Ellie felt like she was dreaming, and in her dream she saw her mother waving at her.
But as she ran towards that direction, her mother's location grew further and further away. Beside her mother was a familiar slime, bound by her mother, with liquid constantly dripping from its body.
Ellie seemed to hear its struggling cries for help. She tried to run over, but couldn't muster the strength; black tree roots were wrapped around her feet and were spreading over her, seemingly devouring her.
She struggled and called out to her mother, but the shadow grew farther and farther away until she was completely surrounded by tree roots.
She struggled incessantly inside the tree roots; her legs disappeared, her hands disappeared, and her body gradually melted away.
Just as she was in despair, a little bit of warm light slowly drifted over. It was very warm; it was her sister's scent.
I can't die! I still need to find my mother, save Luo Fan, and protect my sister! Struggling to extend her non-existent arm, Ai Li finally opened her eyes the moment she came into contact with the light.
That's great, my sister is right here, and Luo Fan is here too.
"Thank goodness, we finally got her back!" A beautiful woman I'd never seen before breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes fixed intently on Liz.
"Waaah~, Ellie, you're finally awake! You scared me to death!" Daisy hugged Ellie's arm tightly and burst into tears.
Seeing that Ellie had regained consciousness, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and left the room.
Inside the study, the Duchess turned back every three steps as she prepared to leave, but just as she was about to go out, the woman called her back.
"Simmons, let's change the terms. I want to take that little girl as my apprentice!"
The couple exchanged a glance, somewhat surprised.
“I’ve thought about it for a long time, and there’s no point in dwelling on it anymore. Your child is almost ready to get married. Seeing those little girls, I also want to find a companion.”
"Okay, but that girl is Ellie's sister, so you need to get her consent. We can't make that decision for you."
"Then I can stay here for a while and keep that girl company, right?"
“Of course, no problem,” the Duchess said first, agreeing to her request.
"Thank you. You're still so considerate. I'm not as good as you." The woman sighed and left the study.
"Has she... figured it out?" The Duke found it unbelievable, and felt a touch of sadness.
"What, you can't bear to let her go? Go out and hug her now, you'll definitely still have a chance!"
"No, madam, I know I was wrong!"
"Hmph!"
Two days passed quickly.
After recuperation, Ellie recovered quickly. Moreover, having gone through the ordeal, she discovered that she seemed to have learned new magic, the third-tier spell Ghost Entanglement, and her body's perception of dark magic had also become stronger.
After several attempts, she discovered that even her spellcasting speed had increased.
"Sure enough, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger! But your sister might not survive!" Luo Fan said lazily, leaning on her shoulder.
"What's the meaning?"
"That woman named Rovira has clearly taken a liking to your sister's talent. She's been fawning over her these past few days. Can't you see that?"
Ellie paused for a moment and realized that there was indeed always a woman by her sister's side these past two days.
"What should we do? She seems to be a light mage too. My sister should be fine with her, right?"
“Following her to learn will definitely be fine, but I heard she wants to take Lily to the capital. And I heard from the steward that this woman is not a good person.”
"ah?"
"I heard that this woman is a member of the Bright Light Cult. She used to be a candidate saintess. Because of her grudges and entanglements with the Duke, she ran away to Sacred Heart City alone."
"The Mingguang Cult? That organization that the Empire has designated as an illegal religious sect?"
"Yes, it's the one described in the book, an organization that ostensibly trains therapists but secretly engages in power-for-sex transactions. If Liz gets taken away, she might become a tool in their transactions too."
Ellie immediately panicked. Although the other party had indeed saved her, she couldn't let her younger sister be pushed into a fire pit because of that!
"Luo Fan, what should I do? How can I stop her?"
“It’s difficult. She offered to teach your sister magic, so we felt bad about stopping her. You should follow her around and see what tricks she’s up to. In the evenings, you can talk to the Duchess alone and ask her about that woman’s background.”
"Okay, that's the best we can do for now. What about you?"
"Of course I'll play with Xue'er!"
"You bastard, you have to come with me!"
"Anyway, there's no conflict!"
Over the past few days, Liz and Rovelan have gotten along very well, which has made Ellie extremely anxious.
After communicating with the Duchess, Ellie learned that she was a ruthless woman and even knew that there was a very special spell in the Duke's study, the Heart-to-Heart Spell, which was said to have been left behind by Rovelland.
When Roslan made her conditions, the Duchess was worried that he would use this spell, so she stayed by the Duke's side the whole time.
The Heart-to-Heart Spell is a special kind of magic spell, similar in effect to the telepathic communication between Ellie and Lofan. Those who form the spell can hear each other's innermost thoughts, but there's a distance limitation. The stronger their spiritual awareness, the greater this distance becomes.
However, the prerequisite for forming a spell is that neither party is on guard against the other; otherwise, it will not succeed, and each person can only use it once. Therefore, even for very close people, the chance of success is extremely slim.
So the spell was just left in the study, and no one paid much attention to it.
"So, is it possible that Rovellan wants to gain Liss's favor, form a bond of love, and completely control her?" Luo Fan speculated.
No wonder that woman even sleeps with Liz.
"Luo Fan, what should we do?" Ai Li cried, not wanting her sister to fall into the tiger's den.
However, Rovelan's behavior these past few days has been too normal. She even offered to adopt the sisters, but Ellie refused.
"Why don't you try to complete the spell with Liss first? Only in this way can you completely stop that woman's actions."
She'd tried many methods over the past two days, but none had worked. After all, she was just a guest of the castle, and besides, Liz had feelings for that woman.
Ellie hesitated for a moment, then nodded. This was probably the best solution right now.
A day later, Ellie left the room early with Liz, got rid of Rovelan, and went to the room that had been prepared in advance.
The magic circle needed for the Heart-to-Heart Spell has been prepared, and only the Duchess remains in the room to assist.
"Ellie, are you really going to do this?" The Duchess was still worried; even though they were very close sisters, she felt it was impossible to succeed.
"Hmm, that woman is hiding too well. If we keep waiting like this, I'm worried that Liz will fall for her."
"Sister, what are you talking about?" Liz asked curiously, pulling on her sister's arm, confused.
"It's okay. Your older sister will talk to you in a bit, so please don't refuse!" Ellie gave her younger sister a few more words of advice.
"Let's begin!"
Luo Fan remained perched on Ai Li's shoulder, curiously examining the peculiar magic circle while simultaneously keeping an eye on that despicable woman.
The moment the magic circle lit up, the light enveloped the two girls.
He suddenly realized that the woman was rushing towards him at a fast pace, and she gave him a mocking smile in the direction where he was hiding.
Oh no, we've fallen for their trap!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com