Chapter 8: Criminal, scratch the soles of the feet, exchange letters
After breaking free from Lily’s embrace, Angus returned home only to find Eric in the basement, once again whipping someone with his bandages.
Seeking some peace of mind, Angus asked, “Eric, what crime did this person commit?”
Eric paused, turning to her with a glint of excitement in his eyes.
“ crime.”
The answer stunned Angus, her beautiful eyes filled with conflict and struggle.
In her understanding, crime was despicable but not deserving of death—according to the kingdom’s laws, castration was sufficient punishment.
Yet in Eric’s world, everything seemed to take on an extreme edge.
Angus didn’t dare say more, knowing Eric’s temper all too well.
One wrong word could bring disaster upon her.
She quietly returned to her room and lay on her bed, her thoughts a tangled mess.
Eric’s increasingly lax standards filled her with deep fear.
If this continued, would he spare even innocent people?
But then she told herself, I’ll be leaving soon anyway. Whatever wrongs Eric commits won’t concern me.
Yet the more she thought, the more her conscience gnawed at her.
She felt compelled to make amends with Eric.
After all, she had taken his sister Elena’s body.
No matter how brutally Eric treated her, it wasn’t entirely unjustified—he must deeply love his sister.
If it had been her original body doing these things, she’d likely be a mangled corpse by now.
Despite her fear of Eric, Angus resolved to make things right.
She got up again and headed to the basement.
The basement reeked of blood and decay, and Angus fought back nausea as she approached Eric.
The criminal’s abdomen had been cruelly torn open, bandages protruding from the cavity, tangled with grotesque organs.
Eric snapped, “Get out, or I’ll deal with you too!”
Angus hurriedly said, “Let’s play cards. If you win, you can ‘play’ with me. If you lose, you add ten days to your no-torture promise, and you can’t subtract them.”
Eric sneered but agreed to her proposal.
Angus won the first two rounds, then deliberately lost the third.
A smug smile spread across Eric’s face as he bound Angus with bandages and dragged her to his room.
Angus’s heart leaped to her throat, regretting her reckless wager.
She thought Eric might do something unspeakable, but it was too late to back out—she could only accept her fate.
Eric tossed her onto the bed and secured her tightly with bandages.
Angus squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for a nightmare.
Eric yanked off her shoes, revealing her delicate feet clad in white stockings, the thin fabric like a delicate veil.
Grabbing the edge of the stockings, he tore them off roughly.
The fabric ripped with a sharp hiss, as if groaning in pain.
Finally, the stockings were gone, exposing her pale, tender feet.
Each toe was small and refined, like meticulously carved jade.
Her toenails were smooth and pink, gleaming naturally.
The skin of her soles was silky and flawless, as pure as freshly fallen snow.
Faint veins on her instep added a lively charm to her exquisite feet.
Just as Angus braced for Eric to tear her clothes, he began tickling her soles.
Unable to hold back, Angus burst into laughter, begging for mercy between gasps.
Under Eric’s relentless tickling “punishment,” Angus laughed so hard she could barely breathe, tears streaming down her face.
Her pleas echoed in the room, but Eric seemed to revel in it, showing no sign of stopping.
“Eric, I was wrong, I’m so sorry, please let me go!” Angus’s voice carried a sobbing edge.
Eric finally stopped, looking at her disheveled state and laughing heartily.
“Let’s see if you dare make deals with me again!”
Gasping for breath, Angus thought to herself, Thank the gods it was just a scare.
“No more, never again,” she panted.
Eric waved her off, signaling she could leave.
Angus hurriedly put her shoes back on and fled the room, as if pursued by something terrifying.
Back in her room, still shaken, Angus lay on her bed, replaying the events.
Eric’s unpredictable behavior was growing ever more frightening.
The next day arrived quickly.
At the Royal Academy of Magic and Battle Aura, practical magic classes were always a mix of excitement and tension for students.
That day, Angus and Lily were paired for a challenging task in their practical magic course.
The classroom buzzed with mystical energy, filled with various magical tools and materials.
Their task was to unravel a complex magical array.
The array before them was like a mysterious labyrinth, its runes interwoven and glowing faintly.
Angus stared at it, feeling dizzy and clueless about where to begin.
Lily frowned.
“This array’s structure is too intricate, and the magical elements clash, making it hard to balance.”
Angus tried injecting magic, but it sank into the array without effect, like a stone in the sea.
Lily followed suit, but the array suddenly flared with light, a powerful backlash knocking them back a few steps.
“This won’t work by brute force,” Angus said, rubbing her aching arm.
Lily pondered for a moment.
“Let’s start with the outer runes and work inward.”
Carefully, they approached the array again, starting with the outermost runes, slowly injecting magic and sensing the shifts in the elements.
After numerous attempts and adjustments, the array’s glow stabilized—they’d found the key to cracking it.
“Great, keep it up!” Lily said excitedly.
Just as they were about to fully unravel the array, a surge of dark magic erupted from its core, trying to thwart them.
Angus and Lily exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with determination.
Together, they increased their magic output, engaging in a fierce struggle against the dark force.
In the end, they suppressed the dark magic and fully decoded the array.
“Lily, we owe this to you,” Angus said with a smile.
Lily wiped sweat from her brow.
“We’re partners. It takes teamwork to succeed.”
“Lily, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you,” Angus said suddenly, her voice hesitant.
Lily looked up, curious.
“What is it?”
Angus took a deep breath, deciding to share a sliver of her secret.
“There’s a secret about me that’s been troubling me.”
Lily frowned, intrigued.
“What secret? You can tell me—I might be able to help.”
Looking into Lily’s sincere eyes, Angus wavered but still hesitated to fully trust her.
“I’m not sure if I should trust you.”
Lily gently took her hand.
“Elena, we’re partners. I’m here to help.”
Angus bit her lip, then told Lily her secret and entrusted her with delivering the letter.
Lily tucked the letter into her robe, her heart pounding.
Angus warned, “You have to be careful!”