Chapter 63: You Wouldn’t Want…
“Ekaterina, you have disappointed me greatly.”
Inside the Holy Maiden’s chamber, Loseweisse, unable to contain her anger, berated Ekaterina.
Within the Hero Squad, she had always played the role of the kind, gentle older sister to Eileen and Airi, and the obedient younger sister to the others. She was always polite, her voice soft and alluring. But this time, she couldn’t hold back. Her expression was stern, her body trembling with suppressed rage.
Ekaterina, aware of her grave error, hung her head, accepting the younger woman’s scolding without protest.
“Your actions almost ruined our entire plan! Can’t you think before you act? For once, consider the consequences!” Loseweisse massaged her temples, her head pounding.
She was at her wit’s end.
Her life had been a series of misfortunes ever since the Second Hero, Qin Chu, had arrived in the Heavenly Continent.
Humiliated at the welcoming banquet.
Angelica, the maid she had once tormented, now enjoying newfound freedom and power.
Her home burglarized, her secret notebooks and diaries stolen, her fortune gone, even her precious Divine Oracles vanished.
Her plan to manipulate Qin Chu through Angelica backfiring, the two nuns she had sent to kidnap Angelica killed, Qin Chu using the incident to break Angelica’s seal…
It was as if fate itself was conspiring against her.
Every plan, no matter how carefully crafted, no matter how foolproof, had crumbled before her eyes.
She was exhausted, frustrated, and now Ekaterina’s blunder had almost destroyed everything.
Even her usual composure had shattered. After Qin Chu and Augustus had left, she had summoned Ekaterina to her chambers. She had to make her understand the gravity of her actions.
They had escaped this time, but if Ekaterina didn’t control her temper, this would happen again, and next time, they might not be so lucky.
Ekaterina, who had been silently enduring Loseweisse’s tirade, finally spoke, her voice a meek murmur. “Did it really affect our entire plan? It wasn’t that bad, was it?”
Her nonchalance infuriated Loseweisse. This idiot still didn’t understand the magnitude of her mistake.
How had this imbecile even become a member of the Hero Squad?
Loseweisse wanted to scream, to throw things, but she restrained herself. Her stomach, however, churned with anxiety.
“Please, dear sister, think for a moment!”
“Do you even realize what you did? After Qin Chu carried you back from the tavern, you… you raped him! Don’t you understand how this will affect his reputation? He’ll be ridiculed, mocked! He’ll despise you!”
“And then, you, in your drunken stupor, accused him of violating you, and you attacked him!”
“He’ll hate you, and by extension, he’ll view the entire Hero Squad with suspicion. Our plan to befriend him, to gain his trust so we can eventually assassinate him, will become even more difficult. And our plan to resurrect Jie Luo… it will be jeopardized.”
“This is basic logic! Why can’t you grasp it?”
She had thought Ekaterina was intelligent, but it seemed she was a complete moron.
Ekaterina stared at her blankly… Jie Luo?
Who was Jie Luo?
She couldn’t even recall the name, its significance lost to her. Her subconscious knew that she and Loseweisse were planning something, something important, involving Qin Chu, but the true purpose of their plan eluded her.
Her expression was vacant, her eyes unfocused.
Stunning Love, enhanced by Shaye’s modifications, was more potent than the original. A single dose was worth three of the original potion. After the initial shock had subsided, and Ekaterina had calmed down, the potion’s true effects were beginning to manifest.
Memories of Jie Luo flooded her mind.
She shuddered, her face paling. She remembered. Jie Luo, the man she loved most. Their plan was to resurrect him. They were befriending Qin Chu to eventually kill him and use his life force to bring Jie Luo back…
How could she have forgotten something so important?
It must have been the trauma of losing her purity to that… that… Qin Chu. Her subconscious, unable to accept the reality of her defilement, had deemed her unworthy of Jie Luo, unfit to remain by his side.
That had to be it!
Loseweisse’s scolding had jolted her back to reality, her memories returning. She trembled, her body wracked with guilt and shame.
Loseweisse, seeing her distress, softened her tone. “You understand the severity of the situation now? Good. Remember, this cannot happen again. Qin Chu forgave you this time, thanks to my intervention. Next time… well, there might not be a next time.”
Hah, that Qin Chu… when Augustus, despite her pleas, had remained resolute, she had only had to ask Qin Chu, and he had immediately spoken up for her, saving Ekaterina’s position in the Hero Squad.
He was clearly infatuated with her.
Too bad it was one-sided. She wouldn’t stoop to Ekaterina’s level. That man was nothing compared to Jie Luo.
This was perhaps the only silver lining in this mess.
If the other women, Ekaterina, Eileen, Airi, Athena, Sylph, couldn’t win Qin Chu over, she would have to step in. Her charm surpassed theirs.
She felt a surge of pride.
Ekaterina, oblivious to her thoughts, was consumed by guilt and self-recrimination. She had forgotten Jie Luo!
“I’ll quit drinking,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.
“Good. It’s not too late to salvage the situation.” Loseweisse pondered their next move, her fingers tapping the armrest of her chair. She had to repair the damage Ekaterina had done, to restore the Hero Squad’s image in Qin Chu’s eyes.
“You can’t change what happened. You slept with him. So, we might as well use it to our advantage. Seduce him. You’ve already done it once. If he needs… comfort… well, provide it. At least make him tolerate your presence. If you can make him fall for you… even better.”
Thinking about it, she felt another surge of frustration.
If Qin Chu had been the aggressor, it would have been so much easier. She could have simply said: “You wouldn’t want this to become public knowledge, would you? You wouldn’t want your reputation ruined? You wouldn’t want people to think you’re a monster?”
And then she could have forced them into a relationship, making their plan so much easier.
And Ekaterina, her purity lost, would have been deemed unsuitable for Jie Luo, eliminating a powerful rival.
She had been so pleased, but then everything had been flipped on its head, her plans ruined.
She suppressed her annoyance, continuing. “Men… they’re all slaves to their desires.”
“Qin Chu is no different. You’re beautiful, Ekaterina. If you’re willing to… lower yourself… Angelica won’t stand a chance.”
Ekaterina frowned, her expression reluctant. Seduce him? Make him fall for her?
“Wouldn’t that make me a… a…”
Seeing her hesitation, Loseweisse pressed on, her voice soft and persuasive, almost hypnotic.
“Ekaterina, don’t you want Jie Luo to live again? I’m sure he’ll be touched by your sacrifice.”
“Everything you do, you do for him!”
“You wouldn’t want your sacrifice to be in vain, would you?”
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