I'll Kill Weixi First

Sonia carried a bag of snacks up to the second floor, her damp hair still steaming with warmth from the bath. She glanced toward the master bedroom at the end of the hall, hesitated for a moment, and turned toward the study on the opposite side instead. Deep down, she really wanted to sleep with Yaxiu—especially since he had ventured into Hell for their sake and brought back so much loot, making her eager to reward him properly... But in the bath earlier, Sonia had been the one to propose that no one disturb Yaxiu tonight, and her skin wasn't thick enough to say one thing and do another. At least while everyone was still awake, she felt a little shy about it. If the Witch went to sleep early tonight, though... With all sorts of thoughts running through her mind, Sonia shuffled forward in her slippers and turned the handle of the study's oak door, only to freeze in surprise. The light inside was on. Yaxiu was lounging on a red leather armchair reading a book, clutching a green Lalafell hug pillow to his chest. Noticing her come in, Yaxiu waved a greeting, then went right back to reading the... comic book in his hands. He didn't speak, and neither did Sonia. She sat down on another red leather armchair, tore open a bag of snacks, and projected a light screen to watch a drama. Two demigods standing at the pinnacle of the world thus slacked off amidst shelves of books. Yaxiu was the first to succumb. Sonia had utterly discarded public etiquette by playing the audio out loud, making it impossible for him not to be drawn in by the gripping dialogue—especially when he heard the line: "Losing love is painful, but losing yourself in love hurts even more." Feeling an acute sense of crisis, he waved to Sonia. "Come over here. I want to watch too." "It's not for you." Sonia popped a potato chip into her mouth. "This is one of Daedalose's dramas from last year. I didn't get around to watching it before. It's about a male lead who lost everyone's trust because he was promiscuous, then resolved to win back his first love—only for his first love to have pulled herself together and moved on without needing him anymore." "Did he win her back in the end?" "Aren't I watching it right now to find out?" Yaxiu looked at Sonia's armchair, thought about it, and simply dragged his entire small couch right over to sit beside her, dividing his attention between his comic and the show. Sonia gave him an exasperated glare, but slightly adjusted the angle of the light screen to give both of them a decent viewing experience. After watching for a while, Yaxiu reached into the bag of chips, only for Sonia to swat his hand away. He reached in again and got slapped again. Resigned, he pulled his hand back, looking at the Sword Princess in bewilderment. Why is she suddenly angry again...? She won't even let me have a chip... I didn't do anything wrong today, did I?! Soon, however, Yaxiu was sucked into the drama as well. It was a classic grovelling-for-the-ex plotline. Daedalose's portrayal of the first love—her every smile and frown striking a captivating chord between youthful innocence and maturity—made hearts flutter. Yet her composed, gentle resolve when faced with the male lead's renewed advances, not to mention the way she thoroughly slapped him down, had viewers cheering. "You know," Sonia said, "in the original novel, the male and female leads ended up together." Yaxiu was shocked. "You're spoiling me?!" "I said in the original novel. Most dramas starring Daedalose are adapted, so it won't necessarily follow the book's ending," Sonia explained. "Adele told me before that when this show was airing, viewers argued fiercely. Half wanted the original ending, while the other half wanted the heroine to never repeat her past mistakes... Which side do you support?" Yaxiu blinked. "...We've only just started watching. Shouldn't we at least watch to the end before judging? If you don't watch through to the end, how do you know a miracle won't happen?" Sonia cut her eyes at him and let out a soft huff through her nose. When Daedalose on the screen delivered the line, "Did you know? Part of the rain falling from the sky consists of tears I once shed," Sonia abruptly shut off the light screen. She marched over to Yaxiu and snatched the Lalafell plushie right out of his arms. Before Yaxiu's horrified eyes, Sonia pummeled and kicked the Lalafell doll, beating it within an inch of its stuffing, shoved it into one of the study's cabinets, and slammed the door shut with a loud clack. The Sword Princess then turned back to glare down at him, biting her lower lip with her hands on her hips, her expression practically screaming: You're next. After a moment of hesitation, Yaxiu reached out and pulled Sonia into his embrace. Sonia huffed, nestled into his chest until she found the coziest position, and turned the light screen back on to resume watching. As if rewarding him for his quick wits, Sonia picked out a potato chip from the snack bag and fed it to him, even offering him a sip of her strawberry milk. Yaxiu finally realized why the Sword Princess had been mad—she was angry that he'd rather hug a Lalafell plushie than her. Who on earth could have guessed that?! The only silver lining was that this time, only the Lalafell plushie had suffered... "Why did you come looking for me?" Sonia asked out of the blue. Yaxiu blinked, tightening his arms around Sonia's slender waist. Fresh out of the bath, the Sword Princess wore only a short-sleeved top and hot pants, her long, straight legs crossed over each other. Her red hair carried the fresh scent of conditioner. She was indeed vastly more comfortable to hold than any Lalafell doll. "Can't I bother you without a reason?" "So you were also just peeping at the bath without a reason?" Sonia gave him a sideways glance. "We only decided I was sleeping in the study while we were in the bath." "You were speaking too loudly. I overheard by accident," Yaxiu said with an innocent look. "I'm giving you a chance. If you don't speak up now, and dare bring up another woman later, I'll beat you to death." "..." Yaxiu scratched his head and admitted sheepishly, "Fine. I just wanted to ask in passing... what do you think of Weixi?" Thud. Sonia jabbed her elbow hard into Yaxiu's chest. Yaxiu felt his ribs rattle. After coughing several times, he couldn't help asking, "Why'd you hit me again?" "Because the reason you came to find me was to talk about another woman!" Yaxiu was speechless. "Didn't you just say to say it now?" "You could have held your tongue and not brought it up at all!" Sonia turned to glare at him indignantly. "Couldn't you pretend you came looking for me purely to sneak a private rendezvous? Couldn't you wait until I'm in a good mood tomorrow to discuss it?!" "That's entrapment! It should be outlawed!" Yaxiu protested. "Are you even being reasonable? Both of your options were traps!" "When did you ever get the illusion that I'm reasonable?" Sonia pouted. "I'm in a bad mood now. Get out. I don't want to talk to you." Yaxiu looked at her for a long moment, then cupped her chin. "Stick out your tongue." Sonia stared straight at him, pursing her lips in a stubborn display that looked like she wanted to bite him, but her right hand paused the drama on the light screen. A moment later, Sonia tapped the light screen to resume playback. She finished the rest of her strawberry milk to moisten her lips, and with flushed cheeks asked, "What did you ask earlier?" "What do you think of Weixi?" "From what perspective do you want me to answer?" Even though Sonia's words carried a sarcastic bite, her voice was soft and sweet, clearly lingering in the intoxicating afterglow of their kiss. "From the perspective of your first lover watching you try to add yet another one?" "No." Yaxiu shook his head. "I'm just curious about how you all view her, especially her character and personality, and how much you know about her. I want to see her through your eyes to round out my understanding of her." "Why ask me?" Sonia found it rather baffling. "You spent nearly half a year with her in the Cage of All Stars, while I've only known her for a little over a week. What could I possibly know about her?" "Has it really only been a week?" "What else? I only met Weixi on Ruby Mountain when you returned from the Cage of All Stars to guide our ascension ceremony." I spent half a year with Weixi in the Cage of All Stars... and Weixi only met Sword Princess and the others after leaving it... Yaxiu nodded thoughtfully, then continued, "That's fine. I feel like even after half a year together, I might not see her as clearly as you do after one week." That was certainly true. Sonia nodded in smug satisfaction. After a moment of thought, she said, "My earliest impression of Weixi came from the Spectre Manual. She made no secret of being a cruel, inhumane evil sorcerer. In particular, she laid down the Spectre Inheritance, intending to sacrifice thousands of Sanctuary sorcerers to return from behind the curtain of death. That thoroughly convinced me she's a villain who sees human lives as nothing." Yaxiu: "Oh..." "Still, after actually meeting her, I didn't hold that much ill will against her. After all, she must have helped you a lot in the Cage of All Stars, plus we went through the ascension ceremony together..." Sonia continued, "Even so, I don't like her either." "Why?" "Because back in Senluo, she harmed you once before. How could I have a good impression of her?" Sonia tilted her head. "Besides, even though you have absolute control over her, I still feel... that sooner or later, she will bring disaster upon you. "She's a demigod who roamed the world for over a thousand years; not even death could bury her desires. There are no shackles in this world capable of fully binding her. Someone like that is unquestionably arrogant and proud to the extreme, yet when she fell so low as to have her body and soul dominated by a mere mortal like you, she actually endured it—could you bear becoming a slave to a Lalafell?" The red-haired girl shivered at the thought and huddled deeper into Yaxiu's arms. "She's a madwoman capable of betraying anything, even her own dignity. So the moment she finds the slightest chance to rebel against you, she will definitely show you the meaning of despair." Yaxiu murmured, "I see..." Sonia hesitated for a moment before adding, "Even though I hate admitting it... Yaxiu, Lisidiya and Youlanweise truly love you. I don't mean they'll place your interests above everything else or sacrifice themselves for your sake, but at the very least, they won't betray your interests for any reason. "If an exceptional opportunity to betray you were to arise—for instance, 'devouring you lets someone instantly achieve the pinnacle of sorcery'—" she said, "no matter how close you and Weixi are, I don't believe for a second that she would pass up a chance like that. "And what's more... an opportunity like that might actually appear." Sonia wrapped her arms around Yaxiu's neck and said, "Now that we've come this far, I might as well make my stance clear. If you just want to fool around with Weixi's body..." "...I definitely won't be happy about it either. If I ever find out you've slept with someone..." Her forehead pressed against Yaxiu's. "I'm not sure what I'd do, but I will definitely make sure you know what cruelty means. Oh, and this rule doesn't just apply to Weixi—the Witch, the Silver Lantern, Felix... and anyone else I know of or don't know of are included too." Yaxiu didn't dare move an inch, stiffly hugging the Sword Princess's slender waist. "However, this next rule applies only to Weixi." Sonia gazed deep into Yaxiu's eyes. "If I discover that you've genuinely fallen in love with Weixi... "Just to be safe," she said, enunciating every word, "I'll kill Weixi first." In the shadows touched by silver light, a small dark shape shrank silently beneath the couch.