"Swish," the sound of sothing slicing through the air reached her ears. As she barely managed to lift her eyelids, her peripheral vision caught sothing swiftly flashing by. Before she could discern it clearly, she felt an icy coldness brushing past the tip of her nose.
At the sa ti, there was a soft thud on the ground.
"..."
The fierce gusts of wind, the swirling fallen leaves, the sparse hum of voices.
For a mont, everything seed to freeze.
Helena Wills remained in a rigid state for a full ten seconds before feeling the sensations throughout her body gradually returning.
Her hand was hers, her foot was hers, her breathing was hers.
Equally, the fear and terror that shook her to her core were still hers.
She lay sprawled on the ground, within her field of vision was a knife with a chrod blade, unreflective, exuding a cold and nacing aura. The tip was embedded in the ground, re inches from her.
Even a slight deviation, and she could well be teetering on the edge of death.
"Relax, it’s a law-abiding society, I don’t kill people."
The voice drifted over, lazy and casual.
It sounded comforting, but to Helena Wills, it was an undeniable threat.
Helena lay still, but her eyes moved, glancing upwards at Nora Scott, who maintained her arrogant posture.
Then, she saw Nora’s thin lips move, her smile growing increasingly soft and sinister as she casually added,
"However, drawing a bit of your blood is still possible."
!
Nonchalant, calm and collected.
Yet it exuded an unshakable confidence.
She smiled brilliantly and dazzlingly, but the oppressive feeling she imparted surpassed that of any brutish thug.
"..."
Helena opened her mouth, but no sound ca out, as if every word was stuck in her throat, forcibly suppressed by fear.
Having struggled outside for many years, Helena had t many people, but everyone wore masks, spoke and acted with courtesy. Even the most sinister individuals sched behind others’ backs. She had never encountered such a person—
Simple, direct, straightforward.
Blaring malice and targeting.
Yet, precisely for this reason, she found it terrifying beyond asure...
This horrifying woman might actually an it when she talked about drawing blood, she could very well approach with a knife to do it.
"Play chess."
After issuing the warning, Nora Scott paid her no further heed. She raised an eyebrow at Pedro Langley on the opposite side and signaled to start another ga.
From beginning to end, Pedro Langley remained utterly composed, as if watching a play. Even when Nora Scott threw the dagger, he didn’t blink an eye.
He leisurely peeled a section of orange to eat and said, "I’ll give you a rook and a knight."
Nora Scott chuckled, "Do I even need your concessions?"
Pedro Langley replied, "Don’t forget you still have to call Master."
"..."
Damned, just because I learned chess from him, he’s getting all smug!
...
On one side, Nora and Pedro played chess leisurely, eating oranges, warming by the fire. On the other side, Helena lay on the ground in a disheveled state, unable to rise for a long ti.
It wasn’t that Helena didn’t want to get up; her hands and feet were limp, and her entire body ached from the fall. She simply couldn’t stand. On top of that, with Nora’s recent intimidation, Helena was half scared to death, trembling uncontrollably.
For a long ti.
Helena finally gritted her teeth and slowly got up.
After a mont of internal struggle, she dared not confront Nora, clinging to her muddy self, dragging her weakened body step by step to the store next door.
After quite a while, she finally gathered the strength to tidy herself up.
*
The driver was quick in his tasks.
Just as Helena managed to get herself in order, the driver returned.
With the driver present, Helena felt a bit more confident, but it took her so ti to build up the nerve to approach Nora again.
"The money has already been transferred to him, give the golden cicada."
"Here."
Without looking up, Nora Scott pulled a brocade box from her pocket and tossed it to Helena.
Helena hurriedly caught it.
Opening the brocade box, she examined it closely but couldn’t determine its authenticity.
"Not leaving yet?"
Having just made a chess move, Nora lazily glanced in her direction, a casual smile playing on her lips.
Helena’s heart jolted.
"Let’s go."
She whispered to the driver, then quickly turned to leave.
The pain in her body persisted, especially in her knees. Helena walked slowly at first, hiding her limp. But as soon as she sped up, her limp beca apparent. She didn’t want to linger a mont longer and hurriedly got into the car.
Her departure seed like a frightened escape.
Watching her swaying back fade into the distance, the smile on Nora’s lips gradually disappeared, leaving a coldness in her eyes.
Using a rook to take Nora’s knight, Pedro Langley asked casually, "You made preparations in advance?"
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