Deviant: No Longer Human

Her movements were tentative, betraying her inner turmoil.

Sitting down, she placed her hands in her lap, adopting a reserved posture.

Her fingers fidgeted, betraying her anxiety.

She looked up at Wang Xiao, searching his face for any clue about what was to come. "Why am I here?" she finally asked, her voice carrying a mix of fear and curiosity. "What do you want from me?"

Wang Xiao regarded her for a moment, his gaze assessing. "You were in danger. I intervened. As for why you\'re here," he paused, choosing his words carefully, "it\'s safer for you right now. As for what I want, that will depend on your answers."

!!

Josephine\'s back straightened as she realized the true nature of this encounter. \'It\'s indeed an interrogation!\' she thought, her mind racing. She fixed her gaze on Wang Xiao, bracing herself for his questions.

"What\'s your name?" Wang Xiao asked, his tone straightforward.

Josephine hesitated for a moment before replying, "It\'s Jossy."

As soon as the words left her lips, Wang Xiao\'s reaction was swift and startling. With a sudden, forceful kick, he struck the chair, sending it, and Josephine, tumbling backward.

*Thud!*

Josephine hit the floor, her eyes wide with shock. "What the—?" she exclaimed, her heart pounding from the unexpected fall.

"You lied," Wang Xiao stated flatly, his expression unchanging. "I can tell when someone is lying."

Josephine, stunned and now sitting on the floor, looked up at him with a mix of disbelief and indignation. How could he possibly know? Determined to test his claim, she decided to challenge him. Slowly, she got up, dusted herself off, and with a defiant smirk, began to reel off a series of names.

"Anna. Beth. Claire. Diana. Eliza. Fiona..."

With each name, Wang Xiao shook his head, unmoved. His ability to detect her lies seemed almost supernatural.

Then, with a confident smirk, Josephine said, "You\'ve lost. One of those was my real name."

Wang Xiao remained silent for a moment, his expression thoughtful. Then, a small smile appeared on his face. "It\'s Josephine. I know it."

"Huh?" Josephine, caught off guard by his accuracy and the sudden smile, felt a mixture of irritation and startlement. \'How does he do it?\' she wondered, her initial fear mingling with a growing curiosity about this mysterious man.

The atmosphere in the room shifted abruptly as Wang Xiao spoke, his tone shedding any remnants of casualness. "Okay, enough of games," he declared, his eyes taking on a sharp, penetrating quality.

Bam!

The sound echoed in the room as an inexplicable force seemed to emanate from Wang Xiao. Josephine felt it as a physical weight, an overwhelming pressure that pinned her firmly to the chair. She struggled against it, but it was like being held down by a thousand-ton force, invisible yet unyielding.

"Huh? Wh—" she started, her voice a mix of confusion and alarm. Her words were abruptly cut off as Wang Xiao leaned forward, his question direct and uncompromising.

"Tell me everything about yourself, and those attackers, also the people defending you. Any lies, and this time I will throw you out of the window." His words were icy, his gaze piercing, as he looked at her unflinchingly. The open window behind him served as a silent, ominous threat.

Josephine could finally feel the seriousness of the situation. The rebellious nature she had shown earlier had evaporated, replaced by a sense of urgency and fear. She swallowed hard, her eyes flicking to the window, then back to Wang Xiao.

"Okay, okay," she started, her mind racing to organize her thoughts. "My name is Josephine, Josephine Sylver. I... I don\'t know who those attackers were. I\'ve never seen them before," she began, her voice steadying as she spoke. "The people defending me, they\'re...

they were my bodyguards. Hired by my father to protect me. I\'m... I\'m the daughter of Queen Seraphina Sylver," she stopped suddenly to assess Wang Xiao\'s reaction, seeing that he was still same as earlier and unreactive, she continued, "She is the queen of Sylvergard... "

Josephine\'s words flowed more freely now, "She is the queen of Sylvergard, a small but wealthy country. I... I was here on a personal visit, nothing official. It was supposed to be a secret, but somehow..." Her voice trailed off, the implication clear – someone had leaked information about her whereabouts.

Wang Xiao\'s expression remained unchanged, his eyes never leaving Josephine\'s face. He seemed to be absorbing every word, yet giving nothing away.

Josephine\'s words painted a picture of a sheltered, restricted life, one that was bound by the overprotectiveness of her mother, Queen Seraphina.

The mention of Sylvergard, known for its unique ice hotels and the flygskam movement that promoted sustainable travel, piqued Wang Xiao\'s interest. He realized the significance of having a member of such a prominent family under his claws.

As she continued, Josephine delved into the changes in her life following high school. The freedom she once enjoyed was replaced by stringent restrictions. Her life was now a series of closely monitored engagements, her every move shadowed by bodyguards.

Wang Xiao listened intently, his mind piecing together the fragments of her story. It was clear that the Queen\'s overprotectiveness was more than just maternal concern.

The sudden shift in her behavior suggested she might have been aware of potential threats against her daughter.

Josephine, however, seemed either unaware or unwilling to acknowledge this possibility.

Wang Xiao\'s thoughts turned analytical. \'The Queen must have anticipated some threat,\' he mused internally. \'But this girl, Josephine, she seems oblivious, or maybe she\'s in denial. Humans often blind themselves to uncomfortable truths.\'

Josephine\'s lack of knowledge about the attackers didn\'t surprise him.

There was a genuine cluelessness in her demeanor that suggested she truly had no idea who they were or why they had targeted her.

The guards who had died defending her were just that – bodyguards, loyal to their duty. Josephine had believed she had evaded them in her attempt to escape the confines of her controlled life, not realizing that they had been keeping a watchful eye on her all along.

As Wang Xiao processed this information, he understood most of the situation.