Cloud Thinking

Chapter 337 Forever

Colin's face turned ashen, his fingertips digging deeply into his palms.

He never expected that this princess, who was rumored to be all about brute force, would be so difficult to deal with.

Every word was sharp, and every glance held a hidden danger.

"Your Highness is joking." He forced himself to remain calm, for he was indeed a seasoned old fox who had weathered many storms. "The association sent me here precisely because it values ​​cooperation with the royal family."

“After all…” he paused meaningfully, “stability in the North is beneficial to both sides.”

"Really?" Helia chuckled. "But I've heard that the Association has other plans for the Northern Territory?"

She suddenly leaned closer and lowered her voice: "For example... using negotiation as a pretext to commit treason?"

Colin's pupils constricted sharply.

Helia straightened up, her smile still bright, but her eyes were as cold as ice: "Elders may not know, but I am the most domineering person."

"No one is allowed to touch what's mine. If anyone does, I'll chop off their hand."

She turned and walked to the window, gazing at the torrential rain: "The North certainly needs stability, but who should bring it to fruition, and how should it be achieved...?"

A flash of lightning illuminated her sharply defined profile.

"It's up to me to decide."

Colin finally dropped his pretense and said coldly, "Your Highness is far too confident. The waters in the North are deep, and you alone cannot stir them up."

"Who said I'm all alone?" Helia turned around and smiled. "Don't I still have 'old friends' like you to help me?"

She deliberately emphasized the words "old friend," and was pleased to see Colin's face darken.

“Oh, right,” she said as if suddenly remembering something, “Elder Morton asked me to pass on a message to you.”

Colin looked up abruptly.

Helia parted her red lips slightly, speaking slowly and deliberately: "He said... he's keeping track of your debt."

Before the words were finished, hurried footsteps came from outside the door.

Trocia pushed open the door and entered, her expression grave:

"Your Highness, something has happened. The association's branch in Bellman has been attacked, and evidence has been found at the scene..."

He glanced at Colin, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

"What did you find? Speak freely." Helia raised her chin. "I'll back you up."

Trocia bowed and reported, "Numerous traces of magic were found at the scene. Upon examination, the perpetrator was identified as being from the Meneben branch."

Helia and Colin's eyes met in mid-air, sparks flying.

The torrential rain pounded against the windowpanes, sounding like the beating of war drums.

The show is finally about to begin.

“Menebene?” Colin glared at Trocia. “We only arrived this afternoon and immediately went to pay our respects to the princess. How could we have had time to commit a crime? And what motive did we have to attack the branch?!”

His tone was almost like that of someone interrogating a criminal.

“Hey! Elder Colin, please calm down!” Helia stepped forward, standing protectively in front of Trosia. “He was just reporting the facts. Getting angry at him won’t help.”

Her eyes darted around like a cunning fox, and she reached behind her back. "But Trosia, you need evidence to back up your claims. Have you received any leads pointing directly to Meneben?"

“Yes.” Trosia took a bloodstained badge from his pocket and placed it in Helia’s palm. “This is what we found in the hands of the guards who died at the scene. He was clutching it tightly before he died. If he wasn’t the murderer, then he is still important evidence.”

Helia carefully examined the badge in her hand. It was silver-gray with a hint of ice-blue light, and the front was engraved with crossed swords and a scepter—the mark of the Magic Association.

The back is engraved with the name Meneben, indicating that the badge belongs to the Meneben branch.

She readily handed Colin this crucial clue, saying, "It seems someone is trying to frame you. But what is the mastermind behind this?"

Colin narrowed his eyes, meeting Helia's smiling gaze, and cursed inwardly.

He didn't examine the badge in his hand very carefully, because if the real murderer wanted to frame him, they certainly wouldn't have faked it in these places; otherwise, it would have been easy to spot, and framing him would have been pointless.

He said coldly, "If that's the case, Your Highness is also a suspect. Everyone witnessed how you treated the branch elder who came to apologize that day."

"Now that the branch has been attacked, those who don't know the situation might think it was His Highness's act of venting his anger."

Helia sighed helplessly, "That's right. We've both become the prime suspects. Why don't we work together to clear our names first? What do you think?"

Colin cursed inwardly, never expecting Helia to use such clumsy methods to drag him into this mess.

Without the insignia of the Meneben branch, this could have been considered Helia's doing.

But now that he's a suspect, things have become complicated—the destruction of the branch could be either Helia's revenge or an internal power struggle within the association.

For those who dislike him, this is a golden opportunity to bring him down and seize control of the Bellman branch and even the North.

They will not let this go easily.

Colin didn't know what Helia had said to Morton, but their shared suspicion now bound them together.

Even if he argued that he had not sided with the royal family, no one would believe him.

The association headquarters sent him here to intimidate Helia and prevent her from causing any more trouble.

If headquarters believes he has sided with the royal family...

A pair of golden pupils flashed through his mind—cold, empty, and lifeless, yet they were the very thing he feared most.

“No need,” Colin declined. “Since someone is deliberately framing us and trying to sow discord between the Association and the Royal Family, the Association should handle this matter itself. Your Highness need not trouble yourself.”

"We will also give Your Highness a reasonable explanation and will certainly not let you suffer such an undeserved disaster."

Without waiting for Helia's response, he hastily took his leave.

Watching Colin's hurried departure, Helia muttered softly, "I told you to get a good rest tonight, but you had to make things difficult for yourself..."

After Corinne had walked away, Trosia whispered, "Your Highness, everything is proceeding according to plan."

Helia smiled slightly: "The show has only just begun. Pass down the order to have the 'guests' prepare."

The rain outside intensified, as if playing the prelude to the impending storm.

-

Back in her room, the room was dimly lit and unlit. But the moment she opened the door, Helia sensed something was amiss.

Before she could react, an arm suddenly pulled her inside, and the door slammed shut.

"Ugh—" Her back slammed against the hard door, and Helia groaned in pain before being tightly embraced by a pair of strong arms.

The force was so great that it almost suffocated her.

She instinctively tried to struggle, but stopped when she smelled the faint scent of blood on the other person.

The hand that was originally pressed against the other person's chest slowly lowered and instead gently stroked his back.

"Yurus...you're injured...?" Her voice was muffled on his shoulder.

The person holding her tightly shifted, burying their face in the crook of her neck and gently nuzzling her. The soft hair brought a slightly ticklish sensation.

“Sister…” His voice was hoarse, and his grievances were about to overflow.

"What's wrong?" Helia patted his back gently to comfort him.

But Julius only held her tighter, like a puppy that had been abandoned, eagerly exposing its softest belly, craving its master's tenderness.

He rubbed against her anxiously, as if afraid of being abandoned again.

“I’m here, I’m here,” Helia replied gently, though she didn’t know why he was so uneasy.

If she could see Yurus's expression at this moment, she would surely be alarmed by the danger—those scarlet eyes churned with greed and possessiveness, so intense it was chilling.

His gaze upon her was as if he wanted to devour her whole and melt her into his very bones.

Helia never asked why Yuros was able to wield the power of "control" or how he had survived from ancient times to the present day as a demigod.

She didn't ask, so he didn't answer; it was like a tacit understanding without words.

Unbeknownst to her, this control stemmed from intense longing and repressed desire, from an obsession with a certain person.

The pain of unrequited love and the regret of loss molded him into a paranoid madman, who only wanted to imprison the person he longed for as a caged bird, never to be separated from her.

This was his obsession, and this intense obsession eventually attracted the attention of those in control.

After a long while, when Yuros's arm loosened slightly, Helia gently pushed him and asked, "Where are you hurt? Let me see, okay?"

Her tone was so gentle it was almost palpable; she was coaxing Yuros like a child.

Indeed, the fact that the other person kept calling her "sister" indicates that the two of them used to have a sibling-like relationship, and they must have been very close in the past.

She has always treated her family members extremely well, wishing she could give them her whole heart and soul, and grant them whatever they asked for.

It's easy to tell who spoiled Yuros with her clingy and affectionate nature.

When Yuros noticed her resistance, he tightened his grip again, causing her to groan. She then hurriedly loosened her grip, but still refused to let go, like a giant dragon guarding a mountain of gold.

He knew Helia was worried about him, so he buried his face even deeper and said in a muffled voice, "You're not hurt..."

"Why does it smell so bloody? Did it come from someone else?" Helia wondered why he was so uneasy, yet she indulged this almost possessive intimacy in her actions.

"Don't lie to me." Ultimately, worry took over, so Helia had no choice but to continue coaxing, "I couldn't reach you before, and I was very worried about you. Don't lie to me, it will make me sad."

Yuros shook his head, and the strands of his hair tickled her, causing her to hunch her shoulders and trap his head between her legs.

“I’m not lying, they can’t hurt me,” he said.

The breath he exhaled as he spoke was almost unbearable for Helia, and her knees unconsciously pushed forward, trying to create distance.

"You were the one who started the Bellman branch, weren't you?" Helia asked with certainty. "It's not that I blame you, but I'm afraid you'll act impulsively like I did, and it will be difficult to clean up the mess afterward."

She did not inform Euryth of her plan.

They learned that Colin had arrived in such a hurry that they couldn't find him immediately, so they could only guess at his actions based on their understanding of Yuros and make further arrangements.

Fortunately, whether it was a tacit understanding or a coincidence, Yuros acted at just the right time.

Her people promptly took over the scene and planted the evidence; everything went incredibly smoothly.

"Someone left me a note."

Yuros finally looked up, his forehead touching hers, gazing into those eyes that shone brighter than jewels.

"The timing was indeed coincidental. Last night I noticed that Zhou Ranyi was acting strangely. I was afraid that they had received some information and were preparing to move, so I took action directly."

"After dealing with the branch's mages, I found a note in the room where Zhou Ranyi was kept, next to that living corpse, telling me to just leave after I finished everything."

He blinked slowly. "I thought it was someone from your side, sister."

Helia frowned and immediately denied it, "It wasn't someone I sent. They don't have the ability to infiltrate before you."

"It's even more impossible for someone to leave a note under your nose without you noticing."

"Who could that be?"

This suddenly became complicated, as a third party was involved in a situation she was unaware of, and she knew nothing about them.

"Didn't you detect any traces of magic?" Helia asked again.

“Yes, but I didn’t pursue it. I thought it was one of yours,” Yuros replied. “It was very faint, but it was definitely there.”

“I’m afraid my men won’t notice…” Helia let out a long sigh, “and now that Colin has been handed over to investigate that area, I’m afraid it’s not a good time for us to make a move.”

Yuros disliked her worrying about other things and only hoped that she would only have eyes for him.

He reached out and smoothed the wrinkles between her brows: "Perhaps, the person who left the note was trying to lead Colin somewhere?"

Helia raised an eyebrow, thinking that there did seem to be some truth to it.

But she wasn't sure whether the person hiding in the shadows was friend or foe: "What if they're pointing their finger in our direction?"

"We did it anyway, so what?" Yuros said dismissively. "If that old man really finds out, he can just kill him."

"The annihilation of a branch is no small matter, and the association will definitely investigate it thoroughly." Helia sighed, feeling that Yuros's style of using killing to stop killing was probably learned from her, and he had learned it perfectly.

“As someone who has a grudge against the branch and also has a grudge against Colin, I’m afraid I’ll be the focus of attention,” Helia patiently explained to Yuros. “The association is full of talented people, and those strange and unusual magics are impossible to guard against. Sooner or later, the truth will be found out.”

"At that time, I'm afraid there will really be a conflict between the association and the royal family."

Yuros thought Helia was scared, and held her hand tightly: "I won't let them hurt you."

Helia smiled.

She wasn't afraid of that; she wasn't even afraid of death.

“But this will involve many innocent people.” After laughing, her eyes were full of helplessness and sorrow. “They know I’m not easy to deal with, so they will try to target the people I cherish.”

Helia paused, "And that includes you."

Yuros remained silent for a long time, simply gazing at her intently.

Those dark red eyes were unfathomable, making it impossible to fathom the emotions churning within them.

Helia was able to remain calm at first, but as time went on, she began to feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?" She raised her hand and gently touched Yuros's forehead, ultimately worried that he might be hurt but refusing to say anything.

After all, she herself is a person who likes to show off, and I'm afraid Yuros has learned that trait from her.

Yuros shook his head, took her falling hand, and handled it as gently as if it were a fragile treasure.

He gazed into her eyes and asked, word by word, earnestly:

"Sister, will you always be this good to me?"

Will you always treat me like this?

Helia thought to herself: Is he afraid I'll abandon him?

Yuros dared not directly ask for a promise of eternal companionship, because he had been disappointed in the past and was afraid of being hurt again.

Yet he so desperately craved a promise, a rope to hold him back, an answer different from the past.

He was so serious that Helia couldn't just brush him off so easily.

After pursing her lips and pondering for a moment, she gave her answer:

“Jurassic, the word ‘forever’ is too far away for me. I can’t even see my own future clearly, so how can I easily make a promise of eternity?”

"Nothing in this world is permanent. Whether it is people or the feelings between people, they will change with time and circumstances."

"I am unwilling to make a promise that lasts forever, for fear of letting you down. Because I know that it is destined to be a broken promise."

"If I agree, I will be deceiving you and myself."

"I can only assure you that at this moment, my appreciation for your feelings is genuine, my concern for you is real, and my desire for your presence is also true."

She chuckled softly, her eyes crinkling, and placed Yuros's hand on his chest.

Beneath their palms, their two heartbeats gradually synchronized.

"Your heart, beating for me, has touched me too. At least for now, our heartbeats are in sync."

The bloodshot color in Yuros's eyes gradually faded, turning into a gentle dark red.

He looked down at his clasped hands, feeling the powerful pulse beneath his palms.

“That’s enough,” he said softly. “This moment is enough.”