The backdrop can also be propped up.

Pollalid stood in front of Maria Elisa to prevent her from being attacked by Makachi again.

With her neck released, Maria Elisa took two deep breaths, then pretended to fall backward, completely limp.

Halfway down, Maria Elisa felt someone catch her. Looking down, she saw it was Alina.

"Why did you come today?" Maria Elisa was a little surprised—she had arranged to meet Alina in two days, but Alina came today.

Alina glared at Maria Elisa, then looked at the marks on Maria Elisa's neck with a pang of heartache—the marks were starting to turn purple and black.

Fortunately, the pinching didn't last long, and Maria Elisa didn't experience any loss of consciousness. Alina helped Maria Elisa sit down, took out some blood-activating and stasis-removing ointment from her own body, and applied it to Maria Elisa's neck. While applying it, she scolded, "If I hadn't come sooner, would you have wanted to be strangled to death here?"

Maria Elisa chuckled sheepishly twice, then asked, "How did you get here? I remember there haven't been any flights between here and your planet for the past few days."

“Your brother brought me here,” Alina replied irritably. “I was going to give you a surprise, but you gave us both a shock first.”

Maria Elisa scratched her face, having heard Alina say she came with Ancadis, but not seeing Ancadis herself: "Where's Anx? Didn't you say you came with him?"

Alina didn't say anything, but instead turned her gaze to Pollalid and Makachi, who were standing in front of her facing off.

That's it. That was Makachi's first thought when he saw Pollalid.

Macage clearly remembered that when he brought Maria Elisa out, Pollalid was helping Pallas with chores in the kitchen, so why was he suddenly here?

But before Makachi could think further, he was slapped by Pollard.

"I never expected you to be this kind of person!" Pollalid roared. "You confessed your feelings to me one minute, and the next you're trying to hurt my friend! Lisa kindly helped you investigate your family background, and even contacted your family to come find you, and you actually wanted to strangle her?!"

“That’s not how it is, Boralid, don’t be fooled by this woman.” Makachi wanted to explain to Boralid, but now Boralid was staring at him, and he didn’t know where to begin. He could only look at Maria Elisa with resentment.

"Explain? Is your background something you're ashamed of?" Pollard was already angry, and hearing this made him even more confused.

“Yes, yes. I didn’t want to confess so soon.” Seeing that she had a way out, Makachi immediately put on a pained expression. “I am the illegitimate child of the Polande family, so I was bullied by other children when I was a child.”

"I had been enduring all of this, but one day, when I came home from school, I found my mother..."

Makachi's voice choked up as she spoke.

When he saw Pollalid's expression change from anger to sympathy, Makachi was secretly pleased, thinking that this matter could be put to rest.

"Oh my god, there's a bruise on the back of her neck! The skin is even cut open!" A girl's exclamation attracted the attention of Makachi and Pollalid.

Then the two saw Alina lift Maria Elisa's hair and apply medicine to the back of Maria Elisa's neck.

Following Alina's words, Pollard looked up at Maria Elisa's neck and immediately saw the shocking dark purple bruises on Maria Elisa's neck.

Pollarid gasped, while Alina, seeing the wound, angrily began to berate him: "You were pitiful when you were little, so do you think you can just forget about wanting to strangle Lisa to death?"

“He didn’t have a mother growing up, so there’s no need to say more.” Maria Elisa obediently nestled on Alina’s shoulder, burying her face in Alina’s neck, her whole body trembling—because she was trying not to laugh.