After meeting up with Daisy, they agreed to split up, with Daisy going left and Arabella going right. Daisy handed her a flashlight. "Aerona, we'll stay in touch by phone."

"No problem. Black and Peach will definitely find Minnie." Arabella rubbed her frozen hands, her breath turning into a white mist. She waved. "See you in a bit!"

Daisy gave her a grateful smile. "See you in a bit."

Arabella led the dogs and turned into the depths of the forest. Soon, the silhouettes of the girl and the two dogs were completely swallowed by the darkness, until even the beam of the flashlight vanished.

Standing where she was, the smile slid off Daisy's face. She opened her phone to see several messages sent by her mother five minutes ago:

【Everything is prepared.】

【Daisy, do not let me down.】

Daisy looked up at the darkness ahead and whispered softly, "Aerona, I hate you, but you really are a good person."

But the world wouldn't be kind to you just because you were a good person. Her mother was right: if Aerona lost Frederick, she would just go back to her old life.

But Daisy couldn't—she would lose everything, and she couldn't bear that. She needed the wealth, status, and glory of the Herheid family. She wasn't stealing; she was just putting everything back on its original track.

She would rather die than let her social status decline. Besides, Frederick would eventually realize that she was the one truly suited for him—not this random girl who couldn't even speak German properly and brought him nothing but gossip and disgrace.

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The forest at night was entirely different from the day, resembling a vast, intricate labyrinth. Towering firs and pines shredded the dim moonlight into jagged pieces.

The flashlight carved out a small sliver of vision, beyond which lay boundless darkness and silence. The air had an overly sterile scent—inhaling it brought a bone-chilling cold into the lungs. Occasionally, the eerie, bizarre cries of birds broke the silence, making the atmosphere nearly horrific.

Arabella swallowed hard. The further she walked, the more frightened she became, but she bolstered her courage and continued to call Minnie's name.

"Minnie, Minnie!"

"Minnie, where are you?"

"Black, slow down! I'm scared!"

Black immediately turned back to Arabella's side, nuzzling her calf to reassure her that he would protect her. Arabella patted his head. "Thank you, Black."

The path through the woods was treacherous. After tripping twice, Arabella watched her footing more carefully. Black led the way, stopping periodically to sniff the air.

She couldn't tell how long they had been walking—everything in every direction was black. Suddenly, something darted down from a tree ahead. Arabella held her breath in shock.

"Woof—woof!" Peach barked twice.

It turned out to be just a plump squirrel that vanished in a flash. Arabella let out a long sigh and laughed at herself, feeling foolish. To be frightened by a squirrel... of course there were small animals in the forest.

A moment later, Black apparently caught Minnie's scent. He began barking wildly toward the front, his tail wagging incessantly.

"You found something!" Overjoyed, Arabella reached for her phone to call Daisy and share the good news, but the call disconnected automatically after one ring. She tried twice more with the same result.

No signal. Not just here—the entire forest was a dead zone.

Arabella put her phone away and looked around blankly. There was nothing here—no warm fireplace, no soft bed, no food, no water. Even Black and Peach were thirsty; she should have at least brought a bottle of water.

"Sorry," she whispered, stroking their heads. "Sorry for making you come out in this cold without any treats."

The two dogs barked at her, signaling that it didn't matter. She smiled, huffing a breath into her hands for warmth. Shaking off her dejection, she gathered her energy and continued calling Minnie's name.

Black followed the complex trail of scents deeper into the woods, stepping over rotting leaves and withered branches that crunched underfoot.

Finally, they found Minnie trapped in a large pit. The pit was a hunting trap designed for large game.

The little Poodle was filthy, huddled at the bottom, looking nearly dead. Upon seeing Arabella, she began to whimper piteously, her bright eyes reflecting the flashlight beam as she stared up with wet, pleading eyes.

"Minnie, you're bleeding!" Arabella saw that Minnie's hind leg was clamped in a steel trap. No wonder she couldn't move. Without a second thought, Arabella jumped into the pit.

The iron trap bit deep and required a specific technique to open. Arabella pulled at it until her face was flushed, but it wouldn't budge. Instead, she only caused Minnie more pain.

Frantic and apologetic, she knelt on the ground to study the cursed thing. Black and Peach stood guard above, barking occasionally to drive off small creatures in the dark.

"Why won't it open... this damn thing..." Arabella's face burned with effort. Eventually, she had to give up; she would have to get help to saw it off later.

She carefully lifted Minnie to the surface and then scrambled out herself. Just as she reached for her flashlight, Black and Peach suddenly dropped low to the ground. Their tails tucked tight with alarm as they let out guttural, low snarls toward the darkness ahead.

Some terrifying danger seemed to be lurking in the shadows; even the silent air began to surge with an invisible undercurrent. Infected by the atmosphere, a layer of goosebumps slowly crept up Arabella's spine. She couldn't see what was out there. After crouching in place for a few seconds to steady herself, she grew bold enough to grab the flashlight and suddenly swung the beam toward the darkness—

Four wolves.

They were crouched in the bushes just a few meters away, their eyes glowing with a spectral, predatory light. Drawn by the scent of blood, they had been lurking there, cunning and patient.