"So, this is your reason for repeatedly scheming against everyone?"
Yena realized her tone was rather hysterical and tried to regain her composure. "Does it matter? I've never been treated well, anyway."
At Yena's answer, Elspeth shook her head helplessly. "That is a vengeful mentality. It will eventually destroy you."
"Do I need you to tell me that? Do you think I don't know?" Yena staggered to her feet and walked to the edge of the rooftop, overlooking the scenery along the river. "The night view of Damoria is truly beautiful. I don't know if you've noticed, but when you stand at the top and look down, everything feels so small and surreal."
When Elspeth noticed the precarious railing, she felt a sense of unease.
"I come up here almost every night after work. I've schemed against too many people in my daily life. I'm truly exhausted. Only here can I truly relax. This is my secret sanctuary, but now you know my secret." With a relaxed expression, Yena held onto the railing and propped her chin with one hand. "Do you know what I was thinking just now? I wanted to push you off from up here."
At her words, Elspeth's heart skipped a beat. I was right to be cautious just now.
"But I didn't do that because I know you have good skills, and if we were to argue, I might end up being the one pushed off."
Elspeth chuckled. "Good that you know that, but I won't push you off. Maybe I'll choose to pull you back instead."
Surprised, Yena turned around and looked at Elspeth. "Why? Don't you hate me? If I die, everything can go back to how it was."
Elspeth slowly approached her but made sure to keep a safe distance from the precarious railing. "I don't hate you, but I do dislike you. You have hurt many people with your actions, so I can't bring myself to like you. But it's not exactly hatred. I have never truly hated anyone."
After hearing that, Yena raised an eyebrow. "I seem to understand why Callum likes you now. You are indeed different from other women."
"That's an overstatement, but it's best if you step back a bit. I don't think that railing is very safe."
At her words, Yena suddenly burst into crazy laughter. She deliberately reached out and shook the railing vigorously. "You think so? Actually, I've known all along that this railing is unsafe, but I still choose to lean on it. If nothing happens, then it's my luck, but if one day I accidentally fall off, then it's fate."
"Why do I feel like you don't really care about living?" Elspeth listened to her words and couldn't help but feel that they were the ramblings of someone who had lost all hope for life.
"Take a guess," said Yena as she blinked at Elspeth.
After Elspeth inspected her complexion, she noticed her heavy dark circles. Her footsteps seemed unsteady as she walked earlier, and her body appeared frail. "Are you sick?"
"Terminal lung cancer."
At her answer, Elspeth fell silent for a long time.
"Before this, I wanted to cure my cancer, but I found no results no matter where I sought medical help. That's when an evil thought crossed my mind—I wanted everyone to suffer from lung disease, just like me."
Instantly, Elspeth understood that this grand pandemic was actually a product of Yena's revenge on society. This is truly… mind-boggling.
Why obsess over someone who no longer loves me? Yena naturally saw through Elspeth's pitying gaze and understood her implication.
"Alright. Maybe you're right," she replied. With the wind blowing on her face, her mind cleared up a little.
"Are we done? Can I go now?"
At that, Yena seemed somewhat unwilling. "Why are you in such a hurry to leave?"
"Remember what you promised me." Elspeth paused in her tracks. "I came here today to chat with you as we agreed, so you must promise me not to spread the mutated virus."
At this moment, Yena pouted. "When did I promise you that? I never promised that I wouldn't spread the virus if you chatted with me."
"Are you saying that you're going to play dirty?"
"What play dirty? Elspeth, it's your assumption that this is a condition for exchange. I never agreed to it."
Elspeth's gaze gradually turned icy. "Meaning that you will still spread the virus?"
"Of course. Did you really think that if you chatted with me, I would have a change of heart and start anew?" Yena burst into laughter. "How naive. Okay, I don't feel like chatting with you anymore. You can go. But as for this virus, at precisely 3.00PM tomorrow, I will ensure that it appears in every corner of Damoria."
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