She always thought she was just a cold-blooded monster, emotionless, living solely for power schemes and survival.
But at this moment, with hot blood and life slipping away, she realized she could feel pain too, she could bleed, and she could be afraid.
In hindsight, perhaps she wasn’t that heartless after all.
Maybe there was a touch of warmth hidden deep within her, just never truly awakened by anyone.
Caleb Shaw stood still, his posture upright, his gaze gloomy.
No one could discern what he was thinking or fathom the turmoil within his heart.
From the very first day, he was instilled with this belief.
Protect the Empress, guard the supreme existence of The Empire.
Even if it was his former Female Master opposite him, the one he had once loved with his life, he couldn’t afford to be soft-hearted.
This was a principle, a bottom line, and no exceptions could be made.
But why were his hands shaking?
The gun in his hand trembled slightly, beyond his control.
Ever since his first kill, he had never been afraid.
Why today...
Just the sound of a gunshot, a fallen figure, was enough to make his fingers tremble?
The blood in front of him was too glaring, so red it almost blinded him.
Her voice, her laughter, and her final whisper kept replaying in his mind.
A fear of losing something wrapped around his heart, tightening evermore.
He wanted to rush over and hold her, but his feet seemed rooted, unable to move.
It shouldn’t be like this.
Everything was clearly getting better.
Their relationship was improving; the misunderstandings, the harm, and the indifference from the past seemed to be melting away.
Today she dressed so beautifully, smiled so sweetly.
Just a few minutes ago, she was still happily asking him about naming the child.
How did it turn into this in the blink of an eye?
Why is fate so cruel?
Selene Kane slowly collapsed to the ground, her body sliding down powerlessly, her back against the cold floor.
Her pupils began to dilate, her vision blurred, and the world turned gray little by little.
"It hurts..."
She muttered weakly, her voice barely audible.
"I was set up..."
A faint sound of static suddenly sounded in her ear.
Then, a familiar voice gently resonated, tinged with apology.
"I’m sorry, Host, the opponent was too strong, they might have already detected me, I couldn’t stop it in time."
The system paused, its voice softened.
"Don’t be discouraged, let’s go to another world and start over. This time, I’ll be more cautious and won’t let you fall into a trap again."
Thinking of her newborn child, that little life that hadn’t even opened its eyes to see this world, Selene Kane’s tears slipped silently.
Tears mixed with blood, leaving winding traces on her cheeks.
She didn’t provoke anyone, she just wanted to live well, to be a stable and peaceful mother.
Why is it so difficult?
Why does each approach to happiness always end with someone pushing her into the abyss?
Caleb Shaw’s throat tightened, making breathing difficult.
He slowly put away the gun in his hand.
At the moment the gun was holstered, his body seemed to lose all support instantly.
The whole person felt like a puppet with a snapped spine, teetering and swaying.
Even though he remained standing, it was as if he had already collapsed.
Shoulders hunched, his eyes empty, even maintaining standing was a struggle.
"Your Majesty, the assassin has been... neutralized."
His voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible.
The Empress nodded slightly, her actions composed.
Shaun arduously climbed up from the cold floor, a dull pain radiating from his right leg.
Earlier, he had been kicked, and it wasn’t light.
His face was livid, sweat beading on his forehead.
His true form was a Border Collie, naturally intelligent, adept at analyzing and tracking information.
He had a high aptitude for intelligence and spiritual exploration.
But the problem is, as a canine evolver, his physical foundation was extremely weak.
Faced with a sudden attack, even protecting himself was difficult.
He staggered to Selene Kane’s side, enduring discomfort, and extended a somewhat trembling hand to grasp her wrist.
The skin temperature transmitted from the palm was abnormally cold, causing his heart to tighten.
He closed his eyes, concentrated, and gently released his spiritual power.
Time ticked by, and the hall remained silent.
Only the ticking of a distant clock echoed in the air.
After a while, Shaun’s frown deepened, his forehead veins slightly bulging.
His fingers unconsciously added pressure, almost bruising Selene Kane’s wrist.
Shaun’s heart skipped a beat, a chill shot from his spine to his brain.
He suddenly opened his eyes, filled with shock, and instinctively turned his head to shout, "Quick! Bring the detector!"
His assistant responded immediately, fumbling to hand him the portable spiritual power detector.
Shaun snatched the instrument, his eyes quickly scanning the data on the screen.
The values were stable, the curves flat.
There were no traces of fluctuations expected from an S-level spiritual power.
His frown tightened, his lips trembling slightly, unable to believe what he saw.
A moment later, he raised his head and looked at the Empress, no longer calm and analytical.
"Your Majesty... something’s wrong, very wrong."
The Empress took the test results, looked down carefully, her expression unchanged.
After a few breaths, she closed the folder, slowly stood up, and raised her half-full glass of red wine.
"Ladies and gentlemen, my apologies for the disturbance today. Please, you may leave."
Even though a body still lay on the ground, no one dared to linger.
After all, there had been a death, involving the safety of The Royal Family.
No one wanted to become entangled in a deeper affair.
Since the Empress had spoken to dismiss them, the nobles rose one by one, murmured farewells, and hurriedly exited the hall.
Soon, the once brightly lit hall was almost emptied, leaving only a few people behind.
Among them, Caleb Shaw and Lady Lynn remained in place, unmoving.
A metallic taste rose in Caleb Shaw’s throat.
He swallowed it down forcefully, his eyes fixed on the motionless Selene Kane on the floor.
His fists clenched tightly, knuckles white, his knees slightly bent, almost unable to resist rushing forward to hold her.
"Selene Kane is a good Female Master, I always believed in her."
Shaun lowered his head again, looking at the report in his hand, the edges deeply creased from his grip.
He raised his head once more, looking at Caleb Shaw with a complicated gaze, his voice tinged with uncertainty.
"You can’t be serious, can you? You’re an S-level Spiritual Power User. But this report shows that Miss Kane is S-level as well, theoretically incapable of showing no fluctuations."
He paused, his tone growing heavier.
"But I just personally explored her Spiritual Sea, and there was no reaction at all. Not even the basic spiritual ripples, her state is exactly like that of an ordinary person."
"That’s impossible."
Caleb Shaw shook his head immediately, firm as a rock.
"She’s used calming techniques to help me stabilize my emotions more than once, that warm power could never be fake. I’m very aware of her spiritual power strength," he said through gritted teeth, "her level is definitely no weaker than mine, perhaps... even stronger."