Before the moment Greg woke her from her nightmare, Wendy felt as if she had fallen into an endless, dark abyss.
That feeling was hard to put into words.
When the members of the Demon King Cult rushed into the square shouting her name, she clearly saw the eyes of everyone around her change in an instant—from suspicion to certainty, from hesitation to anger.
The voices that had originally been defending her vanished, replaced by interrogation, cursing, and spitting.
She wanted to explain, to tell them that this was all a coincidence and that she didn't know those members of the Demon King Cult at all, but her voice was so pale and powerless amidst the explosions and shouts.
No one believed her, and even fewer were willing to listen to her.
She was like an actress pushed onto a stage; all her lines had already been written, her ending already decided, and her struggle was nothing more than the final, ridiculous embellishment of this play.
That feeling of despair from being abandoned by the entire world was not unfamiliar to Wendy.
She remembered an incident from her childhood in the imperial palace.
That year, she was about seven or eight years old, an age when one is full of curiosity about the world.
Crown Prince Finn had lost a mobilization seal that could be used to deploy a small squad of the imperial guard. Although its power was limited, it was still a major matter in court that could not be taken lightly.
And Finn insisted that Wendy had stolen it, on the grounds that she had been sneaking in and out of his study lately.
In reality, Wendy had simply happened to fall in love with ancient books about the Empire's history during that time.
But since her daily education only taught her how to be an excellent wife, it never involved any knowledge of history.
Thus, she could only slip inside to flip through a few pages whenever Finn was away, never touching anything else.
But Finn didn't need facts, because he simply detested his younger sister.
The matter quickly reached the Emperor.
Wendy knelt on the cold floor tiles of the great hall, her knees feeling the chill of the stone slabs through her thin clothing.
She said over and over, “It wasn't me, I didn't take it.”
Her voice gradually began to tremble from its initial composure, but the reactions of the people in the hall varied.
Several of her older sisters stood on either side; some kept their heads down in silence, while others secretly sized her up with gloating eyes.
The Second Imperial Princess even sighed softly, speaking in a tone that seemed fair but was actually kicking her while she was down: “Wendy may be young, but she is quite scheming. Father, I believe we should still investigate this thoroughly.”
Although the Fourth Imperial Princess did not speak, her expression of avoiding her like the plague was enough to make Wendy feel the true meaning of coldness.
Sitting high on his throne, the Emperor looked down at his youngest daughter kneeling below, a flash of reluctance passing through his eyes.
He didn't really believe Wendy would do such a thing, as he knew his daughter had been intelligent and sensible since childhood, never causing trouble, and was far less of a headache than Finn, who did nothing but stir up trouble all day.
Just as he cleared his throat and prepared to put this matter behind them, Finn beat him to the punch, speaking in a deeply pained tone: “Father, Wendy is still young. If we do not discipline her now, what will become of her when she grows up? Furthermore, that seal is of grave importance. If it falls into the hands of those with ulterior motives, the consequences will be unimaginable! As her older brother, I am only doing this for her own good!”
Finn's words seemed to be out of concern for Wendy, but in truth, every sentence was sealing her guilt.
The Emperor opened his mouth, looked at Finn's righteous face, and then at Wendy's tear-filled yet stubborn eyes. In the end, he only sighed, holding back his intended words to discuss this further at a later date.
Although he was the Emperor, Finn was his only son and the future heir to the Empire. He could not make the Crown Prince lose face in front of the ministers for the sake of a young daughter.
Such helplessness and compromise were not uncommon in royal families, but to the little girl kneeling on the cold floor tiles, that moment of silence felt like a blunt knife, slowly and deeply carving into her heart.
Just then, a figure stepped out from the crowd.
Third Imperial Princess Sarah strode over to Wendy's side. She did not kneel, but simply stood there with her back straight, looking directly at the Emperor on his throne: “Father, I believe Wendy. If she truly stole it, please present the evidence. But if there is no evidence, she should not be convicted. Brother Finn said he saw Wendy sneaking in and out of his study, but to my knowledge, Wendy has simply been reading 《Imperial Chronicles》 lately. And that book is placed on the third bookshelf by the window in the study. If Father does not believe me, you may send someone to verify it. You should immediately find traces of this book being constantly flipped through recently.”
Sarah's words were powerful and resonant, each word like a nail driven into the air of the great hall.
The Emperor fell silent for a moment, then sent someone to verify.
The results came back quickly. The 《Imperial Chronicles》 indeed showed signs of being constantly read recently, and a dried flower petal that Wendy used as a bookmark was even pressed between the pages.
With Sarah's help, Wendy finally proved her innocence.
As for the actual thief, they were also found during the subsequent investigation—it was an attendant by Finn's side. However, before he even had a chance to speak, he was directly executed.
Although the matter was successfully resolved, the feeling of being suspected and abandoned by everyone remained in Wendy's heart like an invisible scar.
That was why, in her subsequent life, she constantly worked hard to make herself more useful. She wanted to gain the trust of others and never be abandoned again.
And when the members of the Demon King Cult appeared, that feeling descended upon her once more.
And this time, it was even heavier and more suffocating than when she was a child.
Because this time, she could not prove herself like she did in her childhood.
What terrified her even more was that she wasn't sure if Greg and Allie would be willing to stand by her side like Sister Sarah did back then.
After all, the members of the Demon King Cult had rushed into the square under the banner of rescuing her. With such a reckless act, anyone would begin to suspect whether she truly was in league with the Demon King Cult.
She couldn't blame anyone for having such suspicions, because this was not a coincidence, but a trap that made it absolutely impossible for her to prove her innocence.
She even felt that even if Greg and Allie chose to stay out of it now, she could understand.
For this matter was entirely different from the incident in the imperial palace back then. That minor affair would not result in any real loss even if one chose the wrong side.
But this time, it was the charge of colluding with the Demons, a choice that meant turning the entire Empire into an enemy.
No one would risk their future and life for her, no one—
“I believe you.”
When those words fell into Wendy's ears, she felt the entire world go quiet.
The sounds of explosions, shouts, and the wind all vanished at that instant, leaving only those words echoing repeatedly in her mind.
Then she heard Greg continue, “Because you are mine.”
At that moment, Wendy felt a powerful hand grab her sinking wrist, dragging her out of that dark abyss.
Sunlight shone upon her face once more, air rushed back into her lungs, and she came alive again.
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