Chapter 351

Chapter 351: Life in the Cave (Part Three)

The next day.

Lin Yu awoke early to find herself lying on an unfamiliar soft double bed, unsure of when she had gotten there. Her bleary eyes blinked through the lingering haze of sleep as she rubbed them with slender fingers. What exactly… happened yesterday?

The motion ceased abruptly as fragmented memories surfaced, her pale cheeks blossoming with sudden crimson. The blankness in her recollection stemmed from… having been pleasured into unconsciousness.

“Mmm…”

“Aaaahhhh!!!”

The silver-haired maiden buried her burning face in both palms, writhing in mortified agony across the bedsheets. “Has Mother awakened?” A cool voice sliced through her turmoil, freezing her mid-roll.

She stiffened. The heat beneath her hands intensified.

Lin Yu couldn’t bring herself to lower her protective shield of fingers until slender, jade-like hands gently pried them away.

…

Darkling Stalker observed the tearful, scarlet-faced girl. The Ice Beauty suddenly smiled – her icy demeanor thawing into a tender stream, like pristine snow melting under spring’s first light. The white-haired girl stared transfixed, momentarily breathless.

Yet when she blinked, the ephemeral warmth vanished as though imagined. The familiar mask of impassivity returned to the beauty’s features. “Breakfast awaits.”

Guiding Lin Yu from bed, Darkling Stalker first attended to her morning routine before seating her at the dining table. Steam rose from humble offerings: freshly baked bread, golden fried eggs, sizzling meat cutlets, and creamy milk arranged simply on the worn surface.

With practiced motions, Darkling Stalker bisected a bread loaf, nestling egg and meat within its warm embrace. A drizzle of rich sauce cascaded over the fillings before she presented the creation to Lin Yu.

Lin Yu accepted it dazedly. This resembled breakfasts from her past life, those rare mornings when school rush permitted proper meals. Having fasted through dinner and exhausted herself overnight, her stomach growled urgently.

After swallowing nervously, she sank teeth into the savory parcel. Flavors exploded – not just delicious, but hauntingly familiar to meals she’d once prepared herself in another existence.

Lin Yu didn’t pause, taking bite after bite until she’d devoured the entire loaf, followed by the large cup of steaming milk. After finishing everything, she exhaled a contented sigh.

“Was it good?”

Darkling Stalker waited until the last morsel vanished before speaking.

“Mhm.”

Lin Yu nodded earnestly.

“The grilled meat and eggs… were these made by Little Shadow?”

“Just some dishes I experimented with before. There’s more in the Magic Backpack.”

As she spoke, Darkling Stalker began producing steaming platters from the dimensional pouch. Lin Yu’s eyes widened with growing recognition – these were identical to the dishes she’d prepared in her previous life.

Though daughters inherited fragments of ancestral knowledge and memories at birth… this… this was an exhaustive culinary archive. Every recipe she’d ever concocted seemed present here. Had Darkling Stalker… accessed her complete memory bank…?

The silver-haired woman turned questioning eyes toward her daughter. Anticipating the unspoken thought, Darkling Stalker began repacking dishes while remarking, “Solitary existence proves challenging. Now my daughter might comprehend Mother’s former burdens.”

“You…”

Lin Yu stared in astonishment.

Was this her child’s way of understanding her past – by reliving it? Had those years of isolated combat in the woods, the avoidance of sisterly contact, all served this purpose? As for personality… no, Little Shadow had manifested these traits from emergence.

During Lin Yu’s stunned silence, Darkling Stalker approached and settled a palm atop her crown. The tables turned – where usually mother comforted daughter, now daughter soothed mother. Warmth blossomed beneath the caressing hand, yet it stirred bittersweet memories of past loneliness, sharp nostalgia pricking her heart.

Tears threatened, but she swallowed them. Gazing at her daughter, Lin Yu felt emotion welling within. As tenderness swelled, the comforting hand began its gradual descent…

…

Hours later, during a rare respite, the flustered silver-haired woman balled her fist to strike her companion. Yet the blow never fell.

Pointless anyway – victory remained beyond her grasp.

Afraid? I’m not afraid in the slightest!

…

…

Several more days passed since then.

Underground.

“This shall remain our secret. You…you won’t tell your sisters, will you? Promise?”

The white-haired girl nestled weakly in the gray-haired woman’s embrace, her voice trembling slightly.

She’d ended up acting coquettish after all… Lin Yu felt heat creeping across her cheeks.

No! This was merely a reluctant measure to preserve maternal dignity! Therefore…therefore…

Oh fine, I’m being spoiled! What of it?

The snowy-haired maiden burrowed deeper into the woman’s arms.

During these days of “companionship,” though initially powerless to resist, she’d managed to maintain her aloof demeanor at first. Yet gradually, even that frosty facade crumbled, leaving her utterly vulnerable…

Despite restricting her freedom, Darkling Stalker had remained constantly attentive, meticulously tending to her daily needs…

The imagined horrors of abuse and torture never materialized, allowing her anxieties to gradually dissolve. Their conversations grew more frequent, surprisingly intimate given both women’s usual reticence.

Darkling Stalker’s profound understanding of Lin Yu’s past fostered deep, engrossing dialogues—an unexpected connection that drew them closer.

Combined with her daughter’s striking beauty, exquisite figure…and their daily “rituals”…

This gradual surrender to Darkling Stalker’s influence seemed inevitable.

“I’ll keep silent.”

Darkling Stalker nodded, her breathing quickening from Lin Yu’s squirming movements.

…

Yet Lin Yu hadn’t abandoned hopes of escaping Darkling Stalker’s clutches.

Faint disturbances from the surface had reached her these past days—whether from her daughters’ search efforts or wandering monsters, she couldn’t tell.

Multiple requests to visit the castle had met refusal.

Perhaps one more attempt?

The girl lifted her gaze, ruby eyes glimmering like precious stones, her adorable pout leaving Darkling Stalker momentarily entranced.

“Little Shadow…it’s been days. Couldn’t we return to the castle together?”

Her heart sank as the daughter before her shook her head once more.

Disappointment curdled into frustration.

After all this begging!

Enough! This mother’s truly reaching her limit!

Fueled by indignation, the pale-haired woman suddenly shoved the Ice Beauty onto the bed, launching herself atop her rival with ferocious determination.