The Heartbeat of the Cruel Elves

Cassia looked at Myrcella, then back at Rein and sighed.

"I don't know what you did." She curled her lips slightly, and there seemed to be a hint of complaint in her tone, "She was clearly someone who came to threaten you, but you were able to control her so well that she even ignored her own life and went to tip you off..."

"Your abilities are greater than I thought." Her scarlet eyes stared deeply into Li Yin's pupils, like two sharp sword blades, trying to pierce through his pupils, pierce into his soul, separate and analyze it, and study it thoroughly.

Chapter 1 Contract ()

"Your Highness, you are too kind," Li Yin bowed his head humbly and said respectfully, "If there is anything special about me, it is only because I am your servant, so naturally I am different from other slaves."

As he lowered his head, he naturally missed Cassia's sharp and bright eyes. But this was not intentional. At this moment, he was not afraid to look Cassia in the eye. Because everything he could hide was still hidden, and it was not exposed to her sharp eyes; and everything that could not be hidden had long been captured by Cassia's sharp mind. In other words, at this moment, he was in a "relatively calm" state, and there was no fear of being seen through by Cassia. On the contrary, he sincerely felt that it was a pleasant enjoyment to be able to look into such a brilliant gaze.

The reason for bowing his head was just to show respect according to the etiquette of the dark elves.

"Hmph," Cassia said with a slight frown, obviously not being bewitched by his mediocre flattery.

She turned around, put her hands behind her back, and walked towards Myrcella, step by step, the hard soles of her long riding boots knocking on the stone floor made a cold and clanging sound.

"I remember I told you," she leaned down, stretched out a hand, and hooked Myrcella's chin, forcing her to look up at her, "to let you perform well."

There were only three people present at the moment, so there was no need for her to hide anything and she just said so directly.

“But you have undoubtedly failed.”

"How can an actor leak the script to the audience as soon as he goes on stage?"

"Your Highness." Myrcella's face flushed, tears welled up in her eyes, and she couldn't speak a complete sentence.

"I thought you weren't afraid of death," Cassia looked at her extremely frightened expression, snorted coldly, and then said, "Now it seems that's not the case."

"Then tell me," she asked, looking Myrcella straight in the eye, "what is so good about him that you would risk your life to help him."

Myrcella lowered her eyebrows, and her already rosy cheeks turned slightly redder. She first bit her lips and was silent for a moment, then subconsciously glanced at Li Yin secretly, the meaning of which was self-evident.

Cassia bit her lower lip and stood up suddenly, looking quite exasperated.

"Hmph," she snorted heavily, "What a waste of time!"

Li Yin, who was standing by, was petrified when he heard this. Originally, he was thinking that since it had come to this, since he had already helped Myrcella to plead for mercy, should he defend her a few more times or appease Cassia's emotions? In short, he was organizing various words in his mind to deal with different situations. Cassia's cold words made his mind go blank in an instant, and his whole body stiffened.

After a moment, the stiffness that enveloped his whole body finally dissipated, but what followed was a surge of embarrassment. Under the onslaught of this huge, embarrassing emotion, he subconsciously wanted to dodge, but in the next moment he realized an even more embarrassing fact - he could not dodge, and could not even move, without the order of his "mistress".

The only thing he could do was to stand there at a loss.

All the thoughts that had been surging in his mind about how to guide the current situation suddenly dissipated, like cooling ashes, and at the same time, a huge feeling of powerlessness arose in his heart.

Cassia's sharp words pierced the soft illusion that had always enveloped him. In shame and embarrassment, he was more aware of his identity than ever before: although the charm had changed Cassia's attitude, in her eyes, he was still just a slave who could be approached. A slave who could be approached was still a slave.

For a moment, his chest was filled with chills and burning fires. Shame, humility, anger, a strong desire for freedom, and a deep reluctance to slavery...all kinds of emotions surged from his heart, blending into an indescribable complex emotion.

On the other side, Cassia's interrogation of Myrcella continued.

"I gave you a chance," she said coldly, her back to Myrcella, "but you haven't proven yourself. What else can I do?"

"Your Highness." Myrcella raised her head and stared at Cassia's back. She looked anxious and her lips trembled. She seemed to want to defend herself, but in the end she couldn't say anything because she was in the wrong.

"You won't let me give you another chance, will you?" Cassia sneered.

Li Yin, who was immersed in his own inner struggle, was brought back to the real world by the conversation between the two. He looked at the two people who were in a stalemate and forced himself to cheer up.

The more powerless you are, the more you should strive and fight for the little power you can get.

Myrcella, who had been under the influence of the charm, and Myrcella, who was also under the control of Cassia - this was a power that he could use.

At this moment, Li Yin changed his mind. If he had previously pleaded for Myrcella out of a desire to guess Cassia's intentions and cater to her wishes, and actually cared little about Myrcella's life, now he had decided to take the initiative to act for Myrcella's survival.

"Your Highness," he bowed slightly and said to Cassia very respectfully.

Cassia tilted her head when she heard the voice.

"If you don't mind, I have a suggestion."

Cassia kept her lips tightly closed, but signaled with her eyes that he should continue.

"I think you might as well give her another chance."

Cassia's eyes slightly flared when she heard this. Li Yin had already realized that his words were meant to sabotage her, so he immediately continued:

"Since it has been proven that there was no mastermind behind her, and she only turned to the princess to treat her appearance after being injured, why can't we turn the tables and aim the cold arrow that the princess originally pointed at you at her instead?"

"Moreover, according to what Myrcella said and did, she wanted to get to know you through me when she threatened me in the beginning. She wanted to curry favor with you, rather than plotting against you. So, why don't you understand her original intention and give her a chance to serve you. Although the power of the slave camp is weak, it would not be too much if you could place a person who is completely subordinate to you at its core position."

Cassia listened to him quietly, then gave him a displeased look.

"You've already thought of these excuses, right?"

Li Yin felt a little embarrassed by her rebuke.

"No..." However, he immediately restrained his expression and answered honestly.

Chapter 2 Contract ()

Cassia's eyes were wide open, her cheeks slightly puffed up, and she continued to stare at him angrily, as if she didn't believe it.

"These are indeed not some pre-made excuses, but my true feelings." Seeing this, Li Yin had no choice but to say again.

"After all, I really didn't expect that Your Highness would be so wise and perceptive, and know everything..." He looked at her timidly and scratched his head, "...I can't hide it from you..."

Cassia continued to stare at him unhappily for a while, and then, as if she could no longer hold it back, she burst into laughter. However, she almost immediately stopped smiling, and her whole face returned to its frosty look.

"From the sound of your voice, it seems that you feel sorry for not being able to hide this from me?" she said with a hint of anger.

"I dare not." Li Yin quickly lowered his head.

"Your Highness." Although Myrcella had been in a panic, she finally came to her senses and pleaded, "I am willing to serve you. Please have mercy on me, forgive my previous sins, and give me another chance."

"But," Cassia turned to her, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, seemingly smiling at her, but there was no trace of brightness on her face, "you have already taken refuge with my eldest sister."

"It was just something I had to do," Myrcella, who was squatting on the ground, bowed quickly, "You know, I have always been more willing to serve you."

"Oh?" Cassia pretended to be surprised and sneered.

"Maybe you would really prefer to work for me - but that's not because of me." She said meaningfully, then glanced at Li Yin beside her.

Li Yin, who had just raised his head to observe her reaction, happened to meet her gaze. Hearing her words with a hint of something else in them, he immediately lowered his head deeply in embarrassment, looking slightly blushing.

Li Yin and Myrcella were both speechless for a moment, but Cassia didn't seem to care. She turned her eyes, looked down at Myrcella, and asked with a sharp tone:

"Even if I don't care about this, then, may I ask, how can I guarantee your loyalty?"

"My eldest sister is more powerful than me. Her strength is also greater than mine. She will be the heir to the family in the future."

"If I were you," she pursed her thin lips slightly, a sneer flashing from the sharp corners of her lips, "I would temporarily agree to save my life, and then turn around and join my elder sister."

"Your Highness, Mircella would never dare to do that!" Mircella immediately bowed her head to the ground, with her forehead pressed against the floor, without looking up, and shouted loudly.

"Yes, this sentence is very appropriate." She commented indifferently.

"Your Highness," after the initial panic, Myrcella calmed down a little, and her words became more organized:

"The princess is only older than you, so she has more power, strength, and status than you. But I think this situation is only temporary. I dare to say that I am also a few years older than you, but I am powerless in front of you now."

"After the previous lessons, I have realized that your wisdom and skills are far superior to those of the eldest princess. As for your talent, the degree to which you are favored by the Spider Queen is recognized by all family members as the best among all the princesses. Therefore, any elf with a little vision should know that in the long run, following you is more promising than following the eldest princess."

"Besides," she suddenly said in a deep and profound tone, "when it comes to power and status," she said coldly, "we dark elves have never been those corrupt races in the world above that only know how to rank people based on seniority. We are confident and powerful, and we know how to constantly improve ourselves. We believe in the principle of natural selection, survival of the fittest, and the rule of thumb for the best to rule the empire."

After she finished speaking, perhaps to enhance the persuasiveness of her words, or perhaps because she was inspired by her last words, she raised her head, her eyes clear and firm, and looked at Cassia without avoiding it.

Cassia stared at her quietly for a while, then suddenly turned her head and looked at Li Yin with a smile on her face:

"So besides 'madness', 'gracefulness in the tongue' can also be contagious? As far as I can remember, she wasn't so eloquent before."

"Or," she narrowed her narrow eyes and looked at Li Yin meaningfully, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised, "Do you usually train her tongue a lot?"

Li Yin's face turned red, he didn't dare to respond, and lowered his head again.

"You never gave me the chance to speak well before!" On the other side, Myrcella, who was crawling on the ground, was thinking indignantly in secret.

"Otherwise, why would I have to threaten this guy and cause all these problems later?"

That's right, her main purpose of threatening Li Yin at the beginning was to find an opportunity to please Cassia - of course, in some extreme cases, it is not ruled out that she may side with her competitor, but unfortunately, that extreme situation happened in the end. Moreover, at the beginning, she didn't think it was a serious act to threaten her slaves. In her mind, the so-called slaves were no different from livestock. How could they be compared with herself, who was also a dark elf? As long as she could take this opportunity to "lick" Cassia to her satisfaction, what would it matter if this little thing was exposed in the end?

Of course, that was her previous thought, and it was a completely wrong idea. First of all, Cassia did not think the same way as she did. Secondly, and more importantly, a feeling of regret welled up in Myrcella's heart, and then she tilted her head slightly, raised her eyes, and looked at the face of the human male slave standing beside her with a gentle and earnest gaze.

She really shouldn't have judged Li Yin like that. He was such a good man.

Even at this moment, he still put aside the past grudges, risked angering a princess, and was willing to speak up for himself, a female elf who had threatened and violated him! An indescribable heat instantly flowed through Myrcella's body, causing every cell in her body to tremble uncontrollably.

"I didn't keep you alive until now to listen to your compliments." After seeing Li Yin lower his head under her gaze, Cassia turned around slowly, her smile suddenly faded, her face darkened, and she asked in a cold voice, "I just want to ask you, how can I guarantee your loyalty?"

Myrcella opened her eyes wide, was speechless for a moment, just half-opened her mouth, and looked up at her helplessly.

"What about you?" Cassia waited for a while, but did not receive a reply. She turned to look at Li Yin, raised her lips slightly, and asked leisurely, "My loyal servant, do you have any suggestions? How can I ensure her loyalty?"

"I'm afraid my opinion is unnecessary." Li Yin thought for a moment and bowed slightly, "Your Highness."

Chapter 3 Contract ()

"With your intelligence and wisdom, since you have considered the possibility of saving her life, you must have already found a way to maintain her loyalty."

"Oh?" Cassia snorted in displeasure, "You mean, I'm asking even though I already know the answer?"

Li Yin coughed lightly, his face flushed. Cassia's question really caught him off guard. He concentrated and pondered for a moment before he said hastily, "Of course not!"

"I thought you were just generous enough to show your kindness once again and give Myrcella another chance, hoping that she could prove herself in front of you a little, but obviously, she failed to live up to your expectations again."

Cassia stared at Li Yin meaningfully, walked to him leisurely, and then stretched out a hand to hook his chin. The soft and cool hand moved up along his jawline, feeling light and soft, brushing his cheek like a veil, reaching his temple, and after rubbing it a few times, she used it as a starting point and began to slowly trace his head. Her soft and dexterous technique and curious and playful eyes made her look like she was playing with a rare treasure.

"I found out," she said, her voice clear and mellow, "I really need to re-examine your clever little brain. Maybe it would be wiser to cut it open and take a closer look."

Li Yin was stunned and looked quite frightened. His whole body was stiff and he allowed her to touch him casually.

After a moment, Cassia raised the corner of her mouth slightly, withdrew her hand with a lingering look, turned her head and looked at Myrcella.

"He's right," she said leisurely.

No way. At the same time, she thought to herself, what is kindness? Can it be eaten?

If these two words had not come from the mouth of her beloved little slave, and if she had not considered that he was indeed from a weak earth race with an insurmountable limitation in thinking, she would have almost thought it was an insult. This word was not a good word, and for the dark elves, it was synonymous with weakness.

Of course, she was asking knowingly, not to give this stupid and overconfident little bitch any "opportunity", but purely to make things difficult for her maliciously. This was a necessary means to maintain the dignity of the superior, and also a light punishment for her offense. However, her slave was right in one point, she did have her own considerations. So, taking a step back, even if this stupid female elf could really give her a solution, it would not work. Such an important matter must be done according to her own plan!

Although her mind was filled with thoughts, Cassia remained calm. She tilted her eyes slightly, looked down at Myrcella, and continued, "If you don't have a way, I do have one."

"Everything is up to the princess." Myrcella was overjoyed. Without thinking, she immediately bowed her head deeply to show her obedience.

At this moment, for her, being alive was a blessing, and she had no mind to express any doubts or questions.

"Don't agree too soon." At the same time, Cassia seemed to have anticipated her reaction and said calmly, "I don't want to waste time and energy, so I'll explain everything to you first."

"Thanks to the Spider Goddess, I have mastered a divine art, a ritual magic that can bind your soul to mine to ensure your absolute loyalty." She explained slowly, and when she mentioned the four words "Spider Goddess", her tone was slightly serious, revealing a kind of solemn reverence.

"You once swore to me in the name of the goddess," Cassia looked at her meaningfully, her tone deep, "Now, you have got what you wished for."

Mircella shuddered all over, feeling a deep chill suddenly coming from the depths of her soul, and she couldn't help but shiver.

Soul binding meant eternal slavery until death, completely cutting off the possibility of her betrayal. And for the dark elves, not being able to betray was simply equivalent to depriving them of the meaning of life.

But, of course, to be realistic, this is better than actually taking your own life...

"It should be noted," Cassia added, "that this magic requires the recipient to obey it wholeheartedly before accepting the spell, otherwise the spell will fail, and the cost of failure is extremely heavy - especially for the recipient. Your soul will be torn into thousands of pieces by the chaotic magical power. Don't think that you will die anyway, so don't risk your life - I advise you not to have that idea - because, I guarantee you that such a death will be thousands of times more painful than dying under Nevre's harsh punishment, and then you will regret why you didn't die at my feet now!"

Cassia finished speaking in a cold tone. Misella lowered her head and thought silently for a moment. Then she raised her face and said in a very calm but resolute tone:

"I do, Princess."

"In the name of the Spider Goddess," she bit her blue lower lip, "I beg you to grant me the right to serve you."

Cassia's lips curled slightly, with a meaningful look, her scarlet eyes staring into hers: "I hope you won't regret your decision now."

"Well," she paused, turned around, and walked towards the prayer room inside, "Come with me."

Myrcella quickly supported herself with her hands and climbed up. Because she had been kneeling on the ground for too long, the blood circulation in her legs was blocked, and she even stumbled when she stood up. However, she didn't care about much, just hurriedly cast a very complicated look at Li Yin, and then staggered towards Cassia's back.

Li Yin stood there, silently watching the two figures. Since Cassia hadn't given any instructions, it was naturally inconvenient for him to follow. Besides, this kind of secret technique involving religious beliefs would most likely have a certain degree of confidentiality.

At this moment, two thoughts were intertwined in his mind. First, his plan to save Myrcella and transform her into his own "power" seemed to have failed. With the shackles of the secret technique that could bind souls, I'm afraid Myrcella would have to serve Cassia wholeheartedly for the rest of her life. Second, he felt a chill in his heart. Would Cassia use that secret technique on him one day?

In a state of uneasiness, he saw a figure flashing in the prayer room through a curtain. Cassia walked back and forth slowly, occasionally making various gestures with her hands, either lifting or pulling, probably preparing the materials and utensils necessary for casting spells. At the same time, another shorter figure stayed quietly in the center of the curtain. It should be Myrcella who was kneeling in front of the altar...

After a moment, Cassia's clear and pleasant voice sounded, a prayer dedicated to the Spider Queen. Along with the voice, a faint, cool and sweet fragrance emanated from the curtains... After the prayer, Li Yin saw Cassia's hand reaching out to Myrcella's forehead, as if she was applying something. At the same time, her clear voice sounded again, but this time the words were mysterious and obscure, difficult to understand, and very different from the previous generous and passionate prayer. Li Yin guessed that this should be the spell of the secret technique.

After a while, the spell slowly stopped. Li Yin saw Myrcella's figure slowly standing up on the curtain under Cassia's guidance. After she stood up completely, the two slender and straight figures stood opposite each other, still for a while, and then, with a rustling sound, something shadowy seemed to fall off from the two people.