Survival Guide After Accidentally Kissing a Demon - Chapter 101

Chapter 101

What exactly is Cyril up to?

Beili’s jewel-like, deep red eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Was this some kind of trick?

She couldn’t help but recall what Ashera had told her on the Third Floor of the library:

“Because… I always h-hear him… in his heart, saying Ba-Bartholomew… should… should disappear from this world.”

…

Bartholomew should disappear from this world.

And then there was the Withered Tree Pool in the Gloomy Maze, which had been prepared specifically for her.

So Cyril must have known.

He knew that the unremarkable withered tree in the Maze Center was arguably the most dangerous thing in the entire Gloomy Maze.

Yet, he hadn’t mentioned it once during the entire ordeal.

Before she had arrived at the Maze Center to regroup with them, Cyril might have offhandedly mentioned it to the others, but they likely hadn’t taken it to heart.

However, Cyril had never said a word to her.

Beili remembered clearly.

Absolutely not a word.

But then…

Why did he warn her not to use her Mana just as she was about to fall into the trap?

He had remained silent the whole time; wasn’t he waiting for that exact moment?

It was like a fisherman patiently waiting for a fish to swim into his net, only to tell the fish right before hauling it in: “There’s a hole in the mesh you can slip through…”

…

“He truly is… a contradictory person,” Beili sighed, her brow furrowed in confusion.

“Everyone else is gone. Let’s go too, Luoluo.”

With a sharp snap, Madam Constance closed the ornate bone fan with the red handle and affectionately hooked her arm through Bartholomew’s, a mischievous giggle escaping her lips.

“It’s so good to be young,” she lamented with a smile as they walked.

The girl being led along could only glance to the side, her red eyes filled with helplessness.

Beili no longer had the energy to correct her. No matter what she said, she couldn’t sway Madam Constance’s ideas.

One giggling and the other resigned, the Constance mother and daughter returned to their carriage.

Once all the Noble carriages were positioned in the convoy according to their rank, the dull blast of a horn sounded once more.

Then, the Sainthos royal procession, leading the carriages of the various noble families, set off in a grand display.

…

The wheels rolled from the smooth bluestone pavers of the imperial city onto gravel roads, which eventually gave way to grass and dirt paths.

Before the sun dipped below the horizon, the massive entourage finally arrived at the Hunting Forest on the outskirts of the city.

They stopped in a wide, relatively flat meadow.

All around them was a lush, dense forest. The branches and leaves stretched out freely, blocking most of the sunlight and leaving the woods shrouded in gloom.

From deep within the mountains, the faint cries of birds and beasts could be heard.

Susanna had fallen asleep during the journey. The Duke decided to stay in the carriage and wait for her to wake up naturally.

Beili had been jolted around for the entire trip. Her whole body felt numb by the time they reached their destination. She couldn’t wait to get out of the carriage and breathe in the mountain air, which smelled of damp dew and greenery.

Madam Constance stepped down as well. She watched Bartholomew’s figure, looking as though she had slipped into a distant memory.

“Luoluo… could you listen to Mother and not wander off?” Madam Constance suddenly said to her, her tone uncharacteristically dejected.

Beili, who was in the middle of stretching, turned back in confusion.

She found the woman behind her, despite her heavy and vibrant makeup, looking dazed, her eyes filled with an unshakeable sadness.

Beili took her hand and asked softly, “Mother, what’s wrong?”

She realized that ever since they left the imperial city, the closer they got to the outskirts, the quieter the woman had become. Now that they were at the Hunting Forest, Madam Constance’s complexion looked terrible.

“Because when you were little… you went missing on the final day of the Hunting Day…”

“I searched the woods from day until night…”

“I kept searching… I searched for you for so many days…”

…

As if triggered by an incredibly painful memory, the eyes inside Madam Constance’s thick, dark eyeliner quickly turned red, traced with fine veins of blood.

Seeing the usually overbearing Madam Constance suddenly become so fragile, Beili actually felt a pang of sympathy.

“I’ve grown up, Mother. I’m not a child anymore. I won’t get lost.”

She forced a smile and promised, “If I wander too far, I’ll turn into a butterfly and fly back.”

At her words, the clarity gradually returned to Madam Constance’s reddened eyes.

“Yes… Luoluo has grown up,” she said.

Then, her deep red lips curled back into a smile.

“Alright-enough nonsense, Luoluo!”

“I need to go supervise those clumsy royal attendants setting up the tents, and pick out the spot for our Constance Family tents while I’m at it!”

She adjusted the wide-brimmed hat on her head, which was decorated with several red feathers, and said, “You know, darling, fighting a crowd of noblewomen for a prime tent location is no easy task!”

Amused by Madam Constance’s words, Beili’s lips curved upward. She nodded with a hum and watched as the woman rolled up her sleeves and marched off aggressively.