Time crawled by, every second an eternity of agony. And it wasn’t just Yvonne Song who was suffering—on the bed, Ivy Shen was wide awake, forced to listen to every twisted sound with nowhere to run.
Her heart was a mess—hurt, furious, full of hate, helpless, and so, so sad...
She couldn’t help Yvonne. She couldn’t save her. All she could do was stare, eyes wide, as this perverted, stomach-churning scene played out—her fists clenching so hard her nails nearly stabbed her own palm.
After what felt like forever—
Suddenly, the screams cut off. Silver Consort’s voice came rushing in, frantic: "Quick! Get the Crown Prince into the secret chamber!"
"On it!" Gavin Wang jumped into action, grabbing the limp Jude Song. He and Silver Consort hurried toward the inner room, but just as they reached the doorway, Silver Consort piped up again: "What about the Crown Princess?"
"Uh, let her stay here for now. Getting the Crown Prince into the medicine barrel is top priority!"
"I get it, but there’s still that other woman! What if she wakes up out of nowhere?" Silver Consort knew her son was the main event, but there was still a mysterious woman sprawled on the bed!
Gavin Wang waved her off: "Don’t stress, Silver Consort. That knockout drug was brutal—she won’t be up for at least twelve hours. By the time the Crown Prince’s bath is done, she’ll still be snoring!"
Silver Consort nodded. "Alright then, hurry—go open the secret chamber!" Their voices faded away, swallowed up by the darkness.
Then came a loud ‘boom’—the secret chamber door slamming open. Another ‘boom’—shut tight. Their footsteps faded. Only then did Ivy Shen bolt upright, her brows furrowed so hard she could crush walnuts. Wait—there’s a hidden room inside the inner chambers?!
But there was no time to think. She threw off the covers and dashed to Yvonne Song’s side—her hair a mess, her body soaked in blood, lips cracked and bleeding.
"Yvonne—Sis! Sis!" Ivy blurted out, calling her ‘sister’ without even thinking. Maybe it was when Yvonne screamed at her not to move—right then, Ivy started seeing her as family. As her own big sister.
"Ugh..." Hearing Ivy’s voice, Yvonne Song’s eyes fluttered open—blurry at first, but she struggled to breathe and finally made out Ivy’s face.
"Sheng’er..."
"Yvonne—Sis, you..." Ivy had a million things to say, but they all got stuck in her throat. Her eyes went razor-sharp, her fists clenched—she was furious. So furious!
"I... I must look ridiculous." Yvonne Song’s voice was barely a whisper, fragile as shattered glass—just looking at her made Ivy’s heart ache, but she had no idea how to comfort her.
Seeing this, Ivy Shen snatched up a pile of clothes and wrapped Yvonne Song’s naked, battered body tight. "What kind of torture have you been living through?" Her voice shook. Ivy had always known Jude Song was a monster—he’d do anything for power, for pleasure. She’d always known, always known he was a devil!
But she’d never imagined this. Never thought he could go so far. Looking at the half-dead Yvonne Song in her arms, Ivy couldn’t help thinking of her own sister. If Jude Song was this cruel, his mother must be a hundred times worse. Her sister’s suffering had to be way beyond what she’d been told—there must be secrets Ivy still didn’t know!
"You need to leave... leave as soon as you can. He’s a demon..." Yvonne Song reached out and gently grabbed Ivy’s hand, her voice trembling.
"Don't worry, I'll be fine, and you have to hang in there too. I'll get you out of here." If I can't save my own sister, I'll save Yvonne first—there's no way I can just sit here and watch her get tormented by this sicko every month!
But then, Yvonne’s next words seriously made my jaw drop.
“No… I’m okay, really, I’m fine… What I’ve suffered these years is way worse than this. I can’t leave. If I go, he’ll attack Chu Kingdom—there’ll be rivers of blood…” Sweet, naïve Yvonne still wants to protect her homeland, her ancestral country, her family!
Hearing this, I had to smash her fantasy: "Can you please stop being so innocent? Do you really think Jude would tolerate another kingdom standing equal to him?"
"Huh?"
"Yvonne, don’t be silly. I finally get why you kept talking about happiness all these years—it’s because you’re afraid he’ll attack Chu Kingdom, right? But even if you never leave the palace, you should know by now that Jude Song is the most ambitious man alive. He’ll never let Chu Kingdom exist as a rival. Trust me, it won’t be long before he wipes out your homeland." My voice was rock solid.
"What?" Yvonne looked absolutely stunned. "No way… He promised me, as long as I obey, he won’t…"
"You really believe a demon’s promises? Let me ask you—do you trust Ethan Chu?" I looked her dead in the eye.
"Of course! Of course I trust my little brother. In all of Chu Kingdom, he’s the only one I believe in," Yvonne said, totally sure.
Seeing her like this, I finally cracked a smile. "Good. Look—" I raised my wrist, showing off the Happiness Bracelet. "The one person you trust most now trusts me with his whole heart. He protects me because I’m worth it, and so are you. So you have to trust me too. I swear, I’ll get you out of here, and never let you get hurt again. Because… you’re Ethan’s sister, and he’s…" I paused, took a deep breath, "He’s the kind of guy who gives me headaches, but also a bit of sweetness. He cares about you, so I have to care about you too!"