Chapter 243: How to Tell Them Apart

The forest was serene, with only the sounds of insects and birds chirping, and not even the roar of large beasts. Perhaps such sounds existed before, but ever since the influx of refugees and countless hunters scouring the area, the Hillsbrad Foothills' forest was now home only to small animals.

The two walked side by side for a long time, neither speaking a word.

The atmosphere was calm, yet slightly awkward.

Alleria, in particular, was starting to feel uneasy. In just one year, Duke had gone through an earth-shattering transformation. She had heard a curse had aged him slightly, but she never expected that he would change from a 15-year-old boy to a handsome young man.

Before, the tall Alleria could look down on Duke, satisfying her bizarre older sisterly perspective. But now, due to Duke's growth, even walking beside him felt like... being lovers?

Originally, Alleria was simply curious about Duke. To her, a 15-year-old human boy was no different from a baby. So, she could freely tease and enjoy playing with Duke for fun.

But in just one year, Duke's dramatic changes left Alleria speechless.

Whether it was his physical growth, his surge in power, or his advancement in status, this Duke was entirely unfamiliar to her. Yet, it seemed like he knew her incredibly well, preparing everything for her and making her feel touched.

Alleria was indeed a mess, but so was Duke.

After some thought, Alleria finally broke the silence: "Actually... you don't need to worry about me being imprisoned. Well, I was just in solitary confinement, and my treatment there wasn't too bad. When you grow up, you'll understand that everyone has to take responsibility for their actions. Although I made a mistake and was punished, it has nothing to do with you. Don't feel like you owe me anything."

Duke responded with a faint smile, "I don't think the kings of the human nations would be foolish enough to let an underage child serve as the Alliance's deputy commander."

Alleria was stung by Duke's words, "You..."

Suddenly annoyed, Alleria recalled how she had spent three months in prison for this kid, and now he had the nerve to act smug. She reached out to knock him on the forehead, but Duke's piercing gaze stopped her in her tracks.

"Alleria, ever since Sylvanas mentioned this to me, I've been thinking about whether I should do something to make it up to you. But I realized that doing so would make you feel even worse and look down on me..."

Alleria blinked her emerald eyes, as if asking, how did you know?

"It's because you're not only responsible, but you also have a strong sense of justice and fairness. You believe it's your duty to bear the consequences of your actions, and even if I'm a beneficiary, I shouldn't be the one to bear the consequences of your mistakes. Right?"

Alleria took a deep breath and nodded, "Yes."

In his heart, Duke screamed: That's why you became the legendary heroine of later generations, a statue placed in Stormwind's Valley of Heroes, admired and remembered by all the people of Stormwind and every visitor to the valley.

A surge of excitement filled Duke's chest.

"You decided to mobilize the Windrunner family's forces, not because I was the deputy commander, but because you recognized the rapidly worsening situation on the continent. You believed that with my help, your people would be more effective in this war. You also carefully studied everything I had done in the past year, didn't you?"

Duke's words struck a chord, and suddenly, Alleria was filled with realization. Her eyes once again brimmed with an untamed, almost defiant wildness. "Yo, how did I not realize before? Turns out you're quite the smooth talker, huh? So, it seems that my three months in the dark cell weren't a total waste! Maybe I should consider giving you some sort of trophy?"

Duke grinned playfully, "That would be great."

"Don't get too full of yourself! Those three months I spent without fun or places to go, not even having books in that dark cell, came at a high cost! Kid, are you ready to be my servant?"

"Uh, I've been pretty busy lately. I might have to do some odd jobs for people, so it might have to wait for about a hundred years," Duke replied, feigning seriousness.

"Scoundrel! No one can avoid paying their debts to me, Alleria Windrunner! No one!" Alleria pretended to roar, grabbing Duke by the collar.

"Hmph! A real man never defaults on his debts!"

"Huh, right?" Alleria suddenly remembered something, "Our sisters look very similar, and to you humans, all high elves seem to look the same. How did you manage to tell us apart? Luckily, you did, or else I would have had no way to clear my name."

Duke remained silent, knowing that anything he said could be used against him in court.

Yes, honesty is rewarded with severity, and lies are rewarded with leniency.

Unfortunately, Duke controlled his mouth but forgot to control his wandering eyes. Unconsciously, he glanced towards the enticing curves of Alleria.

With that one look, Duke found himself in trouble.

Alleria suddenly understood – this rascal had actually used the size of her voluptuous figure to distinguish between her and her sister!

"You little bastard—"

A crisp slap echoed through the woods, startling countless birds into flight.