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nThe family and friends of Seraphina commenced their arduous ordeal. They hoped to elevate Seraphina’s image in the eyes of Hydral. While there was undoubtedly a degree of self-interest involved, their primary motivation was to secure a better future for Seraphina. Overwhelmed by this love, Seraphina found herself unable to speak, caught in a seemingly gentle yet cruel vortex from which she could not escape.

nTonight, she dreamt again, forced to endure another session of Hydral’s discipline. Although her memory of the dream was somewhat hazy, the pain she had suffered in her dreams in the previous days was vividly etched in her mind. The humiliation she endured in her dreams was far more brutal than any previous discipline. If the previous discipline was Hydral’s purposeful correction, then what happened in her dreams after returning to the village was… more akin to a ruthless and merciless punishment.

nHowever, in this session of discipline, Seraphina did not suffer any cruel punishment. The previously dark and chaotic dream world became clear, transforming into Hydral’s study. The scene was still somewhat blurry, and Hydral’s figure remained shrouded in shadows.

n“You’re upset, Seraphina,” Hydral, holding a teacup, stood beside her, “You didn’t expect this to happen, did you?”

nSeraphina stared blankly at the chaotic scene outside the study. She had no energy or will to argue with Hydral. She just wanted to escape from this damned dream as quickly as possible.

nThe devil, seemingly pleased with his own methods, chuckled lightly. His unabashed joy, which could easily infuriate Seraphina in the past, failed to elicit any reaction from her now.

n“This feeling, it’s more despairing than witnessing the tragic state of Red Frost city with your own eyes, isn’t it?” Hydral did not look at the numb Seraphina, but instead gazed at the chaotic boundary of the dream world with her, remarking, “On one side is everything you love, and on the other is the devil who manipulates your life. You should know what to choose, shouldn’t you?”

nHis lips curled into a somewhat exaggerated, even slightly bizarre smile, a smile that Hydral seemed to have never shown in reality.

n“But the problem is—” The young man sang as if performing a drama, “Everything you love denies your dignity and value with love, while the devil who manipulates your life treasures your abilities and skills. Dear Seraphina… are you sure you want to choose the former?”

n“Or to put it another way… if you plan to choose the former,” he tilted his head, his smile harmless and kind, “Isn’t that the same as choosing the latter?”

n“I won’t force you to do anything, Seraphina. I’ve never forced you to do anything, oh… except for the taming sessions.” Hydral appeared behind Seraphina like a ghost, whispering in her ear, “I gave you the power to challenge authority, to scorn the masses, and thus you have almost unlimited… choices.”

n“But in every choice you make, you always pick the worst one, leading to the worst outcome.” The phantom-like hand wrapped around Seraphina’s slender waist, and the devil, whose face was gradually becoming clear, rested his head on her shoulder, his voice full of tolerance and pity.

n“Even so, I’m willing to bear the consequences of your mistakes. Regardless of what others think, I believe I’ve been as tolerant as I can be towards you.”

n“So… there’s only one reason left for you to hate me so much, isn’t there?”

n“I trampled on your life.”

nAt that moment, Seraphina, who was embraced by Hydral, suddenly grabbed his neck, twisted her body, and pushed him to the ground. She sat on top of him, panting heavily, one hand clutching his throat, the other raised high.

n“What an… impressive scene.” Hydral, lying on the ground and looking up at her pretty face, laughed, “Do you want to reenact it in your dream, Seraphina?”

n“…”

nThe wolf remained silent, ultimately not bringing down her fist.

n“What a pity.” Hydral slightly turned his head, “I thought I could enjoy the scene of you crying and weakly questioning me about why I did this.”

n“Then I really… disappointed you.” Seraphina’s cold, empty eyes reflected Hydral’s blurry face. Those eyes, rather than pupils, were more like finely crafted, beautifully colored glass beads, rigidly and coldly embedded in her eye sockets.

n“Do you have an answer?” Hydral’s smile was still annoying.

nThe corner of the girl’s mouth twitched, “What does it matter if I have an answer or not? Do you think I would believe you?”

nHow could she trust someone who might be deceiving her at any time, trying to guide her in a certain direction to achieve his own goals?

nHow could she trust a devil who had planned her life, manipulated her emotions, and played with her life even before they met?

nAh… there was a way.

nForget herself, forget everything, abandon the most basic dignity of being a human, willingly give up even her self and soul, and regard being dominated by Ansel as the greatest, and the only happiness in her life—

nIn this way, I could trust him, right? Even if he asked me to die, I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment.

nBut… hadn’t I done that already?

nI was so humble, begging you like a dog. I was willing to sell everything I had to you, begging you not to tell me those things.

nAs long as you didn’t tell me… how could me, a fool, discover that you were manipulating my life?

nYou can do whatever you want, continue to play with everything about me, as long as I don’t know, wouldn’t that solve everything?

nYou could continue to laugh at my foolish actions where I couldn’t see, enjoy my guilty and sad look.

nYou could manipulate my life and control me will as you pleased when I knew nothing, just like from the very beginning… hadn’t I planned to give you everything at that time?

nBut Hydral, you didn’t do that.

nYou trampled on even my humble plea.

nA spark of life suddenly appeared in Seraphina’s empty eyes.

nYes… you even trampled on me, who had already abandoned my self and dignity.

n“Since you need me… Since you really need me…”

nShe did not exhibit the weakness and tears as Hydral had predicted.

nInstead, she harbored a dual hatred: one for Hydral’s ruthless cruelty and malice; the other for her own foolish arrogance, absurd and laughable.

nWith this double hatred, she roared at Hydral:

n“Why must you… trample on my life in such a way!”

nIn this matter alone, Seraphina was undoubtedly the victim — whether from a neutral perspective or from her own.

nSeraphina, a self-important fool, impulsive and arrogant, was undoubtedly primarily responsible for the many troubles she had caused.

nBut in fact, Ansel, who had always been “disciplining” and “guiding” Seraphina, had not done what he should have done on a broader level — after all, he was only training Seraphina into the shape he needed.

nTherefore, in other respects, the troubles caused by Seraphina were either deliberately guided by Ansel or resulted from his casual indulgence.

nSeraphina did not want to deny the sins caused by her own stupidity. By now, she no longer blamed the disaster in Red Frost City on Ansel and Marlina.

nShe only blamed the nobles’ stinginess and greed, their decadence and corruption; she only blamed her own stupidity and arrogance, not only making demands presumptuously, but also unable to see through the beautiful illusion that Hydral had woven for her.

nAnd Seraphina’s acceptance of her own mistakes and stupidity does not conflict with her boundless hatred for Hydral.

nIf, if at that moment, Hydral had stopped that topic… Seraphina would choose to forget everything he said, preferring to immerse herself in the beautiful dream he created for her.

nBut Hydral did not. He had no feelings for her, and he told her arrogantly and joyfully that everything she had experienced was his arrangement, her thoughts, her emotions, all in his hands.

nAs if just to appreciate the moment of her complete despair, he killed the former Seraphina without any nostalgia.

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nThe Seraphina who could never leave Hydral, who would never leave Hydral.

nApart from treating herself as a plaything to be manipulated at will, what other mentality could Hydral have to do such a thing? Even if he had a little bit of feelings for her, shouldn’t he accept her abandonment of everything and her loyalty no different from a dog?

n“Yes… that’s it…”

nSeraphina stared at the face obscured by shadows, murmuring with disgust and sadness:

n“Hydral, Ansel. You have never… cared about me.”

nAfter a long silence, Hydral on the ground said calmly:

n“…Do you really think so?”

nSeraphina didn’t speak, she just let go of her hand, stood up, and stopped looking at Hydral, as if he didn’t exist.

n“Ah…”

nHydral looked at the girl’s back, seemed to want to say something, but in the end, he just sighed lightly.

nHe stood up, lightly patted his clothes, and bowed slightly: “See you tomorrow, Seraphina.”

n“Whatever, just continue to torture me as you please.”

nSeraphina said expressionlessly: “To satisfy your boring desires, huh, is this considered my only remaining value to you?”

nHydral laughed:

n“But you seem to be willing.”

nSeraphina was slightly stunned, she turned her head to look at the blurred face, her pupils slightly enlarged, and suddenly walked quickly towards Hydral.

nBut just as she took a step, the devil’s figure disappeared.

nThe dream collapsed, and all the turbulent emotions turned into nothingness.

nHydral disappeared from Seraphina’s dream as always, but Seraphina still had to continue her cold and cruel life in reality.

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