Chapter 122: My Pet, You Dare to Touch It?

“Have you had enough fun?”

The voice was not loud.

Yet it brought everything boiling within the main hall of the Evernight Palace to a standstill.

In the fountain pool, the storm of purple magic energy that had erupted around Freya dissipated into thin air.

The sphere of destruction in her palm vanished along with it.

Even the distorted air returned to its icy coldness.

Freya’s contorted face froze.

Her neck turned stiffly, inch by inch.

To look towards the throne high above.

The venom and madness that had filled her mind moments before.

Upon meeting that figure.

Were washed away by a more primal fear.

Only then did she remember where she was.

In the main hall of the Evernight Palace, before His Majesty’s throne.

To harbor killing intent towards His Majesty’s “pet”…

This wasn’t impulse; this was challenging the laws of the world.

This was a capital offense.

“Thud!”

Freya’s knees gave way, and her entire body fell heavily back into the waist-deep pool.

Water splashed all over her head and face, but she didn’t feel it.

She had no care for a monarch’s dignity or a queen’s face.

Her hands braced against the bottom of the pool, she buried her head deep into the water.

Her forehead pressed hard against the rough stone tiles.

“Your Majesty… forgive my crime!”

Her voice came through the water.

Gurgling, indistinct, every syllable trembling.

“Your subject… your subject was momentarily confused… I beg Your Majesty for forgiveness!”

Upon the throne, Lucia paid her no mind.

She stood up and descended the steps.

“Tap, tap, tap…”

Black boots stepped upon the obsidian floor, unhurried.

Each footstep tightened the hearts of everyone in the hall.

The guards by the wall, who had been barely suppressing their amusement.

Each lowered their heads further.

Their armor emitted faint creaks from their stiffened bodies.

No one dared move another muscle.

Lilia stood weakly in place.

Her body trembled uncontrollably from extreme exhaustion.

Lucia walked towards her step by step.

Lilia’s nose stung, and her eyes grew hot.

It wasn’t fear; it was an indescribable sense of grievance.

“I… I didn’t mean to…”

When Lucia stopped before her.

Lilia instinctively spoke, her voice hoarse and tinged with a sob.

“She was the one who tried to kill me first… meow…”

She wanted to explain, to complain, to pour out all her grievances.

Lucia stopped before her, said nothing, and simply took out a silk handkerchief.

She bent down slightly and meticulously wiped the corner of Lilia’s mouth with the handkerchief.

The motion was gentle, yet brooked no refusal.

That bit of Freya’s blood was completely wiped away.

Then, Lucia withdrew her hand.

Looking at that unsightly smear of bright red on the handkerchief.

A single word left her lips.

“Dirty.”

Lilia was utterly stunned.

Her brain screeched to a halt from the impact of that word.

That’s it?

She had risked her life, fought desperately.

Was nearly crushed, nearly blasted to bits.

And the final evaluation she received was just one word?

Dirty?

An even stronger sense of suffocating frustration clogged her throat.

Pushing back all the earlier grievance.

She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

She could only stand there dumbly.

Only after doing all this.

Did Lucia finally turn towards the figure in the fountain pool, still maintaining a prostrate posture.

She did not walk over.

She merely stood beside Lilia.

Her flat voice once again echoed in the great hall.

“My pet has a rather bad temper.”

Upon hearing this, Lilia trembled all over.

Her head snapped up to look at Lucia’s perfect profile.

What did she say?

In the fountain pool, Freya’s body shook even more violently, almost convulsing in the water.

Lucia’s voice continued, unruffled.

“But if she needs to be taught a lesson, only I may do so.”

She tilted her head slightly, glancing at Lilia’s stunned little face.

Then turned her head back towards Freya.

Her voice suddenly turned cold.

“Since when was it your turn to lay a hand on her?”

This question sent a chill through the bones of every living being in the hall.

Freya buried her head even deeper.

Wishing she could press her entire body into the cracks between the stone tiles.

“Your subject… your subject wouldn’t dare…”

“Your blood is too foul.”

Lucia directly cut off her excuse, her tone full of disgust.

She looked down again at the corner of Lilia’s mouth.

“If you dare send such filth to her lips again.”

“I will drain you of blood and use it to water the flowers.”

As her words fell, silence once again enveloped the entire hall.

Drained of blood, to water flowers.

The words were spoken lightly.

Yet they were more terrifying than any torture.

Lilia stood beside Lucia.

Looking up, staring dumbly at this woman.

She… she is… protecting me? This thought exploded in Lilia’s mind.

Her heart pounded wildly, each beat heavier than the last.

Freya in the pool had even stopped trembling now.

Her entire body was rigid, unable to move.

She knew, if the Demon King said it, she would do it.

Lucia no longer looked at her, withdrawing her gaze.

“Get out.”

Two simple words that, at this moment, sounded like a pardon.

Freya, as if granted a great reprieve, suddenly relaxed her taut body.

Not caring about her wretched state, she scrambled out of the pool on her hands and knees.

Her soaked gown clung to her body, dripping water and leaving a trail of wet footprints.

She dared not use magic to dry herself, dared not fix her hair.

In this unprecedented state of disgrace, she crawled and stumbled towards the hall doors.

Just before her figure disappeared, she didn’t forget to turn her head and shout with all her might:

“Thank you, Your Majesty, for sparing my life!”

Her voice held the uncontrollable sob of one who had narrowly escaped disaster.

As Freya vanished, the hundred-meter-high giant doors slowly closed.

Shutting out the last bit of light.

The hall once again returned to deathly silence.

Lilia was still looking up, dumbly staring at Lucia.

Her mind was still buzzing.

This perverted Demon King, this woman who treated her as a plaything.

Actually used this unreasonable, overbearing method.

To defend her in front of a Fifth-Rank Monarch.

Shouldn’t she think her pet had offended a guest and embarrassed her?

Shouldn’t she have dragged her over.

Pressed her head down to apologize to that Succubus Queen?

Why… was it like this?

An unfamiliar, scalding emotion surged up from the depths of her heart without warning.

Rushing straight up her neck to the top of her head.

Lilia’s cheeks, the roots of her ears, even her neck.

All uncontrollably grew hot, stained with a layer of pink.

This was the first time in both her lifetimes.

She had felt so clearly “protected.”

Although this protection.

Carried the domineering possessiveness of declaring ownership.

But…

Her heart was beating so fast.

So fast it felt like it would jump out of her throat.

She just stared dumbly, forgetting to look away.

“Have you looked your fill?”

Lucia’s cool voice pulled her back to reality.

Lilia jolted, hurriedly lowering her head to stare intently at her own toes.

“I… I’ve looked enough… meow…”

She stammered in reply, her voice tiny.

‘Oh no, oh no, I must have looked completely stupid just now!’

“Then come back with me.”

Lucia finished speaking, turned around, and walked towards the depths of the hall.

Lilia was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly trotted after her on her short legs.

However, she had only taken two steps.

When her wrist was caught by a cold hand.

It was Lucia.

Lilia’s heart jumped.

‘Could it be… she’s going to praise me? Or… give me some food as a reward?’

She looked up, instinctively looking at Lucia’s hand, a thread of hope sprouting in her heart.

Lucia stopped walking and looked down at her.

That perfect, unreal face.

Still showed no discernible emotion.

“You must brush your teeth thoroughly when we return.”

“Huh?”

Lilia was dumbfounded.

Brush her teeth?

“You bit something filthy.”

“Brush ten times.”

Lilia: “???”

The warmth on her face instantly faded.

She stood there, completely stupefied.

“Meow?!”