Chapter 81 The Arrival of the Bunny Girl
The castle was quiet at night, with little movement after midnight, save for the necessary patrols and sentries.
In the darkness, Emily struggled to open her eyes, feeling dizzy and disoriented. All she could see was a pitch-black void, causing her heart to sink, and her senses dulled considerably.
She thought, 'Am I in the noble's secret chamber now? Or in the dungeon?' Emily's mind raced with possibilities.
She felt a profound weakness as if her very bones had been drained. The searing pain in her arm, however, offered a strange comfort—it meant her arm was not beyond repair.
"My body seems to be in better shape than before." Emily muttered. She felt mused and surprised that she was still alive.
The dizziness and feverish symptoms were familiar to her from the tales of other orcs. Many orcs perished each year from such illnesses.
"Of course, because Henry healed you."
A cold voice pierced the darkness, causing Emily's heart to skip a beat. Her eyes locked onto the source of the sound.
Emily asked, "Who's there?"
Emily's unease grew. She thought, 'Is this the same voice I heard before I passed out? Is it the feline orc, now a lackey of the nobles?'
A faint sound of friction followed, and a small flame ignited in the darkness, soon engulfed by a larger one. The candle had been lit.
Emily saw the feline orc who owned the voice. Her black hair and sharp, sky-blue eyes recalled an elf she once knew.
Those with such eyes were skilled, capable of taking on multiple foes at once. She had witnessed the elf, armed with a bow, single-handedly take down a dozen wolves and even the mighty alpha.
"Awake? How do you feel?" Mila asked calmly. She had been keeping watch, not daring to be careless about the orc.
"Not so good." Emily replied, somewhat surprised by the orc's attitude, and asked tentatively, "Where am I now?"
Mila glanced at her and replied calmly, "Henry's castle."
"The human nobles?" Disgust flashed in Emily's eyes.
Her suspicions were confirmed. It was indeed those cruel nobles. She had escaped from the slave traders only to fall into the hands of the nobles.
It was truly laughable. She had skipped the part where she would have been sold in the middle, and instead, she had delivered herself right to them.
"Rest well. We can talk about it tomorrow." Mila's voice was indifferent as she turned to leave, giving Emily time to think.
"Wait..." Emily hurriedly spoke, but the words died in her throat.
Mila's body paused for a moment; then she left the room. The room fell into silence, with only the flickering candlelight.
Emily carefully observed her surroundings and grew more surprised. "This isn't a dungeon or a secret chamber?"
She had heard her mother describe the secret chambers, where nobles would play with orcs and torture them with various devices. These chambers were usually located in dark underground spaces.
Slave traders had just captured her, and her parents had come to her rescue, only to be left behind to stop the slave traders. Otherwise, she would have been in the hands of some fat, depraved noble.
A sense of sadness flickered in Emily's eyes. She shouldn't have gone out to pick fruits. She wanted to gather more dried fruits for the tribe, but it attracted slave traders instead.
"It's all my fault!" Emily fell into self-blame.
After a while, she regained her composure, wiped away her tears, and pondered how to leave.
After careful observation, Emily concluded. This room was not a dungeon; she could see the night through the window.
The room was neatly arranged, and in the candlelight, it appeared more luxurious than anything she had seen in the tribe.
Emily murmured, "This bed? It's so soft, it feels like someone is caressing me."
"Why is this happening? Does the nobility have some conspiracy? Or are they planning something..."
Emily's body stiffened. She remembered the words of the feline orc, "Henry saved you!"
Her eyes, now a light shade of red, flickered with a doubtful light. Emily thought, 'The human nobility saved me? How is that possible? The nobles would rather see the orcs dead, so how could they have saved me?'
Was Henry lusting after her beauty? Yes! That was the only possibility Emily could think of, considering she was the most beautiful in the entire tribe.
Emily thought, 'What should I do? Am I going to be defiled by the nobility? I have to escape, yes, escape... '
"Damn it!" She cursed in a low voice.
Emily tried with all her might, but she couldn't move. The window was not far from her, but she felt as if she were sealed in a cocoon, unable even to turn over.
"I still have to go back to the tribe, to take them to the south, where there is no winter, no harsh cold... Why, why..." Emily muttered as she wanted to get up.
After half an hour of struggling, Emily, already exhausted, couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep.
Not long after Emily fell asleep, Henry and Mila entered the room.
Henry looked at the delicate face of the Bunny girl, his complexion no longer as pale as during the day, and nodded in satisfaction, "She has passed the critical period. As long as she rests for a few days, she will be back on her feet."
Henry had seen the resilience of orcs. The orc named Gabriel in the military camp had gained weight in just over ten days, showing a significant transformation.
"Henry, how do you plan to deal with her?" Mila's blue eyes looked at the figure on the bed, and she asked in a low voice.
"It's up to her! She seems to have some unpleasant memories. If she wants to leave after her injuries heal, don't stop her. If she wants to stay, take her out for a walk, find a job she likes, and she should be able to support herself." Henry replied calmly.
Henry didn't think much about it. There will definitely be more orcs appearing in Eldoria in the future. Even if the Bunny girl had left now, she would have been attracted back sooner or later.
The more people he had in his territory, the better the development, and the more the people would respect him. His life would be more fulfilling, and anyone who tried to take his position would be easily dealt with without him having to mobilize the army.
"Understood!" Mila nodded. This was indeed the best way to handle it. She had voluntarily chosen to stay back then, and so did Ellie.
Henry's charm was not something that just anyone could resist.
