When she looked at Zhuang Chi again, her eyes were calm once more. She asked, "So, I have some good news and some bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
At this point, what worse news could there be? Zhuang Chi's mind was in turmoil, and she didn't want to follow Lily's lead anymore. She just turned her head away and said, "...Whatever you want."
"So uncooperative." Lily pursed her lips but quickly resumed her calm tone. "Then let's start with the bad news."
"I was lying when I said I might let you go. From the moment you were brought here, that possibility ceased to exist. At this point, the best way to deal with you would be to have you die in some unknown place. I suggest you don't hope for anyone to come and save you—my subordinates may be stupid, but they are very good at covering their tracks. To take it a step further, even if someone did suspect me, blowing this up would cause a diplomatic incident. Do you really think anyone would take such a risk for a nobody like you?"
A chill ran up Zhuang Chi's spine, making her clench her jaw subconsciously. She could tell Lily was serious. The impact of hearing such words spoken so calmly from such a beautiful face was immense, and it gave rise to a faint suspicion: Lily sounded... like this wasn't the first time she had done something like this.
"You seem quite calm." After speaking, Lily, who had been observing Zhuang Chi's expression, nodded as if in approval and smiled at her again. "Now for the good news."
As she spoke, she suddenly stood up, making Zhuang Chi tense up instantly. Watching Lily approach, she didn't know what to do—it was a bit strange, now that she thought about it. Her hands and feet weren't bound, and even though she was still a bit weak from the anesthetic, subduing an Omega shouldn't be difficult. How could Lily approach her so calmly...
"Don't move."
Zhuang Chi's confusion was quickly answered. Lily said leisurely, "I've replaced your collar. This one is specially made. If I so much as think it, it will immediately drive steel needles inward and pierce your throat."
"So it's best not to make any rash moves. And don't do anything that will make me angry."
As Lily spoke, she stopped half a step in front of Zhuang Chi and slowly raised a hand towards her neck. Zhuang Chi instinctively dodged to the side, her heart pounding from the shock of Lily's previous words. She fumbled with her neck ring, gritting her teeth and tugging at the clasp a few times, but it was useless, only succeeding in painfully constricting her glands.
"...It seems you're still not very obedient." Having been dodged, Lily turned to look at her, her pursuing gaze heavy. She lowered her raised hand. "Never mind. You probably need some time to accept this. Don't let it happen again."
Her words and actions were incomprehensible. Zhuang Chi couldn't hold back any longer and asked through gritted teeth, "...What exactly do you want?"
"Time for the good news." As if she hadn't heard, Lily changed the subject on her own. "Gu Ximian seems to care about you very, very much. In the day or so since I brought you back and you were unconscious, she's been searching for you without rest."
"It's quite surprising. I originally thought she was a very calm and self-centered person. Even if you did rescue her... she's really going all out. That look in her eyes... it's frightening to see. It's like she'll kill someone if she can't find you."
"It seems you hold a very important place in her heart," Lily raised her hands and clapped twice. "Congratulations."
She had never seen Gu Ximian angry, but she could piece together a vague outline from Lily's words. A pang of pain shot through Zhuang Chi's heart. The guilt of not being able to return to Gu Ximian's side as promised, mixed with the self-blame for making her worry, gradually filled her with sadness.
Lily watched her with a look of slight novelty, then suddenly, her lips curled into a pleased smile.
"...And then, seeing her like that, I suddenly had an idea."
"I'm not planning on getting rid of you for now, Zhuang Chi." Her voice was crisp as she spoke in an innocent tone, "I think... since Gu Ximian wants to take someone important from me, wouldn't it be interesting if I took her important person first?"
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