Puppet
“That… I was too emotional just now, you… don’t take it to heart!”
When Jessica said this, she even did so with an all-or-nothing attitude.
Doing this kind of thing was just too awkward for her!
At times like this, that thieving cat Sherisa would probably be much more adept.
Her fingertips nervously twisted the silver ribbon at her waist, crumpling the perfectly good bow into a tangled mess.
Just as Henry turned his head to look at her, he noticed tear stains still lingering at the corners of her eyes.
He instinctively reached out to wipe them away.
But Jessica, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, abruptly turned her back to him, covering her burning cheeks with both hands.
Stray hairs slipped down, shading her crimson ear tips, and even her voice was muffled in her palms, indistinct:
“You… you… are not allowed to look! And you are not allowed to tell anyone! Do you hear me!”
“Uh, I just saw you had tear stains at the corner of your eyes.”
“That’s still not allowed!”
Jessica hastily wiped away the tear stains at the corners of her eyes, then took a deep breath to calm her chaotic emotions.
Seeing this, Henry didn’t say anything more.
He leaned against the wall, thinking about their next moves.
Jessica secretly turned her head to gaze at Henry’s profile.
It had to be said, Henry was quite handsome when he wasn’t speaking, especially when he was thinking seriously; his charm seemed to multiply exponentially.
It was just a pity that such a person had such a foul mouth.
However, she was genuinely very grateful for everything Henry had done for her, whether it was her mother’s keepsake or his motive for being here.
She slipped her mother’s ring onto her own ring finger, her eyes filled with nostalgia.
She would definitely protect everything her mother left behind.
Jessica slowly closed her eyes.
After everything she had been through, all she wanted now was to rest properly for a while. When she woke up again, it would be time for her to pull herself together.
She silently leaned her head on Henry’s shoulder, feeling the body warmth of the man beside her.
Henry saw that the young girl beside him seemed to want to rest.
He grabbed Jessica’s shoulders and slowly laid her down onto his lap.
Although his legs couldn’t compare to Jessica’s long ones, they could barely serve as a substitute.
He took off his coat and draped it over Jessica, then leaned against the wall and let out a long sigh.
Now, he finally had some time to rest.
He also closed his eyes, taking a short break.
****
“Princess Jessica has been investigating the orphanage matter recently. This is very troublesome for us.”
In a certain dim basement, the researcher in front of Selina was reporting this matter to her.
The room was filled with experimental instruments and bloody operating tables.
Clearly, this place was being used by them as a laboratory.
“Her Royal Highness the Princess has been imprisoned. She poses no threat to us for the time being.”
Selina didn’t think much of it.
Based on Joseph’s current state, Selina believed he was completely under her control.
As long as she said a few good words for him, he would completely immerse himself in his own world.
“No, this experiment cannot have any mistakes. We plan to completely destroy this place and move to the next location.”
“Oh? Have you succeeded so quickly?”
Selina looked towards a certain highly classified room at the back.
That was an area even she couldn’t enter; she heard it was the High Priest’s most valued test subject.
“Just a semi-finished product, but it should be sufficient.”
The researcher pushed open the door. It was pitch black inside, with only a machine placed in the center.
Inside the machine, a puppet was covered with inserted tubes, clearly having undergone countless experiments.
However, when Selina saw the puppet’s face, her expression showed some surprise.
“Isn’t this Queen Eliana? Why would she be here?”
Regarding this, the researcher pushed up his glasses, the corners of his mouth curling into a sinister smile.
“You might not believe it, but His Majesty the King voluntarily donated the remains to us. After all, we had cooperated before.”
“Cooperated?”
“You didn’t know? Queen Eliana didn’t die from illness at all; she was personally killed by His Majesty the King.”
Hearing this, Selina showed a rare expression of surprise.
“Heavens, I never would have thought that waste would dare to do such a thing.”
“In short, the sacrifices from Caucasus City are all concentrated in this puppet. Perhaps it can help you achieve more. But right now, you must do something for me.”
The researcher’s expression was gloomy as he took out a file.
Selina took the file from him and saw information about a group of children inside.
“These children escaped from the orphanage. I’ve already found out where they live. You need to send someone to silence them, otherwise the High Priest’s plan will be exposed.”
“It seems to me it’s not the plan that will be exposed, but your pedophilic activities will be discovered.”
Selina closed the file folder, ignored the other’s gloomy gaze, and turned to leave.
“Oh, right. The people over there hope you can have His Majesty the King issue an order to execute that youth. They will handle the matters afterward personally.” The researcher stared at Selina’s back and said.
“Understood, I will comply.”
Selina waved her hand and walked towards the door.
Just as she was about to leave, she took another look at that puppet.
Even in such a state, that woman still maintained an extraordinary temperament.
“What a pity, Eliana. To have encountered such a man, you must regret it deeply. What’s even more regrettable is that your daughter might follow in your footsteps.”
The Eliana puppet inside the machine did not respond to her words.
It just hung its head quietly, without any sign of life.
****
Henry felt someone’s gaze on him.
He abruptly opened his eyes.
He saw the cell door wide open.
And right in front of him, Lilith was leaning against the iron bars, quietly watching them.
Seeing Lilith’s arrival, Henry’s expression showed some surprise.
He knew Lilith’s abilities were quite peculiar, but he hadn’t expected her to be able to infiltrate such a heavily guarded place!
Speaking of which, how long had she been here?
Henry carefully placed Jessica on the ground, then pulled Lilith out of the cell.
“I’ve brought the items the Young Lady asked me to deliver to you, Young Master. But why are you here, Young Master?”
Before coming to the Abyssal Prison, Lilith had gone to Henry’s original cell. Only after hearing from those Magic Knights that Henry had been transferred did she rush to this place.
Although it wasn’t an especially difficult task, she didn’t like the environment of the Abyssal Prison.
Lilith took a recording crystal ball from her pocket and stuffed it into Henry’s hand, then turned her head to look at Jessica inside the cell.
“And Her Royal Highness the Princess, she’s actually imprisoned here too. It seems a lot has happened during this time.”
The meaning behind Lilith’s words was rather intriguing.