"Eirik betrayed Junior Sister?"

  Elvynna stood frozen, stunned by the revelation.

  Though this turn of events seemed to work in her favor—if their relationship was in jeopardy, she could easily step in—she couldn't bring herself to feel glad about it. She had always believed in Eirik’s loyalty, remembering how he loved her so deeply when they were together. Even after his death, she had waited for his reincarnation, not for power, but to see him once more. To think he would abandon Pixie simply because she was marked as a Heaven-Forsaken Body, with no promise of future power, was incomprehensible to her.

  "Perhaps there's more to this than it seems?"

  Elvynna frowned, lost in thought. Meanwhile, the world chat was abuzz, with players lambasting Eirik for his perceived betrayal. He had become the target of their fury, and female players were quick to call for his downfall.

  But Liora soon noticed something odd. While her mentor, Selene, raged against Eirik, calling him a heartless scoundrel and cursing all men, she was now heading towards Elaresar, the capital city, with surprising urgency.

  "Master, where are you going in such a rush?" Liora asked, feigning innocence.

  "I... I can't just sit here and do nothing! I need to confront him, make him regret what he's done!" Selene replied, her words tinged with a mix of anger and unease.

  Confront him? Liora couldn't help but stifle a laugh. How could Selene, still a Practitioner at Lv9, possibly hope to stand against a Savant of Eirik’s caliber?

  "Ha! You scandalous woman!" Liora thought, her fingers flying over the travel panel. "I’m coming with you! This scoundrel won’t get away with it!"

  In truth, many shared her feelings, eager to see Eirik face some sort of reckoning.

  Pixie, however, felt only a deeper sense of despair.

  Once, she had been confident—Eirik was hers, and no one else could compete. But now? Now she couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that Selene was far more alluring than any tavern wench. It hurt. If she had lost to Elvynna, she could have borne it. But this? Eirik with some random woman at a tavern? What did she have that Pixie didn’t? Even cursed as a Heaven-Forsaken Body, it shouldn’t have come to this.

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  Tears of frustration welled in her eyes, and she clutched her chest.

  "I need to talk to him," she whispered, steeling herself. She had to know the truth. Was there some hidden reason for all of this? She would confront Eirik the moment he returned.

  But as the hours passed, Eirik did not come. Instead, the door of the inn swung open, and soldiers from the Dawnstar Dynasty stormed in.

  "Pixie, surrender! You’ve killed the emperor’s envoy, and your actions have been exposed. There’s no escape now, not in Elaresar!"

  A chill ran down her spine.

  A black-armored general, flanked by a troop of soldiers, stood in the doorway. His presence was suffocating. The general was clearly a Savant Lv3, a battle-hardened veteran whose aura reeked of bloodshed. Pixie, at Lv1, was no match for him, and her son, Thal, though skilled, was hopelessly outclassed.

  "Mom, go! I’ll hold them off!" Thal shouted, charging at the soldiers without hesitation.

  Pixie hesitated but knew she couldn’t waste any more time. Her son had the means to escape, and she would only hold him back.

  “Why are we being hunted like this? Is Eirik facing the same fate?” she thought, as she fought her way through the soldiers. But there was no time for further pondering.

  At last, she managed to slip away, weaving through back alleys as her heart pounded in her chest. Elaresar had turned into a nightmare. First, the truth about her Heaven-Forsaken Body, then the unraveling of her marriage, and now this manhunt by the Dawnstar Dynasty.

  "I never thought Pip’s fate would be this tragic. I feel like writing ‘misery’ on her forehead..."

  "How’s Eirik? Surely he hasn't... gone down too?"

  "Serves him right. What did he expect? Flaunting himself at the tavern—this is what happens when you get too cocky."

  The world chat was full of judgment, pity, and the satisfaction of seeing someone once at the height of glory brought low.

  Just a short while ago, Pixie had been the envy of all, and now, here she was, reduced to the subject of mockery. Life’s cruel twists never ceased to surprise.

  And yet, there were more shocks to come.

  As Pixie fled, she found herself in a dark alley. Only a faint light shone from a building in the distance. Peering through the translucent windows, she could make out two figures—a man and a woman—drinking together, their conversation drifting to her ears.

  “I can't believe Mr. Becker would betray his own wife for the greater good...” the woman said, her voice laced with mockery.

  “Miss Ashford, stop with the jokes. Where’s the payment you promised me?” came the man’s voice.

  “Don’t worry, Mr. Becker. With your talents, you'll soon have everything—wealth, power, and magical artifacts, all in the hands of the Dawnstar Dynasty,” the woman replied, her tone sweet and reassuring.

  The man’s words struck Pixie like a bolt of lightning. "My husband... sold me out?"

  Under the moonlight, Pixie’s face went pale. She stumbled away, her thoughts spiraling, her emotions a tangled mess of sorrow and disbelief.

  The bond between us is broken...