Send Yaxiu to the Sword Princess's Bed

Starry Country, Felix's villa. Felix rubbed her eyes and found the Witch slumped over her. Holding the Witch in her arms, she sat up and saw the other members of the Four Pillar Cult in the hall gradually waking as well. "Petal by petal, the pure white roses bloom, and memories of the past slowly awaken..." Daidalos's heavenly singing echoed softly through the hall. By the time the melody drew to a close, everyone had fully regained their senses. Daidalos said, "My singing only temporarily revives your spirits. Because Dream Heaven overlapped with the Country of All Stars this time, sorcerers were unable to recover their energy while inside. Make sure to get plenty of rest once you return." The foremost song maiden beneath the starry sky glanced around, looking slightly puzzled. "Where is the Sword Seat?" Diya startled, suddenly realizing what was going on. Leaping down from Felix's lap, she bolted up to the second floor. A moment later, everyone heard the Witch banging frantically on a door: "Open up! Open this door, Sword Princess! Open it if you have the guts! Can't you not be so quick?! That's not fair!" The cultists in the hall exchanged knowing smiles. Daidalos clapped her hands lightly. "Everyone, please depart in orderly, dispersed groups. Submit a detailed report of your experiences in Dream Heaven the day after tomorrow. The miraculous sorceries leaking from the Dream Vault will inevitably disrupt the current situation, so be sure to keep a close eye on all information channels during this period." "Understood!" "Little Feli, is there anything you would like to add?" Daidalos asked suddenly. Felix paused slightly before remembering that she now held the rank of "Prime Minister," equal in standing to Daidalos. She shook her head. "No." She looked down at the command seal on the back of her hand, feeling somewhat dazed. She finally understood why Yaxiu had placed a level of trust in her second only to that in the "Queen"—it was not her Yaxiu trusted, but her shadow. That girl looked identical to her and had also lost her mother at a young age. The difference was that Felix had been adopted by their father, whereas Feili had grown up alone in an orphanage. Felix had grown cynical and bitter, despising the family and hating the father who had failed two wives and two children; Feili, on the other hand, was pure as a blank sheet of paper, cheerful and open-hearted, loving life and entirely at peace with her origins. Felix had never imagined that a day would come when she envied her own shadow. Feili was better than her in every way: kinder, happier, and even stronger—charging forward with courage even in the face of the apocalypse... Why did someone so wonderful have to fall for Yaxiu, a man who wasn't worth loving at all? Feili deserved a blissful, happy life, not being dragged into an endless emotional vortex—forced by love to swallow her grievances, doubt whether she was good enough, or hide beneath the covers and weep in secret out of sheer humiliation. Perhaps this world had no wrong seeds, but it certainly had wrong loves. "Little Feli, get some good rest." The other cult members had already departed, and Daidalos had packed up and was preparing to leave. Felix suddenly remembered something and hastily asked, "Miss Lena, will the Country of All Stars be destroyed in the future?" "Hmm?" Daidalos blinked. "With the Prime Angel fallen, the Divine Lord of Stars has no other reason to maintain the Country of All Stars, does she? Sustaining such an immense divine miracle on the fourth layer of the Void Realm is a strain even for a Divine Lord. We believe the other Divine Lords must have aided her to some degree." "If the Country of All Stars is destroyed, what about the people inside...?" "You don't need to worry about that," Daidalos consoled her. "When the Country of All Stars is destroyed, the sorcerers will simply return to Ruby Mountain. When that happens, the Viewer Seat will naturally return safely." *As if I care about that garbage bin Yaxiu!* "Then... what about the shadows born within the Country of All Stars?" Felix tried her best to keep her tone casual. "Is there any chance they could survive and affect us?" Daidalos shook her head. "Impossible. Shadows exist solely by relying on the Country of All Stars. Although they were modeled after us, it's like a mirror and its reflection. While the reflection corresponds to us, how could a reflection continue to exist once the mirror is gone?" She glanced toward the second floor. "I'll leave the Sword Seat and Witch Seat in your care. It looks like they plan to spend the night here." Felix forced a calm facade as she saw Daidalos out. The moment the front door clicked shut, she could no longer suppress her emotions, walking up to the second floor in a daze. By this time, Diya's protests had finally taken effect. Sonia grudgingly pushed the door open and stepped out. However, she refused to let Diya inside, declaring with absolute righteous indignation, "Now it's Felix's shift to look after Yaxiu. Neither of us is allowed in!" Diya naturally wasn't having it. Sonia had enjoyed herself and was now shutting the door to keep her off the ride—an outright insult to the great Yisu Empress. An empress might bear it, but a witch never would. "Felix can rest a while and work later!" "No, Yaxiu isn't in a fit state to entertain you right now." "I already said I don't mind stringy kisses!" Felix had no interest in watching the Sword Princess and the Witch bicker. Closing the door behind her, she watched the cool, crisp starlight stream across the bed from the window, illuminating Yaxiu's peaceful sleeping face. She walked to the bedside and glanced down, only to find that far from disheveling Yaxiu's clothes, even the blanket bore no wrinkles. A flicker of curiosity stirred in her heart—*did the Sword Princess really do nothing just now?* Still, she didn't dwell on it. Silently pulling off her tall boots, she hugged her knees and sat on the bed, lowering her head in contemplation. After a moment, her gaze drifted back to Yaxiu's face. She reached out her hand. *Slap.* Giving him a light slap across the cheek, Felix felt her mood improve considerably. Lightly rubbing the cheek she had just smacked, she whispered softly, "Yaxiu, do you have any idea how much Feili likes you...? Even knowing you're nothing but a philandering trash bin, she still threw herself in without hesitation. Hmph, maybe it's because you're a colorful trash bin?" "Feili told me that man was unable to look after me only because of the stars' blessing, that he did everything he could to protect me, that he loved me in his own way... He even used himself as a warning example to urge Feili to stay away from men like you who have a foot in countless boats... It really was quite convincing." "Did he truly love his daughter?" Felix murmured. "Part of me hopes it's a lie, but part of me hopes it's true." "If it's a lie, I can hate him without reservation, hate the Vosloda family. But if it's true..." Felix fell silent for a moment. Pulling out her starlight diamond necklace, she took Yaxiu's hand, clasping his fingers tightly around the pendant. *Yaxiu, I pray that you protect Feili. Do not let her get hurt, and do not break her heart. Stars above, I pray that you bless Feili... and grant that I may see my father again.* *** In the Sword Princess's room on the second floor, the image of Felix clasping Yaxiu's hand in prayer was clearly projected on a screen of light. "Hmm..." Diya tilted her head. "I feel like... Felix doesn't really like Yaxiu, does she? She even slapped him just now." "It's only a matter of time," Sonia said calmly. "She'll fall for him sooner or later." "But Yaxiu is lying there and can't do anything right now—" "That's Yaxiu we're talking about." In Sonia's voice was equal parts absolute faith in her lover and helpless resignation. Diya considered it and nodded reluctantly. "Then shouldn't we stop her from having contact with him?" "Swap her out, just for another person to fall in love with Yaxiu?" "We could switch to a guy..." Diya stopped halfway when she saw Sonia's subtle expression, instantly realizing how poorly thought-out that idea was. Frustrated, she sighed. "Then what should we do? Should we take turns looking after him? Swap every day, or every three days?" "Or just let me take care of him." Sonia crossed her arms and shot Diya a sideways glance. "Given your ability to manipulate human muscle, there is no way I'm letting you spend prolonged periods alone with Yaxiu." "It's not like I'd break him!" Diya protested. Sonia continued, "In Dream Heaven, you probably noticed two people who stayed on the sidelines and didn't speak much. One looked just like me, and the other looked just like Felix. They're the shadows of Felix and me in the Country of All Stars, named Niya and Feili." Having spent so much time around Felix, Sonia had guessed the relationship between them the moment she laid eyes on Feili. "Feili was the one who helped Yaxiu summon the Holy Grail, and what they summoned was the Tarnished Holy Grail, which proves she is a demon," the Claw-Extending Sword Saint mused. "Demons hold strategic importance in the Country of All Stars; Feili is likely the only demon Yaxiu can trust." Diya blinked. "What are you trying to say?" "I've been thinking about whether our interactions in reality exert some influence over the fate of the Country of All Stars," Sonia said. "For instance, I wasn't surprised in the slightest that Niya likes Yaxiu." "Yaxiu over there still needs the demon Feili's help. Under these circumstances, there's no harm in letting Felix spend more time with Yaxiu here in the Starry Country." Watching Sonia remain as calm as a placid lake and thoroughly reasoned, Diya suddenly felt a strange pang. Frowning, she asked, "Wait, weren't you always dead set against anyone else putting their hands on Yaxiu?" "Rescuing Yaxiu is the absolute priority right now," Sonia remarked casually. "As long as it improves our chances of success even a little, it's worth trying." "Speaking of which," she abruptly changed the subject, "you really can use the Gospel God to monitor our surroundings... You haven't been peeping on what I was doing in Yaxiu's room the whole time, have you?" Meeting Sonia's half-smiling gaze, Diya's heart skipped a beat, but she quickly stuck out her tongue. "Did you forget about Lisi? If we peeked and saw something children shouldn't see, that would be terrible! We have to protect Lisi's healthy development, so we wouldn't spy on you!" "And because of Lisi, my interactions with Yaxiu have always been thoroughly wholesome—not brazen and shameless like yours!" "Oh...?" The corner of Sonia's mouth quirked upward. "If you say so." "I'm going to cuddle Yaxiu to sleep later." The Witch made her escape. "I'm going to take a shower first." "I'm going to sleep too. My soul is exhausted, and my body hasn't regained any energy at all." Sonia waved her hand. "Good night." After leaving the Sword Princess's room, Diya still felt an inexplicable sense of discord. Still, she didn't think too deeply about it. Taking a quick shower, she changed into her pajamas and headed straight for Yaxiu's bedroom. Right then, the Witch suddenly remembered that she ought to share the intel regarding Yinzhi with the Sword Princess, so she turned toward Sonia's room. Just as she was about to knock, she found the door unlocked. A mischievous thought popped into her head—she could sneak in and scare Sonia awake as payback for barricading the door earlier. The lights inside were already off, with only the starlight gently caressing the window drapes. The Witch tiptoed inside, saw the Sword Princess asleep on the bed, and quietly crept to her bedside, ready to capture the moment she jumped in fright. But at that moment, Diya froze. Looking at the figure on the bed, disbelief washed over her face. The Sword Princess was crying. Sonia lay curled on her side as if trying to protect herself. Tear tracks glistened across her cheeks, and crystalline tears slipped silently from the corners of her closed eyes, soaking the pillow beneath her head. Diya stared blankly at the scene, finally understanding where that discordant feeling had come from: the Sword Princess who returned was too calm, too focused on the bigger picture, and far too unlike herself. Perhaps from the moment the others appeared, she had been stewing in silent misery. No matter how confident, brave, or flawless she presented herself to be, upon discovering that her lover had four other partners besides herself (including Diya), how could she not feel heartbroken and wronged? Even if Yaxiu truly loved her the most, it wouldn't help. Insatiable greed was Sonia Vie's nature; having the biggest share could never satisfy her appetite—she wanted everything. Yet she refused to display her weakness before anyone else, especially in front of love rivals. She had to defeat everyone with elegance and beauty; that was just the kind of hopelessly vain, superficial creature she was. While Yaxiu was present, she had managed to hold it together. But upon returning to the Starry Country, she could no longer endure the dark emotions festering in her heart, growing so weary she only wanted to sleep, even if she had to cry herself to sleep. She felt profoundly wronged, yet the one who made her feel this way was the very person she longed to rely on most. Diya watched her silently for a long time, then quietly climbed onto the bed and lay down beside her. Sonia remained motionless, seemingly fast asleep. Yet after a moment's thought, the Witch felt that still wasn't enough. Connecting via voice call to Felix, she whispered, "Felix, send Yaxiu over to the Sword Princess's bed."