Yunice Saunders : Invisible Princess

In her third year at the mental asylum, the nursing assistant frowned as she walked down the corridor, kicking aside the mentally ill patients who were crowded together, playing a game of piling people. As they scattered with distorted screams, the woman at the very bottom of the pile was revealed, curled up motionless.

Her hair was a mess, covering her face, and her gaze was empty as she heard the nursing assistant's harsh words above her.

"It's 10:30, a visitor from home is here. Get up and clean yourself up."

Home... was she talking about the family who had thrown her into this asylum and left her there for three years? They were no longer her family.

Seeing the woman remain motionless, like a corpse on the ground, the nursing assistant impatiently pulled her hair, yanking her to her feet. "Do you want to die? Can't you hear me?"

Yunice Saunders hugged her head with both hands as she was roughly dragged into the bathroom by her collar. The nurse turned on the high-pressure shower, spraying Yunice, who was cowering in a corner, in a manner similar to how they'd treat animals in a cage.

Twenty minutes later, Yunice was taken to the visiting room.

"Mr. Owen, 10:30 is here to see you."

Yunice's empty gaze shifted to the man sitting on the sofa. He had his hands clasped together, elbows propped on his knees, and the deep furrow in his brow revealed profound annoyance and emotion. The man was her second older brother, Owen Saunders.

When Yunice was born, her mother and father had a fight, and after giving birth to her, her mother left home in a rage. Her father searched for her in vain, and passed away when Yunice was 13. After that, it was Oscar Saunders and Owen who took care of the family. At the time, they swore that as long as they were around, no one would bully her. Now, seeing that familiar face again, Yunice felt a sharp pain in her chest, but her gaze was cold.

Her grievances were real, but her resentment was also real. Owen no longer cared for her and personally sent her to the mental asylum.

Owen was also looking at Yunice. On the way here, he had imagined that after three years of separation, Yunice would have realized her mistake and would obediently hug him, begging for forgiveness. But Yunice did not. She stood there with a cold expression. He had come here full of joy, hoping to take his sister home, but she didn't even greet him.

Owen had wanted to get up and hug Yunice, but he hesitated and spoke in an annoyed tone. "Elsie misses you. She begged me to bring you home. From today on, you can leave the mental asylum." When he finally got a reaction from Yunice, Owen's tone changed. "But there's a condition. Once you get home, you must not make things difficult for Elsie."

Yunice's face went pale. They really thought that if she didn't make things difficult for Elsie White, everything at home would go back to normal? It was Elsie who was instrumental in sending her to the asylum.

Five years ago, the police returned her mother, who had been missing for 15 years, along with Elsie, a year younger than Yunice, to the Saunders family. Yunice then learned that her mother had been kidnapped by human traffickers and taken to the mountains, and Elsie was the child she was forced to give birth to. In other words, Elsie was her half-sister.

The family reunion was heartwarming to Oscar and Owen, and they accepted Elsie without resentment, treating her like their own sister. Yunice initially treated Elsie wholeheartedly, wanting to make up for lost time. But Elsie constantly betrayed her behind her back, constantly framing her. To avoid upsetting her brothers and making her mother uncomfortable, Yunice always endured.

Until three years ago, when Yunice was trapped in a fire, and Elsie insisted on rushing in to save her. By the time Owen found them, she had already snatched the gas mask off Yunice's face to give to Elsie.

Owen immediately carried Elsie out of the fire without a second thought, leaving the near-unconscious Yunice behind. Afterward, Elsie goaded Yunice, saying that she deliberately ran into the fire to see who Owen would save. The Saunders family only needed one daughter; the unloved one was superfluous.

Yunice exposed Elsie in front of everyone, but Elsie just threw herself into Owen's arms, sobbing. Everyone rushed to comfort Elsie while calling Yunice cruel and ungrateful. Finally, Elsie deliberately stabbed herself while holding Yunice's hand. Her family saw her holding the knife, and they all thought she was crazy, so they sent her to the mental asylum.

Seeing Yunice's bitter expression, Owen felt his anger flare. He had come to help her, to take her home, but she was still being ungrateful and passive-aggressive. Didn't she want to leave?

"Are you trying to stay in the asylum and enjoy the good life there?"

A "good life" at the mental asylum? Yunice was stunned. Did he have any idea what it was like there? The asylum was full of lunatics! Lunatics who were not restrained by law or decency! These people would rip my clothes, poke my face with the back of a spoon, and they loved to play human stacking. A group of them would crush me under their weight, squeezing my chest and hips, suffocating me in the darkness. Even if a lunatic killed me, they wouldn't be held accountable!

Of course, Owen wouldn't know any of this because he hadn't visited her for three years. He probably thought she was resting peacefully in the asylum, lying back and enjoying a relaxed life. She knew Owen too well-he considered her a liar and a lunatic. No matter how she explained, even if she showed him her scars, Owen wouldn't believe her. He would think it was all her act.

And the nurses in the asylum wouldn't admit that they allowed their patients to bully her. Yunice had confirmed this with Owen multiple times. Complaining to those who were biased was just stupid.

Seeing Yunice still being indifferent, Owen felt even more annoyed. "I see your madness hasn't been cured. Do you plan to take revenge on Elsie when you get home?"

Owen wanted to hear Yunice admit her mistake, but her cold attitude made him feel suffocated. In a fit of rage, he kicked a nearby tea caddy, sending it sliding toward Yunice. Sparks flew from the caddy, and Yunice jumped back, her face filled with fear as she hid her hands behind her back.

Owen snapped, "If you dare to grab the charcoal, I'll believe you're cured, and you can leave this place."

The implication was clear-if she didn't dare to touch it, it meant she wasn't cured, and she had to stay there for further treatment. After the fire three years ago, Yunice became afraid of fire. Owen noticed the fear in Yunice's eyes, and he felt a little relieved. He knew Yunice was most afraid of fire and pain, so she wouldn't dare to touch it. As long as she promised not to hurt Elsie again, he would forgive her.

Just as he was thinking this, Owen's eyes widened in shock as Yunice suddenly reached for the fire.

"Who told you to hold it?" Owen rushed over and pulled Yunice's hand away. Yunice's palm was severely burned and bleeding! Seeing her clench her teeth and endure the pain, trembling with agony, Owen froze. Yunice was the person most afraid of pain. Even when her hand was just scratched as a child, she would cry and ask him to comfort her.

How could she bear such intense pain without saying a word now?

The sister he had pampered for 20 years no longer sought his comfort. Owen's heart tightened. She was his most cherished younger sister... How could he not care? "Does it hurt?"

Yunice pulled her hand away and hid it behind her back, her voice cold. "I'm all better now. I'm not crazy anymore. Can I leave the hospital?"

Owen's brows furrowed deeply, and he said angrily, "I came to pick you up out of kindness, and you're throwing a tantrum and being passive-aggressive. You stabbed Elsie, and we didn't send you to prison. We've been kind enough, and now you're complaining? Do you think I'll pamper you like I used to just because you hurt yourself?" His anger flared, and he turned to leave the mental asylum. "If you want to go, then go."