Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Arecino’s Fatal Temptation
Seeing that Clorinde was still thinking about getting closer to him, Lin Anyi took a few steps back and scolded loudly:
"Clorinde, you are not worthy of doing such a thing to me. Your best friend Funina?!"
At that moment, Clorinde's heart felt as if it was doused with cold water. Lin Anyi's words hit her like a heavy hammer, striking her heart hard. She stood there in a daze, as if time had stopped in that moment. She knew that her behavior had indeed betrayed Funina's trust, and the guilt surged into her heart like a tide, making her almost unable to control herself.
"Alas..." Clorinde sighed, her heart filled with endless regret and pain. If only she could have stood up bravely when Funina decided to marry Lin Anyi. Instead of choosing to escape like a turtle, maybe everything would have been different. In her fantasy, if Lin Anyi and Funina were not married, if they had maintained an ordinary relationship, maybe she would still have a chance to let Lin Anyi see her sincerity and fight for her own happiness in a fair competition.
But the reality was cruel. They were already married, which made Clorinde feel even further out of reach as a love rival. Her love seemed to have become a joke, which saddened her deeply.
At that moment, Clorinde's eyes were filled with complex emotions. Her heart felt pricked by thousands of needles. She realized that all her fantasies and efforts were ultimately in vain.
"It's really ridiculous."
Her heart changed dramatically, self-deprecation and fantasy intertwining. She gently laughed at her helplessness and absurdity, and a desire to escape reality emerged in her heart:
"It would be great if all this was false."
"As long as I wake up the next day, I will go back to the time when they are not married yet. When..."
She hoped that she could wake up from this nightmare and return to the parallel world where Lin Anyi and Funina were not yet married.
At this moment, when Lin Anyi saw Clorinde standing there stunned, he thought to himself:
"What a good opportunity!"
Fortunately, Clorinde was not as extreme as that bad woman Alechino. As long as he used the name of her best friend, he could directly control her conscience and achieve a deterrent effect. Thinking of this, Lin Anyi did not dare to delay any longer, and quickly turned around and fled the scene.
Clorinde's fantasy time was interrupted by the sudden sound of the door closing. That "bang" seemed to be a wake-up call to her heart.
"Anyi!"
She cried out in desperation, realizing that Lin Anyi had already fled the scene. At this moment, Clorinde could no longer hide her panic and fear. There was no longer a desire for Lin Anyi in her heart, but a deep fear. She was afraid that all this would be known to her best friend Funina, and that this friendship would end due to her impulsive actions. She subconsciously wanted to chase him out, even though she knew she couldn't undo the mistake she had just made. But now, she just hoped that Lin Anyi could keep this secret and not tell Funina what happened.
In this tense and urgent moment, Clorinde's emotions fluctuated like a rollercoaster. She hurried toward the entrance, the movements in her hands almost instinctive. It was a desire to escape reality and a fear of the unknown consequences.
However, when she opened the door suddenly, the sight in front of her made her heart sink instantly. The person standing at the door was not Lin Anyi, whom she had been anxious to see, but a white-haired woman: [Servant] Alechino.
"It's you."
Clorinde's voice was full of surprise and displeasure. She changed her expression from panic to stern almost instantly, avoiding revealing flaws in front of this cunning bad woman. Although Clorinde's expression changed as quickly as a Shu-faced hero, it still did not escape Alechino's eyes. A playful smile flashed in her bottomless eyes, but she did not directly expose Clorinde's guilty conscience. Instead, she asked in a tone that seemed to see through everything:
"How is it? Do you like the gift I just gave you?"
This sentence made Clorinde's heart surge with anger and dissatisfaction, and there was a hint of coldness in her voice:
"Do you think that is a gift?"
Alechino's smile became even more intense. She seemed to be enjoying the game, and responded frivolously:
"Don't blame me for interrupting you at the critical moment. After all, that was just a trial card. If you want to experience the subsequent content, you have to pay~"
The anger in Clorinde's eyes became even worse, and she almost gritted her teeth and fought back:
"You guy, you were peeking from the side just now!"
"It's not important. What matters is who is the person who stopped you from making friends with Lin Anyi." Alechino's voice was calm and confident, as if she had seen through everything.
Clorinde's reaction was almost instinctive. Her eyes widened instantly, and her emotions were mixed with disbelief and anger:
"Isn't it you?"
Alechino was not in a hurry to explain, but asked in a more playful tone:
"Is it really me?" Her eyes revealed an unfathomable light, as if guiding Clorinde to explore a deeper truth. She continued to slowly reveal the essence of the facts:
"Think about it, Clorinde, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't even have the chance to touch Lin Anyi, and now you are hiding at home to comfort yourself. So, the person who really stopped you is your good friend Funina~"
She smiled, and every word seemed to be carefully calculated, aiming to uncover the truth hidden behind this complex emotional entanglement.
A hint of hesitation and uneasiness appeared on Clorinde's face, and her heart was in great turmoil. Alechino looked at Clorinde's reaction, and her tone became gentler, but still revealed an unquestionable power:
"I said before that our positions are the same. Our common enemy is Funina."
"The more you help Funina, the further you will be from the one you love."
This sentence made Clorinde fall into deep thought. She lowered her head and remained silent. Seeing that Clorinde was already wavering, Alechino took advantage of the victory and said:
"Think about it, Clorinde, after what you just experienced, you and Lin Anyi may not even be friends now."
Alechino's tone was steady, but it revealed a piercing chill. Every word she said seemed to leave a deep mark in Clorinde's heart:
"He has a chaste character, and he is Funina's best friend, but you did that to him. This kind of betrayal of trust will only make him hate you more!"