Knight Lords: Infinite Simulation and the Path of Light

Chapter 132 Caged Bird

Ilya nearly fainted as she listened to the devilish whispers in her ear. Just then, a slender, white hand rested on Ilya's shoulder, and a warm current flowed from the hand throughout the girl's body.

"The real show hasn't even started yet, so as today's soup base, you'd better not give up!"

In stark contrast to Zara's warm smile, her eyes were chillingly cold.

"Get your dirty hands off!"

Rihanna took two steps to the girl's side and shoved Zara aside. Faced with Rihanna's violence, Zara spread her hands and backed away, indicating that she had done nothing.

"Ilya, are you alright?"

Seeing the girl's increasingly pale face, Rihanna asked her with concern. The girl grinned and gave Rihanna a smile in response to her older sister's concern.

"It's okay, Rihanna."

Rihanna tried to pull the girl behind her again, but the girl stubbornly refused.

Zara stood at a distance, squinting at the two of them, then turned to look at Enzo beside her. Under Zara's gaze, Enzo charged straight at the girl.

"My dearest Ilya, I've finally met you."

An emotional Enzo pulled the girl into his arms, and Ilya's white dress was quickly stained by the dirt on Enzo's body.

The girl being held by Enzo seemed to be in a daze, standing there dumbfounded. Looking at the scene before her, Rihanna frowned and pushed Enzo away again.

"Hey, you, get away from me."

Just as Rihanna was about to say something more, Zara grabbed Enzo's neck, stopping him from falling backward.

"I think this way, we can all talk properly, right?"

Zara squinted and looked at Rihanna with a grin.

"Everyone has the right to express their thoughts, doesn't they, Rihanna? Let them speak, Rihanna."

Rihanna looked at Zara, her red lips opening and closing repeatedly, finally turning into a sigh, and she said nothing more.

"Go ahead and say what you want to say to your fiancée. Now no one's stopping you."

Zara released her grip on Enzo's neck and pushed him forward.

"Ilya, I miss you so much."

"Will you come back with me? We're not in the capital anymore, okay?"

Enzo looked at Ilya with a sob in his voice and red eyes.

Ilya, on the other hand, was pale, her teeth clenched tightly around her lower lip. Her delicate white fingers were intertwined, twisted, and torn, a testament to her inner turmoil.

"Ilya!!!"

We agreed we were just coming to take a look. There's been no word from Mr. Sigurd.

At this point, Enzo was about to pounce on her again. However, Ilya instinctively took a step back, dodging Enzo's outstretched hand.

Enzo froze on the spot after missing his target, then looked at Ilya in disbelief.

"Ilya?!"

Looking at the two people at the center of the incident, Haven couldn't help but smack his lips and say...

"Wow, this is so melodramatic! Could this be the legendary 'first sword strike after landing, the first to kill the one you love'? This guy is really pitiful."

Ulibai glanced at Haven, not understanding what he meant, but she could roughly sense that what he said wasn't anything nice.

"No, that's not true at all~~~"
Ilya, Ilya, she was a kind little girl; she just wanted to live freely.

Hearing Uri's explanation, Haven curled his lip in dismission. Just then, Enzo suddenly sprang into action.

"You bitch, you damned slut! What do I have that makes me unworthy of you? I'll make you die today."

After saying that, he pounced on her, grabbed Ilya's slender neck, and acted like a madman, his face contorted in extreme pain, his eyes bloodshot, and he was panting heavily.

Startled by the sudden turn of events, Rihanna rushed over and kicked Enzo to the ground, leaving several gruesome bloody welts on Ilya's pale neck. The intense feeling of suffocation caused Ilya to lie on the ground coughing incessantly.

On the other side, Enzo, who had been kicked over, lay on the ground howling like a beast, turning his head to look at Rihanna and Ilya with his blood-red eyes.

Ah~ Ah~

You filthy, vile, damned bastard.

What are you pretending for? You've already been sold to our family by your useless father.

Marry me, what more could you want?!

Enzo, lying on the ground, was extremely agitated and uttered all sorts of offensive and offensive words.

Rihanna gently picked up Ilya, who was lying on the ground. The girl's face was pale and her body was cold, as if she had already died.

"Ilya~ Ilya~"

How are you?

The girl stared blankly at the sky, her eyes glazed over, two lines of tears streaming down her face.

"Do you want to kill her?"

Rihanna looked at Irina, who was already lifeless in her arms, and said angrily.

"Don't say such harsh things~~~"

Zara walked slowly to Rihanna, looking down at Rihanna who was holding Ilya. Her cold eyes held a hint of mockery.

“I think there must be some misunderstanding between the two of them. Why don’t we speak it out and let everyone judge? If it’s Enzo’s fault, I will definitely teach him a lesson. He knows what aristocratic manners are.”

At the party, the young men and women who had gathered were dressed in gorgeous clothes, each exuding an air of nobility, and watched with great interest what was happening in the middle of the venue.

"Oh dear~"

We can't just stay silent. Look, everyone's here, everyone's looking over. Speak up, tell us what's going on, and I think with so many of us, we can definitely resolve this properly.

"Alright then, Enzo, you tell me, and make sure it's crystal clear."

Zara pulled Enzo up from the ground and patted his cheek, indicating that he could speak.

Enzo felt a slight stinging sensation on his cheek, regaining some of his composure. Looking around, he saw men and women staring at him like he was a monkey, and the discomfort he felt made him instinctively want to run away.

However, intimidated by Zara's powerful aura and cold expression, he didn't dare to move and could only tremble and stammer as he began to tell the story of him and Ilya.

“Ilya and I are from Anleka Province. Our families have been friends for generations. My father and Ilya’s father both served in the Zephyr Legion. Later, thanks to the Count of Endorma’s appreciation, our families became subordinate nobles under the Count of Endorma.”

"Get to the point, get to the point. We don't want to hear your damn rags-to-riches story~~"

Enzo shuddered involuntarily upon hearing the shouts and curses from the crowd. He quickly glanced at Zara, and seeing that she showed no emotion, continued:

"That was ten years ago, when I was five years old and I met her when she was five years old. That day she was wearing a white dress, just like today, and holding a bunch of daisies in her hand. Mr. Sigurd led her from the distant hillside."

I was practicing with a wooden sword back then, and my father later said I was frozen in place, just staring at Ilya and grinning like an idiot. He said then that my life was probably over.

At this point, Enzo stopped trembling, spoke more fluently, and seemed to lose himself in the moment, a silly smile on his face radiating happiness. The surrounding noise gradually subsided.

"During that time, what I looked forward to most was seeing Ilya. Then something happened that allowed me to see Ilya every day: Mr. Sigurd was summoned to participate in the campaign to exterminate the followers of Pora."

Mr. Sigurd entrusted Ilya to my father's care, and those were the happiest days of my life. Every morning I would see Ilya as soon as I woke up. Every day I would practice martial arts on the playground downstairs, and when I looked up Ilya would see her sitting quietly on the balcony reading, the sunlight shining on her—she looked so beautiful.

Haven listened to Enzo's rambling on and on, and complained to Uri:

"You know what, this kid has a good speaking ability, and he tells a really good story. He should become a bard."

However, Uri seemed lost in thought and ignored Havent. Seeing this, Havent could only shrug and look back at the center of the field. "Later, Mr. Sigelt returned with serious injuries, and Ilya was taken back to his territory by Mr. Sigelt. I didn't see Ilya for half a year. Just when I thought I would never see Ilya again, I returned to the castle one morning after finishing my practice and found Ilya sitting on the balcony reading a book."

I was overjoyed. I ran to ask my father, who said that Ilya would be staying with us for a long time. Later, I learned that Mr. Sigurd had been seriously injured, and all his men had died. He planned to sell his possessions to form a mercenary group to earn money after recovering from his injuries, in order to distribute compensation.

"Stop talking~~~~~"

The girl lying in Rihanna's arms murmured softly.

"None of this matters anymore."

Enzo ignored what the girl was saying and continued recounting his own anxious and uncertain love story.

"Ah~ what a sweet love story, isn't it, Rihanna~"

Zara looked at Rihanna expressionlessly as she spoke.

Hearing Zara's words, Rihanna looked at the young man who exuded a chilling aura, biting her red lips, and was about to get up when she listened to Zara speak slowly.

"Don't rush, don't rush. Rihanna~~~ Listen to the whole story before you speak."

On the other side, Enzo continued speaking as if no one else was around.
"Later, Mr. Sigurd never came back, and Ilya stayed at my house. I was so happy then, I even hoped that Mr. Sigurd would never come back."

That way, I can stay with Ilya forever.

Until one day, I confessed my feelings to Ilya, but she didn't accept me. I guess I haven't reached her heart yet.

So I became even more diligent. I believed that as long as I worked hard and studied diligently, one day I would be able to enter Ilya's heart.

Looking at Enzo's deeply affectionate expression, Haven couldn't help but mutter:
"I never would have guessed this guy was such a simp!"

Uri tilted her ear and asked Havent.

"Havent, what is a 'simp'?"

Looking down at the girl's face as she turned around, Haven couldn't help but give an awkward laugh.

"Uh...you misheard me, it was deep affection, deep affection! Pure deep affection!"

The men and women watching chuckled as Enzo stood in the middle; this love story greatly entertained them during the otherwise dull time at the party.

"And so we lived peacefully for seven or eight years. During those seven or eight years, I kept trying to pursue it, but I never succeeded."

One day, Ilya said she wanted to visit the capital. This was the only request Ilya had made to me in all these years, and I was overjoyed and readily agreed.

But, but!!!

At this point, Enzo's eyes turned bloodshot as he glared fiercely at Rihanna, and everyone present could feel an overwhelming hatred emanating from him.

"That woman, that damned woman, took my Ilya away from me, and won't let me see Ilya again. You vile bitch, you—heh heh!"

Zara walked up behind Enzo from the side, reached out and grabbed Enzo's neck, the strong grip causing Enzo's face to turn red quickly.

"Look, look, look~ Rihanna!!!!"
How could you do this? You cruelly broke up a couple, and you're still so self-righteous.

Rihanna watched Zara speak eloquently, gently set Ilya down from her arms, then walked up to Zara with an icy expression, staring at Zara's smiling face, and said, word by word:

“Zara! You can come to me directly with your conflicts and hatred! There’s no need to drag other people into this.”

Zara watched Rihanna quietly until Enzo, feeling intensely suffocated, grabbed Zara's arm and, in pain, released his grip on her neck.

Zara glanced expressionlessly at Enzo, who was gasping for breath as if he were drowning, then shook her hand and looked back at Rihanna.

"Oh? Beautiful Miss Rihanna! Is there a conflict or hatred between us?"

What makes you say that? You're my fiancée, of course I have no problems with you. Do you harbor hatred towards me?

Looking at the aggressive Zara in front of her, Rihanna's clenched fists betrayed her true feelings.

"Zara, what exactly do you want?"

"Look, people's prejudice is like a mountain. I didn't do anything, but you made it sound like I did something bad."

Hearing Zara's words, the men and women who had come with her quickly booed. Rihanna, listening to the murmurs from the crowd, gritted her teeth and continued...
“Zara, I don’t care what you’re trying to do, just don’t involve Ilya. She’s a good girl.”

Zara looked at Ilya lying on the ground and gave Rihanna a faint smile.

"Of course! Of course! What a wonderful girl! Everyone would love her, wouldn't they?"

Enzo, while not as close as we are, at least grew up together. How can you prevent them from seeing each other?

Could it be?!

At this point, Zara paused deliberately to observe the crowd's reaction.

"Could it be that you've already promised the beautiful Ilya to him?"

Tsk tsk tsk~~~~~~~
To be honest, I've heard about the Imperial Rose's reputation even though I haven't been in the capital for a while.

Upon hearing Zara's words, someone in the crowd immediately said...

"Hey!

Young Master Zara
"You're so well-informed! I was chatting with a few roses all night long just a few days ago, and I don't even know how to describe the feeling."

The crowd erupted in a cacophony of shouts and whistles, bringing the atmosphere of the party to a fever pitch.

Haven and Uri looked at each other in the crowd. Uri got angry at Haven's hesitant expression and stomped on him hard.

Haven let out a strange cry of pain as the heel of Uri's custom-made high heel struck him hard, causing him to jump up while clutching his foot.

"I didn't say anything!!!!!"

Looking at the sullen Uri, Haven said speechlessly.

"Hmph~ Judging from your expression just now, I knew you were definitely thinking about it, but you definitely hadn't made up your mind yet~~~"
"No, I have to go help Rihanna. Zara is so mean, how could she say such things?"

Before Uri could even leave, Rihanna, like an enraged mother beast, swung her fist at Zara.
"I'll kill you! You foul-mouthed bastard."

However, Zara seemed to have anticipated this, easily dodging Rihanna's angry attack. After creating some distance, she continued to look at Rihanna with a smile, and once again spoke with a faint smile.

"Look, I'm just saying it's a possibility, a possibility, you understand?"
But you're going to attack me? Perhaps I'm telling the truth?

Rihanna looked at Zara's slightly mocking expression, and her anger surged to the top of her head. She had poured so much effort into the Imperial Rose, and she clenched her fist, intending to smash it into that repulsive face.

Before Rihanna could act, Zara quickly waved her hand to signal calm, indicating that she had something else to say.
"Don't rush, Rihanna, I didn't say anything."

Okay then, let's talk about them again. Which is more important, isn't it? Everyone's waiting~

Haven glanced around: chaos, a noisy crowd, a girl in a white dress lying on the ground, an overturned table, and spilled soup everywhere. The light from the magic lamp flickered across people's faces.

"Well, since that's not the case, why doesn't our esteemed Miss Rihanna let them meet?"

Zara watched as Rihanna lowered her arm and continued speaking.

"Or is there something else I'm unaware of? If so, please tell us so everyone can hear it."

Rihanna looked at the situation before her and couldn't help but secretly regret bringing Illya here. If she hadn't come, none of this would have happened. Turning to look at Illya, whose body had turned deathly pale, a wave of worry washed over her, and she cursed inwardly:
"Damn it, why now of all times? I have to get Ilya out of here right now!"

Looking around, more and more people were gathering, all quite interested in seeing what was happening. Rihanna picked up Ilya again, her tall figure holding the girl in the white dress looking perfectly natural.

"Zara, if there's anything you need, you can contact me directly later. I don't have time to deal with you today."

Having said that, he picked up the girl and prepared to leave. However, the crowd did not make way for them.

"Don't run away from the questions, Rihanna!! You see, you wouldn't let me avoid asking them back then. So you shouldn't run away from them now either."

(End of this chapter)