Otherworldly Affairs Office-Chapter 864: Jessica

The noble who was responsible for raising Jessica was filled with regret. Today, for some unknown reason, he decided to bring her along as his attendant to witness the ceremony. Ordinary citizens outside might not know much about this Prince Silver Wing, but these nobles knew all too well. Same clan? Don't make me laugh. He has never shown mercy to any demon race members who posed a threat to him. The great purge in the Holy City five years ago is still vivid in their memories. Looking back on his past actions towards Jessica, he wondered if this time he would be implicated as well.

At this moment, Jessica Dales was so frightened that she was completely lost, her head banged onto the ground as she trembled, "I dare not, my lord. This humble girl dares not have any disrespect towards Prince Silver Wing."

"Your brother did mention you to me, that you have a mother you depend on. Your murderous intent is so strong that it caught my attention. It seems you do indeed hate me, don't you? But why do you hate me? Your brother is still under my command. He isn't dead and has even received the Demon God's favor and greatly improved his abilities. What reason do you have to hate me? Is it that you think his identity is being humiliated under my command?" Pei Yan curiously inquired. Hearing this, Jessica immediately shook her head like a rattle drum.

"Then what is it for, speak honestly! I won't kill you!" Pei Yan, who habitually indulged his lazy demeanor, directly sat cross-legged in front of the girl, resting his cheek on his hand in curiosity.

Hearing Pei Yan's question, the girl trembled violently, and finally, as if making up her mind, she raised her head abruptly just as she was about to speak. The noble who brought her suddenly scrambled out from the crowd, crying out angrily, "Shut up!"

After shouting, he immediately bowed to Pei Yan, who had a face of confusion, ingratiatingly saying, "My lord, it's my lack of discipline that allowed this wretched servant to offend your majesty. Please, in consideration of her being just a child, spare her, and I will take her back and properly discipline her!"

"Did I say I was going to punish her? And did I ask you any questions?" Pei Yan looked at the newcomer with a tilted head and said meaningfully.

The noble immediately went weak in the knees and plopped to the ground. Pei Yan, disinclined to bother with him, turned to look at Jessica and continued to ask, "Go ahead, why do you hate me? If you give a reason, I will let you leave!" 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"After my brother became your subordinate, our family's newly granted noble title was revoked!" Jessica summoned her courage and said slowly with her head lowered.

"Oh, is that so?" Pei Yan raised his head and looked at Samikina, standing by his side, realizing that he did mention something earlier but didn't know why the demon race needed to do so.

"Indeed, that's the case." Samikina bent over and whispered into Pei Yan's ear, "The demon race's titles aren't bestowed casually. Each comes with the privilege it enjoys, especially within the besieged Holy City where resources are scarce, making this privilege even more precious. After Dalles became your subordinate, he's already your servant. They have no male heir to inherit the family business, hence their noble title was revoked."

Seeing the confusion in Pei Yan's eyes, Samikina knew what he wanted to say and immediately continued, "Don't compare her with my granddaughter from Kataraga. There is an heir to the Kataraga Autonomous Territory, which is Bailang. He's the brother of the former lord but voluntarily passed the inheritance to his niece, my granddaughter Sifuer."

Pei Yan nodded in sudden realization, then turned to Jessica, puzzled, "You hate me just because of this? The noble title being revoked! All right, dying for wealth, birds die for food. You do have a reason to hate me, it's my fault..."

"It's not just because of this!" Jessica suddenly raised her head, shouting as she interrupted Pei Yan's words. The guards beside her hurriedly stepped forward to restrain her shoulders again, seeing her losing her composure.

Looking at Jessica's bloodshot, hatred-filled eyes, Pei Yan, who initially just wanted to understand the situation to see if he could casually place a pawn within the demon race, suddenly became genuinely interested and waved his hand to signal the guards to release the girl. He leaned forward and said in a low voice, "So why is that?"

"After my brother's title was revoked, we lost the monthly provision we could receive. My brother was promoted as an emerging noble during the battle against the Disaster Legion. He has been working hard outside for years to revive the family business, but there are no savings at home. When the provision was cut off, it didn't take long for the stored foundation to be exhausted. My brother followed you and became a servant fighting everywhere, and I couldn't contact him at all. With my limited abilities, and my mother often bedridden due to old ailments left behind during the great retreat, I had no choice but to seek help from my brother's former noble colleagues. Eventually, they pointed me to a way to survive, joining the Marishello Clan to earn wages as a maidservant to support the family."

As for what happened next, Pei Yan could more or less guess. With a glance at the fat nobleman trembling like a sieve not far away, he asked coldly, "Is he from the Marishello Clan? And then what? Did you suffer grievances?"

"Grievances? Ha ha ha!" Suddenly gaining boldness, Jessica looked up at Pei Yan with an expression of utter despair, shaking her head, "My lord! Before my brother came of age, we were just an ordinary poor family! I've suffered hardships too! If it was just fatigue and humiliation, I wouldn't feel aggrieved, nor would I dare to harbor any resentment towards you! But there, I suffered inhuman torment and abuse! Every day, anyone in that family, whether it's this high and mighty noble lord or any subordinate, would vent their discontent on me over the slightest dissatisfaction!"

As she spoke, Jessica ripped open the neckline of her clothing, revealing the crisscrossing scars on her neck and chest, shocking to anyone who saw. Pei Yan's face turned somber as he stepped forward and gently rolled up her sleeves, revealing arms covered in scars, some healed into scabs, others fresh, indicating they were recent.

Given the demon race's regenerative abilities far surpassing that of normal humans, retaining so many scars speaks to the severity of the abuse she suffered. Pei Yan buttoned up her clothes with his own hands, dismissing his previous nonchalant appearance, and gently asked, "Why did they abuse you? Was it because they had enmity with your brother before?"

"Why? My lord, do you truly not understand?" Jessica looked bitterly at Pei Yan, "At first, I didn't understand why companions who once belonged to the same camp as my brother would be so cruel to me! Later, I understood from the words they spoke during their abuse! It was because of you! Noble Prince Silver Wing! They vented their anger on me just because my brother had joined your ranks!"