Elizabeth was floating around in a strange place. Her body was still covered in injuries from the frostbite. If it was not for her weak chest movements, one might even think she was dead from all her injuries! Her body was really in that poor of a state. Her mind was blank as she unconsciously drifted from place to place. There were no landmarks or features in this vast world. All directions looked the same. Below her was a boundless ocean filled with a foreign substance. However, there was no wind, so the liquid was eerily still and flat. From above, one might think it was solid and not liquid! The sky above was cloudless. Even though this world was illuminated, there were no suns or moons, and not even a star in the sky. There was nothing at all in this two-tone world!
Time passed without notice here, since there was nothing to show for it. Elizabeth continued to drift aimlessly for a long time, showing no sign of waking up. Eventually, a figure showed up. They were short and looked humanoid, resembling a child. Besides that, there were no discernable features. The figure did nothing, but the very air around them was trembling, as if bowing down to its natural ruler! The very space was warping to their unfathomable aura! As if a casual motion was enough to destroy everything in creation, nothing could escape their control! They made the titans of the known world, like the Ten Dawns, Royal Guards, and even the Imperial Sentinels seem like ants in comparison!
The figure gave Elizabeth a peculiar gaze as a complex magical circle array appeared over the girl. It was large and imposing, encompassing the space above the two, constructed of foreign runes. However, despite how complex it looked, it was finished in the blink of an eye. It was so quick that the ambient World Energy had not even reacted to the spell. An incredibly gentle light shone on Elizabeth's body. Although her injuries remained the same, the girl's consciousness was slowly being roused awake. The figure said nothing as Elizabeth faded from this domain and disappeared entirely. The figure stood alone in this blank world before they too vanished. And this strange place continued timelessly once more…
Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes, but she felt overwhelmingly weak. Even opening her eyelids was excruciating! Gradually, light filled her vision as she found herself in lying down under a wooden ceiling. She was confused. Her last memory was being in a cell in restraints. In the cold frigid night, she felt sleepy and drifted unconscious… Naturally, she should wake up in her cell again. Elizabeth tried to get up, but her body refused her call. Surges of pain shot from across her being. Then, she remembered that the cold which petrified her to her bones had nearly killed her!
But I still might be dead, Elizabeth ridiculed. This might be the afterlife…
She could say or do nothing, except hear the shuffling of footsteps around her. Soon, a familiar figure entered her view. It was unexpected Princess Xiuying Tzu! Seeing Elizabeth awake, she hurriedly got her sister. Elizabeth did not recognize the new face but could see how close the two sisters were. It was not hard to imagine what kind of relationship the two had. But she was inwardly cursing them. Who caused her to end up in such a miserable state? It was the Xingyuu Empire! Meanwhile, the one before her was a princess! In Elizabeth's mind, Xiuying and Ming were the cause of her suffering!
Ming sat in the chair next to Elizabeth's bed and said, "Can you hear me, heir of the Alzar Kingdom? I am Princess Ming Tzu, one of the Imperial Princesses and sister of Princess Xiuying." Elizabeth wanted to snort in disgust, but she could not. Instead, she stared at Ming with seething fury in her eyes. Consequently, Ming caught her gaze and understood. The princess tried to gently explain, "We were not responsible for your current state. That was purely negligence on the soldiers."
Elizabeth scoffed and thought, Didn't you order your soldiers to take me? Shouldn't you be responsible for their negligence then? This princess is something else!
"I didn't order the soldiers, if that's what you're thinking," Ming responded. "It's a long story, but you can consider us on the same side. For now, eat and rest up. We have a lot to discuss later."
The princesses stood up and left the room as a male entered. With a gentlemanly disposition and an elegant wardrobe, Elizabeth wondered if he was related to the Imperial Family. In a sense, she was right. It was Princess Ming's Protector, Chang Jian! Normally, tending to patients was beneath someone of his status. After all, not only was he a Protector to an Imperial Princess and an Imperial Sentinel, but he was also one of the candidates to inherit the Jian Family, one of the four powerhouses in the Xingyuu Empire alongside the Li Family! But he did not mind. He simply did as he was asked. If Tai was asked instead, he would refuse unless Xiuying directly ordered him.
Elizabeth was suspicious but Chang showed no flaws or malice. He carefully fed her some lukewarm porridge until she had her full. Until she ate the food, she did not realize how bone-chillingly cold her body really was! Despite the clothes and blankets covering her, it felt like she was naked in a snowy night! As the porridge hit her stomach, a subtle warmness spread through her, rapidly granting her strength again.
The girl felt slightly awkward about the whole situation. Chang was awfully close and could be considered quite handsome. Her experience with the other gender was limited because everyone on New Havens avoided her like a plague. Her brother obviously did not count whereas Benedict was… a special case. She had complicated feelings about Benedict as the person who destroyed her life and saved her life… It was hard to figure out her stance on him. Meanwhile, Freon lacked the refined and gentlemanly air of Chang. Of course, Elizabeth's feelings did not progress more than this. She simply found it awkward to have a male feed her food like a child.