27~ Unthinkable Possibilities
She, Bilodis, drank so much tea with extra ingredients added, and after more than half an hour, she’s perfectly fine. Why should Tillysha have any issues after drinking it?
There’s probably an 80% chance she mixed up the anti-fatigue potion with something else or that bottle of potion was just subpar quality.
Anyway, they’re both Gold Elves. This milky demon has no problem; hence she definitely won’t have one either.
Besides, even if there were problems, so what? Can Bilodis hold it in for so long, and Tillysha can’t?
With the competitive urge rising, Tillysha’s indomitable spirit took the lead.
Come on then, let’s harm each other and see who can hold out longer and who cracks first, requesting a ceasefire.
With this mindset, Tillysha, aiming to dispel Bilodis’ suspicions, acted as if she didn’t care and took a sip of tea.
The chess game continued.
Lailyn, watching from the side, tilted her head, unsure if it was her imagination or not, but she felt the nature of this sisterly match had mysteriously changed. Though they were playing chess, neither seemed entirely focused on it, yet both were extraordinarily fixated on winning or losing. She couldn’t figure out what exactly they were competing over.
By the last phase of the chess game, the outcome was clear: Bilodis was about to win decisively. Under normal circumstances, Tillysha had almost no chance to turn the tables.
Frankly, playing at this level while being amnesiac was no small feat, yet for some reason, Miss Tillysha looked a bit off.
Was it because she knew she was about to lose, her face showing the difficulty of calculating her win? Or was something else making her look strangely out of sorts?
That fatty demon…
Tillysha repeatedly tapped the chess piece between her fingers, her gaze lowered, occasionally sneaking glances at Bilodis across the table.
Seated with poise, the blonde woman twirled a strand of her hair while gazing at Tillysha meaningfully, her perennial smile making it impossible to read her thoughts.
Could that devil possibly know everything and was just pretending to be clueless, letting Tillysha fall into her own trap?
If that was the case, how absolutely… nefarious!
Tillysha couldn’t determine if Bilodis had really seen through her scheme and was confident or if she was bluffing. She had no choice but to keep pushing on.
But…
Looking at Bilodis’ composed and unfazed demeanor, Tillysha felt an overwhelming despair. How could this person have no problem at all?
At first, Tillysha was hopeful that she had simply made a mistake, accidentally adding the wrong ingredients. But facts proved otherwise; the increasing urge for her body to metabolize confirmed everything.
If she hadn’t made a mistake with the potion, why wasn’t Bilodis affected in the slightest?!
Time ticked by, Tillysha clutching her forehead, pretending to think deeply, but in reality, the pressing urge made it impossible to maintain her usual unreadable expression. Her face grew stern to hide her current plight.
However, such tricks were laughable to Bilodis who’d lived for nearly a thousand years. No matter how obvious her disguise was, no single change in Tillysha’s complexion escaped Bilodis’ notice.
Even Lailyn watching from the sideline wasn’t fooled.
If the two of them still couldn’t figure out Tillysha’s antics by now, they’d have wasted hundreds of years of experience.
My Lady…
A flicker of helplessness crossed Lailyn’s eyes, admiring Tillysha’s indomitable spirit but at a loss for her tendency to repeat the same mistakes.
Surely, Bilodis had realized what Lady Tillysha had attempted and was simply playing along.
Given the Empress’s enthusiastic demeanor, this spectacle appeared far from over.
How could…
Tillysha couldn’t comprehend why, despite drinking the same tea with the added ingredients and even drinking more than her, Bilodis had not been affected at all.
Even with higher Divine Authority, it wasn’t plausible for it to counteract the side effects of alchemy potions, right? That’s not scientific or magical.
Could it be her Resistance to Alchemy within her Realm was high?
No, she didn’t activate her Realm; how could she counteract the potion’s effects?
If she can’t totally expel the drug from her body, then it must be working. She’s just faking it well, making it look like nothing happened, adding psychological pressure to her own situation.
“Little Sha, it’s your turn to move,” said Bilodis, playing with the chess piece in her hand, looking at Tillysha with amused eyes. Those bright and transparent eyes seemed to see right through everything or were simply teasing—impossible to read what she was really planning.
“I know that, and I don’t need your reminder,” Tillysha retorted, gripping the chess piece tightly, her palm sweating slightly.
She needed to think, not only about Bilodis’s intentions and how much longer she could keep going, but also about her own endurance, the game itself, and how she could prolong it to force Bilodis to surrender.
However, intense wave after wave of pressure prevented her from thinking.
Without the earlier composure, her train of thought became increasingly narrow, eventually leading toward a dead end.
“What is it, Little Sha~?” Bilodis teased, raising her elegant eyebrows, her face plastered with an overly soft smile as if she knew nothing of Tillysha’s current predicament.
“Are you not feeling well?”
“No.” These two words were nearly whispered from her throat. She bit her lower lip, slightly lowering her head, one hand pressed against her forehead, the other gripping the chess piece.
The chessboard before her eyes started to blur, resembling a demon’s gaping mouth, dripping with nauseating drool, forcing her to continue playing.
She couldn’t hold on much longer…
Maybe… it would be better to stop?
“If you don’t feel well, you should stop. Just concede,” Bilodis said with feigned concern.
“I can’t lose to you,” Tillysha replied, perhaps intentionally ignoring Bilodis’ suggestion of “just concede,” and continued to persevere.
Place the piece, think, remove the piece, place the piece again.
The dropping sounds of the pieces on the board played like raindrops: drip, drip, drip. As Tillysha continued, the scenes around her grew blurry. Her consciousness faded, making it hard to think.
When she came to, she suddenly felt that the discomfort had eased.
Before she could rejoice, she looked up to see Lailyn observing her with a weird expression, wanting to say something but stopping herself. Bilodis’ gaze, full of amusement, deepened, as if realizing it was best not to say a word.
Why were they looking at her like that? Could it be that…?
Tillysha slowly lowered her gaze and immediately turned pale.
She, she, she, couldn’t believe she actually…?!
“No one is allowed to look here!”
Apparently overwhelmed by shock, Tillysha’s eyes swirled, and with a splat, she collapsed onto the chessboard.
“Seems like I really did add something extra to this child’s tea,” Bilodis said, uncertain whether to be angry or amused.
She could understand now why Tillysha had acted so strangely; it turned out the girl had something up her sleeve.
Bilodis was partly relieved that this was due to Tillysha’s mischief rather than being possessed by someone else’s soul.
Unbeknownst to the unconscious Tillysha, she had been tested these past two days. If even one of the tests didn’t align, Bilodis would have started to doubt Tillysha’s identity.
Fortunately, all tests passed, a bit of good fortune for both Tillysha and Bilodis.
“Perhaps fortune isn’t the right word here. Pre-determined facts naturally can’t go wrong,” said Bilodis, rising from her seat.
“Your Majesty, the Lady is currently very weak,” said Lailyn, who’d just walked out of the room after examining Tillysha, with a hint of concern.
After cleaning Tillysha and changing her into fresh clothes, Bilodis had put her back in her room for Lailyn’s treatment.
Initially, they thought the princess couldn’t bear this kind of embarrassment and fainted in a fit of rage, but an examination revealed otherwise.
“The current state of Lady Tillysha is troublesome,” paused Lailyn.
“There’s no need for euphemisms, it’s severely troublesome,” said Bilodis, her eyes fixed on the window, having lost the usual calmness.
“Yes, a soul split in two cannot function normally. The self-aware half is here, but the part controlling the abilities remains in Caleburn.”
“Splitting a soul into two and keeping them long apart will cause irreversible damage—spiritually, mentally, and physically.”
“Now, the negative effects have already started to show,” said Lailyn, stopping there, knowing that Bilodis understood the severity of the situation.
Perhaps she had understood it all along.
As Lailyn stopped speaking, this was a problem between the sisters and one they had to resolve themselves.
Silent, Bilodis walked into the room with her usual graceful steps like a swan.
“I’ve been selfish,” said Bilodis, standing by the bed, looking at the sleeping Tillysha. A few beams of moonlight shone on her perfect face, with a silver sheen adorning her golden lashes.
“I knew it, yet I still couldn’t help but want to keep her by my side just a little longer.”
“Perhaps, it’s not the right time yet,” Bilodis said after a while, reluctantly withdrawing her hand and looking away without any lingering glances.
Since it isn’t the right time to reunite, she shouldn’t hold on too much.
After enduring long-term loneliness, Bilodis knew all too well that too much yearning and affection would make the waiting even more painful, eventually leading to a mental breakdown.
“I’ve repaired some of the damaged meridians in Little Sha and injected sap from the Holy Tree; she should be better off than before,” this was all she could do.
The rest is up to herself.
“Little Sha, whether you want it or not, the road lies beneath your feet.”
“In the end, you will retrieve all of your memories.” Without looking back at Tillysha, Bilodis walked out of the room.
“Leilin.”
“Your majesty, I’m here.”
“Send Little Sha back to where she belongs.”
“Yes, your majesty.” In a ripple of space-time fluctuation, the slumbering figure on the bed disappeared gradually.
“Your majesty,” Leilin couldn’t help but look at the back of the lonely Bilodis.
The loss and gain of what she held dear was the hardest trial, harder still than enduring the pain of losing again.
“Things unfold according to heaven’s will.”
Bilodis seemed unwilling to dwell on the topic. Leilin heard the returning authority and cold arrogance in her voice, like a queen bearing the future of the Elf clan on her shoulders.
“How is the Moon Elf King doing?”
“The Moon Elf King follows your command faithfully. Observations and tests during this time show he has defied his clan’s interests multiple times, obeying your orders unconditionally. The reason is unclear, but regarding sincerity, I believe the Moon Elf King is quite genuine.”
“If you’re worried about Lady Tillysha’s safety, you could divulge more secrets to the Moon Elf King so that there’s support for Lady Tillysha.”
“No,” said Bilodis, without hesitation, rejecting Leilin’s suggestion.
“I understand,” said Leilin, deciding not inquire why Bilodis made that decision. Even if the Moon Elf King was entirely loyal, if the queen didn’t want him to know the truth, then ignorance was his destiny.
“Do you remember the devastation four hundred years ago? Why did the protective barrier guarding our Elf clan fail at such a crucial time, opening the doors to the Elf Forest?”
I once told you it might not be an external cause.”
“Currently, I am almost certain that the barrier’s failure was not the Demon Race’s doing.”
“Your Majesty means you are sure it was an internal affair??” Leilin was shocked. The clan always favored peace, cared for fellow kin, and shunned outsiders. How could there be traitors?
But she believed Bilodis wholeheartedly.
“So, you suspect the Moon Elf King?…”
“It’s too early to tell.” Bilodis shook her head. “It could be the Moon Elf King, or perhaps another Elder, but whoever can manipulate the barrier must hold a high position.”
“It might not be the Moon Elf King, but even if it isn’t him, knowing wouldn’t benefit him. No wall stands forever, and relying on others to keep secrets is never as effective as keeping them buried inside yourself.”
“Little Sha is currently at Coleman Academy, and I’ve heard that the current Principal there is a Moon Elf Elder.”
“Yes.”
“It doesn’t matter which Elder it is, as long as Little Sha hasn’t revealed her identity to them. Otherwise…”
“If that Elder happened to be the ‘defector’ who orchestrated everything back then…” Bilodis shook her head. She couldn’t quite imagine such a possibility.
