The second female lead Dual Cultivates

“It’s too noisy. I feel like we’re going to get attacked any second. How do you even relax in all this noise?” Venus complained. She had not meant to complain this much but she could not help it. Complaining was a coping mechanism for her and it helped her relax as well.

But above all, hearing her own voice helped keep her grounded and made her realize that she was alive and doing considerably well in life. That was what prompted Venus to keep on complaining even when she knew she did not need to complain any longer.

But it did not seem like her companion was hearing her out any longer. Venus could spot the outlander’s face relax in a daze and she could not help but feel insulted. What gave this outlander the right to ignore her like that?

But Venus knew she had no right to get angry as well. She had forced her way into this situation and had even strong-armed the other into taking her in. And besides, it was not like her magic worked on Maria anyway.

She would just lose if she tried anything funny. And that was the most important reason Venus held herself back from trying to kill Maria. Well that, and the slave bond she had with the younger.

She could still not believe that she of all people had ended up like this.

Still, it was the perfect opportunity to get rid of Maria and have herself freed as well. The pink-haired female was a prime target for any monster if they attacked.

If she had not opened her mouth to reprimand Venus’s complaint, then it was likely that she could not wake up even if they were to be attacked. Venus needed to create an opportunity for a creature to be able to attack them.

But it was a difficult task as well. Venus did not have enough confidence to be able to pull this off successfully and still manage to get away unscratched.

“Alright. Maybe leaving her alone for a while would help? Wild animals like to attack when they had an advantage” Venus muttered as she carefully stepped away from Maria. She made her way toward a bush and hid in it.

She would observe first before leaving Maria alone for now. She knew she wanted to do this but there was a pit in her stomach that opened every time she thought about this topic and made her turn back.

It was almost like a dance where she took one step ahead and instantly took two steps back. Venus was not even sure how she managed to make it to the bush without running back but it had something to do with the butterflied inside her stomach.

“Now, let's see if a wild beast decided to take the bate or not” Venus spoke aloud, mainly to hear her voice and to remind herself that she was still there. She waited but it did not seem like any beast was going to take the bait.

In the end, she decided to come back out and stop her attempts of having Maria killed this time. The female would wake up any moment now and Venus would need to answer a lot if she disappeared like that.

Venus stood up from the bush, brushing the thorns and other material off of her clothes before making her way toward Maria.

But she had only taken a few steps before she heard it - the loud roar of a wild beast and Venus found herself unable to move. It was not only loud but was warning everyone to stay away from it.

She watched as an injured beast crawled in the valley, the white fur on its body matted with dirt and his side bleeding red. The beast headed toward Maria’s body and its heavy footsteps created an echo.

Venus was rooted in her spot due to fear of the huge beast. It was powerful, a total package, and Venus was sure it would gulp her down in one bite if it wanted to. She did not want to be its dinner at any cost.

But she could not help but feel fascinated with the beast as well. The white fur, that majestic body as well as the magic it oozed out. It all made Venus look on in admiration.

Until she realized that the beast had made its way to Maria and was right in front of her. Venus did not know what came over her but she felt her body move and attack the huge beast.

She was a bundle of sensations, her will all over the place but she knew she could not allow the beast to attack Maria. She had to defend herself or something bad was going to happen.

It was likely the bond she shared with Maria that was making her feel this way but Venus did not have enough awareness in the spur of the moment. She redacted as the magic wanted her to and her weapon clashed with a clawed hand.

But before the beast could overcome its shock, Venus attacked again. Her body had a will of its own and she had no idea why or how she was moving like this. But her weapon did meet the beasts’ claws again and its injured body went down.

Venus did not want to attack him, she really did not want to. The eyes that looked back at her seemed intelligent as well as knowing. They made Venus want to apologize to the beast and explain her actions.

She had never taken a life before but it seemed as if that streak was about to end now. Venus would make life here and she would no longer be the princess. She had a feeling that the magic would reject her as soon as she made this kill.

But her body had a will of its own and she closed her eyes to not look at the knowing but resigned expression on the beast’s face.

Her weapon came down and it felt all too slow to Venus. It collided with something hard and stopped in motion. She tried to apply pressure but it did not bulge.

She slowly opened her eyes to meet a vision of red. Blood was the only thing she could see and a pair of pained eyes looking back at her.