"It has nothing to do with us or Yeri," Nina said, rolling her eyes. "If you're looking for her, then forget it. She wasn't even on the same plane as us."
Although they had all traveled to the airport together, Yeri and Shin had boarded a different chartered plane.
Perhaps they had already anticipated the swarm of reporters waiting to ambush them.
Indeed, the two took a different exit, flanked by bodyguards, allowing them to avoid the swarm of paparazzi with ease.
As they got into the waiting car, the reporters stationed outside immediately spotted Shin Keir.
Unable to get close because of the tight security, they could only frantically snap photos from a distance.
"Is that woman all covered up Yeri Zhi?" one reporter asked.
"It has to be. Didn't you see how protective Shin Keir was?" another replied.
---
Instead of returning to the Zhi Manor, the two headed straight to the penthouse. With the black veins still visible beneath her skin, Yeri had no intention of giving her parents a heart attack.
"Are my classmates going to be okay?" she asked.
"Of course. It's not as though we're using them as bait to fend off reporters," Shin replied. "But if you'd stayed on the same flight, they would've noticed your condition."
Besides, Yeri's classmates all came from influential families. The reporters wouldn't dare harass them too aggressively.
Noticing her staring at her reflection in the floor-to-ceiling mirror, Shin gently reassured her.
"Just give it a week. I could restore you within a few days using my abilities, but I can't do it all at once. Your body wouldn't be able to handle it."
He had already explained that to her before, so Yeri simply nodded, once again thinking that his abilities were nothing short of an overpowered cheat.
"Are demon abilities something you gain by getting stronger, something determined by the type of demon you are, or are you simply born with them?" Yeri asked curiously. "From what I remember, the Demon Emperor also had restoration abilities."
Shin paused before answering.
"It can be any of those. Sometimes all of them, sometimes just the first. It depends on one's talent and perseverance in cultivation."
Yeri couldn't help wondering.
So, as Empress Jewel... was she really that talented?
"There's something I need to take care of first," Shin said.
He leaned down and kissed her lips, as naturally as a husband bidding his wife goodbye before work.
"Get some rest, and don't worry too much about what's happening outside."
Before Yeri could respond, he had already picked up his jacket and strode out the door.
Yeri: "..."
Was he some kind of spinning top? He was always busy.
Then again, he wasn't human, which probably explained how he had managed to achieve so much in that realm.
Thinking she should at least let her parents know she had safely arrived at the penthouse, she reached for her phone but it wasn't in her pocket.
Yeri frowned and searched through her handbag.
Nothing.
She checked every pocket of her clothes, and still nothing.
She even opened her suitcase and rummaged through everything inside.
It still wasn't there.
"Where is it?"
Anxiety crept into her chest as she circled the living room, looked beneath the sofa, and retraced every step she had taken.
She was certain she hadn't left it on the plane as she clearly remembered using it in the car.
Finally, she called her number using the landline.
After several rings, someone answered.
"Hello? I'm the owner of that phone," Yeri hurriedly explained.
"Hmm... when did you put it inside my coat pocket?"
Shin's deep voice echoed through the receiver.
Before she could say anything, he continued, "I can't come back now, so just use your laptop for the time being."
Yeri: "..."
Only after the line went dead did she finally react.
"Shin Keir!" She shot to her feet. "I put it in your coat pocket? Liar!"
Yeri began punching the air in frustration.
What was he up to this time? Was he confining her in the penthouse again?
Just when she thought they had finally put everything related to the Demon Realm behind them, he found yet another way to make her furious.
"Just wait until you come back!" she shouted, stomping her feet. "You'll see!"
Blaming herself for trusting him so easily, Yeri immediately called the reception desk.
If Shin really intended to keep her inside, then perhaps he had disabled the elevator. Unexpectedly, the receptionist quickly assured her that everything was operating normally.
They even politely asked if she planned to go out so they could arrange bodyguards to accompany her.
Yeri: "..."
Was she wrong?
After ending the call, she sat quietly on the sofa for a long while.
Eventually, she drifted off to sleep.
---
When Calin regained consciousness, she stared blankly at the ceiling for a long time.
Madam Ricci, who had been crying for who knew how long, finally noticed that her daughter was awake.
"Calin!"
She rushed forward and embraced her tightly.
"My precious daughter, you're finally awake! How could they do this to you?" she sobbed. "Don't worry. Mom is here. Even if I have to risk my own life, I won't let you go to prison. No matter what!"
Ever since the Ricci Corporation went bankrupt, the bank had seized most of the family's assets, including the mansion they had called home for years.
Madam Ricci had desperately sought help from their relatives, but the company's funds had been deeply entangled in the Bryce Gate scandal, implicating many members of the extended family.
Far from offering assistance, most of their relatives were furious and wanted nothing to do with them.
Just when Madam Ricci felt as though the sky had fallen, the news that Calin was dead, then replaced by an even more devastating revelation: her daughter had allegedly tried to murder Yeri.
The shock was so overwhelming that she fainted several times.
What made it even worse was seeing Calin's current condition.
Madam Ricci was utterly heartbroken. In just a few days, she seemed to have aged an entire decade.
"That bastard Shin Keir is too heartless! I swear I won't let him or that vicious fiancée of his get away with this!" Madam Ricci sobbed incoherently. "I don't believe a single word they're saying! How could my delicate daughter possibly harm Yeri? Just look at what they've done to you!"
Calin stared blankly at her mother for a long time, like someone whose soul had left her body.
Then, as though she had suddenly snapped back to reality, her unfocused eyes darted wildly around the room, overflowing with unmistakable terror.
"Calin?" Madam Ricci called out anxiously. "Are you in pain?"
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Calin let out a bloodcurdling scream and struggled to sit up, only to be restrained by the handcuff securing one of her wrists to the hospital bed.
"My precious baby, calm down! You're going to hurt yourself! It's okay, Mom's here. Look, Mom's right here!" Madam Ricci cried as she desperately tried to stop her from thrashing, especially her injured arm.
According to the doctors, Calin's arm had been completely severed. Although they had successfully reattached it, the damage from both the manner of the injury and the prolonged exposure to extreme cold meant she had permanently lost most of its function.
There was a possibility of slight improvement in the future, but it would require years of rehabilitation.
"Monster! No- a beast! It's going to eat me! Ahhhh!" Calin shrieked hysterically.
Madam Ricci was so terrified that her legs gave way beneath her, collapsing onto the floor in tears as the medical staff rushed into the room.
Calin continued screaming about a gigantic snake, a monster, and a beast over and over again.
In the end, the doctors had no choice but to administer a sedative, and only then did she gradually fall back asleep.
When the police arrived after hearing that Calin had regained consciousness, the doctors could only shake their heads.
They weren't sure she was mentally fit enough to be questioned, asking to return several days later, after her condition had been properly evaluated.
The moment Madam Ricci saw the police, she abandoned all restraint.
She lunged at them, screaming curses and acting almost hysterically as she blamed them for everything that had happened to her daughter.
From a quiet corner of the hallway, a hooded figure silently watched the commotion unfold.
Xian had waited a long time for Calin to be transferred back to Sin City. After hearing she had tried to murder Yeri, he had fully intended to finish what the Arctic had started.
However, after witnessing her current state, he decided to observe for the time being instead of acting immediately.
Moreover, he remembered how unhappy Yeri had been after learning what he had done previously.
For her sake, he chose to stay his hand.
It wasn't only Xian who had come to observe Calin.
Among the medical staff assisting in her care was Marianne, who couldn't have been more shocked by Calin's hysterical outburst.
She stood quietly at the side, her emotions tangled.
In the end, however, none of this had anything to do with her anymore. She and Sergei Ricci had already broken up.
Besides, if Calin was truly guilty, then she should answer for her crimes before the law.
---
The hospital wasn't the only place in chaos. The Keir clan was in turmoil as well.
Hadi's death was simply too significant to ignore. Even if he had already been expelled from the clan, he had still carried the Keir surname.
If the Keirs remained indifferent, public speculation would only intensify, further damaging the family's reputation.
At that moment, Hadi's mother stormed into Sin Mille Estate in tears, demanding justice for her son.
"As the head of the clan, Shin has to seek justice for my son's death!" she cried. "Even if they never got along, we're still family!"
Tears streamed down her face as she continued.
"My poor son... I should've stopped him from leaving that day. It's all that woman's fault!"
Master Keir frowned. "Wasn't it ruled an accident?"
"Accident or not, she killed my son!" she shrieked. "I'll make sure she suffers! She should've died along with him. Let her accompany my son into the afterlife! If Shin still cares about our family ties, then he should cancel his marriage to the Zhi family. That family is a jinx!"
Not long afterward, Ellis Keir and Hiro Keir also arrived.
No matter how strained their relationship with Hadi had become, blood was still blood.
Both men wore grim expressions, their reddened eyes revealing that they had mourn before coming.