"If I can kill once, I can kill twice. You don't need to be afraid."
Arthur's tone was flat, but Xia Linyin could hear the coldness and ruthlessness in his previous words, and the tenderness and comfort in his last sentence.
She closed her eyes peacefully and fell asleep soon under Arthur's watchful gaze.
Seeing Xia Linyin's even and long breaths, Arthur got up and left the room.
The following night, Xia Linyin heard that sound again, continuously reaching her ears.
"Da, da, da, da, da—"
She opened the door and left the room. This time, the sound didn't disappear. Xia Linyin suddenly looked up—
She heard it; the sound was coming from the attic!
With a click, Arthur opened the door and looked at Xia Linyin standing in the hallway, asking, "What are you doing?"
“Arthur, I…” Xia Linyin pursed her lips, “Could you watch me fall asleep before you leave, like you did last night? I can’t sleep.”
After being escorted back to her room by Arthur, Xia Linyin lay on the bed watching Arthur tuck her in. She couldn't help but think that it would have been better if she and Arthur hadn't met in the game. It was a pity that they weren't in reality.
The next day, while Arthur was out, Xia Linyin lowered the retractable ladder in the attic, took a deep breath, and climbed up the ladder.
Unlike the night, daytime doesn't breed fear. The bright sun hanging high outside can dispel any unease in one's heart. When Xia Linyin went up to the attic, she wasn't very afraid, but there was a strange sense of excitement mixed with her nervousness.
The attic was still as dusty and cluttered as when she first saw it. She walked around the attic but found nothing special, nor did she find any marbles or anything like that. Just when she was about to give up, a marble rolled out from the corner.
Several old chairs were piled up in the corner. Xia Linyin picked up a marble at her feet, bent down and looked in the direction the marble had rolled from. She saw a doll through the gap under the chair.
She reached in and took out the doll, which was covered in cobwebs and dust. The once exquisite and gorgeous princess dress had lost its bright colors and become dirty and worn.
Xia Linyin shook the doll, and a piece of paper fell out from under her skirt.
“I don’t regret coming back to take Arthur away, even though I paid for it with my life. He is my only child, and I love him so much. I would never allow him to stay with Chad. I knew Chad wouldn’t let me go, but I didn’t know he had become so cruel. If there had been a deception to fool Chad, would things be different now?”
The note turned to powder after Xia Linyin finished reading it. She felt a sharp pain in her palm, and red words appeared on it—
"Congratulations, player, you have obtained a hidden game item, Shana's Wish - Substitute Doll. Players can use the doll to create a substitute that is indistinguishable from the real player. The effect lasts for 30 minutes, and the item has a 3-day cooldown."
Looking at the doll in her hand, Xia Linyin's lips slowly curved into a smile.
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