The ashes of the twenty elders were handed to the man. He opened a jar on the spot and fed it to the German Shepherd at his side.
“Look at this witch. She’s nothing special. How about this: you kneel and beg me, let me sleep for just one night, and I’ll give you a jar. What do you think?”
“I’ve heard the witch saint has an abnormal physique, one that can make men die in the land of tenderness. I want to see if it’s true,” he added with a leer.
I forced myself to stand, fury rising, and poured a glass of wine into his face.
“Dream on!”
Enraged, the man lunged toward me, slapping me hard.
“Who do you think you are? I’ve been kind to you!”
“The whole clan is gone, so why are you still pretending to be noble?” he sneered.
“Today, there are 100 jars of ashes. Don’t even think about taking any!”
I slapped him back, feeling the sting of my own hand.
“Then give it a try.”
The host smiled, unfazed, and pulled out the second question.
“Miss Nolan, are you sure you want to continue? The next chip contains your parents’ ashes!”
“I’m just worried that you can’t handle the blow if you lose and that you won’t be able to continue the game,” he added, his voice dripping with mockery.
The crowd turned to me, all of them expecting me to give up.
Through tear-blurred eyes, Adam remained silent, his expression unreadable.
I handed Janelle a glass of juice, the last shred of hope vanishing from my heart. I smiled bitterly.
“Continue.”
The host grinned, clearly enjoying the moment.
“Second question: What did Miss Burt have for dinner yesterday?”
Janelle blinked playfully and asked, “Can I participate in this game?”
Adam scratched her nose fondly.
“Of course.”
He didn’t even try to hide his tolerance for her blatant cheating.
Whispers spread through the crowd.
“Miss Burt, how can you not know what you ate? This is ridiculous.”
“It’s going to be a joke, just accept your fate.”
Janelle chuckled.
“I lied to all of you. I won’t compete. I don’t want to make Caitlin sad, so I’ll step aside.”
The crowd was visibly moved.
“Miss Burt is so generous! After all she’s been through, she can still forgive the Dark Magic Guild. If it were me, I’d have dragged her out and whipped her corpse. Too bad everyone’s already dead. Only ashes remain.”
“Hurry up, don’t miss your chance. I bet on seafood!”
“I bet on Japanese food!”
At that moment, Janelle walked over to me and whispered, “Caitlin, how about I tell you the answer quietly? You’d be better off burying your parents’ ashes yourself, so it doesn’t make you sad…”
“Spare me your hypocrisy!”
Adam, who had been watching this exchange, finally showed a flicker of emotion. His face darkened, and he broke the wine glass in front of me.
“Caitlin, don’t be ungrateful. Janelle is just being kind.”
I sneered, meeting his gaze with a look of disbelief.
“So, you want me to cheat and win the next four games, right? I have no objection.”
Adam fell silent, pulling Janelle into his arms.
“Don’t listen to this lunatic. Let’s go back to watching the show.”
I stared at the stage, my voice was steady.
“I bet on Western food.”
The host’s smile faltered.
“Miss Nolan, I must remind you that there are only two free chances. If you lose all of them, you can only bet on your body, like... your hair.”
I nodded, my neck stiff.
“Betting, no more nonsense.”
Laughter erupted from the crowd.
“It looks like Adam has planned this all along. He must be venting his anger on Miss Burt.”
“There are still three games left. First hair, then… it’ll be a bet for life, right?”
