The obsidian gates slid open silently to either side.
Deep within the bedchamber, before the throne, a figure waited for her in the gloom.
Lucia had changed into a loose black silk nightgown and was holding a cup of black tea.
She looked up, her blood-red pupils piercing through the long hall.
They landed on the little creature frozen at the entrance.
“My little pet, it’s so late. Are you here to warm my bed?”
Her voice wasn’t loud, but it sent a sharp jolt through Lilia’s nerves.
A buzzing sound filled her head, and her mind went blank.
Just a moment ago, she had been gloating over her promotion to Tier 3 and cracking the arrays.
With the power surging through her body, she felt like a genius.
The next second, all the fur on her body stood on end.
Her newfound confidence was punctured by a single sentence, leaking away until nothing was left.
She was caught.
In her infiltration attempt, her very first step had landed her right in front of the target.
And she had been asked a question that made her want to die.
It was over.
Now, never mind jumping into an abyss; even jumping into the Abyss of Chaos wouldn’t clear her name!
Lilia’s heart hammered against her ribs.
Her Tier 3 power gave her a sliver of courage, keeping her from collapsing on the spot.
She forced a smile that she hoped looked harmless.
“M-Master! You’ve misunderstood, meow!”
She spoke while shuffling forward with small, hurried steps, forcing herself to move inward.
She wanted to prove her innocence.
“I just reached Tier 3, and I can’t quite control my power yet. It keeps leaking out! I was afraid of blowing up my room again, so I thought I’d come to your place… It’s the sturdiest here. I came to practice my power control, meow!”
To make it more convincing, she even gave her small fist a shake.
A wisp of spatial power lingering at her fingertips dispersed with a fizzle.
She looked like she truly lacked control.
‘Yes, exactly like that! As long as I look stupid and innocent enough, this pervert won’t suspect a thing!’
Lilia encouraged herself internally.
Lucia watched her foolish “everything I’m saying is true, please believe me” act and set down her teacup.
Without a word, she rose from the throne, stepping barefoot onto the cold obsidian floor.
There was not a single sound.
Even as her silk nightgown trailed across the ground, there was no sound of friction.
Step by step, she approached Lilia.
Lilia’s smile was on the verge of crumbling.
For every step she retreated, Lucia pressed forward.
The pressure made it hard to breathe.
Finally, Lucia came to a halt right in front of her.
That face leaned in close, and a cold fragrance wafted into her nose, making Lilia shudder.
“Is that so?”
Lucia’s voice was soft, her tone hiding a hint of amusement.
“Practicing power control?”
“Y-Yes! Meow!” Lilia stiffened her neck and nodded.
“Practicing to the point… of being able to precisely crack the seventeen Composite Defense Arrays of the Evernight Palace’s central bedchamber?”
The smile on Lilia’s face shattered.
“And even practicing throughout the entire process of cracking them, without triggering a single alarm and even bypassing Lilith’s spiritual patrol?” Lucia reached out, pressing a cold fingertip against Lilia’s forehead.
“My little pet, this ‘lack of control’ of yours is truly… special.”
The lie was torn to shreds, without even a scrap left behind.
Lilia’s legs turned to jelly, and she nearly collapsed to her knees.
“I… I was just lucky! It was just luck, meow!”
She made her final struggle, her voice trembling with a hint of a sob.
“I was just poking around randomly. Who knew it would open, meow!”
Lucia ignored her excuses.
The finger on her forehead suddenly channeled a surge of power.
It was a cold torrent that forced its way into her body, rushing through her newly expanded mana meridians and sweeping through every corner of her being.
Lilia felt as though she were being seen through from the inside out.
The joy of promotion, the smugness of the infiltration, the panic of being caught… every emotion and secret could not be hidden from this power.
It was more humiliating than any punishment.
“Your mana is refined, your perception of laws is clear, and your spiritual power has grown significantly.”
Lucia withdrew her hand, her tone unreadable.
“It seems you’ve learned something from your sparring partner. Since you’ve worked so hard, as your master, I must naturally give you some… rewards.”
Lucia straightened up and turned toward the massive black bed.
Lilia’s heart skipped a beat.
A chill rose from the soles of her feet.
‘Rewards? Rewards again!’
In this pervert’s mouth, “rewards” meant “punishment”!
“Master, there’s no need, meow! Truly, there’s no need! Allowing me to live is the greatest reward, meow!”
She shouted as she turned to flee.
“Come here.”
Lucia didn’t even look back as she uttered those two words.
Lilia’s body refused to obey her; her feet were nailed to the spot, unable to move.
She watched helplessly as Lucia sat on the expansive bed and patted the space beside her.
“Weren’t you here to warm my bed?”
Lucia tilted her head, her blood-red eyes staring at her through the darkness.
“Now, I’m giving you the opportunity.”
Lilia’s face paled instantly, drained of all color.
‘Should I go, or should I not?’
The question was driving her crazy.
Just then, Lucia spoke again.
“Of course, just warming the bed would be too boring.”
She shifted her posture, resting her chin on one hand as she leaned against the headboard.
“Let’s play a new game.”
Lilia’s body trembled.
‘Here it comes again!’ Those were the words she feared most.
“You have reached Tier 3, and your perception is no longer what it once was.”
Lucia’s tone became playful.
“We’ll play a game specifically designed to test your ‘perception’.”
She extended a finger and traced a line in the air.
A ripple of laws that Lilia couldn’t comprehend enveloped the entire bedchamber.
She immediately felt the surrounding magic environment change.
The steady energy began to twist and churn, filled with false “noise” and “illusions.”
“From now until dawn,” Lucia’s voice rang out amidst the chaotic flow of magic, yet it reached Lilia’s ears with perfect clarity.
“I will turn myself into a ‘disguised magic source’ and hide somewhere within this bedchamber. It could be a book, a cup of water, or even a speck of dust. What you must do is find me from among these countless false magic signals before dawn.”
Lilia was stunned.
‘Isn’t this just… hide-and-seek?’
“If you find me…”
Lucia’s tone carried a certain lure.
“I’ll make an exception and let you sleep peacefully in my bed for the night. I promise not to touch you once.”
Lilia’s eyes lit up.
‘Really?’
This condition was practically heaven!
“But…”
Lucia’s pause sent Lilia’s heart back into her throat.
“If you fail to find me before dawn, or if you choose the wrong target and touch any of the false magic sources…”
Her voice dropped to a whisper, laced with a dangerous smile.
“Then starting tomorrow, you will replace me as the new Central Magic Source of the Evernight Palace. I will bind you to this bed using a special array and use your body as the core node to guide the operation of the tens of thousands of Magic Power Circuits throughout the palace… for an entire day.”