Shadow Hack - Chapter 8: Shadow’s Avatar

*Slow Burn Historical Fantasy Novel*

Elise had about to change into the dress that was lying on the corner of her bed when she heard a knock lightly calling from her door. Curious, she turned the door knob only to have a tall man towering in front of her.

“Master Ian!” She called.

Ian smiled with the usual mischievous smirk that he always used. His crimson eyes trailing a little over her room and spotted the black dress over her bed and shifted his eyes over to the woman in front of him. He stepped forward and spoke. “Where did you acquire that dress?”

“Mr. Harland gave it to me.” Elise replied and strained her neck to see Ian’s brows knitted in its elegance.

“Do you know why a man would love to give a woman a dress?” He gave the riddle that she always had to think twice before replying. But this time, she found no answer and instead shook her head. “I don’t know.”

His grin grew bewitching as though something had stirred deep inside the scarlet eyes that he had. He slowly slid his hand over the collar of her dress, sending a cold shiver that startled her for a moment due to its freezing temperature. After unbuttoning the first two buttons on her collar, he tilted his head down, whispering to her ears. “Because they want to be the one to undress the cloth.”

He paused and kissed her neck, turning the pale skin to red before retracting his move to fix his eyes on her and leisurely replied. “Unfortunately, you can’t wear the dress over there with this.” He chuckled and passed a box over to her hand. “And the fortunate news is I prepared a dress for you.”

Elise was a cursed little girl who could see ghosts. Her family hated her and threw her from one adoptive family to another. However, misfortune didn't act alone. When she was brought up by her aunt, she was sold as a slave. When she had thought she would become nothing but a sacrifice to the sorcerer, she was saved by a man whose identity was far different than a normal mythical being.

On their wedding night, she gnashed her teeth, yelling, “Your Highness, that’s shameless!”

Set off by the flickering light of red candles, he curved the corner of his mouth into a wicked grin, “Actually, I can be more shameless…”

…

When they met for the first time, he was the young prince who lived in his day of brilliance, while she was the pampered princess of the adjacent state.

When they met again, he became the crippled underdog suffering from frustration, while she became the lackluster hostage stranded in an alien land.

In his mid-life, he was defeated in the fight and had his legs broken; his wife passed away and he didn’t have anything left except his father’s detestation… After constant blows took the edge off his spirit, all he wanted was nothing but serenity.

In her teen-age, her state perished and her home lost; she lapsed into an awkward situation after being abandoned and having her marriage annulled… As endless hardships isolated her from happiness, everything she wished for was no more than peace.

…

“Lu Zhishan, when I first met you, I didn’t think I’d marry you…too old,” after years passed by, one day, she lay on his laps mumbling, with a kind of hazy beauty on her boozy face, “and lame.”

“Mu Nanzhi, you have the wrong memory. At our first meeting, I’m neither old nor limp.”

“…When was that?”

“When people were celebrating your first birthday,” that man assumed all gentleness and joy crept on his eyes and brows, “On that day, you were ‘drawing lots’ in the rear hall. I also sneaked there to have a look. But, out of my expectation, you directly grabbed my true-love knot.”

…

How vivid the red love pea is embedded in the exquisitely carved dice,

Just as my feelings for you deep in my bones.

- Description from Novelupdates

Ruan Yingyin is a silver hamster who inexplicably transmigrated into the novel 《After the rebirth of the villain》she had read.

The villain Jiang Xingyuan had a girlfriend named Ruan Yingyin in his previous life, but Ruan Yingyin later betrayed him, causing Jiang Xingyuan to go bankrupt, and finally ran away with money.

Jiang Xingyuan’s ending in the novel was miserable. He regressed back to high school and retaliated against Ruan Yingyin. Ruan Yingyin’s ending was much more miserable than Jiang Xing Yuan.

After remembering everything, Ruan Yingyin: As a silver hamster essence who transmigrated into the book, I just want to concentrate on studies. QAQ

Ruan Yingyin felt that she had to study hard to catch up with her classmates. But when the results came out, she was the first.

Ruan Yingyin felt that she could not sprint, but when she ran, she crossed the finish line first.

Ruan Yingyin felt that she wasn’t good at singing. As a result, at the school party, a small video of her singing was posted on the Internet, instantly gaining countless fans. Even people from the recording company came to invite her to debut as an idol…

The villain who bullied her at first, he stepped on her chocolate, kicked her stool, and forced her to eat mustard, finally, hugged her tightly in his arms and whispered to her, “baby, help me…”

- Description from Novelupdates

This is a world where science and magic coexist.

Some people here seek powerful magic, and some seek eternal truth.

A science tyrant who came from another world, started as a little librarian, with magic in his left hand and truth in his right, kicking the door of the new century with one kick.

Some people call him the forerunner of magic, some say he is the founder of science.

Some people describe him that way.

In the new century, Blair is a symbol of evil.

- Description from novelbuddy