Of course, Sylvia hadn't meant any ill will toward Acheron. But the fact remained—she had genuinely tried to keep Acheron out of this whole affair.
Now, pinned beneath Acheron and being questioned, she felt like a child caught red-handed doing something behind her back.
And she had to admit, she felt a little guilty about it.
Seeing the evasive look in Sylvia's eyes, Acheron knew her guess was right.
So, why?
Was it just because she didn't want the source of her power exposed to the Xianzhou?
That reason wasn't nearly enough. Even if Acheron stayed, a simple warning from Sylvia would have sufficed. There was no need to wait for her to leave and keep the entire plan a secret.
Acheron could at least be sure Sylvia didn't dislike her. But the specific reason Sylvia had excluded her—that was something Acheron cared about deeply.
"How is this 'stirring up trouble'? I just figured since we already ruined their plans, we might as well take the initiative. Besides, we're on the Xianzhou; the Luofu General can lend a hand. And if you didn't leave, what if the opposing Emanator got spooked and never showed up?"
Sylvia averted her gaze, staring blankly at the quilt beside her, and offered a dry excuse.
Acheron didn't think Sylvia was lying, but she also didn't believe that was the whole story.
She trusted Sylvia's explanation—but only partly.
Oh well.
Acheron wasn't the type to dig relentlessly for answers.
For her, it was enough to know that Sylvia still trusted her.
"Wait, hold on—you still haven't told me when you got here, or what you plan to do now?"
"I arrived about seven or eight system hours ago. Then I observed you for a bit."
"Oh…"
Sylvia's head nuzzled into the pillow as she started to nod, then suddenly jolted. In one swift motion, she propped herself up on an elbow, twisting to sit sideways, her eyes wide as she stared at Acheron:
"You were here since daytime? And you didn't say a word, just hid somewhere watching me all day??"
Seeing how flustered Sylvia was, Acheron nodded.
"You weren't willing to tell me what you intended to do, so I decided to observe for myself. And since appearing abruptly might have disrupted your plans, I didn't contact you."
"Uh…"
"I just didn't expect that in only a few days, you'd already become so close with the Luofu's Master Diviner."
"Ahem…"
Sylvia couldn't help but cough dryly twice.
Her face flushed bright red in an instant.
Acheron must have seen her… helping the Master Diviner relieve stress, which is why she brought it up.
But as awkward as it was, Sylvia's first instinct was to try and explain.
"Fu Xuan works very hard for the Xianzhou with her third eye. I was just helping her ease some of the pressure. It was nothing, really."
Somehow, even as she said it, the words sounded like something straight out of a playgirl's handbook.
And combined with Sylvia's current position—pinned down—it looked even more like a playgirl's desperate struggle after being caught red-handed.
It was then that Sylvia remembered she was still pinned beneath the other woman, looking utterly at her mercy.
So she changed her tune.
"Um, how about… you let me go for now? Isn't it tiring for you to hold me down like this?"
But Acheron simply shook her head, then slightly furrowed her brow and said:
"Though I can't quite put it into words, after watching what you did during the day, I feel… a desire to leave a 'lasting impression' on you."
"…Huh?"
Sylvia had lost count of how many times Acheron's words had rendered her speechless today.
Ever since she logged out of the game and met Acheron, the other woman had been full of shocking remarks, as if she were a completely different person.
If she hadn't used the [Truth-Seeking Sigil] to check several times, she'd almost have suspected the person pinning her down was someone like Firefly.
Seeing Sylvia dazed, Acheron leaned closer, simultaneously reaching for Sylvia's hand and pressing it against her own chest through the thin fabric of her clothes:
"Possessiveness… it's an emotion I had almost forgotten. Its emergence was sudden, and it leaves me… uncertain how to handle it."
"Added to the fact that you hid things from me and intended to gamble with your life… it made me a little angry. But even anger is something I haven't felt in a long, long time."
Acheron's identity and experiences were extraordinary, and her pursuits were equally staggering.
Yet even so, driven by the instincts of life itself—the instinct to resist nihility—
She naturally still yearned for the emotions unique to living beings, for those intricate, myriad sensations.
To Acheron, this was not a contradiction.
So she chose to speak frankly.
It was difficult to describe exactly what she was feeling now, but after speaking, Acheron looked at Sylvia—
As if waiting for a response.
And for Sylvia, lying beneath her—
This sudden, candid explanation was itself a direct hit.
A blatant fastball.
One she was completely unprepared for.
She truly had no idea how to handle such a straightforward player.
Did people really say these things without feeling even a shred of embarrassment?!
Wait… Acheron probably genuinely couldn't remember much about feeling shame.
Oh. Well, then.
--+--
Sylvia's breathing unconsciously quickened.
This situation, this scene.
On the soft bed, both Sylvia and Acheron wore alluring nightgowns.
Sylvia was pinned beneath Acheron, her hand resting on Acheron's chest, feeling the vital signs that belonged to Acheron alone.
Then, struck by Acheron's two blunt statements—
Amid her shock and embarrassment, Sylvia was reminded once again just how tenacious the influence of nihility was on Acheron.
Even though she had obtained the ring and confirmed she would no longer lose her memories—
The long emptiness of her memory and the vast, near-nothingness of her endless years still perpetually affected Acheron.
Who knew how much time, how many new memories it would take to minimize that void?
Unless she chose to draw her blade, unleashing all those sealed memories.
But neither Acheron nor Sylvia truly wanted that.
Faced with such words—
Sylvia, never particularly silver-tongued, couldn't think of how to respond to the expectations Acheron had placed upon her.
Acheron had discovered she had long lost the ability to respond to emotions, and so she had chosen to stand with Sylvia to regain that sensitivity to feeling.
Without a doubt, Acheron was hoping Sylvia could continue to work miracles for her.
Even now, practically any kind person could have done this for Acheron.
But Acheron had still chosen Sylvia.
Sylvia wasn't one for excessive sentimentality.
Of course, she still wondered in her heart if someone like her was truly worthy of Acheron's hopes.
But beyond those worries, Sylvia chose to lift her arms and gently embrace Acheron.
Offering her a soft, warm hug.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.