Mephia’s tone made Tia’s heart skip a beat.
She felt that today she seemed strange, and just as she thought—
Mephia leaned closer to her cheek and continued.
“Actually, there is a way to settle this once and for all.”
“What way?”
Mephia didn’t answer immediately.
She just looked at Tia, then reached out her hand, brushing it against Tia’s cheek with a hint of obsession.
Her fingertips traced slowly over the delicate skin—from the eyes, down the nose, to the lips.
Her hand was cold, but the pads of her fingers were warm.
The intense intimacy in that gesture made Tia’s breath catch.
“Tonight…”
Mephia spoke, as if in a dream.
“Why don’t you stay here with me?”
What?!
Stay… stay here with her?!
That heavily suggestive and blatantly explicit offer made Tia’s body tremble.
She wanted to pull away from Mephia’s hand on her cheek, but she couldn’t.
Today’s Mephia was so forward it frightened her.
“St-stay… for what?”
“You like me so much,” Mephia whispered, “I suppose I could consider it.”
Before Tia could reply, her fingers lightly brushed across Tia’s lips, as if hinting and tempting.
“Maybe becoming real lovers wouldn’t be such a bad choice.”
Tia’s heart pounded like a drum.
She knew very well that if she were truly the Count’s daughter who had fallen for Mephia, agreeing now would be the right choice.
But she wasn’t that daughter—her love was fake!
Not only that, but she had a terrible feeling that if she agreed, tonight would be absolutely horrifying!
Her cheeks grew hotter.
Tia played dumb.
“Wh-what do you mean?”
Her voice trembled with panic.
Mephia’s smile only widened.
She reached out and gently lifted Tia’s chin with her finger, forcing Tia to meet her eyes.
Mephia looked at her, the curve of her lips deepening.
“Don’t you understand? Stay tonight and do what lovers do.”
Tia’s breath stopped completely.
Th-this blunt?!
She could feel Mephia’s fingers lightly stroking her jaw.
The soft warmth of her fingertips made Tia’s heart race so fast it felt like it might jump out of her chest.
“I-I actually wouldn’t mind staying…”
Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz, her cheeks so red they seemed about to bleed.
Mephia gave a soft “mm” and looked at her, waiting.
Tia took a deep breath, finally gathering courage to meet her gaze.
“But you know how my father, Earl Harris, feels about us. If I don’t come home tonight, he’ll be furious.”
Mephia was silent for a moment.
“That’s fine.”
She chuckled softly.
“I actually have some influence in the Imperial Capital. He wouldn’t dare oppose us.”
What did that mean?
Was she determined to have her tonight?!
No, that can’t be right?
A few days ago, Mephia showed no interest in her at all.
How was she so strange today, saying such explicit things?!
Just because she pretended to be her lover once?!
Tia felt there had to be another reason, but she couldn’t figure out why Mephia was acting this way.
For a moment, she was dazed.
But no matter how dazed, she had to refuse!
“N-no thanks. After all, I’m still his daughter. I don’t want to make him angry.”
Mephia pinched her cheek, not showing any disappointment in her choice. Instead, she pressed on.
“Then what will you do? If he never agrees, will you never say yes?”
As she spoke, she moved even closer.
“You know, I don’t have that much time to wait.”
She was just an Inquisitor stationed in Hela City for a limited time.
Once her term ended, she would have to leave, and then she and Tia might never see each other again.
If they didn’t solidify their relationship before that, they might drift apart forever.
Tia understood that logic, but that was exactly what she wanted.
Mephia’s assertiveness, however, made it hard to handle.
“D-don’t worry. I’ll do my best to convince my father. I’m sure he’ll support us in the end!”
She tried to stay calm.
Hearing this, Mephia withdrew her hand, stepped back, and stood upright again.
“Alright then. I trust you.”
The golden dusk slanted through the window, falling on her and coating her profile with a faint golden glow.
Tia looked at her and felt her heartbeat quicken again.
Mephia said nothing more.
She just gently ruffled Tia’s hair.
Flushed bright red, Tia turned and fled the Inquisition in utter embarrassment.
This round ended in Tia’s complete defeat.
She never expected Mephia to be so forward.
For a moment, she even wondered if Mephia had truly fallen for her.
At the same time, she began to consider how to shake Mephia off if that were really the case.
Meanwhile, on the other side…
“Like me?”
Watching Tia’s disappearing figure, Mephia leaned against the wall and gave a light snort.
Ever since she confirmed that Tia, the Count’s daughter, was connected to that witch, she was certain this girl couldn’t be as innocent as she seemed.
So she deliberately changed her approach, turning from passive to active.
And this test confirmed her suspicions.
The Count’s daughter, who should have been madly in love with her, actually backed off when Mephia took the initiative.
That was clearly off.
It was all just an act.
—
The afternoon sun streamed through the lace curtains, casting scattered light spots in Lina’s temporary study.
She lounged on the sofa by the window, playing with a seal stamped with the family crest.
Her lazy smile also held a hint of cunning.
Her maid Xiao Ai stood beside her, holding a letter, a cautious hesitation on her face.
“Milady, how will you deal with that Inquisitor?”
Lina chuckled, her eyes lingering on the letter in Xiao Ai’s hand.
An idea quickly formed in her mind.
“Isn’t it simple? Write a letter and send it to my brother in the Imperial Capital.”
Clatter—
She placed the seal lightly on the table.
“He’ll talk to the Imperial Inquisition. If nothing goes wrong, that Inquisitor named Mephia will soon be transferred out of Hela City.”
Just a transfer.
The Imperial Inquisition would surely grant that favor to a Marquis’s daughter.
Xiao Ai’s eyes lit up.
“Milady is brilliant!”
Lina squinted.
An image of her future with Tia flashed in her mind, and her smile deepened.
“When that happens, let’s see who stands between Tia and me!”
—
A few days later.
A letter arrived from the Imperial Capital by urgent courier.
Lina was sitting at her vanity, having Xiao Ai brush her hair.
Hearing the knock, she tilted her head, a glimmer of anticipation on her face.
“Enter.”
The messenger respectfully presented the letter.
Xiao Ai took it and dismissed him with a wave.
Then she opened it, quickly scanning the contents.
Lina watched her in the mirror, her voice carrying a rare note of urgency.
“What’s wrong? What does the reply say?”
Xiao Ai looked at the letter, her expression growing more and more peculiar.
Her fingers trembled slightly.
Her lips moved, but no sound came out.
“Milady, you…”
Lina’s brow furrowed.
“What is it?”
Xiao Ai remained silent.
Lina spun around abruptly, snatching the letter.
Her movement was so fast that the comb in Xiao Ai’s hand clattered to the floor with a sharp crack.
But no one picked it up.
Lina’s eyes swept over the words on the page.
A few seconds later, her face darkened visibly.
The hopeful glow drained from her expression, replaced by shock and disbelief, then barely suppressed fury.
“What does this mean?”
Her voice squeezed through gritted teeth, sharp and harsh.
“The Imperial Inquisition refused?!”
She shot to her feet, crumpling the letter in her hand.
Her fingers whitened from the pressure.
Then she hurled the crumpled paper to the floor, venting her rage.
“And they even warned us not to defy the law?!”
That the Imperial Inquisition had refused—denying her, a Marquis’s daughter, that privilege—was already surprising.
But what shocked and angered her most was that they then scolded her for defying the law!
How dare they?!
Didn’t they know that with her family’s power, making a few ungrateful Inquisitors “disappear” would be easy?!
Bam!
She slapped the table hard.
“Damn it! Are those idiots taking our money and not doing their jobs?!”
Xiao Ai flinched, stepping back in fright.
She lowered her head, her voice trembling.
“M-Milady, perhaps it’s the power behind that Inquisitor…”
Lina spun to face her.
“Her?”
Her voice was sharp and sarcastic.
“What power could she possibly have?!”
She took a step forward.
Xiao Ai instinctively retreated.
“If she really had power,” Lina said, each word seething, “why would she leave the Imperial Capital to come to this godforsaken place?”
She turned and paced the room.
Then she gritted her teeth.
“Damn them! They took the money and went back on their word, and then had the nerve to lecture me!”
Xiao Ai didn’t dare breathe a word.
After a long while.
Lina finally stopped.
She stood by the window, her back to Xiao Ai, silent for a long time.
Then she spoke.
“Xiao Ai.”
Her voice was eerily calm.
Xiao Ai quickly stepped forward.
“Milady, I’m here.”
Lina didn’t turn around.
“If we can’t touch that Inquisitor, can’t we touch the Count’s daughter?”
After calming down, she realized: the Imperial Inquisition had changed their stance and scolded her, a Marquis’s daughter.
No matter how much she hated to admit it, that Inquisitor’s backing must have been involved.
Under those circumstances, going after the Inquisitor again would be unwise.
But… thinking differently, she didn’t need to target the Inquisitor at all.
She turned to face Xiao Ai, her tone sending chills down the spine.
“Do you really think my family is a pushover? A mere Count—can’t I handle him?”
Xiao Ai swallowed hard.
“Then milady means…”
“Write another letter to my brother. Have him send a letter of engagement in the family’s name. Given Earl Harris’s position, he can’t refuse. And at the same time…”
A strange flush crept onto her face, and her next words startled Xiao Ai.
“At the same time, I’ll cook the rice before the water boils. Then I refuse to believe she can escape my grasp!”
“Cook the rice before the water boils?”
Xiao Ai repeated instinctively, thinking of why her mistress had fled the Imperial Capital.
She had drugged a member of the royal family, counting on her father’s favor.
When it was exposed, the member’s mother flew into a rage, forcing her to take refuge here.
Now in Hela City, was she going to do it again?
A hint of unease stirred in Xiao Ai’s heart.
She thought about it, but ultimately didn’t voice her objections.
After all, she was just her mistress’s maid.
Saying too much would leave a bad impression, and then if she lost this job, she wouldn’t be able to support herself.
So she kept quiet.
After all, there was no real threat to her mistress in this city.
Letting her act out like this would probably be fine.
Then, just as she was about to ask what her mistress meant by “cooking the rice before the water boils,” Lina placed her index finger to her lips and whispered.
“Shh! You don’t need to worry about that. I’ll handle it myself.”
—
Late night in Hela City’s Old Town District.
The nameless tavern hidden on the street was at its liveliest hour.
A seductive purple glow emanated from the magic crystals hanging from the ceiling, plunging everything into a half-drunken haze.
Lina stood at the tavern’s entrance, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door.
The hinges creaked slightly with rust.
Then the noise and warm light of the interior rushed out, mixed with cheap tobacco and perfume.
She wore a dark cloak, its hood pulled low, hiding most of her face.
But her arrogant and willful temperament still drew a few casual glances the moment she stepped inside.
She walked straight to the bar without looking aside.
The bartender was a relatively young man.
He was wiping a glass, his movements slow and focused, as if it were the most important task in the world.
Lina stopped at the counter and carefully slid a Silver Agave Mark across.
“Witch, code name: Lust Demon.”
The bartender paused slightly.
He lifted his eyes, scanned the woman in front of him, then set down the glass.
His voice was flat.
“What do you need, milady?”
Lina leaned forward, bringing herself closer.
“Just a little something that makes one burn with lust and lose all reason.”
Her voice dropped lower.
“Does this outpost have any for sale?”
Oh she’s a witch, neat