Chapter 39
Torinâs heart ached as he looked at the blood trickling down the wrist of the person on the screen .
She was the real daughter of the Drayton family , their biological sister .
Thinking this , he stood up , approached the camera , and said firmly , â Elysia is not an illegitimate child .
She is as much a part of the Drayton family as Fenwick and me .
â She is our biological sister , the dearest member of our family .
She was once the sister I loved the most , and she will remain the sister I cherish above all .
â
If time could rewind to when Elysia was just 14 years old , the pure and innocent girl she was then would probably have been so overwhelmed by these words that she wouldnât have been able to string a sentence together .
But the past can never be undone .
The present Elysia had been scarred by ten long years of Torinâs indifference and distrust .
Her pain and disappointment had likely piled up into an insurmountable mountain .
Mere words now wouldnât easily move her .
â Elysia ! Finally , Iâve found you ! â Rowena appeared in Elysiaâs line of sight , panting heavily .
Elysia , however , paid her no attention , continuing to pack her bag and head toward the back hill .
This infuriated Rowena .
She shouted , â Hey ! Were you bitten by a snake ? Did you not go to the teacher earlier ? Where are you going now ? Stop right there ! â
Elysia ignored her .
Rowena , out of options , grabbed her sleeve .
â If you donât stop , Iâll tear up all the books in your drawer ! Even if itâs class time , no one will lend you a book .
â
This finally made Elysia stop , but by then they had already reached the back hill , a place rarely visited by others .
Elysia slowly pulled her arm back and said , â I wonât go home and complain , nor was I bitten .
You can leave now .
â
With her head lowered , she spoke softly , placing her bag on the ground and reaching for the bag containing eggs .
Rowena , seeing how protective Elysia was of her bag , suspected she was hiding something and muttered , â What sneaky plan are you up to now ? â
She stealthily reached for the zipper of Elysiaâs bag .
As soon as it was opened , a snakeâs head shot out .
Caught off guard , Rowena let out a piercing scream .
Her body instinctively recoiled , and Elysia , startled by the sound , turned around just in time to see Greenie lunging at Rowenaâs face .
The sharp scream pierced through the sky , echoing far and wide .
Elysia covered her ears .
By the time she regained her composure , Rowena was sitting on the ground , her pale face marked by two faint puncture wounds .
Greenie slithered up Elysiaâs leg like a scolded child , gently coiling around her .
The livestream viewers were stunned .
[ Elysia can tame animals ? She mustâve commanded the snake to bite Rowena .
Serves her right ! ]
[ Use your common sense ; this isnât a fantasy novel ! Clearly , Rowena brought this on herself by messing with Elysiaâs bag .
She deserves it .
]
[ But isnât that a venomous snake ? Rowena might die ! Or was she bluffing earlier ? If thatâs the case , maybe Rowena isnât so bad after all .
]
Fenwick shared the viewers â concerns .
Seeing Rowenaâs pained expression , his heart clenched with worry .
At the same time , he was curious â why didnât he remember Rowena being bitten by a snake ? Could someone have treated her in such a short time ?
On the screen , Elysia shouted , â Donât move ! â
She quickly knelt beside Rowena to examine the wounds on her face .
â Elysia ⦠you ⦠â Rowenaâs words became increasingly slurred , her eyes wide with terror .
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Chapter 39
In truth , the snake was venomous .
Judging by the bluish tint spreading across Rowenaâs face , it wasnât just any venom .
Rowena said , â Iâm telling Torin ⦠â
â Save your breath , Elysia interrupted , knowing full well Rowena would twist the truth and claim Elysia had sicced the snake on her .
â Stay here .
Iâll be right back ,â Rowena said .
[ Did she just leave ? Really ? ]
[ What do you expect her to do ? Call the teacher , the principal , or Torin so Rowena can shift all the blame onto Elysia again ? ]
[ Turning a blind eye to someoneâs plight is no better than committing the act yourself .
Honestly , the Drayton family is nothing but a pack of cold- blooded , ruthless people .
]
[She said sheâd come back .
Are you deaf or blind ? ]
The camera followed Elysia as she tore a leaf from a nearby tree and made a small cut on her wrist .
Blood began to drip steadily , which she collected on the leaf .
Muttering to herself , she said , â Greenieâs venom shouldnât be too strong .
This amount should suffice .
â
Amid the viewers â puzzled and mocking comments , Elysia returned , forcing the leaf and its contents into Rowenaâs mouth .
Rowena , furious at the taste of the metallic blood and the unfamiliar leaf , raised her hand to slap Elysia .
But just then , she made eye contact with Greenie , who was perched on her shoulder .
Another blood â curdling scream shattered the silence .
This time , Elysia had covered her ears in anticipation , avoiding the shock she felt earlier .
â Greenie , behave .
Thereâs food over there .
Eat it and leave .
Donât bite anyone again , â Elysia instructed .
As expected , Greenie understood her .
Without saying anything , it swam up the mountain .
Rowena , shocked by what she had just witnessed , pointed a trembling finger at Elysia .
â You ⦠you dared to let it bite me ? Iâll tell Torin .
Youâre done for ! â
She hadnât even realized her speech had returned to normal .
Instead , she launched into a tirade , accusing Elysia with increasing ferocity .
â You know whose snake that is .
â Elysiaâs voice was cold as she clutched her arm and turned to leave , only to bump into another familiar figure- Fenwick .
â Elysia , bullying Rowena again ? â Fenwick asked .
Without bothering to assess the situation , Fenwick immediately jumped to conclusions .
Elysia froze , letting out a tired sigh before repeating the same words she had said countless times before , â I didnât .
â
Rowena , seeing Fenwick , instantly switched to crying mode .
â Fenwick ! Elysia said she had something to show me , and it turned out to be a venomous snake ! She even made it bite my face ⦠Fenwick , take me to the hospital , please ! â
Fenwickâs anger flared .
Without thinking , he slapped Elysia across the face .
The blow was so forceful that it turned Elysiaâs head to the side , leaving her ears ringing .
Even Rowena , still sitting on the ground , was surprised by its ferocity .
â Fenwick , this is ⦠the second time .
â Elysiaâs voice was flat and emotionless , like a robot .
For the first time , Fenwick felt a faint unease .
But recalling what he believed Elysia had done , he quickly rationalized it .
â This slap is your punishment for bullying Rowena .
Iâve already shown you mercy .
â
Rowena , emboldened , mouthed silently at Elysia with a smirk .
â He only trusts me .
â
The moment Fenwick turned around , she resumed her act , wailing , â Fenwick , Elysia didnât mean to ! Just take me to the hospital .
My face ⦠â
Fenwick picked her up , still finding her unblemished , delicate face puzzling , but resolute in his decision to believe her .
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