leonardwarren Chapter 216 : Are You Here to Punish Me?
Chapter 216 : Are You Here to Punish Me?
When the lioness went berserk, that was no joke.With just one punch, she nearly cracked open the skull of the servant who had grabbed Celitia.
That servant flew through the air in a parabolic trajectory, crashed to the ground, twitched for a moment, then stopped moving.
Turning around, Ariel threw several more consecutive punches, and the servants surrounding them all went flying.
The remaining servants who hadn't been launched ran for their lives, shouting: "Murder! Murder!!"
The female noble who had called for help was so frightened her legs went weak, and she sat down hard on the ground:
"This is Her Grace the Duchess's estate! How dare you commit violence—you'll be punished!!"
Celitia rubbed her forehead and tried to restrain Ariel:
"Wait, wait—even if this is a dream, making a big scene won't do any good."
Ariel was still unsatisfied: "Since it's a dream anyway, even if I beat them up, no one will come demanding medical fees!"
The corner of Celitia's mouth twitched: Why did this sound like some kind of twisted logic...
Fortunately, someone hurried out from inside the house at that moment: "What are you doing?"
A brown-haired, black-eyed girl wearing a solemn black evening gown walked outside.
When she clearly saw Celitia and Ariel standing in front, her face suddenly turned deathly pale:
"You... you are..."
"Benita."
Finally finding their target, Celitia called out to her and said with a smile: "You wouldn't fail to recognize even me, would you?"
"No... no..."
Benita shook her head vigorously, trembling all over as she staggered back two steps. "Why are you here?"
Feeling that Benita's reaction was off, Celitia's eyelid twitched slightly.
So what was the setting of this dream?
Why did Benita look like she'd seen a ghost?
"Did the Goddess finally grow tired of my actions," Benita said in a trembling voice, "and send you here to punish me?"
What did that mean?
Celitia frowned in confusion and walked toward Benita: "What's wrong with you?"
As she moved forward, Benita backed away.
"Don't let her get close to the Countess!"
Two servants rushed toward her, trying to block Celitia.
Seeing this, Ariel threw two more punches and sent both servants flying.
Benita retreated step by step until she reached the house behind her, with nowhere left to go.
With her back against the wall, Benita lost all strength and slid down the wall to sit.
Celitia was quick to catch her and sighed in frustration.
"So what exactly is this setting... Just seeing me scared you this much?"
Benita's eyes reddened as she silently closed them:
"If you want to kill me for revenge, go ahead. I won't resist."
Celitia: "??"
She once again experienced the same confusion she'd felt in Ariel's dream.
I say, what kind of strange dreams are you all having?
Celitia was simply speechless.
Come to think of it, it was fortunate she hadn't been dreaming.
Given the complexity of her own experiences, if anyone saw them, that would be even more disastrous...
"Rather than killing you, I'd like to know what happened. Let's find somewhere private to talk slowly, Benita."
"Alright..." Benita nodded tremblingly. "Then follow me."
Having all the servants who tried to follow them step back, Benita led the two to a study deep in the mansion.
Closing the study door, Benita could no longer hold back. Tears poured from her eyes, and in an instant she was sobbing uncontrollably.
Celitia was bewildered and grabbed her sleeve to wipe her tears: "No, Benita, don't cry!"
"Wuu... Lily... wuu..."
Benita simply held her tightly, wiping tears and snot all over her clothes as she cried breathlessly.
"No... wuu... I don't even have the right to call you that..."
Celitia was completely bewildered and could only hug Benita back, gently patting her back repeatedly.
"It's okay, it's okay. It's all a nightmare—you'll be fine when you wake up."
"The Saintess is here too," Benita cried even harder. "The Goddess must have sent you both back to punish me, right?"
Celitia shook her head: "Calm down, Benita. I told you it's a nightmare."
While comforting Benita, Celitia pondered the situation.
Those servants earlier seemed to address Benita as "Your Ladyship the Countess."
She could deduce that in Benita's dream, Meilenn had become a duchess while she herself had inherited the countess title.
This was Benita's obsession, and it didn't sound bad—it should be a good dream.
But why was she crying like this while holding her?
Celitia couldn't figure it out.
Patting the girl's back, Celitia finally managed to calm Benita down gradually.
"There, don't cry anymore, Benita." Celitia said teasingly, "Maybe when you wake up, you'll feel ashamed for having shed little pearls."
She slowly placed her hand on Benita's forehead and coaxed gently:
"Don't move around. Just cooperate with me a little, okay?"
Benita nodded, gripping Celitia's hands and refusing to let go. She stood perfectly still, keeping her eyes open and obediently staring at Celitia.
The coldness deep in her body disappeared, warmth spread throughout her entire body, and slowly, Benita closed her eyes.
Celitia used the same method, drawing away the mysterious energy from Benita and absorbing it into her mark.
Ariel didn't speak, standing beside them silently watching, a trace of confusion rising in her eyes.
After a moment, Celitia finally withdrew her hand, gripping her wrist tightly as she waited for the sharp pain to gradually fade.
The ice-cold energy flowing through her own circuits made Celitia extremely uncomfortable.
She couldn't help covering her chest and suppressed several light coughs.
Even with the Goddess's favor, trying to control this power with a human body was still somewhat beyond her limits.
Her chest grew increasingly cold and uncomfortable, her body's circuits hurt like knife cuts, and Celitia felt she was approaching her limit.
Releasing Benita, Celitia stepped back, feeling her limbs go weak and her body lose strength as she swayed and began to fall backward.
In that instant, Celitia's mind went blank, and everything before her eyes suddenly became extremely slow.
The dream world twisted slightly, and a semi-transparent cloud emerged, condensing into the shape of a rabbit that opened its eyes wide and stared at her curiously.
Their gazes met, and Celitia suddenly realized.
So it's you, you little thing...!
Being glared at by Celitia, the "rabbit" was startled and hurriedly disappeared into the air.
The world returned to normal, and Celitia heard buzzing in her mind.
"Lily?!" Ariel's anxious voice rang out.
Her weak body fell into an embrace that was softer than expected, filled with a clean, pleasant fragrance.