bookbashuk Chapter 1097: Alice plots against Mavica (Part 1)
Chapter 1097: Alice plots against Mavica (Part 1)
Time goes back to the present, to Mavica's bedroom.
Hearing the name "Alice" and the old story of "helping to receive Shao Yun's family a long time ago", Mavica's dusty memories were suddenly awakened.
She finally remembered that there was indeed a talking lantern that contacted her before, and its tone was exactly the same as the woman in front of her, and it repeatedly reminded her to take good care of Shao Yun's family.
However, that was almost a year and a half ago. Since then, I have been busy dealing with Nata's abyss crisis and have experienced various things.
This matter has long been vague, and if Alice hadn't mentioned it now, she probably wouldn't have remembered it.
Mavica raised her hand and gently stroked her forehead, an apologetic smile appeared on her face, and she said embarrassedly:
"Oh, yes, yes! I remember now, you are Ms. Alice who contacted me through the lantern!"
"I'm sorry, I've been so busy lately that I can't remember things. I'm sorry I didn't recognize you right away."
Alice looked at her apologetic expression, but still wore a gentle smile on her face. She pretended not to understand and asked with just the right amount of doubt in her tone:
"Busy? I heard about it before I came to Nata. The abyss crisis in Nata has been resolved long ago. Now that the entire Nata is back on track, it stands to reason that you, the God of Fire, should be having a lot of rest. What else is there that's worth keeping you so busy?"
She deliberately emphasized the word "busy" and stared at Mavica, not missing any subtle changes in her expression.
Mavica's heart tightened at the question, and her hands subconsciously intertwined in front of her chest.
Then, Mavica tried to make her expression look normal, but her tone became vague involuntarily.
"Well, it's just some of Nata's daily chores, like coordinating relationships between the various tribes. It's a little bit of a mess, not a big deal, but it just takes up a lot of time."
As she spoke, she quietly observed Alice's reaction, fearing that she would notice the flaw.
Seeing that Mavica was still covering it up, Alice simply stopped beating around the bush.
She stood up, walked slowly to Mavica, reached out and took Mavica's hand "carefully", gently pulled her to the bed and sat down. Her movements were natural and intimate, as if the two were really good friends who had not seen each other for many years.
Then, Alice placed her right hand on Mavica's shoulder, acted as if she was speaking from the heart, and said straight to the point:
"Ms. Mavica, stop pretending. You're not forgetting things because you're busy. You're worried about something, right?"
"I've seen countless people. I can tell whether someone is truly busy or hiding their emotions from their micro-expressions. I can't hide your little emotions from you."
Mavica's body stiffened instantly when her thoughts were exposed so bluntly, her eyes became a little evasive, and her lips moved, but she didn't know how to refute.
Alice's words were like a key, instantly opening the floodgates of emotions that had been suppressed for a long time. The loss and sadness hidden deep in her heart were about to burst out uncontrollably.
She couldn't hide it any longer, so her tense shoulders slumped slightly, she sighed helplessly, and said in a tired voice:
"Indeed...something happened just now, and my mind is in a mess. I haven't been in a good mood."
As soon as she said this, she felt a little relieved, but what followed was an even stronger sense of unease.
She really didn't know how to explain her loss. Should she really say, "The person I like is getting married?"
When Alice heard this, her eyes lit up instantly. She immediately seized the topic and showed her concern for Mavica enthusiastically.
"What on earth is going on here? It must be something extraordinary to make a Fire God like you frown."
"Would you mind talking to me? Maybe I can help you analyze it or give you some advice? After all, I've seen more things."
As she spoke, she gently patted the back of Mavica's hand. Her movements were gentle and encouraging, and she seemed to have an urge to help Mavica relieve her troubles.
Mavica was filled with gratitude, but also felt more embarrassed.
Alice's enthusiasm made her unable to refuse, but the matter of "the person she secretly loves is getting married" was too private and too difficult to talk about. How could she have the nerve to tell outsiders about it?
She forced a smile, gently pulled back her hand, and politely refused:
"Haha, thank you, Miss Alice, but there's really no need to trouble you."
"They're all these little things that are so complicated and hard to sort out, and they're so hard to talk about. There's no point in talking about them, and they just make you worry about them."
"Let's not talk about me anymore. You came to see me this time, so you must have something of your own to do, right? Is there anything you need my help with?"
She deliberately shifted the topic to Alice, hoping to skip over her own concerns and avoid being questioned.
When Alice heard the words "a tangled mess" and "difficult to talk about", she immediately made a judgment in her mind.
This is definitely not the kind of trouble that the Fatui faces that is openly discussed. No matter how difficult the Fatui's problems are, they are not "unspeakable".
Combined with the information revealed by Ye Shen before, the answer is obvious: it must be about Mavica’s feelings for Shao Yun!
She decided to take a gamble and stop beating around the bush. She got straight to the point, staring intently into Mavica's eyes as she asked, "I heard you like Shao Yun?"
"what?"
When Mavica heard this, her eyes widened.
She opened her mouth and didn't come back to her senses for a long time. After a while, she found her voice and asked with a hint of panic and confusion:
"You...how did you know? I've never told anyone about this! How could you..."
She really couldn't understand how Alice, who had just arrived in Nata, could know her deep-seated thoughts?
Seeing Mavica's shocked reaction, Alice knew that her guess was correct and she felt secretly proud of herself.
She deliberately covered her mouth and chuckled, and said with exaggerated surprise:
"Haha, Miss Mavica, you don't know this, but your little trick has long been no secret in Nata!"
"On my way to the office, one or two people were talking about you and Mr. Shao Yun. They said that you had taken Mr. Shao Yun on a tour around Nata and that you were particularly attentive to him."
She deliberately said "many people know" in a very confident way, just to make Mavica believe that her thoughts were already known to everyone and completely disrupt her.
Mavica was indeed frightened by these words. Her cheeks turned red instantly. She lowered her head in embarrassment and shyness, her mind in a mess.
She hurriedly recalled the day when she took Shao Yun to visit Nata.
That day she did have the idea of a "disguised date" in mind, so she deliberately chose the route with the best scenery, prepared an exquisite dinner, and even changed her clothes.
But she was obviously very restrained at the time. Apart from the tenderness she showed when she was alone with Shao Yun at the picnic, she tried her best to maintain the dignity of a "Goddess of Fire" at other times. How could so many people know about this?
Could it be Xitlal? The only person I could guess is her!
Could it be that she saw that cheesy confession letter, got drunk, and spread it around?
"No way..." Mavica muttered softly, her heart growing increasingly panicked. "This is the end! If Miss Ying hears these rumors, she'll definitely misunderstand the relationship between Shao Yun and me!"
"I have to go find Miss Ying and clarify things quickly. Otherwise, even if I jump into liquid phlogiston, I won't be able to clear myself of this suspicion!"
The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became. She had even started to think about how to explain it to Ying, and she didn't notice the calculation that flashed in Alice's eyes.
Alice looked at Mavica's cheeks, which were as red as ripe fruit, and even the tips of her ears were pink. She no longer had the heroic demeanor of the "God of Fire" as usual, and continued to tease:
"I never thought that Miss Vulcan, who is usually so heroic and decisive in handling affairs in the Nata tribe, would actually show such a shy little girl's appearance when it comes to love matters."
"If I tell anyone about this contrast, I'm afraid no one will believe it."
Mavica looked at Alice's "kind" eyes, and then thought of her own hidden worries, the pain of "broken love" just now, and the panic of misunderstanding Ying. The last line of defense in her heart completely collapsed.
"Speaking of which... I'm really ashamed to say this. I really like Mr. Shao Yun. I've been deeply attracted to him since he helped Nata resolve the abyss crisis."
“He’s really charming and reassuringly reliable.”
After hearing this, Alice smiled with understanding, patted her hand gently, and said softly, "For her own good,"
"I know Nata's culture well. The strong are respected."
"A strong woman like you, Mavica, shouldering the responsibility of protecting Nata, is used to being on your own. You're usually surrounded by people who need your protection. It must be quite lonely, right?"
The word "loneliness" was like a stone that hit Mavica's heart, causing ripples.
She blinked, was silent for a moment, nodded slightly, and admitted:
"That's right. The Nata people are living a stable life now, and Sinoning and the others are very kind to me. I should be satisfied."
"But... in the dead of night, I still stare at the portraits of my family. Looking at the familiar faces in the paintings, I always feel like an outsider."
Strictly speaking, Mavica is the person who has persisted alone in the Holy Fire from the old era five hundred years ago to the present day. Her former family and friends have long since turned into the dust of history.
Although Nata is doing well now, everyone has their own life... No one can really accompany her to fill the loneliness that has spanned five hundred years.
"If it were just like this, I could actually get by."
Mavica's voice became softer and softer, with a tone of melancholy.
"I've long been accustomed to shouldering everything on my own. But... I just happened to meet Shao Yun."
At that time, when Nata was in the most dangerous situation and was about to collapse, he found a way to revive people's hearts through a speech.
Thinking of this, Mavica lowered her head and looked at her hands.
I could have endured the darkness if I had never seen the light.
But now, returning to the loneliness of the past has become particularly difficult.
Alice, who was sitting next to Mavica, patted her thigh lightly. Her tone was a bit nonchalant, yet it also contained hidden guidance.
"It's normal for women to be attracted to outstanding men. There's nothing to be ashamed of..."
"Shao Yun is responsible, charming, and so powerful. Any other woman would be tempted by him."
As she spoke, her eyes rolled quickly and she began her plan to destroy Shao Yun's family.
She leaned closer to Mavica, lowering her voice to a more seductive tone.
"But then again, haven't you ever thought about giving it a try?"
"Although Shao Yun is with Ying now, who can say for sure about matters of the heart?"
"Maybe if you take the initiative and let them see your good qualities, the Shao Yun family will be willing to accept you."
"Having more people to take care of the family and accompany the children may not be a bad thing for them."