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墨書 Inktalez
Qin Si gently pushed open the door, and a faint scent of medicine mixed with the coolness of the morning air rushed to greet her.
Aelia lay in bed, her complexion pale, a lingering weariness shrouding her brow. She resembled a frightened bird, restless even in her dreams, her delicate fingers tightly clutching the sheets as if grasping the last straw of hope.
"Madam, you’re awake?" Qin Si's voice was as soft as a feather, afraid to disturb Aelia's rare moment of peace.
Aelia slowly opened her eyes, her gaze hazy as if still wandering through dreams. She felt achy all over, her head heavy as if filled with lead.
Qin Si hurried forward to help her sit up and handed her a glass of warm water.
"Madam, you have been unconscious for three days."
Three days?
Aelia's thoughts gradually became clearer, fragments of memories flooding back like a tide. Leonard... betrayal... those unbearable moments from Leonard's Last Night replayed in her mind, stabbing at her heart like sharp blades.
She suddenly grasped Qin Si's hand, urgency lacing her voice. "What about Leonard? How is he?"
Qin Si's eyes reddened; she lowered her head, her voice choked with emotion. "Madam, Lord... everyone in the Magic Castle knows about Lord's situation..."
Aelia's heart sank like a stone into a cold abyss. She understood what this meant. Her dignity, her pride, her love—all shattered into powder at that moment.
Weakly leaning against the headboard, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. After a long while, she slowly opened her eyes again, determination flickering within them.
"Strengthen the guards at the Magic Castle. No one is allowed to enter or leave without my command." Her voice was weak but carried an undeniable authority.
Qin Si nodded. Even under such crushing circumstances, the madam remained calm and decisive—truly the mistress of the Glorious Demon Fortress.
Just then, the door burst open violently, and Qin Si rushed in, panic-stricken and pale. "Madam, something’s wrong! Luna... Luna is missing!"
Aelia's heart tightened sharply as if gripped by an invisible hand. Luna! Her little angel, her only solace!
"What happened? How could she be missing?" Her voice trembled as if on the brink of breaking down.
Qin Si’s face was distraught as she stumbled over her words. "I... I just went to the garden to check on Luna, but... but she’s gone! I searched the entire garden and couldn’t find her..."
Aelia took a deep breath, forcing herself to remain calm. Now was not the time to blame Qin Si; finding Luna was the most important thing.
“Qin Si, stop crying. Right now, go find the Mage and seal off the entire Magic Castle. No one is to enter or leave! Also, send someone out to search for Luna. We must find her!” Her voice, though still trembling, was filled with strength.
Qin Si quickly wiped away her tears and turned to run outside.
Aelia closed her eyes, trying hard to sense the surrounding Magic Element. However, due to her own powers not being fully restored, she only felt a sharp pain in her head. She gritted her teeth, enduring the pain as she strained to listen for the sounds of the Magic Element. She knew that Luna must still be inside the Magic Castle; she had to find her!
Aelia stepped out of the room and slowly walked down the corridor. She listened carefully to every sound around her, every rustle of wind or movement. It was as if she had transformed into a cheetah, searching for her prey in the darkness.
Meanwhile, in a secluded corner of the Magic Castle, Luna was happily eating candy from her hand. A ragged man stood beside her, a kind smile on his face.
“Little girl, is it tasty?”
Luna nodded and smiled sweetly, “It’s delicious! Thank you, Grandpa!”
The man patted Luna's head and asked, “What’s your name, little girl? Where do you live?”
Luna answered without suspicion, “My name is Luna, and I live right here!”
The man smiled and said, “Oh really? Then why are you here all alone? Where are your parents?”
Luna innocently replied, “Mommy is sick, and Daddy went out on business. Sister Qin Si said I should wait for her here; she’ll come get me soon.”
A glint of greed flashed in the man's eyes as he bent down and said to Luna, “Little girl, how about I take you to a more fun place? There’s lots of delicious food and many exciting toys!”
Luna’s eyes lit up with excitement as she asked, “Really? What kind of delicious food do they have? What fun toys?”
The man vividly described this “fun place,” captivating Luna’s attention and making her completely forget Qin Si’s warning. She took the man’s hand and cheerfully said, “Grandpa, let’s go quickly!”
The man led Luna quietly toward the exit of the Magic Castle. The guards on the walls didn’t notice them because their attention was focused on the search happening inside the castle.
The man successfully led Luna out of the Magic Castle. He glanced back at the towering walls with a smug smile creeping onto his lips.
“Little girl, now you belong to me!”
“Grandpa, where are we going?” Luna asked curiously.
“Hehe,” the man chuckled ominously, “to a place you could never imagine!”
The man's weathered face was etched with deep lines, each wrinkle seemingly hiding a calculation. He squinted his eyes, sizing up the innocent and carefree Luna, mentally calculating the profit from this "deal."
"This little girl, so fresh and lively, she must be blessed. If we can sell her to one of those wealthy families, it would surely fetch a good amount of gold coins," he thought, rubbing his hands together as his greedy gaze slithered over Luna like a snake.
Beside him stood a woman dressed in coarse linen, her hair disheveled, also sporting a pair of shifty eyes. She tugged at the man's sleeve and whispered urgently, "Listen here, old man, don’t just get carried away with excitement. The children in the Magic Castle are either rich or noble; if we get caught kidnapping her, we’ll be in serious trouble!"
At her words, the man's smile faltered. He was well aware of the dangers posed by the Magic Castle; even a single guard could wield powerful magic. Yet, the thought of the immense profit Luna could bring made him waver.
"What are you afraid of? The Magic Castle is in chaos right now; who would notice us? Besides, this little girl is so well-behaved. As long as we are careful, we can easily pull this off!" he said with a forced bravado that hinted at a gambler's recklessness.
The woman sighed, realizing she couldn't sway this money-obsessed old fool. She could only shake her head helplessly, praying that nothing would go wrong.
Just then, distant footsteps echoed urgently, accompanied by calls of "Luna! Luna! Where are you?"
The man and woman’s faces changed instantly, their bodies stiffening as if they had stepped on a cat's tail. They quickly pulled Luna close and hid behind a large tree, holding their breath.
"What do we do? What do we do? They seem to be looking for her!" the woman asked in a panic, her voice trembling.
The man felt some panic too but quickly regained his composure. Lowering his voice, he instructed Luna, "Little girl, if anyone asks you anything, just say we are your parents. Do you understand? Otherwise, they will take you back!"
Though young, Luna was clever. She understood the man's meaning and nodded obediently.
As the patrol drew closer, both the man and woman were drenched in cold sweat from their nervousness. They held Luna tightly, fearing she might make even the slightest sound.
Finally, the patrol reached the tree where they were hiding. A young soldier brandished a torch and began searching through the nearby bushes.
"Luna! Luna! Where are you? The lady is very worried about you!" the soldier called out loudly, his voice filled with urgency.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself and muster his courage, the man stepped out from behind the tree while holding Luna. He plastered a smile on his face and tried to appear friendly.
"Excuse me, sir! Are you looking for a child? We are her parents; she got separated from us and we’ve been searching for her too!" he said earnestly, sounding just like an anxious father.
Luna played along perfectly; she clung tightly to the man's neck and called out in her sweet voice, "Daddy! Daddy! I'm here!"
Upon seeing Luna, the soldier immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
He stepped forward, carefully scrutinizing the man and woman. The man was dressed in rags, his face haggard, while the woman bore a similarly weathered appearance. They indeed looked like an ordinary peasant couple.
"It turns out it was just a false alarm; I thought Luna was lost!" the soldier said with a smile, his tone noticeably softer. However, he did not completely lower his guard and continued to observe the man and woman closely. He noticed that their eyes flickered nervously, as if they were hiding something.
"Do you live in Magic Castle? I don't think I've seen you before," the soldier asked, puzzled. The man quickly explained, "We're from out of town, visiting relatives at Magic Castle. We brought our child out to play today and accidentally got separated."
The soldier nodded and did not press further. He believed that if these two were indeed kidnappers, they would not dare to appear so brazenly in Magic Castle.
"Since you've found your child, then everything is fine. Take good care of her and don't let her get lost again!" the soldier said, turning to leave. The man and woman hurriedly expressed their gratitude, the weight on their hearts finally lifting. They watched as the soldier walked away until his figure disappeared into the night.
"That was close! We almost got caught!" the woman sighed in relief, patting her chest. The man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said with lingering fear, "Yeah! Luckily, that little girl is clever; otherwise, we would have been done for today!"
He turned to look at Luna nestled in his arms, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. "Little girl, you really are our lucky star! Once we sell you for a good price, we'll buy you lots of delicious food!" he thought to himself but kept it unspoken.
To avoid being discovered by the patrol again, the man decided to leave Magic Castle as quickly as possible. Holding Luna tightly, he quickened his pace towards the exit of Magic Castle.
Along the way, he kept entertaining Luna, playing a game of "father and daughter." At times he pretended to be a kind Father, telling her stories; at other times he took on the role of a strict Father, reminding her to behave.
Luna played along well; sometimes she called him "Daddy," and other times she sweetly asked him to hold her. Her innocent and carefree demeanor eased both the man’s and woman’s tension.
Before long, they reached the exit of Magic Castle. The towering city walls were heavily guarded, with several Guard Soldiers patrolling diligently. The man took a deep breath to steady himself.
Holding Luna tightly, he strode confidently toward the city gate.
"Stop! Who goes there?" one of the Guard Soldiers blocked their path, asking coldly.
The man quickly stopped, a smile plastered across his face.
He said, "Sir, we are residents of the city and need to go out for some urgent matters."
The soldier scrutinized the man and Luna carefully. He noticed that the man was dressed in rags and appeared flustered, while Luna was elegantly dressed, looking completely out of place beside him.
"Are you two father and daughter? I don’t quite see it," the soldier asked, puzzled.
The man hurriedly explained, "Sir, we truly are father and daughter. I have been away for a long time, exposed to the elements, which is why I look older. My daughter has been pampered since childhood, so she appears younger."
Luna cooperated well; she looked up at the soldier with a sweet smile and said, "Hello, Uncle! My daddy is so good to me! He buys me delicious food every day!"
Luna's innocent demeanor melted the soldier's heart instantly.
Looking into her bright, clear eyes, he found it hard to doubt her.
"Alright, but right now Magic Castle is under martial law. Without a special pass, no one is allowed to enter or leave!" the soldier said sternly.
The man grew anxious and pleaded, "Sir, we really have urgent matters to attend to. Please let us through!"
Luna tugged at the soldier's sleeve with a pitiful tone, saying, "Uncle, please let us go! My daddy is sick; we need to buy medicine for him!"
Seeing Luna's adorable expression made it even harder for the soldier to refuse.
He hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded.
"Okay, since your daughter looks so pitiful, I'll let you go. But remember to return quickly after your business is done; don’t linger outside!" the soldier said.
The man quickly thanked him and hurriedly carried Luna out of Magic Castle.
He glanced back at the towering city walls and silently vowed to sell Luna as soon as possible and then flee far away from this cursed place forever.
As they stepped out of Magic Castle, Luna let out a long sigh of relief, nestled in the man's arms as she breathed in the air of freedom.
"Mother, Aelia, I will be away from you for a while; please take care of yourselves!" Luna silently thought to herself, her youthful face showing a determined expression.
The man held Luna tightly as they ran frantically, fearing that Aelia would catch up and drag them back.
"Old man, where are we going now?" the woman asked breathlessly.
The man stopped to wipe the sweat from his forehead and said ominously, "To a place where no one can find us! Once we get there, we can count our money in peace!"
Luna quietly lay in the man's arms, her big eyes curiously observing everything around her.
She knew that the road ahead would be filled with uncertainty and challenges.
Would Aelia be able to find Luna?
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