It has already been two hours since the morning arrived and bathed the whole Jade Dominion in its warmth, making its way through the lower town and even towards the edge of the lower town where forests and less populated areas for individuals were present.
Within this area, a wooden house next to the lake looked stunning for its simple yet peaceful appearance, being close to the forest with birds chirping and small animals like rabbits and moles visible around.
“Hmm….” inside the house, a woman, wearing nothing while covered in a blanket, laid on the nearby wooden bed with the thin fabric accentuating her curves and the sun’s rays fluttering her eyes, which was a first experience for her since she had never before felt her vision being flashed.
Normally, every time it was only darkness, and yet even though she didn’t open her eyes, she could sense the bright light around her.
“Agh…it hurts.” Her entire body appeared to be in pain from last night’s vein reconstruction, causing intense discomfort throughout her body as she tried to get up without even opening her eyes.
Due to being in darkness for so much time, her mind instinctively had accepted the closed eyes as part of her, causing her not to open her eyelids due to reflex, avoiding the brightness unconsciously.
“Young Master? Are you here?” Covering her body without letting her eyelids slide open, she moved her hand around to feel the presence of someone lying beside her, expecting to find the man who had undressed her under the pretext of healing.
After all, she had already accepted her fate, knowing that this was something she had to live with.
‘It’s normal.’ One hand was still trying to find someone nearby, while the other hand was placed on her stomach, feeling the sensation near her crotch area, which wasn’t hurting as she had heard it did for the first time.
“Young master, I will take a bath then.” Not feeling someone nearby, she assumed that maybe he was sleeping somewhere inside the house, not wanting to disturb him. She slowly stood up and moved inside the separate wooden section prepared for her to take a bath.
All the while, her eyes remained shut.
Her present behavior of not opening her eyes showed a particular behavior in humans where being with a particular thing all their life, they start to ignore it, for example, the nose.
Humans tend to overlook the presence of their nose when looking, even though it is in their field of vision when focused. This behavior demonstrates their typical psychology, which is also observed in animals.
When an elephant is chained from a young age, it will grow up without the ability to resist, accepting the belief that it cannot break free from the chains that held it in childhood, even if it is far stronger than mere chains.
So, Xiang Zhen had subconsciously accepted that she was blind, and her mind was just trying to achieve that.
After some time, she came out of the bathroom, wet from bottom to top, her face crimson as she searched for some clothes on the nearby shelf before wearing them, while thinking, ‘He must still be sleeping.’
Due to being raised in this house, she was well aware of every nook and corner, making it easy for her to locate anything.
“Young master, when are you leaving?” Though she was already aware that it might offend him, she was already aware that he only wanted her body and now that he got it, she thought there would not be much for her to give him.
Silence~
Birds chirped, but there wasn’t any other sound in that place, prompting her to call him again but getting no answer so far.
‘Did he leave?’ Turning her head to listen for his breathing, she slowly lifted herself and reached out her hand to search for him.”Forgive me if I step on you.”
The house was not big, so she quickly realized that no one was present inside the house, as her feet halted, her wet hair cascading down her shoulders with her head lowered and her hand clenched the dress as she realized, “What even I expected?”
She understood that once the night was over, he had left her.
‘At least, I am alive.’ Calming her mind, she at least felt relieved that he didn’t kill her yet a small doubt remained in her mind about the intense pain she felt last night, prompting her to rest her palm on her solar plexus before sighing, as instead of pain, now she was feeling much better.
“Whew, let’s make something to eat.” Raising her head and forming a fist with her hand, she exhaled to strengthen herself, with determination to forget everything that happened last night.
“…..” But soon her face turned down as she looked towards the kitchen and took a utensil to have some water, moving out as she approached the nearby pond outside her house.
Due to habit, it was much easier, but with time, the brightness of the outside was starting to seep into her eyes through her thin eyelids, causing some discomfort.
‘Is there something in my eyes?’ She leaned before splashing some water in her eyes, which reflexively opened, causing a sharp bright light to assault her eyes, leading her to stumble backward. “Oww… Agh, my eyes, it’s too bright!”
“Is it still not done?” Suddenly, a soft womanly voice reached her, causing her to turn her head in that direction where a woman wearing different style of dress, particularly with a hollow near her head, looked gently towards her.
‘?!’
“I-i can see.” Instead of being bewildered due to the unknown woman’s arrival, her eyes turned down towards her hand as she moved her fingers, looking at her milky white skin and delicate thin fingers, feeling complex about the first time seeing how it looked. Even the grass in the background appeared foreign to her, but somehow she knew it was grass or trees or everything in her surroundings.
“I can see everything?! My eyes, they are back, Rhea!” Suddenly, her eyes turned towards that woman and referred to her, who appeared unknown to her a moment ago.
“Huh?” Zhen’er kept looking at the woman as somehow she felt all her memories being messed up, as if a surge of new memories was merging with her pre-existing ones, and it was confusing since she wasn’t feeling any pain. ‘What is this?’
She was just a blind girl who got helped by a woman who took care of her in this wooden house since childhood, but now she had other memories too, which was confusing.
“Isolde Rhea? No, I am Xiang Zhen, ain’t I?” She gripped her head, which wasn’t hurting but confusing her with a surge of unknown names, thoughts, and identity which appeared unrealistic to her. Her eyes turned teary as she looked towards that woman who held a smile. Zhen’er slowly succumbed to unconsciousness as she mumbled, “Please, save me, Young Master—THUD.”
She lost consciousness.
“Memory infusion is done, Lady Rhea, you can start transmission.” A man came forward and knelt, holding a mirror-like object, directing his words at the woman who came forward and halted near Zhen’er.
