At the same time, in the underground laboratory.
At this moment, everyone was gathered around Milani's desk, their expressions varied.
Ivyst, sitting quietly in the wheelchair in the center, looked cold and detached.
"Princess..." Milani looked at the silent Imperial Princess, hesitated for a moment, then spoke up, "According to my examination, Lynn... he should not be lying."
Ivyst's face was expressionless, "So you are saying, he remembers all of you, even Uncle Tierus, but he has forgotten about me, his master?"
Outwardly calm, her fingernails were nevertheless digging deeply into the armrests of her wheelchair.
Even the temperature in the surroundings seemed to have tangibly dropped.
Milani didn't respond, simply biting her lower lip, glancing at Ivyst, and nodding slightly.
"Heh." Ivyst suddenly let out a soft laugh, though her bright red eyes held no trace of mirth, "How was I not aware that such coincidences exist in this world?"
She was suppressing some extreme and pathological impulse, struggling to restrain herself.
Milani whispered, "From the search of his memories, there seems to be no tampering, and those memories are logically consistent..."
"Consistent?" It seemed as if something occurred to Ivyst, her tone rising sharply, "If he lost his memories, then why would he jump off the train to come back and save me?!"
Her bosom heaved tumultuously as if she were greatly agitated.
Milani's eyes flashed with hesitation, "He said... he came back to save his good friend Glaya."
This statement shockingly jolted Glaya, who had been enjoying the commotion from the sidelines.
Feeling the killing glare from the Princess as if she wanted to tear him to pieces, the unfortunate lad almost knelt down to beg for mercy.
What have I done to deserve this?!
If I'd known, I'd rather have died in the Soron Mountain Range!!
Sensing the astonished looks around him, Glaya was near tears.
Fortunately, those present understood Lynn's character and took this as a joke, so they temporarily spared him.
Withdrawing her gaze, Ivyst still hadn't regained her composure, "Conduct a re-examination of his memories, this time, I want to inspect them personally."
Milani instinctively objected.
"Oh?" Ivyst narrowed her slender, shapely eyes, her gaze sharp, "You seem very concerned about him?"
Milani's body shook involuntarily, her complexion turning pale, "No, it's not like that... He is still a low-rank Transcendent, with a fragile spirit. He cannot withstand such examination multiple times in a short period, or his soul will be damaged!"
But Ivyst was already somewhat carried away at this point.
An intense feeling of insecurity was overtaking her.
After all, weren't the memories of the past the twisted and grotesque bond that held their relationship together?
The current Lynn, although essentially unchanged, had all traces related to her wiped away by some powerful and invisible force, causing Ivyst an unprecedented panic.
She was truly scared.
Scared that Lynn would disappear from her side without explanation, just like the last time.
This was why she made the decision to keep him locked by her side 24 hours a day.
"Milani, you are my subordinate," Ivyst declared coldly, "Regarding my orders, your only concern should be whether you can carry them out, not whether you want to."
Aphia, standing behind her, also intended to step forward and dissuade her, but was halted by a look from Ivyst.
"Do you all wish to defy me?!!!!"
For a moment, the entire laboratory fell into a cold silence.
After a long time, Milani, who had been keeping her head down, finally said in a low voice, "If this is your command, I... I will do it."
"But before that... I would like you to look at something."
Saying so, with her eyes red, she pulled out the Imaging Magic Stone from her pocket that she had prepared beforehand and gently activated it.
As the image slowly emerged, everyone suddenly saw the familiar figure of the young man.
However, he was twitching on a chair of Sealed Object, his expression fierce and in pain.
Moreover, he seemed to be murmuring "Princess" and another somewhat unclear appellation.
Ivyst's heart clenched suddenly, and she instinctively raised her hand, wanting to pull him into her embrace.
But then she realized that the images were from the past.
Then, Milani began to softly disclose to everyone present everything that had happened that day.
Including the ability that Lynn had asked her to conceal.
As Milani's slow narration continued, Ivyst's face gradually turned even paler.
She hid her trembling wrists under her sleeves, unwilling to let others see her vulnerable state.
Yet Milani's words appeared to be unending.
"Princess," Milani's voice was quiet, "when a person's suffering exceeds their limit of endurance, the brain will produce a self-protection mechanism."
"It will actively seal away a portion of the memories that cause pain and oppression to allow the body and mind to return to normal."
"This kind of case is quite common, you must have heard of it before."
Upon hearing this, Ivyst clenched her slender, snowy fingers, with blood dripping faintly from her palms.
"Are you saying..." She bit her silver teeth, her tone both cold and terrifying, "that all memories related to me in his mind are painful and oppressive to him?"
Her bright red eyes stared fixedly at Milani, as if the mere utterance of that answer would trigger something unpredictable.
Recalling the warmth of the boy's embrace, Milani suddenly felt a surge of unprecedented courage.
"In my view... it's as such," Milani pursed her lips, her voice trembling slightly, "Whether it's your enforcing hypnosis on him against his will, or putting a collar on him and treating him like a dog..."
Feeling the murderous intent emanating from Ivyst, her legs nearly gave way beneath her.
"Very well, you all... very well."
In the end, Ivyst did nothing to Milani, only letting Aphia push her away, leaving the underground laboratory without uttering a word.
Watching everyone slowly depart, Milani subconsciously collapsed to the ground.
Experiment 126, for you, I've just skirted the edge of death.
Next time, you must repay me properly!
"Leave me at the door and go."
After returning to her room's doorway, Ivyst said slowly.
Aphia wanted to say something more.
"I don't want to say it a second time."
At this moment, Ivyst's head was low, her snowy hair spilling over her slender shoulders, obscuring her expression.
Upon hearing this, Aphia, a bit worried, glanced into the room before slowly leaving the place.
Once she was alone, Ivyst finally pushed open the door and slowly wheeled herself back into the bedroom.
Looking at the naked boy with limbs shackled to the foot of the bed, her expression became stunned, silently gazing at him.
Her thoughts were indiscernible.
After a while, she struggled to stand by the bed, shakily climbed onto it, and straddled the boy's waist.
The boy seemed to sense something was wrong, twisting his body trying to say something.
However, the purple cloth stuffed in his mouth prevented him from speaking, and he could only whimper unclearly.
A nameless impulse, mixed with anxiety and unease, rose in Ivyst's heart.
Some parts of him are quite spirited.
But about forgetting his Master, that's really not good.
Naughty dogs must be properly punished.
Ivyst slowly drew out a whip from her bosom and lightly slapped it in her hand, producing a "whoosh" sound in the air.
At one moment, she slowly raised the whip, biting her silver teeth, wanting to lash it fiercely across the young man's chest, which bore faint bite marks.
Just one strike would tear his skin and flesh, making him feel pain that pierced to the heart.
Yet for some reason, Milani's words from earlier started to float into Ivyst's mind.
All his memories related to me are painful and oppressive.
The whip in her hand ultimately did not fall, gently dropping onto the bedsheet instead.
Suppressing the urge to cry welling up deep in her throat, Ivyst bit her lower lip and then lowered her body, pressing her face forcibly against the young man's burning chest.
At the same time, a tear slowly traced down her cheek.
Why must it always be this way with me?
Did I... do something wrong?
A hint of bewilderment flickered in her heart.
But looking at the young man's handsome face, and the strong possessiveness deep within her, Ivyst's obsessive and morbid thoughts once again took hold.
My little dog is merely sick, only requiring careful nurturing, and there will eventually be a day of recovery.
In the darkness, the woman's breathing grew more rapid.
Her illness deepened.