Deviant: No Longer Human

"You're the... Prince?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, still reconciling with the possibility.

He might be powerful, but could he really be the prince?

Yet, something deep within her insisted that it was true.

Wang Xiao chuckled at the bewilderment in her eyes. "And if I am? Would it have changed anything? Would you have thrown yourself over my bed last night?"

"!"

Mei pursed her lips, hiding her shock. "So it really is you!" she exclaimed.

Wang Xiao shrugged, a smirk playing on his lips. "Do you think I'd stoop to tricking girls by using a false name?"

"Mm..." Mei nodded almost reflexively, before quickly shaking her head.

That wasn't the point.

"But how?" she asked, her mind filled with question marks.

The prince was like a god to them, a figure of legend.

How could her brother be the same person as Prince, he was the same — who had been with them seven years ago?

How much had changed during those years?

A wave of realization washed over her—if he had endured so much, perhaps he had suffered more than she could imagine.

The thought pained her, leaving her momentarily lost for words.

Wang Xiao, unaware of her thoughts—or perhaps simply indifferent—remarked, "Just like how you found the courage to speak up now."

Mei fell silent, while Susie and Kari, overhearing the conversation, began to tremble. 'This is the Prince!?'

Regret filled them.

If they had known who he was, they would never have dared to open their mouths, let alone challenge him.

Mei bit her lip, her gaze turning to Susie and Kari with a mix of emotions. "Why did you take their eyes?" she asked, her voice soft yet firm.

"To save them from the harshness of the world," Wang Xiao replied simply, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Mei was left speechless.

Since when did he become so righteous?

"Can't you give them... back?" she asked hesitantly.

Despite everything, she didn't want Susie and Kari to lose their sight, to be cursed with blindness forever.

Wang Xiao scratched his neck, glancing at Mei, then at Susie and Kari, who looked at him with expectant eyes.

He wasn't one to reverse his decisions, especially when it came to punishment.

"Well... you two feel the world again, even without your eyes. Consider it a blessing, abuse it again and it would disappear forever," he said casually.

At that very moment, Kari and Susie's darkened vision began to clear, the world slowly coming back into focus.

They gasped in disbelief.

"Thank you for your mercy!"

"Lord! Thank you for sparing us!"

They both turned in their seats, bowing deeply toward Wang Xiao, who waved them off as if it were nothing.

Unbeknownst to him, his casual blessing would shape their futures. They would become known as the "Twin Blindfolded Warriors," feared on the battlefield for their uncanny precision and unmatched skill.

Even without eyes, they never missed a target, their strikes as deadly as any sighted warrior's.

But such mortal affairs were beneath Wang Xiao's notice, mere trifles in the grand scheme of things.

Wang Mei, who had witnessed the entire process, was left in awe.

He had spoken, and it had been done—just like that.

What kind of power was this?

Was reality itself still intact, or had she stepped into a world of impossibilities?

It was all too much to comprehend.

Yet, as she recalled how he had single-handedly protected the city, selectively annihilating the beasts while sparing the people, she realized that he had been holding back even then.

But there was one lingering question in her mind: what about that woman, Eveline?

The thought of delving into his affairs made her feel small and powerless.

She wasn't ready for such truths, and perhaps, she never would be.

All of a sudden, it all made sense—why he seemed so different now, so detached, as if the concerns of the world barely touched him.

He had ascended to a level where mortal worries were mere specks of dust in the grand cosmos.

But understanding this didn't ease the fear that gripped at her mind.

She wasn't the prince; she was just Wang Mei, an ordinary girl caught in the extraordinary events.

And if their mother, Xinyue Zhilan, ever discovered what she had done—how could she possibly face her?

The thought alone made her heart race, her chest tighten with dread.

What would their mother say?

Would she be disappointed, or worse, ashamed?

The fear of disappointing her mother weighed heavily on Wang Mei, making her feel smaller than ever.

She wasn't ready to confront that reality, to see the look in her mother's eyes if the truth ever came out.

_______

"11 o'clock!"

"…"

Wang Mei was momentarily stunned as she noticed the numerous military vehicles parked around the resort.

A wave of panic washed over her—she was supposed to be back before midnight!

"Ah—"

She tried to run, but the sharp pain in her side reminded her that her idiot brother had 'stabbed' her where he shouldn't have, leaving her limping awkwardly toward her assigned villa.

Click!

"Huh?"

As she opened the door to her sister's room, she was surprised to find Xueying in the middle of getting ready, clearly preparing to go somewhere.

The shock on Xueying's face mirrored Mei's own.

"You're back?" Xueying asked, her voice tinged with disbelief. "What happened to you?"

Mei bit her lip, trying to hide the pain and embarrassment. "I, uh... had a bit of an accident."

Xueying's eyes scanned her sister from top to bottom, noting the way Mei stood there, silent and awkward.

The situation felt beyond her pay grade to handle, but as the older sister, she had no choice.

It was her responsibility, whether she liked it or not.

Mei's dress had been changed, but the way she avoided eye contact, her entire demeanor, screamed that something bad had happened. Xueying's heart tightened with concern.

"Did he force... you?" she asked softly, stepping closer and grabbing Mei's shoulders, her voice barely a whisper as if to not break Mei down.

Mei remained silent, staring at the floor.

Her first instinct was to nod, but then she quickly shook her head, the conflicting emotions clear on her face.

"..."

Xueying was stunned.

For a moment, she just stood there, trying to process what her sister was struggling to say.

Then, without another word, she pulled Mei into a tight hug, holding her close.

"It's okay," Xueying whispered, her voice trembling slightly. "Idiot... you don't need to defend anyone or be scared of him. If he forced you, he'll pay for it."

Mei buried her face in her sister's shoulder, her body shaking with a storm of emotions she couldn't fully understand, let alone express.

She had no words to explain what had happened or how she truly felt.

Despite her efforts to hold it in, tears began to spill down her cheeks, her silent sobs betraying her.

She didn't want to cry, didn't want to appear weak, but she couldn't stop herself.