Free Web NovelChapter 33: Chapter 33 Ugly
Xue Yao yawned as she stretched her arms. Even though she was as scared as a mouse cornered by a cat, she didn’t show it.
Her eyes were a little tired as she glanced at the maid with brown hair and brown fur ears, trying to put up an arrogant air.
"Come with us." The maid repeated this time, her voice became stern.
"I’m coming..." Xue Yao said with a crooked smile.
Only now did she realize how much her body was hurting. She hadn’t really slept well for the past few days.
She let out a tired sigh as she walked out of the prison. The moment her legs crossed the threshold, a strange feeling bloomed in her chest... ’Freedom at last,’ She thought inwardly... ’I mean, it’s not going to last forever seeing the scrutinizing gaze of the maids.’
The maids turned around to lead the way, while Xue Yao walked behind them.
As she walked through the corridor, the guards looked at her with pity, one that resembled they had just lost their favourite chicken... to chicken soup.
Yun Kai’s hands tightened around the spear he was holding, his eyes turned misty.
’Don’t tell me he is about to cry, that will be so awkward.’
Xue Yao flashed them a smile while waving her hand in the air. "I’ll miss you too!"
The moment they walked out of the prison’s gate. Xue Yao inhaled deeply while spreading her arms wide. She tilted her face to the sky while closing her eyes.
The cool breeze ruffled her hair, and the orange sky contorted her face with its hue.
"We don’t have all day." The other maid with short black hair said, not bothering to hide her irritation.
Xue Yao rolled her eyes inwardly, but decided to keep her mouth shut. She continued walking behind them.
Her gaze scanned the surroundings, trying to memorize whatever paths she could.
Suddenly, something hit her leg. She stopped in her tracks and looked down...only then did she find a ball about the size of a melon, made from twelve panels of dark leather stitched together with heavy hemp thread. And it was filled with animal feathers...
"Cuju ball?" She muttered under her breath in surprise. ’Beasts play Cuju ball?’ She frowned.
Just as she bent to pick up the ball, a couple of feet stood in front of her. She raised her head only to find pairs of cute sparkling eyes staring at her.
The children’s eyes locked on the ball in her hands, before trailing back up to her face.
Their lips slowly pulled downward.
Seeing that they were about to cry, Xue Yao flashed a harmless smile at them. "You want your ball back? Here you go." She stretched out her hands to the little boy in front of them.
Silence stretched between them... and every second that went by, the pups’ lips continued pulling downward.
"Ahhhhhh!" The choir of cries tore through the air.
Xue Yao was startled. ’Why the hell are the little pups crying?! Do they want to put me in trouble?! This is why you have to mind your business, Xue Yao, acting like a Good Samaritan will never help you in any way!
But I was minding my business when the ball hit my leg... but why are they crying so hard as if they have seen a monster?’
"Stop crying, here take your ball." She handed it out to them.
But the pups remained in their place sobbing so hard... crying in soprano, alto, bass, and even tenor, only that the melodic progression wasn’t soothing to the ears.
The wolf men and women quickly rushed to the scene.
Xue Yao rose to her feet. She wanted to explain to them that she didn’t hurt the pups in any way. In fact, her leg suffered from an assault from them.
Before she could say any words...
"You vile human! What did you do to my pup?" An angry voice shook through the air, followed by a hostile growl.
A look of utter confusion marred Xue Yao’s face. "Me? I..."
Before she could finish, another cut in. "How dare you take their ball?!" Another growl followed.
The pups immediately hugged their mother before hiding behind them.
"I didn’t..."
"You dare make my pups cry! I’m going to make you regret ever doing that?!" Another said while advancing towards her.
Meanwhile, the two maids were still walking, only when they heard the commotion from afar did they stop in their tracks.
The one with the brown hair turned around, and her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets.
"Where is the human?!" She almost had a heart attack.
The black-haired maid followed her gaze, and her gaze darted around the surroundings. The moment she saw Xue Yao surrounded by wolf men, women, and crying pups, her expression changed.
The two of them hurried back at once, pushing through the crowd before stopping beside Xue Yao. "What happened here?" the brown-haired maid asked sternly.
One of the wolf women pulled the sobbing pups behind her before glaring at Xue Yao. "Your human made our pups cry."
The brown-haired maid frowned and turned toward Xue Yao. "What did you do?"
Xue Yao almost choked on her own saliva.
"Me?" She pointed at herself before pointing at the pups. "I didn’t do anything! Their ball hit my leg, I picked it up, and the next thing I knew they started crying! I’m the victim here!"
"Liar!"
"You frightened them!"
"You even stole their ball!"
"I was returning it!" Xue Yao shot back.
The crowd instantly became noisy. Xue Yao felt a headache coming on.
Xue Yao’s scalp tingled. ’It’s over... this is exactly how those protagonists get framed. First the innocent children cry, then the adults gather, and before you know it, one old monster will appear from nowhere and sentence me to punishment or death without even asking questions.’
’But before they can do that, I have to turn the situation around.’ She thought inwardly.
She immediately pointed at the leather ball on the ground. " I refuse to accept this injustice! I didn’t make them cry. If anyone is guilty, it’s that ball. That ball assaulted my leg first."
The surroundings fell silent.
One of the wolf men frowned. "The ball... assaulted you?"
"Yes." Xue Yao nodded seriously. "It hit my leg."
"..."
"I was only returning it, and that was already generous of me."
The wolves looked at the ball, then at Xue Yao, then back at the ball again. Even the brown-haired maid was silent for a moment, as if she did not know whether to scold her or ask if her brain was damaged.
Xue Yao frowned at their strange gazes. "Why are you looking at me like that? I didn’t even retaliate. I was already being generous."
The wolf parents were speechless.
Just then, one of the little pups slowly peeked out from behind his mother’s leg. His eyes were red from crying, and his tiny finger trembled as he pointed at Xue Yao.
"S-she’s..."
Seeing this, Xue Yao sighed inwardly. ’Here it comes... he is finally going to admit his ball attacked me first.’ She waved her hand magnanimously. "Forget it. I forgive your ball."
"She stole our ball?" One of the parents asked.
The little pup shook his head vigorously.
"She growled at you?" Another asked.
The little pup shook his head again.
"She bullied you?"
Again, he shook his head.
The little pup sniffled before bursting into tears again.
"She’s ugly!"
