The white-haired girl slowly lowered her head, her eyes filled with bitterness and her voice heavy. Her lips trembled as she said, "I... I agree."
Having received her affirmative answer, Zephirin embraced the white-haired girl again and leaned close to her ear, her warm breath brushing against her earlobe. "Sister Astariah, I believe that thousands of years from now, you'll thank your present self for making the right choice."
Feeling the warm breath against her neck, the white-haired girl recalled some long-buried memories. Her feigned expression gradually faded, revealing a trace of pain on her face.
A few minutes later, Zephirin released Astariah, stepped back several paces, then turned to Velin and bowed. "My lord, Sister Astariah has agreed."
Velin nodded slightly and waved his hand, removing the vines binding the white-haired girl's limbs and restoring her freedom of movement.
As for the shackles on her soul, they remained.
At this moment, verbal submission was not reliable. Unless she swore an oath under the witness of the gods, he would not believe that she was completely loyal to him.
Back on the surface, Astariah kept her head lowered, seemingly lost in thought.
In the silence, Velin could sense that the white-haired girl before him was surrounded by sorrow and pain.
"You and Zephirin stay behind and speak with her."
Hearing her husband's words, Xuemiyya nodded slightly to show that she understood.
After glancing at the white-haired girl, who still had her head lowered, Velin left her side and headed out of the ice cave.
He flew upward along the cliff face, reached the summit, and stood at the edge. An endless white ice plain stretched out before his eyes.
He took a blanket from his Spatial Ring and spread it on the ground. Several kinds of fruits then naturally poured