Carrying Ragdoll out of the market, Yixing headed home. Those members of the elf royal family didn’t seem like the sort to kill innocents, so Awei’er should be safe. Besides, the person they were after was some kind of rebel. It probably had nothing to do with him.

Once he was home, Yixing dropped Ragdoll onto the floor. He knew his own strength; Ragdoll wouldn’t be able to move again before tomorrow.

Awei’er was washing vegetables when she saw Yixing come back carrying someone. She stared at him in surprise. “Lord Yixing? Who’s that?”

“It’s nothing. Just leave him here and pretend you didn’t see him.” Yixing said casually, then nudged Ragdoll with his foot.

“Looks like I’m not the only one Lord Yixing keeps bringing home.” Awei’er had no idea why he’d brought Ragdoll back, but then she remembered that Yixing had picked her up the same way. A smile slipped onto her face.

Ragdoll’s eyes were frantic. He kept darting glances at Yixing, as if he had something extremely urgent to say.

To understand why he was acting this way, we have to go back to that morning. Ragdoll was a health enthusiast. He usually drank a whole bottle of water in the morning to help his bowels and flush toxins from his body.

Who knew if it actually worked? But after drinking a whole bottle of water that morning, well… it was about time.

That’s right. His body couldn’t move, but he couldn’t hold his pee any longer.

Unfortunately, he’d lost the ability to move. He couldn’t speak or budge, either. All he could do was hold on through sheer force of will!

“Lord Yixing, the bounty magazine you ordered arrived this week. I signed for it and left it in the mailbox downstairs!” Awei’er called to him while doing chores, carrying a basin of dirty laundry.

“Okay, got it,” Yixing replied casually. He went downstairs and out into the yard to get the magazine.

But just as he reached the roadside, someone wrapped in a tattered gray robe suddenly bumped into him. “Sorry,” she said over her shoulder, then hurried on, looking frantic.

Yixing didn’t think much of it. He only gave her a quick glance out of habit. Judging by her build, she was probably a girl. But his pupils contracted. His keen eyes had caught a wound that ran straight through her beneath the robe. The smell of blood was strong. It was a serious injury, and the wound was fresh.

But she probably didn’t need his help, so he could just leave her alone. That was what Yixing thought—then she suddenly tripped over her own feet, fell to the ground, and lay motionless. She’d stopped breathing.

“Huh…? Did she just fall and kill herself?” Goosebumps rose across Yixing’s back. He hurried over and turned her over. The first thing he saw was her dazzling golden hair—and a pair of long elf ears.

“A rebel from the Firster Court…?” Yixing sighed. “Why does this kind of thing keep happening lately?”

Carrying the elf, Yixing felt like he’d spent all his time lugging things around lately. He took her home, set her down on the floor, and ran into Awei’er, who had just finished the laundry.

Awei’er gave him a strange look. “Um, it’s only been five minutes, Lord Yixing. What have you picked up this time?”

“Don’t ask me… I don’t know why I brought her home, either.” Yixing rubbed his temples, his expression stiff, then opened the elf’s long robe and tossed it aside.

The elf was beautiful, just as the legends said. Her golden hair shone like actual gold, and her features were delicate. Her figure was slender. Even her ordinary clothes seemed to take on an air of holiness when she wore them. There was just one thing that marred her beauty a little.

“Gasp!” Awei’er saw the wound on the elf’s chest and sucked in a sharp breath. “I-is she dead?”

The wound was horrifying. It had nearly pierced straight through her chest. She’d been lucky—it hadn’t hit her heart—but her lungs were badly damaged.

“Not dead yet. But she’s close.”

“Lord Yixing, should we take her to the hospital…?” The elf’s injuries were so severe that Awei’er’s fingers trembled. She’d never seen anything this gruesome.

“The hospital probably won’t work… If we take her there, we might as well be sending her to her death. Never mind. Let’s wake her up first. Awei’er, go get some water.” Yixing shook his head. If she really was a rebel elf, taking her to the hospital would be like walking right into a trap.

Awei’er nodded and turned to fetch some water.

But just then, Ragdoll, whose face had turned bluish-purple from holding it in, suddenly sprayed liquid from below. Strangely, it didn’t trickle out—it shot out in a stream.

A thin stream of yellow liquid traced a perfect arc through the air and splashed across the elf’s face.

“Ugh…” The liquid splashed onto her face. She let out a faint moan, slowly woke up, and pushed herself upright.

Then she saw Yixing, whose expression was hard to describe.

“Did you save me? Thank you. And what is this?” She wiped the yellow liquid from her face, then noticed Ragdoll beside her. Her whole body froze.

The scene suddenly became incredibly awkward.

“…Listen, let me explain. I don’t know this person. I only picked him up, too. Wait!” Before Yixing could finish, magic suddenly began to shine around the elf.

“The water’s here!” Awei’er rushed over with a basin.

The moment she saw the water, the elf ignored her injuries and dashed over in three quick strides. She snatched it up and frantically washed her face and hands. It took a while for her to calm down. Once she did, she moved a finger and spoke a single syllable: “Sa!” Light extended from her fingertip, then solidified into a sword made of magic. Without hesitation, she charged at Ragdoll with it. The only way to wash away this humiliation was with his blood.

“Wait!” Yixing couldn’t just let her kill Ragdoll. He still had questions for him. So he lightly tapped Ragdoll with a pulse of force and released him.

“What are you doing?!” The elf glared at Yixing, murder in her eyes. He’d seen her at her most humiliating. That meant she had to make sure he never spoke of it!

“Um, are you sure the wound in your chest is okay?” Awei’er asked nervously. The wound was shockingly deep, and she couldn’t help worrying.

Awei’er’s words—and the pain in her chest—helped the elf regain her composure. She dispelled the magic sword in her hand and addressed Yixing and Awei’er coldly. “Don’t get involved with me. And forget that anyone ever came here. Understand?”

“The Firster Court is already after you. You can’t escape, and if you don’t get that wound treated, you’ll die.” Yixing spread his hands.

“Y-you know the Firster Court is after me?” The elf jumped in alarm and took a wary step back.

“We can talk later. How about I treat your wound first?” Yixing held up a finger.

“Why should I trust you? What if you’re one of them…?” The elf didn’t let her guard down.

Yixing was about to explain when Awei’er, who’d been watching from the side, stepped forward. She gave an awkward smile, but when she glanced back at Yixing, her expression softened at once. “Um, I don’t know what you’ve been through, but there’s one thing I can promise you.” Awei’er spoke with conviction. “Lord Yixing is a good person. You can trust him.”

That sudden, straight-to-the-point reassurance left the elf a little stunned. But she knew that while she was unconscious, they’d carried her here. If they’d wanted to kill her, they could have done it already.

The pain in her chest told her that if she really went outside, she’d be as good as dead.

So the elf took a deep breath and finally walked over. “…Thank you.”

“No need. If you want me to treat you, come over and let me bite you.” Yixing held out his hand.

“B-bite?!” The elf seemed to imagine something terrible and panicked. “Do you know who I am? How dare you?!” Awei’er’s face turned red, too, and she turned her head away without saying anything.

“Are you stupid? I mean bite my finger.” Seeing how flustered the elf was, Yixing didn’t bother explaining. He simply shoved his finger into her mouth. To be honest, her tongue was pretty soft.