That toe was still lifting her chin.
The weight of the entire world seemed concentrated upon her.
A chorus of overwhelmed groans filled the seams of her bones, which felt as if they were about to snap.
Lilia was forced to keep her head tilted back as the air in her lungs was squeezed out drop by drop.
Her vision blurred into darkness, and even thinking became a luxury.
She was like an insect pinned in amber, stripped of even her right to struggle.
Tears mixed with the pool water, smearing across her face.
But she grit her teeth hard, refusing to let out a single sound of begging.
“Are you submissive?”
Lucia’s voice drifted down from above, devoid of warmth.
A raspy wheeze escaped Lilia’s throat.
She was using every ounce of her strength to resist that will, which felt as though it originated from the very source of the world, just to force an answer out of her crushed chest.
“No…”
With that one word, she felt as if her vocal cords were about to tear.
“…yielded… meow…”
The final syllable slipped through the gaps in her teeth, completely out of her control.
It was soft and sweet, carrying a desperate, sobbing tone.
Lilia felt her last shred of dignity being crushed into powder by that single word.
The pressure above her vanished instantly.
The weight of the world was suddenly pulled away from her body.
Lilia’s body jolted before she collapsed, limp and sprawling, onto the ground.
Like a fish out of water, she instinctively opened her mouth wide, breathing the air greedily.
The dizziness of surviving a brush with death left her pinned to the floor, unable to move for a long time.
Lucia retracted her foot and slowly sat back down on the nearby jade.
Lilia lay there, using all her strength just to barely lift her head and glare venomously at the figure.
“But that last move,” Lucia suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
“It actually made me…”
She paused.
Lilia’s heart skipped a beat in spite of herself.
‘What did it do to her? Did I injure her? Did she find it troublesome?’
‘Even if it was only a little, it would be a victory!’
She stared fixedly at Lucia, not missing a single change on her face, trying to find any trace of the shock or solemnity she longed to see.
“…get a little bit serious.”
Lilia’s eyes instantly lit up.
She had actually made this monster get serious!
Despite the agonizing pain racking her body and her pathetic state, a surge of indescribable ecstasy welled up from her heart, washing through her limbs.
Her efforts had not been in vain!
She really had shaken this psycho!
“Only a little bit,” Lucia added lazily.
The words thoroughly shattered Lilia’s fantasy.
“It was about the same as a mosquito bite.”
“…”
The joy on Lilia’s face froze.
A mosquito?
The full-power strike she had risked her life for, betting everything she had — in this psycho’s eyes, it was nothing more than a mosquito bite?
A surge of fury rushed from the soles of her feet straight to the crown of her head!
“You’re the mosquito! Meow!”
Lilia didn’t know where the strength came from, but she suddenly leaped up from the ground.
The newly born Tier 4 magic energy went wild inside her body.
It drove her soaking wet form as she lunged toward Lucia.
“I’m a tiger! A man-eating tiger! Meow!”
She bared her claws and teeth like a provoked kitten.
Lucia looked at her exasperated appearance and didn’t even bother to dodge.
She simply extended one finger and lightly tapped Lilia’s forehead.
Lilia’s forward momentum came to a screeching halt as she slammed into an invisible wall.
She tumbled backward and landed in the water with a heavy splash.
“It seems your stamina has recovered well.”
Lucia retracted her finger, completely ignoring Lilia’s protests.
She shifted into a more comfortable position, watching the little thing sit dazed in the water after being flicked back.
“Since you’ve reached Tier 4, there are some things you should know.”
Still immersed in the anger of being called a mosquito, Lilia blanked at the statement.
“What things? Meow?”
“From tomorrow, you must learn how to exercise your authority in this Empire as the Demon King’s Favored Consort.”
Lucia’s tone was as flat as if she were stating an established fact.
“The Demon King’s… what?”
Lilia dug out her ear, wondering if the gravity had caused her to hallucinate.
“Favored Consort? Meow!?”
The realization hit her, and her voice instantly jumped eight octaves.
Even her cat ears bristled.
This term was 100 times worse than “pet”!
A pet was just a plaything, but a favored consort… what kind of nonsense was that!
“Who is your favored consort! Meow!”
Lilia protested, flailing her arms in the water.
“I am a Hero! I am the Avenger who came to slay you! I am not your favored consort! Meow!”
“Oh?”
Lucia arched an eyebrow.
Before Lilia could continue, she suddenly asked, “Then what do you want to be? The Empress?”
“I…”
Lilia was choked by the sudden question.
Her face turned bright red, and the mouthful of curses she had prepared got stuck in her throat.
“I don’t care about that! Just you wait! Sooner or later, I’m going to…”
“Overpower me?”
Lucia finished for her.
“Fine. I’ll be waiting.”
No emotion could be seen on her face, as if she were talking about a trivial matter.
This impenetrable attitude made Lilia feel like she was punching a ball of cotton; it was frustratingly stifling.
She wanted to say more, but Lucia waved her hand impatiently.
“Lilith.”
The Head Maid, who had been standing like a statue in the distant shadows, appeared silently by the edge of the pool and bowed slightly.
“Your Majesty.”
“Take her back and wash her.”
Lucia stood up.
Her black silk nightgown outlined her perfect figure.
She didn’t look at Lilia again.
“Clean her up and prepare to meet tomorrow’s guest.”
‘Guest?’
Lilia’s protest died in her throat.
‘What kind of new trick is this psycho playing?’
“As you command, Your Majesty,” Lilith replied respectfully.
She then turned to Lilia, her face wearing that same eternal ice-cold expression.
“Miss, please come with me.”
Lilia sat in the water, unwilling to move.
Her entire body radiated resistance.
Lilith didn’t urge her.
She simply stood there quietly, waiting.
Lilia knew that no matter how much of a scene she made, she would eventually be forcibly dragged away by this woman.
Reluctantly, she crawled out of the water and stomped onto the shore.
Lilith immediately took a soft bath towel and wrapped it around her small body.
The moment Lilith’s hand touched her shoulder, Lilia’s body stiffened.
Something was wrong.
After advancing to Tier 4, her perception had been magnified countless times.
The world appeared in a brand-new light; everything was composed of flowing magic energy particles.
And right now, within her new perception, this Head Maid — who had always been as flawless as a precision doll — had an “error.”
Lilith’s hand was shaking.
It was an extremely subtle tremor, one that a normal person could never have detected.
More importantly, Lilia could “see” it.
The Tier 5 Monarch magic energy inside Lilith, which was usually as calm as the deep sea, was currently experiencing a nearly imperceptible ripple.
Her breathing rate was also 3% faster than its usual standard value.
From the moment Lilia met her, this woman had been like a programmed machine — always calm, always professional.
But now, her programming was experiencing a disturbance.
It wasn’t just excitement.
It was a mixture of excitement, anticipation, and even… a hint of fanaticism.
What kind of “guest” could cause such a massive emotional fluctuation in this ice-cold Rank 5 Monarch?
For the first time, Lilia felt a surge of intense curiosity and a hint of… unease regarding this so-called guest.