Chapter 229

Noelle was still sound asleep.

Elsie lay beside her, wide awake, eyes open and fixed on the ceiling. In the faint silver of the moonlight, her usually innocent, sky-blue eyes gleamed with a distant, glacial sharpness—gone was the doe-eyed confusion, replaced by something cold and deadly, like someone who had seen too much bloodshed.

Without a sound, she slowly pushed herself up, then turned to glance at the sleeping Noelle. There was no warmth in her gaze, no trace of attachment—only a chill that pierced the air like frostbite.

As if confirming a target, Elsie shifted her weight, inching closer to Noelle with movements so careful even her breath was tightly controlled. Finally, she straddled Noelle’s body—not touching, not yet—just hovering there, face-to-face, the distance between them barely a breath.

Her hand lifted slowly, fingers straight, palm curved inward—a textbook knifehand strike; lethal, precise.

The moment Elsie’s hand began its descent, something deep in Noelle’s instincts jolted her awake.

Her eyes flew open, immediately locking onto the dark silhouette above her. “Elsie!” she gasped, her voice sharp in the silence.

Her body froze mid-strike, and within a second, the murderous intent in her gaze vanished. Her eyes fluttered shut, and she collapsed, limp, falling directly on top of Noelle, completely motionless.

Noelle blinked, stunned. What the hell just happened?

Why was Elsie on top of her? And why had she suddenly collapsed the second her name was called? Was she faking it? Sleepwalking? Or… something else?

The intent to kill—Noelle had felt it as clearly as if a blade had been pressed to her throat. But it had lasted only seconds, then dissipated as if it had never existed.

Was she really trying to hurt me? Noelle’s head spun with questions, none of them with clear answers. The timing couldn’t be worse either—Brandon’s voice echoed in her mind, reminding her of what he said earlier, “If Elsie turns on you, eliminate her immediately.”

Was this what he meant?

She hesitated, then gently lifted Elsie off her and laid her back on the bed. Lightly, she patted the girl’s cheek. “Elsie… hey, wake up.”

To her surprise, Elsie’s eyes fluttered open again almost immediately. She looked around sleepily, rubbing her eyes like a child who had been disturbed mid-dream. “Ee… ya?”

Noelle stared at her, confused.

Elsie blinked at her with those same wide, soft eyes—completely innocent, completely blank.

Noelle leaned in closer, studying her face for any sign of aggression. But all she saw was bewilderment.

Elsie stared back, tilting her head like a puppy, blinking curiously.

This didn’t make sense. That girl from moments ago—the one brimming with killing intent—was completely gone. Had Noelle imagined it? No… she’d felt the danger. It had been real.

Without warning, Noelle narrowed her eyes and raised her hand in a swift knifehand strike—mirroring the exact move Elsie had made earlier. Her palm stopped just a millimeter from Elsie’s neck.

But Elsie didn’t flinch. Didn’t move. No defensive reflexes, no fight-or-flight response—just a wide-eyed, innocent stare.

Noelle slowly lowered her hand. “Elsie,” she asked quietly, “why didn’t you dodge?”

Elsie didn’t answer—just shook her head slightly, her expression soft and childlike. Then, without warning, she snuggled close and wrapped her arms around Noelle again.

It was like being hugged by a harmless, affectionate kitten.

Noelle instinctively pulled back, but her mind was far from at ease. This was the same sweet Elsie she’d met—but the killing aura earlier had been real.

Was she sleepwalking? Or something else? Noelle wracked her brain but came up with nothing. She didn’t have enough information, too many variables, no clear pattern.

Noelle sighed and dropped the idea of overthinking it—for now.

She wasn’t going to harm Elsie. Not yet. Yes, Brandon had said to eliminate her if she became a threat, but right now Elsie wasn’t acting hostile. And besides, Aduel clearly liked her. If anything happened to Elsie on Noelle’s watch, it would destroy the fragile trust she'd worked so hard to build.

And without that trust, her entire mission would fall apart.

Mission first, she reminded herself firmly.

Having made up her mind, she gently said, “Elsie, let’s go back to sleep.”

Elsie nodded, smiling as innocently as ever. “Ee-ya.”

The two of them lay back down, and Elsie curled up beside her, wrapping her arms around Noelle in a sleepy hug. She fell back asleep almost immediately.

But while Elsie returned to dreamland, Noelle remained wide awake. Her eyes stayed open, body tense, mind alert.

What if she gets up again? The fear kept her still, quiet, and hyperaware.

But Elsie didn’t stir again. She slept peacefully, never once moving, never once waking. Eventually, even Noelle started to wonder if the entire incident had just been… a dream.