The Price of a Gift

【Let her be moved, then destroy her】

[This is a very simple thing. Originally, strong people will not be easily destroyed.]

Those who have embraced the light are different; they have been touched by the sun’s radiance.

Had they not accepted the light, they could have endured the darkness.

Aile fidgeted, her body twisting uncomfortably. She was never accustomed to crowded places, much less appearing in public dressed in such an outfit.

Her appearance drew the gazes of countless young men.

A collective groan escaped their lips.

“I hate the rich!”

“I beg of you…”

“In my next life, I vow to be wealthy too!”

Mingqian paid no mind to their laments, gently urging Aile forward.

Under the girl’s questioning gaze, he slowly began to speak:

“Walk in front of me.”

“Yes.”

Aile tossed her head, and this time, she walked past the Duke, positioning herself ahead of him.

‘What a wretched man,’ Aile thought. ‘He must be terrified of being ambushed by his enemies, which explains why he always insists on bringing a guard whenever he leaves.’

Aile felt that the day was truly dreadful.

Early that morning, she, who had expected to continue her studies, was instead met with an unexpected declaration.

“Get ready. You’re resting today. I’m taking you to the city.”

The Duke gazed at her, gesturing for her to promptly return to her chambers and prepare.

Yet, she had no desire whatsoever to go out with the Duke. Even her teacher was perpetually occupied with farm work, making the days they could spend together outside exceedingly rare throughout the year.

She longed to save such moments for one person alone.

“No, may I not study?”

It was not the Duke who answered her, but Chris, with a disapproving click of her tongue.

“You don’t wish to go? Aile, do you harbor ill will towards our master?”

“Don’t lower your head; look into my eyes!”

Chris no longer referred to herself as ‘a little dog,’ yet she clearly still held a strong dislike for Aile.

“No, I wouldn’t dare, Sister.”

Within the Duke’s mansion, Aile was the youngest, thus obligated to address Chris as ‘Sister.’

Eliza, on the other hand, seemed to detest any mention of her age.

Even now, despite Aile’s modest accomplishments, Chris remained far superior to her.

‘It’s not yet time…‘ she could only console herself with this thought.

And so, she resigned herself to accompanying the Duke to the city.

She recalled that seven years ago, she had likely been found by Mingqian somewhere within this very city.

Back then, she had been clad in rags, utterly alone in the world. She could never have imagined fate would play such a cruel trick on her.

In a mere seven years, she had become separated from him by an insurmountable chasm.

Only seven years.

It felt impossibly long, yet fleetingly short.

Aile looked at the noisy throngs surrounding her, momentarily unsure how to react.

A sense of disorientation rooted her to the spot.

As the crowd pressed in around her, she instinctively gravitated towards the Duke’s side.

But then, a sudden realization struck her, and she abruptly halted her movement.

‘How could she willingly lean on her enemy?’

Just then, her peripheral vision caught sight of a jewelry stall on the street.

Each piece of jewelry gleamed resplendently, undoubtedly commanding a hefty price.

Yet, in her heart, she dismissed these trinkets, for she possessed the most exquisite adornment in the entire world.

She gently clutched the treasure nestled against her chest.

However, within that treasure, she acutely sensed a formidable power.

It was an item imbued with dark elemental energy. If she could acquire it, her own power level would undoubtedly skyrocket.

But such an item would surely be exorbitantly expensive, and the Duke would never bestow an object of such immense value upon her, a mere s*ave.

If she obtained this item, the day of her vengeance would surely arrive sooner… Yet, if it were truly given to her, she wouldn’t know how to react.

The mere act of living under her enemy’s roof already made her wish for death.

‘But now, was she truly expected to accept such kindness?’

‘Wouldn’t that signify she was slowly letting go of her hatred…?’

Aile was utterly bewildered. In her confusion, she could only silently call out her teacher’s name in her heart.

“Teacher, what am I to do?”

“What *should* I do?”

“Please… answer me…”

Her only answer was the gentle whisper of the wind. In a haze, she suddenly remembered the meadow she had seen for the very first time after her rebirth.

Her teacher, seeing her barefoot, smiled wryly as he gently stroked her head.

“Let go of your hatred, Aile.”

“Let go…”

As Mingqian observed the girl in such a state, the shadows in his eyes vanished instantly.

If this continued, she would revert to the weak girl she once was.

He lowered his gaze, and amidst the vendor’s diverse array of jewelry, he meticulously selected a golden necklace. A silver setting encircled the gem, making the main body of the necklace appear dazzling.

Within it, twelve luminous beads were intricately inlaid. Most notably, the centerpiece was crafted from a magic crystal infused with dark elemental energy.

The purity of this crystal was so exceptional, it rivaled even raw ore.

Forget a whole piece; even a fragment of it was worth a fortune.

‘I hope Aile will like it…’

It was the finest gift he could conceive.

He had gone to great lengths to acquire it from Noyu originally.

The vendor… Eliza, in disguise, offered a smile and handed him the necklace.

“Five gold coins, sir.”

“Here. Keep the change.”

Mingqian tossed the pouch of gold coins towards her.

He turned to Aile, as if to shatter her reverie, and dangled the necklace before her eyes.

“Aile, take this.”

“Teacher…?”

Mingqian knew that at this moment, she was teetering on the precipice between illusion and reality.

It was a realm accessible only to exceptionally gifted mages through rigorous cultivation.

Some claimed that to enter this realm was to ‘materialize the heart’s desires’ (TL Note: ‘Xīn huà wù’ refers to a state where one’s inner desires or thoughts manifest into reality).

In this illusory world, what one perceived was precisely what their heart most yearned for.

Every touch, every sensation, originated from the heart.

Yet Aile, without even undergoing formal cultivation, had reached this state merely by a slight focusing of her mind.

She perceived Mingqian as her former teacher.

Amidst Aile’s dazed expression, Mingqian pressed the necklace into her hand.

Her expression grew even more disoriented. In that moment, she was not the girl whose family had been stolen from her.

Instead, she was the girl from the straw hut.

“You desire this, don’t you? This is a gift, Aile. In the Empire, it is customary for all elders to prepare gifts for their juniors.”

“Though it comes a little late, please accept this small token.”

Aile did not clench her hand, yet she finally showed a glimmer of reaction.

“For… me?”

“I… I don’t deserve something so wonderful…”

That day, she had stepped out of bed barefoot. Her teacher, with a wry smile, had gently guided her feet into brand new shoes.

She had said the very same words then.

That scene suddenly overlapped in her mind’s eye.

‘Don’t come closer! Don’t… don’t be gentle with me anymore.’

‘But why,’ ‘did she always find herself yearning for such warmth?’

“You… why would you?”

“Aile, I have but one wish. I hope you can forget me; it is the only way.”

“You…?”

Aile was bewildered.

A witch like her should have been executed by the Empire, yet the Duke still kept her within his home.

She lived a life free from want… one could even say she was pampered.

Aside from occasional scoldings and blows, Aile had grown accustomed to it.

Ah…

‘If it was now, if it truly was, perhaps she could finally ask.’

‘Why did you kill Teacher?’

She parted her lips, then abruptly snapped back to reality.

Her hand instinctively reached for the necklace around her neck.

But it was empty; there was nothing there.

‘She was wrong, terribly wrong. She had mistaken it for the Duke’s kindness, never realizing it was a vicious scheme.’

‘She thought Mingqian hadn’t discovered her sole treasure.’

“Coincidentally, you won’t need that one anymore, will you?”

“No, don’t… Give it back to me! This is important!”

It was the last memento her teacher had left her.

She would not let go… she would never let go.

Seeing Aile like this, Mingqian’s heart clenched instantly.

But…

Aile’s fingertips turned white from the force, and she trembled, backing away continuously.

If she lost her teacher, she would rather die.

“Give it back! Give it back! Give it back!”

She screamed desperately.

If she lost her teacher, how would she endure the long nights?

Don’t, don’t take Teacher from me again…

“Give it back!”

She channeled all her magic, launching a fusion spell attack at the Duke.

But a flash of light cut through, reducing all her attacks to dust.

“Ugh…”

For the first time, she let out a pitiful sound towards her enemy, the murderer of her mother and teacher.

“Please…” Her voice trembled. “Aside from this, I will obey your every command.”

“…I’ll say it one last time, Aile. You should forget that man.”

Chris, like a shadow, had appeared behind her. Aile’s body jolted violently.

“Why? Why…? Did Aile do something wrong? Aile didn’t defy your orders! She clearly didn’t…”

“Ah… ah…”

“Ugh…”

The girl let out an incoherent sob.

“Tomorrow, I expect to see it on you.”

Mingqian completely disregarded the girl’s shattered inner world, uttering these words in a toneless voice.

[Your plan succeeded]

[But at what cost?]