Sitana sprang up from the bed plank with a look of terror.
She first carefully felt every part of her body, then let out a sigh of relief, but her expression remained terrified.
What did I say yesterday! What did I say to that jerk Hydra!
Her robust, flawless physique also signified Sitana's exceptional memory. Although she was exhausted to the point of fainting at the time, she still remembered every word she said clearly.
"AHHHHH!"
Miss Young Wolf curled up in the blanket and screamed, "How could this be? This shouldn't be happening! No, no! Calm down, Sitana, calm down..."
"Did Hydra secretly poison me, or did he use some strange item I don't know about... probably not."
"It seems like I wanted to say those things myself, I wanted to say them..."
At the thought, Sitana pounded her own head fiercely, completely disregarding the soreness in her body.
"Why would I want to say those things! Damn it! No! Calm down, Sitana!"
The girl forced herself to calm down again, this time she didn't think about the irrelevant things, but instead directly faced her complex emotions and words at that time.
"This feeling... The reason I said all those things to Hydra."
With a blush on her cheeks, Sitana sits cross-legged, trying to stay calm: "I feel like he was really good to me at that time... okay, I admit it, he's always been good to me, and every time I get into trouble, it's my own fault!"
"He always gives me a piece of his mind after scolding me, and even though I don't wanna hear it... it's actually pretty useful. He's put up with my crap and never lies to me... even Lena would lie to me!"
"So... so..."
Sitana's eyes suddenly light up, and with a clenched fist, she smacks it into her palm. She has figured it out, completely figured it out, it's gotta be that!
Exactly! This is because I see him as family! Absolutely!
"Is this what it feels like to have an older brother... pfft! I ain't got no cunning brother like that!"
After figuring out what her complicated feelings were all about, Sitana became a bit downcast again.
Anselm's silence back then, which symbolized a promise of no deceit, left her feeling both helpless and reassured.
"He just had to do something bad."
The girl pounded the bed frame in frustration, "I've already lowered myself this much, and that jerk won't even spit out a word... sigh."
Sitana just couldn't understand why Anselm couldn't be more open and straightforward.
If he wants fame, why not just do something that actually matters? Why the hell does he have to... wait a minute.
The young wolf scratched her chin, "It seems like he's been doing that all along... So why did I get so inexplicably pissed whenever I thought of him? Sure, he's a hypocrite, but at least he's done something."
She carefully recalled the reasons she was so damn pissed at Anselm before: "If you start with a bad intention, you ain't gonna end up with anything good... oh yeah, that's it!"
Even Sita-the doggo herself didn't know how she came up with such a cool-sounding reason back then. Now, thinking it over, it didn't seem off the mark.
Sitting on the bed, she fell silent for a moment, and finally sighed:
"So, it seems I really have to go against Hydra after all."
Just as Anselm would never lie to Sitana, no matter what, Sitana's essence wouldn't be swayed by her changing feelings for Anselm.
Having rarely been exposed to the outside world and constantly under the pressure of various harsh policies, she spent most of her time hunting alongside wild beasts.
As a result, the wildness deeply rooted in her soul made her sense of right and wrong, her way of thinking, as pure and straightforward as the law of survival of the fittest among beasts, embodying a binary and extreme duality.
Without the careful guidance of her parents and Malena, she might have turned into a super-egoist far more terrifying than any "malefactor."
In short, without experiencing the countless tragic and bloody events of the predetermined timeline, Sitana didn't really have to grow up or anything. Only something brutal and cruel with a significant impact could shake up her way of thinking. Just as Anselm initially assessed her, well... she's a bit mentally deficient.
"The plan's gotta keep going, keep going... yeah, use the Image Projection Crystal to spy on Earl Hardstone, and his meeting starts tomorrow, oh wait, it's today."
The girl, after counting on her fingers, fell silent.
"Today!?"
She jumped up in shock, trying to leap off the bed, but due to her body's intense soreness, she ended up tripping over herself, left foot over right, and faceplanted on the floor.
"Hiss... puff... hiss..."
Having no idea how long she had been lying down, Sitana couldn't care less about the pain. She was terrified of missing Earl Hardstone's meeting, which was one of the few times Hydra showed a weakness. If she missed it, she had no idea when the next opportunity would come!
In a frantic rush, Sitana quickly got dressed, reached into her pocket, and her heart sank.
The crystal! Where's my crystal?! I had a whole handful of them!
Yesterday's coat pocket was completely empty, nothing left, leaving Sitana in a state of shock.
"Hydra... you wouldn't be that treacherous, would you!?"
The girl, clutching her hair, was furious: "You even said I could oppose you if I wanted to!"
Not knowing what to do, she paced anxiously around the room. Just as she completed a lap, she suddenly spotted something on the tea table.
A piece of paper, a ring, a crystal, and a vial of potion.
"Lord Hydra said that the crystals you brought back aren’t something you can use casually, but he's got another one for you. That ring there, it's only for someone with beyonder abilities. Lord Hydra didn't tell me what the effect is, but he wanted me to remind you to prepare yourself mentally before putting it on."
"He said, Sita, you can do whatever you want, but always remember what he told you."
The handwriting on the paper stopped here, leaving a big blank space, and then continued:
"What's written above is what Lord Hydra said to you, and as for me... Sita, I simply hope you stop doing anything that would cause trouble for Lord Hydra."
"Those words of scolding, you probably don't want to hear them either. So, I'll just explain one thing to you."
"If you ever cause Lord Hydra more trouble again, I will do whatever it takes to gain his forgiveness."
Sitana finished reading the letter.
--And completely brushed off Malena's threat.
Ha, what a joke, Hydra himself said I could do whatever I want, Lena, you're just being nosy.
And "whatever it takes," huh? What, gonna tie me to Hydra's bed or something?
The girl pouted, her gaze shifting to the pale green potion on the table.
"Not to forget his words... huh?"
The young wolf's lips curled slightly: "Not allowing me to fail while unprepared. Hmph, how could I forget that?"
She popped open the potion bottle, and without hesitation, downed it in one gulp.
A refreshing coolness that even reached her cranial cavity spread through her throat and throughout her body. To Sitana's great delight, she found that the soreness, swelling, numbness, and pain she felt upon waking were rapidly fading away. In just a few seconds, she would be back to her perfect condition.
"Heh heh, that jerk really never lies to me."
Sitana, happily holding the brand new Image Projection Crystal, then turned her gaze to the ring.
"...What's with this ring that only beyonders can wear, and even need to be mentally prepared for it? Oh well, I don't need it right now."
She left the ring on the table, ready to leave immediately, but then seemed to remember something and rummaged through the storage cabinet in the room, pulling out a simple telescope, her homemade smoke bombs, ringing decoys, odor eliminator, and a blowgun filled with anesthetic darts. She fully equipped herself.
"Totally prepared... alright, let's go!"
The young wolf, brimming with fighting spirit, excitedly waved her fist.
"I will definitely stop you, Hydra! Starting today, let me help you change Scarletfrost!"
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