Chapter 10: Bitter Fate Mandarin Ducks~

Heimu closed her eyes again, took a deep breath, as if to suck in the oppression lingering in the air and her own sense of powerlessness, then grind it inside her chest.

A few seconds later, she reopened her eyes; in her purplish-black pupils, all her struggling and complaining were suppressed.

"Yes!"

She said in a low voice, her tone not loud but carrying a kind of reckless determination.

"It's just being a villain, right?"

She adjusted the brim of her oversized witch hat, then patted her skirt where no dust existed, trying to regain the elegance and dignity belonging to the Black Curtain Lady, even as her heart was performing an extremely tragic drama.

"To save someone… I'm putting on an act!"

She adjusted her expression, forcing out a cold smile she deemed sufficiently evil and intimidating (in reality perhaps just a twitch of the corner of her mouth), and stepped toward the edge of the black railing, ready to begin the most difficult and shameful performance of her life.

The sound of her high-heeled boots on the stone steps rang especially clear in the empty space, each step like a knock on the heart.

The view shifted to the side of Xi Lian, bound by chains.

A faint footstep sound entered her ears; the pink-haired girl's eyelids twitched slightly, and slowly, with a certain heavy fatigue, she lifted her head.

Her gaze was somewhat unfocused, as if focusing required tremendous effort.

What entered her sight was a figure slowly descending along the spiral staircase.

It was an elegant woman, her gray-white long hair flowing like moonlight down to her waist.

A large black-purple witch hat shaded part of her halo; beneath the brim lay a face as delicate as a doll's, skin pale and almost translucent.

Most striking were her purplish-black eyes, deep as the darkest night sky, lacking light yet seeming to swallow all hope.

She wore an elaborately designed black-purple Lolita dress, layers of lace and ribbons outlining a slender waist, below the skirt gray stockings and knee-high black boots.

Her whole being exuded a mysterious, profound beauty, even touched with an inhuman feel, oddly matching this gloomy, oppressive environment.

Seeing that figure, a flicker of indescribable pain flashed in the depths of Xi Lian's azure eyes, a pain so deep it nearly drowned her.

She struggled to move her lips, but no sound came out; only in her heart did she utter a near‑sighing wail: "After all… have I still failed? Iron Tomb… or…"

Unwilling to think further, as if resigned, she closed her eyes again; her long lashes cast a fragile shadow on her blood‑stained cheek.

The view shifted back to Heimu's side.

She appeared to walk down the stairs calmly, but inside her mind was frantically sawing.

Especially when Xi Lian lifted her eyes, looking at her with a mixture of some complex emotion she couldn't fathom, Heimu felt her heart clenched by an invisible hand.

Those eyes, which should have been as clear and bright as a spring sky, full of life, were now dim and lifeless, filled with wounds.

"No, no! Heimu, hold on! This is an act! It's to save her!"

She frantically cheered herself up inside: "Think of the 4% repair degree! Think of letting her down!"

Forcing calm, she walked to the center of the platform, feigning ease as she spoke, her voice tinged with deliberate coolness: "Awake?"

As her words fell, the hated system panel silently appeared again in her peripheral vision, scrolling a line of garish text followed by a silly clown face:

【Tsk tsk, all kinds of past events, truly a pair of bitter‑fated mandarin ducks~(～￣▽￣)～】

【——From Aha RuiPing, who delights in witnessing everything】

Heimu: "……"

The corner of her mouth twitched uncontrollably, almost breaking the "coldness" she had barely managed to put on her face.

Inside she roared: "Aha, shut up! Go eat your big portion! Who's the bitter‑fated mandarin duck?! And RuiPing, you Star God Head Hammer! You love watching the chaos, don't you! I really want to smear this panel on your face!"

She forcibly swallowed her urge to retort, took a deep breath, and stepped to stand directly beneath Xi Lian, raising her head to look at the petite figure suspended in midair, wrapped in countless chains.

Heimu tilted her head, the hat brim tilting with it, and asked in a tone probing and slightly oppressive: "Do you recognize me?"

She was confirming.

Confirming whether this "Xi Lian" knew the "Black Tower" image, which would determine the tone and direction of her subsequent "performance."

Xi Lian still kept her eyes tightly shut, lips pressed pale, silent, as if she had completely sealed herself off.

But Heimu already had the answer from that fleeting glance earlier—she recognized her.

That kind of deep pain could not be shown toward a stranger.

"Not speaking?"

Heimu gave a soft hum, her voice revealing neither joy nor anger.

Her body lifted slightly off the ground, her black skirt fluttering without wind, rising slowly to approach the suspended Xi Lian.

The closer she got, the clearer she could see.

On that delicate little face were smudges; pink hairs clung messily to her forehead and cheeks; where her light‑purple dress was torn, more skin showed, also bearing tiny wounds.

Heimu's inner discomfort grew stronger.

She reached out, the fingertips of her black lace glove lightly touching Xi Lian's cheek.

The feel was slightly cool, with a faint tremor.

Heimu's motion seemed to carry a sense of inspection and play, her pad slowly rubbing the other's delicate skin, as if evaluating an object.

At the moment of contact, Xi Lian's body tensed imperceptibly; her closed eyes' lashes trembled more violently, her pale lips pressed tighter, as if enduring something with all her might.

Heimu remained outwardly calm, even a bit cold: "Don't think this lets you escape everything."

She slowly withdrew her hand, timely showing a hint of "satisfaction" on her face.

(Inner thought: Verification complete! It's the real deal! Not a disguise by Laigu Shi! Thank goodness! If it were that scoundrel Laigu Shi pretending, I'd have to… never mind, too horrifying!)

She landed back on the ground, arms crossed, chin propped, leisurely watching the still‑uncommunicative Xi Lian.

It was obvious the other had already lumped her wholly into the "enemy" category.

"System, where's my 4%?" she urged in her mind.

【Warning: The target unit's emotional fluctuation has not reached the stable threshold of "vigilance, hostility, or fear." The mission is not yet complete. Please, lady, continue your efforts.】

Heimu inwardly face‑palmed: "Still have to keep going? Isn't this enough to be a villain? Do I really have to resort to force?"

She immediately rejected that idea; laying hands on such a pitiful little girl would hurt her conscience—if she still had one.

Force won't work; it seems only the civil way remains, so we'll continue to apply pressure with words.

Black Curtain Lady cleared her throat, and with her voice carrying a hint of ethereal and detached feeling, she spoke softly, as if stating an established fact:

「Although I don't know, how do you see me right now……」

She paused slightly, her violet-black eyes sweeping over Xi Lian's disheveled figure, "But perhaps we can get to know each other again."

She slightly lifted the corner of her mouth, trying to put on a smile with more "villain charm," though the effect might only make her expression look a bit more lively.

「Heimu. It's a name I gave myself。」

She tilted her head, her tone carrying a hint of almost innocence (but in this situation it appeared especially malicious) as she asked:

「How is it? Does it sound good? 」