Chapter 205 - 198: The Unexpected Youth
Chapter 205: Chapter 198: The Unexpected Youth
Kuka City, in an alleyway to the east of the city.
It was an ordinary gray brick house, but what was strange was that even during the day, the curtains were tightly drawn.
In the room, a girl wearing a plain brown dress was sitting bored in a chair, flipping through a book.
Before long, the door was pushed open from the outside, and a slightly thin figure entered, carrying a tray of food.
“Ah, Cress, I’ve been waiting for so long!”
The girl said cheerily as she jumped off the chair to take the tray and set it on a nearby table, chattering away.
...
“Sorry, Liz, you’ll have to make do with this ordinary fare,”
Cress said somewhat apologetically.
The food on the table consisted only of plain black bread and stewed vegetable soup, with traces of smoked meat among the potatoes and carrots.
“Ah, being away from that castle makes me feel like I can breathe easier.”
“And I owe it all to you, Cress. I definitely didn’t want to marry someone so much older than me.”
Liz didn’t mind as she suddenly hugged Cress, rubbing her face against the smaller girl’s delicate cheek.
“I’d rather live with you, Cress, than go through with that.”
“Hmm, if that’s what you wish, Liz…”
Cress murmured softly, her cheeks flushing with a hint of red.
Cress was an ordinary Bronze Mage in Kuka City, and the inheritance she received from her deceased parents was enough for her to lead a tranquil, conflict-free life.
But that calm was shattered one day, a day Cress remembered clearly.
It was a bright, sunny spring day, and she was preparing to go out to buy food for the next few days when a figure suddenly burst through the door and quickly locked it behind her.
It was a beautiful girl in a fancy warm yellow dress, who looked at her pleadingly and said,
“There are people chasing me, can I stay here for a while, miss?”
Cress didn’t know why she agreed to the girl’s request without hesitation, her memory only holding onto the girl’s radiant face and her smile.
It was like a beam of sunlight breaking into her monotonous, bland life.
Later, Cress found out that the girl’s name was Liz, the daughter of the local Lord, Viscount Kuka.
That day was supposed to be a leisurely outing for her, but Liz, finding the guard’s presence restrictive, had slipped away from them.
Bursting into Cress’s home was an accident, merely an attempt to avoid the guards who were following her.
Liz had no other intentions; she just wanted to relax for a while. After a short stay at Cress’s house, she comfortably wandered around Cress’s modest home, chatted for a while, and then honestly returned.
However, since that day, Liz started visiting Cress’s home from time to time to relax and ease the tension of living at the Viscount Castle.
Cress didn’t know why, but she did not reject the young lady’s visits.
Gradually, it seemed like Cress’s life had gained an extra person, and her once gray and monotonous memories seemed to gain some unusual colors.
Until a week ago, when Liz suddenly came to her, looking quite dejected, she said,
“Father is marrying me off; I might never be able to come here again.”
At that moment, Cress felt her mind go blank and blurted out,
“Then Liz, why don’t you come here?”
She knew it was dangerous, that it could anger Lord Viscount Kuka and disrupt her peaceful life forever, but all those worries were cast aside in Liz’s sweet smile.
So, a few days ago, with Cress’s help, Liz quietly arrived here, and Cress even fabricated some tracks to make it look as if Liz had escaped from Kuka City.
Viscount Kuka was frantic, so in the past few days, whenever Cress went out, she noticed many guards checking the people on the streets, so the two of them mostly stayed home.
However, staying here indefinitely wasn’t possible; sooner or later, Viscount Kuka would come knocking. Cress had already prepared to leave with Liz once the checks at the city gate relaxed.
Where to, then? Royal Capital Bright City, perhaps?
Cress sipped her vegetable soup slowly, continuously making plans in her mind.
During this process, Cress, who had always been indifferent to other matters, gradually matured.
Liz no longer thought as much, feeling that escaping from that oppressive home was the luckiest thing ever.
Carefully soaking the black bread in vegetable soup, even a small surprise could keep her happy for a long time.
As for the future, Liz didn’t want to worry about it.
As long as she was with Cress, that was enough!
Knock knock!
While the two were quietly enjoying their meal, a sudden knock at the door rang out.
Cress’s body tensed up instantly, and Liz also looked scared, but obediently remained silent, just quietly waiting there for Cress’s decision.
Cress clenched her teeth and whispered to Liz,
“I’ll go see what’s going on, you stay here and don’t make a sound.”
Liz nodded, very aware of Cress’s concerns.
Cress didn’t ask Liz to hide.
If the visitor was truly there for Liz, hiding would be meaningless.
If the target wasn’t Liz, Cress wouldn’t easily let anyone into the house.
Standing in front of the door, Cress took a deep breath to calm her emotions and then looked outside through a small hole in the door.
Cress let out a small sigh of relief, there were no guards, it wasn’t the worst scenario she had imagined.
The person standing outside was a handsome young man, his smiling demeanor seemed to indicate he had noticed someone peeking through the hole.
“Who are you, and what do you want?”
Cress didn’t open the door but asked cautiously.
“My name is Lis, I’ve come from Bright City.”
“As for my purpose…”
The young man smiled, uttering words that almost stopped Cress’s heart.
“It’s to help you and Miss Liz.”
Cress’s heart seemed to stop for a moment, she hadn’t expected that the young man would casually mention Liz’s name.
His confident tone seemed to imply he knew everything.
What to do? What to do?
Should she run away with Liz now?
No, it’s too late, they would surely be caught by the guards,
As Cress’s mind was a mess, the young man’s voice rose in her ears again.
“Don’t worry, I’m here to help you.”
“Otherwise, I would have gone directly to Viscount Kuka.”
Cress slightly calmed her emotions, this person claiming to be Lis made sense.
“I think it’s better for me to come in and talk, it’s too conspicuous out here.”
“And…”
A quiet, eerie blue fireball suddenly appeared in the young man’s hand, casting a somewhat sinister and mysterious glow on his face.
“I don’t think this door can stop me.”
Crack!
Pale-faced, Cress didn’t hesitate and abruptly opened the door.