“You need to focus, or else you could die.”
“Okay.”
Fortunately, Peter was able to follow and did not slip up again. We were able to leave safely and in one piece.
The trip went much smoother after. We were able to find the blue cornflower we needed in the center of the swamp.
Upon estimating the distance, I surmised that the flower was about five to six meters away. There were stones on the marsh, but they were too small to walk on. Though my plan seemed a little risky, I decided that I could jump all the way to the center of the swamp instead.
The rain grew heavier, which meant that the wind also blew stronger, making the swamp even more dangerous by the second.
“Maybe we could use a long vine. One end is tied around your waist, and the other I can hold on to from here. If ever you fall into the swamp by accident, I could pull you out,” Peter suggested.
“That’s actually a good idea.” I nodded approvingly. Peter might not have been the best at fighting, but he did have some good ideas to make up for it.
I found a long and thick vine on the ground and wrapped it around my waist. After making sure it was on as tight as it could be, I looked at Peter to check that he was holding on to the other end of the vine.
“Be careful, okay? If you can’t get the flower, it’s fine. Your safety is still of utmost importance.” Peter wrapped the vine around his hands. “Don’t worry, I’ll be holding on to the vine from over here.”
“Alright.” I nodded again without hesitation.
After taking a deep breath, I ran a few steps toward the swamp and jumped. Thanks to the training I’d received, my skills were able to get me all the way to the center of the swamp.
“Good going, Sylvia!” Peter cheered from the other side.
My lips curved into a tight smile. I caught my breath and soon walked up to the flower to take it. But all of a sudden, I was pulled back with a great force by the vine around my waist. The force had caught me completely off guard and caused me to lose balance, falling into the swamp before I could stop myself.
Sylvia’s POV
Almost immediately, the sticky swamp mud engulfed my body, weighing and sucking me down into the pit. My instincts told me to struggle, but soon I realized that it only made me sink faster.
After panicking for a moment, I stopped and stabilized myself, refusing to move an inch.
I carefully turned to Peter, who was standing on the shore. “What happened?”
Peter smiled sheepishly and held up his hand. “Sorry. I stumbled a little bit and accidentally pulled the vine.”
He then pulled on the vine again, causing me to sink deeper into the swamp. I felt that something was off, but I still pretended to be calm and asked him for help anyway. “That’s fine. Can you just pull me out now?”
Just then, Peter tossed the vine away from him. The innocent look on his face was replaced with mockery. “Pull you out? In your dreams.”
My face hardened. “What do you mean by that? Are you saying that you did this on purpose?”
Peter flash a wicked smile. “Yes! What do you think? Was my acting brilliant?”
“Who sent you? Who was it?” I asked coldly.
I should have known that Peter was not just some student. Participating in a stunt like this was detrimental to his future, but he did it anyway. There had to be a powerful mastermind behind him.
“You are quite smart, Sylvia.” Peter snorted as he walked closer to the edge of the swamp. Pretending to be guilty, he sighed. “Fine. Since you’re about to die anyway, I’ll tell you the truth. It was Prince Richard who sent me.”
I sneered. “I knew it. He really will not give up!”
“Oh, Prince Richard’s actually arranged everything so that you would definitely die today.” Peter crossed his arms and chuckled at me.
I ignored him, deciding it was better to spend my energy in trying to think of a way out of here. But my body slowly sunk deeper and deeper. The mud was almost up to my chest.
Suddenly, it occurred to me that I had a rescue device on my wrist that the military installed. Once I pressed the button, the army patrolling around the forbidden forest would come and save me. I was overjoyed at the realization. But when I was about to reach for my wrist, Peter laughed.
“Yes, go ahead and call for help with that device!” Peter reminded me.
I felt that there was a tinge of irony in his tone, so I hesitated. Richard’s plan could not be foiled this simply. If he really wanted me to die, he wouldn’t go through all this trouble just for me to be saved by this small device. I began to wonder. Was this device secretly broken or something? Was it not going to work?
“What? What are you waiting for? Won’t the troops around the forest come and save you once you press that button?” Peter added.
“No…” I carefully observed the expressions dancing on his face. “If you really wanted me to die, you wouldn’t have let me keep this device in the first place.”
After hearing my assumption, Peter broke out into a wild laughter. “Oh, that would be interesting, actually. If it weren’t for Prince Richard’s order to kill you, I would have just let you go for your bright little head. But there’s one thing you haven’t figured out, Sylvia.”
“What is it, Peter?” I glared at him.
“Not only does Prince Richard want you dead, but also all of Prince Rufus’ people!” Peter smiled deviously. “All of the troops stationed around the forest are Prince Rufus’ subordinates. And that swamp you’re about to drown in? It’s already filled with bombs, timed to explode in fifteen minutes.”
“You were going to let me call for help, but I would actually just be luring the army to their deaths?” I thought out loud. This dirty trick of Richard’s infuriated and sickened me to my core.
“Smart girl!”
Having confirmed this, I put down my hand. I wasn’t going to call for help anymore.
“You see, if you press that button, there may still be a small chance that you could live. If you don’t, then all you can do is wait for your death. You would either be blown up by the bombs, or drown in the swamp, whichever comes first.” Peter continued to persuade me to press the button.
I closed my eyes and refused to look at him any longer. “No, I’m not putting the lives of others at risk, even if it means losing my own.”
Sylvia’s POV
It turned out that Richard had planned for this elaborately. He wanted to kill me and Rufus’ troops-but there was no way in hell I’d allow that to happen.
There was always a way out. I firmly believed that heaven would never seal off all the exits.
“What’re you doing?” Peter wrung his hands anxiously. “Press the button already. That way, you might live. Do you think those people will be grateful to you for saving their lives by sacrificing yours? No! No one will know if you die here alone.”
“I’m not pressing the button. Nothing you say will change my mind.” I closed my eyes and tried to focus. I needed to calm down and rack my brains to find a way out.
Peter laughed angrily. “You still care about others at a time like this? If you press the button now, maybe it won’t be too late. If the army arrives in fifteen minutes, then everything will be fine. There’s still hope that you’ll get out of this alive. Why are you giving up?”
I peeled my eyes open to sneer at him. “Do you really think everyone’s as cold-hearted as you? Give up already. I refuse to gamble with the lives of the innocent.”
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