A vicious scratch, starkly revealed in the light!

  The wound wasn’t too deep, but the skin was puckered and torn, the edges already red and dark. The beads of blood that had seeped out had long since congealed, leaving dark red scratch marks on her skin.

  “My Lady…”

  Betty’s voice was thick with the despair of a sob. She didn’t dare meet Pandora’s eyes. “Am… am I… going to die? Will I… will I become like my brother… right?”

  Elsa said nothing.

  Her right hand had silently tightened on the hilt the moment the wound was revealed. Her body leaned forward slightly, like an arrow drawn to a full string.

  Her duty was to protect Pandora’s safety.

  Any potential threat, in her eyes, should be eliminated in advance!

  In truth, if not for a subtle glance from Pandora under the table, telling her not to act rashly, the blood-thorn sword would have already left its sheath!

  Pandora’s gaze shifted from the wound on Betty’s arm, landing on the small face full of terror and despair.

  Pandora’s voice was exceptionally calm, so calm it was a little frightening.

  “Betty, look at me, and answer honestly.”

  “Besides the pain, do you feel anything else? A fever? Dizziness? Confusion? Or… an abnormal craving for flesh and blood?”

  Betty concentrated for a moment, then shook her head vigorously, tears still streaming down her face. “No… My Lady, besides the wound still hurting a little, there’s… nothing else. Really, I swear!”

  “Then how did you get injured?” Pandora pressed, her gaze sharp. “Explain in detail.”

  “It… it was last night…”

  Betty recounted, sobbing and in broken fragments. “I… I was so scared. It was cold and I was hungry, and I must have dozed off… Then, then I… I unconsciously… wanted to get closer to my brother. I don’t know what I was thinking. But the result… the result was I accidentally touched him. He had already lost control by then, and he… he suddenly grabbed me…”

  “I… I thought I was done for, that I was going to turn into a monster too… I cried for a long time, until… until I had no more strength. And then… then I fell into a deep sleep, until… until you and Lady Elsa woke me up this morning…”

  Betty’s voice grew quieter, filled with helplessness and confusion. “My Lady… My Lady! I didn’t, I didn’t mean to deceive you… I just… I just didn’t know what to do…”

  “I really don’t want to die! Waaah—”

  The kitchen fell into a deathly silence once more, broken only by Betty’s suppressed, desperate sobs.

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  Pandora offered no further words of comfort.

  She looked at the wound, at the crying Betty, at the restrained, roaring Andrew nearby.

  She didn’t know if Betty would turn, or when she might turn.

  She couldn’t make any false promises.

  The heavy atmosphere was almost crushing.

  After a long while, Pandora let out a long sigh, as if trying to expel the oppressive air.

  She picked up another slice of bread, carefully spread the butter evenly, and then, to the shock of both Betty and Elsa, she held the bread out to Betty.

  “Eat first.”

  Pandora’s voice had returned to normal, even taking on a hint of forced lightness. “Why are you all staring at me? The sky hasn’t fallen yet! Eat. You’ll need your strength to face what’s coming.”

  Betty stared blankly at the bread in front of her. She looked at Pandora, momentarily forgetting to cry.

  Elsa’s brow, however, was furrowed tightly. She couldn’t stop herself from speaking, her voice tinged with urgency. “My Lady! This is too dangerous! What if…”

  “What if she turns suddenly?” Pandora interrupted, her calm gaze meeting Elsa’s worried one. “Elsa, don’t you understand yet? Letting Betty live is actually more valuable than letting her die.”

  She paused for a moment, her gaze sweeping over Betty’s wound again, then glancing at the bound Andrew, her expression thoughtful.

  “Her survival, the wound on her body… it might help us test a theory. About this catastrophe… about the predicament we find ourselves in…”

  Pandora finally turned her gaze back to Elsa, her eyes holding an undeniable trust. “Besides, I have complete faith in you, Elsa.”

  “I am certain that if any emergency truly arises, you will be able to eliminate the threat before I come to any harm, won’t you?”

  Pandora gave a light, easy smile.

  Elsa’s body trembled slightly.

  She fell into a long silence.

  Finally, the fingers gripping her sword hilt slowly relaxed.

  “As you command, My Lady.”

  “As long as I still draw breath, I will absolutely not permit that ‘monster’ to inflict the slightest harm upon you!”

  She sat back down on the bench and picked up her slice of bread. She spread the butter on it meticulously, with painstaking care.

  ………………

  Not long after, breakfast was over.

  Pandora clapped her hands lightly, brushing off the hard crumbs from the bread. Under the circumstances, she couldn’t be too picky. Having something in her stomach was enough.

  She looked back at Betty, whose small face was still fraught with anxiety.

  She understood what Betty was afraid of.

  But right now, she didn’t have the time to coddle Betty’s emotions.

  “Betty,” Pandora’s voice was gentle but firm. “This place isn’t safe anymore. If you stay here alone, it’s a dead end. Come with us. We’re going to town to find my father.”

  “Find the Viscount?!”

  Betty’s head snapped up, her eyes exploding with an unbelievable light, only to be drowned by a wave of immense terror. “My Lady, I… can I really come with you like this? I… I won’t hold you and Lady Elsa back, will I?”

  “Staying here would be the biggest burden of all.”

  Pandora cut Betty off without ceremony, her tone leaving no room for argument. “And besides, don’t you want to live? Then prove it to me. Prove that your being alive has value.”

  “Yes! My Lady! I won’t hold you back, I promise!”

  Betty’s face flushed with excitement, and she nodded vigorously.

  “Good.” Pandora nodded in satisfaction, then subconsciously clapped her hands again before turning to Elsa. “Elsa, tie her up. Hands behind her back. Safety first.”

  “Yes, My Lady.”

  Without a moment’s hesitation, Elsa nimbly found a thick rope—the same kind used to tie “Goat-dropping” Andrew—and, with practiced movements, bound Betty’s hands behind her back.

  “Mmph…”

  Betty let out a pained grunt, but she endured it without struggling. She obediently opened her mouth, allowing Elsa to proceed…

  “Wait,” Pandora raised a hand, stopping Elsa from her next move to gag her. “Don’t gag her. I need to monitor her condition. She needs to be able to speak.”

  Elsa’s actions froze. In the end, she silently withdrew her hand.

  Betty looked at Pandora with gratitude, but Pandora didn’t look at her. Not gagging her wasn’t an act of kindness; it was purely for better observation.

  She wasn’t so foolish as to leave an unnecessary risk out of pity.

  “Let’s go, Betty. Lead the way. To the kitchen pantry. We need to get some rations.”

  “Yes, My Lady! This way!”