Chapter 305: Heart Knot

Silence returned to the forest, leaving only the faint rustle of leaves brushing against one another.

Freya's fingertips unconsciously gripped her hem, suppressing the anticipation in her heart as she waited for the other woman to speak.

“If you want to hear it that badly, I suppose I can tell you~”

Celia’s lips slowly curled into a smirk as she announced, “He said back then—‘You woman—!’”

“Don’t make things up,” Freya interrupted with an immediate frown. “Lord Ansu would never address me that way.”

She lowered her gaze, hiding a trace of disappointment. “If you don’t want to say it... then forget it.”

Celia curled her lip. “Fine, I’ll stop teasing you.”

Freya looked toward her again, her eyes full of anticipation.

Celia practically gritted her teeth as she managed to squeeze out the words:

“He said... that he has a favorable impression of you.”

A smile instantly spread across Freya’s face, and a bright light flickered in her eyes.

She looked up at Celia and quickly followed up with another question. “And after that? What else did he say?”

Celia raised an eyebrow, mocking her. “What, do you want to hear him praise you that much?”

Freya’s cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn’t deny it.

Celia crossed her arms and spoke in a low, brooding tone. “He said you’re gentle and cute, resilient and reliable. He said every time he’s in danger, you disregard your own safety and step in front of him without hesitation...”

The more she spoke, the brighter Freya’s eyes became, and a sweet sensation blossomed in her heart.

So Lord Ansu had always remembered her virtues; he just didn’t express them openly...

“Oh, right.” Celia suddenly glanced at her, her gaze slowly drifting toward a certain area. “He also said you have a big chest.”

Freya’s cheeks turned even redder, and she lowered her head in embarrassment.

She couldn’t help but remember that Lord Ansu did seem... quite fond of staring at her chest...

Celia let out a soft click of her tongue, feeling quite indignant.

“Actually, they aren’t even that much bigger than mine, I think...”

Blushing, Freya looked up, instinctively glancing at Celia’s chest.

However, the sudden movement of her head caused a slight, visible ripple to surge.

Celia’s eyes widened, and she was suddenly at a loss for words.

Fine, in this regard, she truly couldn’t compete...

She let out a cough and changed the subject with an air of indifference. “There’s more. Do you want to keep listening?”

“Yes!” Freya said immediately.

“It was nothing but praise for you,” Celia huffed, her tone dripping with bitterness. “When talking about his experiences in the North, he had nothing but good things to say about you... He even said that without you, every step of the journey would have been difficult, and he might not have made it to the end or defeated those powerful enemies.”

“I was the one who caught the fleeing demon and beat it until it was crippled...”

She began to grumble unhappily.

“But in the end, he only remembers your good points. Hmph!”

Freya listened quietly to every word Ansu had said, her expression growing increasingly soft.

At the same time, she didn't forget to secretly observe Celia’s demeanor.

After talking for so long, she actually hasn't gotten angry?

Or rather, she hasn't reached the point of emotional instability out of jealousy like she used to.

This was too abnormal.

Freya hesitated for a moment, but eventually, she couldn't help but ask.

“Aren’t you angry? If this were the past... you probably wouldn't be this calm.”

“If this were the past...” Celia’s gaze instantly darkened, and the aura around her grew several degrees colder.

“I’d either kill you! Or use soul black magic to wipe every memory of Ansu from your mind until not a single trace remained!”

Freya thought to herself: As expected, she’s still that terrifying mad witch.

Moreover, she felt that if this were the past, this mad witch might have done something even more extreme to her...

She suppressed her wariness and whispered a follow-up: “And now?”

“Now...” The ferocity in Celia’s eyes gradually faded, replaced by an undeniable bitterness.

She gave a bitter laugh, and her eyes suddenly became vacant.

“My mind is a mess right now. I don’t have the energy to think about those things...”

Her tone was full of regret. “I really shouldn't have asked more...”

Thoughts swirled endlessly in Celia’s mind.

She had pursued the truth, only to receive the answer she least wanted to hear.

Noticing her unusually low spirits, Freya asked in confusion, “What exactly did you ask him? To make you like this?”

In truth, she had noticed it during the battle. Celia appeared strong, but she seemed to be suppressing a complex emotion.

Anxiety? Or perhaps... sorrow...

Celia remained silent for a long time.

She was silent for so long that even the wind in the forest died down. Finally, she spoke, her voice as light as a sigh:

“I asked him... ‘Ansu, when did you fall in love with me?’”

“What’s wrong with that?” Freya was completely baffled.

Celia didn't say anything more, only keeping her eyes lowered.

The unspoken worries in her heart began to spread wildly—

At that moment, Ansu had been half-awake and half-asleep, his guard completely down as he spoke the words hidden in the deepest part of his heart.

She had asked: ‘Ansu, when did you fall in love with me?’

Ansu’s voice had been raspy but clear as he said: ‘I fell in love with you bit by bit while I was deceiving you.’

In that moment, she had frozen, her heart feeling as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand, making even breathing difficult.

Deception—it was the thing she hated most and could least tolerate.

Especially from Ansu.

She never allowed Ansu to deceive her or betray her.

She selfishly hoped that Ansu’s heart and eyes were filled only with her, with no secrets and no hint of false pretenses.

Celia still remembered the time she thought she had heard Ansu’s most sincere confession. He had promised her: ‘Miss Witch, you aren’t alone, because you have me.’

At the time, she had pursued him with paranoid intensity, wanting his guarantee: ‘Then you must, must, must never betray me! Because I believe in you!’

But what if even that promise was built upon deception?

Countless images from the past flashed by.

She had forced him to serve her, forcibly twisted his thoughts, and used aggressive methods time and again to keep him by her side.

And during that time, he was likely trembling with fear as he played a game of wits with her, carefully hiding his true thoughts, not even daring to speak a single word of truth.

Celia had always believed that their love was natural, pure, and sincere. But now she knew that this love was like a fragile bubble—beautiful to look at, but actually built on the premise of deception and compromise.

If that thin barrier were broken, would the feelings between them collapse in an instant?

Would it be completely destroyed? Beyond repair?

That was why she didn't dare ask more, nor did she dare think more. She could only end the hypnosis in a hurry.

She was like an ostrich burying its head in the sand, wanting only to bury her thoughts deep and carefully guard the warmth she had now. Compared to the truth, she would rather know nothing at all...

Celia sighed softly, a lingering resentment haunting her eyes.

Would Ansu notice the change in her emotions?

If he realized what she was thinking, would he pretend not to know?

She truly hoped it would just stay like this...

It would be best not to untie this heart knot, to act as if nothing had happened, and to maintain the warmth they had now.

Because Ansu loved her.

And she loved Ansu.

Celia sighed silently again and again, while Freya watched her with growing confusion.

Suddenly, Celia looked up at Freya, her tone tinged with a hint of loneliness.

“You’ve always envied me, but have you ever thought that I envy you as well?”

“Envy me?” Freya was momentarily stunned.

“Yes, envy you...” Celia sighed. “I envy that you can stand by his side openly and rightfully, being accepted by the world and receiving everyone's blessings...”

She paused. “While I...”

Living in the shadows of darkness, using despicable methods... even this relationship was obtained through force and manipulation...

Freya frowned as she watched Celia hesitate, her confusion deepening.

How could this witch, who was always so arrogant, strong, and prickly, suddenly show such a vulnerable side?

But she didn't interrupt.

She simply listened quietly, letting Celia pour out her heart bit by bit.

...