Chapter 580: Mortal Angel's Curse
Chapter 580: Mortal Angel’s Curse
Elysia woke up in the early morning. She got up from her sofa and freed herself from the warmth of the blanket to go to the bathroom to comply with her urges by barely making any sound.
Once done with the bathroom affair, she brushed her teeth and washed her face. Last night was a bit strange for her. It was her first experience meeting a complete stranger who was nice to her just for reasons of curiosity and interest.
'Perhaps, it was me and Erina who were stupid basically? She didn't know if I was good or bad and kept inviting me in, and neither did I. Fortunately, of us have any ill will towards the other party. If those two want to trap me in some scheme, I don't know what to do with them…' Elysia looked at her face in the mirror and breathed a sigh of relief.
She was currently wearing a purple pajama, but the turquoise bracelet on her right hand once again caught her attention instantly. Rhea was there, in an unknown state that she was still very worried about.
Elysia raised her hand slightly and stroked the simple yet beautiful turquoise bracelet with a longing gaze. 'Rhea, can you hear me? Are you okay there? Why did you suddenly turn into a bracelet?' I can only hear your subtle breath. Hopefully, that's a good sign. I can't transfer my consciousness into this bracelet for reasons I don't understand. I hope you are doing well and can talk to me again soon.'
Elysia continued to stroke the turquoise bracelet with a tender smile on her face. Suddenly, the bracelet became warmer, and the warmth spread to her wrist and almost half of her arm.
Although somewhat panicked, Elysia still composed herself as she felt no danger would come from it. She immediately used her sacred eyes to see what might be inside the bracelet. However, an elegant yet gentle voice suddenly resounded in her mind.
'Glad to see you and Master Elena safe and sound, Master Elysia.'
Elysia could hardly contain the happiness that overflowed from her heart just because she heard the girl's voice that she wanted to hear so much at that time.
She had no good words for the gratitude she felt, but she smiled and wiped the tear from the corner of her eye before expressing whatever she was feeling at that moment. 'Rh-Rhea, I'm glad you're okay. I'm afraid, I'm so afraid that you will sleep for eternity in this bracelet…'
'Hush, Master Elysia, please don't cry. I will not die as long as you are here with me. I only dematerialized my real body into this bracelet to prevent the excess damage that I suffered and minimize the damage you will incur and suffer. Please don't cry, please. I'm not hurt here.' Rhea also wanted to sob because of Elysia's emotional reaction. Still, she tried to finish her words like a tough girl even though her voice wavered with a slight sob.
'Mm…' Elysia wiped her tears and deactivated her sacred eyes.
Meanwhile, Erina had just woken up from her bed in a semi-conscious state.
Mio noticed her milady's movement, but she didn't do anything other than just to watch. She then checked the mysterious girl on the sofa, but that girl wasn't there.
*Clack*
The bathroom door opened, and Elysia flinched slightly to see Erina barging in. She had locked the door earlier, but did she fail to lock it properly?
However, Elysia instantly froze to look in the mirror. Erina went to sit on that Japanese high-tech toilet for relieving oneself, without noticing her presence even though they were that close?
"Eh?" Erina looked to the side and froze for a moment. Her thoughts and vision gradually became clear. A girl was there, and she failed to notice that?
Along with the sound of gurgling water, Elysia and Erina looked at each other with their blushing faces.
"Aa, mm-" Tears welled up at the corners of Erina's eyes as she felt so embarrassed. But her mouth was instantly silenced by Elysia's delicate hand.
"Please don't scream. I didn't see you taking off your pants, or your private parts. You just walked in and failed to notice my presence. But, this was just an accident and I'm innocent. Please calm down and please continue your bathroom affair. Don't scream, okay?" Elysia whispered near Erina's ear.
"…" Erina just nodded absentmindedly. She had forgotten her embarrassment for a second just because she was fascinated to see Elysia's purplish-blue eyes up close.
However, she could see that there were some remnants of tears in Elysia's eyes and cheeks. It was easy to guess that Elysia was just crying here alone? But, why?
Seeing the girl being submissive, Elysia freed Erina's mouth and went out of the bathroom. She went to sit on the sofa with a blushing face and closed her eyes. Mio looked at her with an expression full of shock, but she didn't really care about the others now.
'Fufu, what an unexpected encounter. An marvelous event in the bathroom with a half-naked girl. Why so many beautiful girls are attracted to you, Master Elysia? Or, you deliberately only choose the best quality to be around you, hehe… I feel sorry for the many men who chase after you because they have no hope.' Rhea teased Elysia with a strange giggle.
'Wh- What do you mean by that, Rhea? I'm very picky when it comes to friends and close people.' Elysia blushed even more because Rhea reminded her of what had just happened. It was very indecent, and she tried her best to put the memory aside.
'Hehe, then, am I one of your friends?' Rhea felt a little curious.
'No, you are not my friend.' Elysia answered without delay.
For some reason, Rhea felt a little disappointment in her heart. She smiled wryly and ventured to ask. 'W-why?'
'Friends may come and go due to circumstances, but it's not for you. You are my close people, one of the few I can trust about some things a friend may never know. Ever since you came into my life and after everything you've done… You were never my friend, but a part of my life. They might call this part of the family.' Elysia answered Rhea's confusion with sincerity.
'…' Rhea was silent, but her smile seemed very satisfied to hear that unexpected answer. What Elena had said a few days ago was true. Elysia was good at playing with words and others' feelings. However, she didn't hate it, not one bit.
'Uhm, thank you. That means a lot to me.' Rhea expressed her gratitude in a mosquito-like voice, but Elysia could hear that clearly.
Elysia and Rhea then exchanged some more words in their minds as they wanted to know each other's current situation.
A few moments later, Erina came out of the bathroom with a very red face. She covered her face and sat on the sofa.
She stole a few glances from between her fingers to see what Elysia was doing.
'Why did Elysia close her eyes like she was meditating? She was trying to calm herself from what had just happened, or-' Erina had her own train of thoughts in her mind.
Mio looked at Elysia and her milady alternately several times, and finally, she came to an understanding. She then smirked and covered her mouth, but she didn't take any action as she knew the wrong one was her milady.
"Sorry, sorry I just walked into the bathroom and didn't realize you were there. But, did you just cry, E-Elysia-san? If you don't mind, you can tell me and I'll listen." Erina ventured to ask when she wasn't too embarrassed anymore.
"Uhm? You don't need to apologize, Miss Erina. I'm fine." Elysia opened her eyes with a sweet smile. However, the reason was not because of Erina, but because she was happy after having a warm conversation with Rhea. It was as if some of the burdens on her shoulders disappeared.
"Are you telling the truth?" Erina brought her face closer to Elysia's to check the truth in the expression.
"Mm, I'm telling the truth. Rather than that, I'm more worried about those black gloves. Is there some reason why you wear them all the time? Even when you're having a bathroom affair?" Elysia immediately shifted the topic to something more crucial so she would not receive any more questions.
"This… Erm, it's a long story." Erina moved back and held her hand with a sigh.
"I can see you have a pair of beautiful hands with smooth skin. I don't mean to reveal your secret, but it reminds me of someone who always wears gloves to seal their cursed hands." Elysia looked up slightly. She had read a storybook with such a main character in the past.
"A curse, huh… Maybe you're right, Elysia-san. Besides all the blessings bestowed upon me, there's also a curse that accompanies my life. In the past nine years, there have only been two people who dared touch my skin, namely Mio and you." Erina looked down with a sad smile.
"That must be scary for you. Really, what might happen to someone who touches your skin intentionally or unintentionally?" Elysia looked at her hands, but she didn't see anything wrong there.
"Elysia-sama, I think that's enough for you to question-" Mio was just about to prevent Elysia from digging deeper. Yet, her milady raised a hand to her.
"That's fine, Mio. After all, it's an open secret among higher-ups. That's why I'm under tight protection, right? I know there are more than eleven hidden experts around me because of it." Erin shook her head slightly.
Hearing that, Elysia immediately used her advanced perception with maximum radius.. She could detect some high-level experts around, but she didn't know they were here to monitor and protect Erina. Above all, from what and for what? Who really was Erina?