Chapter 254
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The moment Eliza sensed someone enter her room, she didn’t rush out. Instead, she stayed hidden within her pocket farm, listening quietly for any signs of trouble.
Tina was right outside. If the intruder meant harm, they’d be dealt with before they took a second breath.
But oddly enough, Eliza waited a good while… and heard nothing. No struggle, No sound of resistance,
“Strange…” she murmured. “Could it be someone I know?”
The room remained still–until suddenly, a lamp flared to life.
The flickering flame lit the darkness… and exposed the uninvited guest.
“Renee?” Eliza sat up in surprise as she spotted the figure huddled in the corner. “What are you doing here?”
The girl who had been left in Kane’s care was now in her room.
Renee’s voice trembled. “I… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you, I just didn’t want to stay with Mr. Valencia, so I snuck away. I came to find you.”
But that wasn’t what shocked Eliza most. Her eyes narrowed.
“How did you get past the guards downstairs?”
Nolan had stationed Black Flag soldiers outside. They rotated shifts through the night–yet Renee had slipped in unseen?
A chill crept through Eliza’s spine. Could this girl be more than she seemed?
As if reading her suspicion, Renee quickly stammered, “Please don’t be scared. I swear I don’t know any tricks. I’ve just always been… well, invisible. If I keep quiet and control my breathing, people don’t notice me.”
It was how she’d escaped the county magistrate in Caslig County–just staying small and unnoticed.
Eliza raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”
Renee nodded eagerly. “I can show you! Just turn around. Then look back again.”
Curiosity piqued, Eliza humored her. She turned away… waited a beat… then looked back.
“Renee?” she called.
“I’m here” Renee’s voice came from right beside her.
Eliza flinched in alarm as the girl reached out and tapped her shoulder.
Renee had pulled up her hood and wrapped her face in cloth, blending into the shadows so well she was practically invisible. If she hadn’t spoken, Eliza wouldn’t have noticed her at all.
Tina raised an eyebrow. “Not bad.”
Coming from Tina, that meant a lot.
“But,” Tina added flatly, “to a shadow guard, this is child’s play. Still, she was born with it–no training. That’s rare.”
Tina didn’t say the rest aloud, but Eliza heard the implication anyway.
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Chapter 254
This girl… was made for the shadows.
Renee, hearing only the compliment, puffed her chest up with pride.
Eliza couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, Miss Sneaky, you’ve got some talent. But why sneak in here?”
Rence bit her lip and looked down. “I didn’t like the way they looked at me.”
Eliza blinked. “What kind of look? Didn’t Kane take proper care of you?”
“He did,” Renee said quickly. “He gave me a place to stay, even apologized. But their eyes…” She paused. “They all looked at me like I was some pitiful thing. Even Mr. Valencia.”
Eliza’s gaze softened. Renee had learned the truth about Seth. After everything she’d endured, the girl was raw, sensitive to every emotion–every glance.
Pity. Disgust. Blame. She saw it all. And she hated it.
“That’s why I left,” Renee continued. “I couldn’t stay there anymore. I didn’t know where else to go. But I remembered your eyes, the day you saved me… you didn’t look at me like that. You didn’t see a burden. You looked like you cared.”
She lowered her voice.
“So I ran. I chased after you for two whole days and nights until I finally made it to Plutonville. I was scared I wouldn’t be let in, so I slipped inside.”
“I didn’t mean to wake you. If I’d known, I would’ve waited outside until morning.”
Eliza looked at her for a long moment before finally sighing.
“Alright,” she said. “If you don’t mind living simply, then you can stay with me for now. Once we return to Hasen City, I’ll be going back to the nunnery. Life there is quiet. Plain. You might not be used to it.”
But Renee’s face lit up with joy. “I don’t mind at all! I can live anywhere, eat anything, do any chore. I just want to stay with you.”
Eliza smiled. “Alright then-”
“Help! Liza, please save me!”
The desperate scream outside cut her off.
Down on the street below, Isabelle lay sprawled in the dust, clothes torn and face streaked with tears.
Behind her, several rough–looking servants charged out of the shadows, brandishing sticks.
“So this is where she ran off to!”
“She’s already married our young master as a concubine, and she still dares run?”
“Little slut clawed up our master’s face–see if we don’t teach her a lesson today!”
The men dragged her back as Isabelle shrieked and struggled.
“Liza, please!” she cried. “I know you’re up there–I know you came back! Please, just save me one last time. If you don’t help me now, I’ll die out here. Liza!”
Eliza stood at the window, unmoving.
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Chapter 254
The men sneered. “You can scream all you want, bitch. Ain’t nobody coming to save you. We’ll make sure of that.”
Isabelle sobbed, “Liza… I don’t want to die…”
And just like that, they hauled her away.
From behind her, Tina’s voice asked quietly, “Serenity, should I intervene?”
Eliza shut the window with a faint click.
“No need,” she said coldly.
“She’s acting again, isn’t she?” Eliza thought. “She wants me to pity her. But I won’t fall for it this time.”
Her face like frost, she motioned for Tina to settle Renee in the empty room next door.
Then she lay back in bed, eyes
shut.
But mere minutes later, her eyes snapped open–burning with fury.
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“Isabelle… who gave you the right to come to me for help? What makes you think I’d save you again? What–are you trying to fool me all over again?”
