Chapter 119: Monarchical Intimidation? I am a hero, kneeling before you? In your next life!

Lilia froze in place, her mind completely blank.

“Sister Lilith… does she eat people?”

She regretted the question as soon as it left her mouth, her voice so small she could barely hear it herself.

Beside her, the lines of Lilith’s expressionless face tightened for a moment.

“Miss.”

Lilith’s voice returned to its usual precision, yet it carried a hint of strangeness.

“Rest assured, Queen Freya is a vegetarian. She never touches flesh or blood.”

“Phew — “

Lilia let out a long breath, patting her flat chest with a small hand.

“That’s good, that’s good, meow.”

‘That’s great! A vegetarian! Then there’s no threat at all!’

Her racing heart finally settled back into her chest.

However, Lilith’s next words made her body tense up again.

“But.”

Lilith’s voice was flat as she stated the facts.

“The Queen is fond of a certain ‘dessert’.”

“She likes to taste souls — especially pure, stubborn, and life-filled souls.”

“She says it is the finest delicacy in the world, the taste of a soul shattering in despair.”

Lilia: “…”

Her small face instantly turned pale.

‘Pure? Stubborn? Life-filled? Every single word… isn’t that describing me?!’

This was much scarier than being eaten!

She shivered, a chill running from the soles of her feet to the top of her head.

—

The next day, the main hall of Evernight Palace.

Cold, empty, and deathly silent.

The star dome was so high the top was invisible, with massive obsidian pillars standing in rows.

There was only one figure in the center of the hall.

Lilith had pinned Lilia onto a velvet-padded stool, making her unable to move.

She was dressed in a black gothic dress far more complex than anything she usually wore.

Layers upon layers of lace and silk ribbons were piled on her.

It was heavy and stifling, making her feel less like a person and more like an object waiting to be displayed.

Lilith was holding a small comb, giving Lilia’s silver hair one last tidy-up.

Lilia was restless, squirming on the stool, unable to sit still.

The sound of her heartbeat thumping in the silent hall —

*thump, thump, thump…*

“Sister Lilith.”

She finally couldn’t help but ask in a low whisper.

“That… that Queen, is she really… really going to borrow me? Meow?”

Lilith’s hands didn’t pause, her strokes steady and even.

“That depends on your performance, Miss. As well as Her Majesty’s mood.”

Lilia’s heart sank completely.

‘Depends on the Demon King’s mood? I might as well expect the sun to rise from the west!’

Just then, footsteps echoed from the depths of the hall.

Lilia trembled and jerked her head up.

Lucia walked out.

She wasn’t wearing her imperial robe today, but a simple black gown.

Her black hair cascaded loosely, making her look less majestic than usual but adding a dangerous sense of pressure.

As soon as she appeared, even the slightest noise in the hall vanished.

Lucia walked up to Lilia and stopped.

Her gaze fell on the silver collar and bell around Lilia’s neck.

Lilia instinctively shrunk her neck.

‘Oh no, she’s going to use this to humiliate me again! In front of an outsider!’

However, to her surprise, Lucia reached out.

Her long, cold fingertips touched the collar’s clasp.

*Click.*

A soft sound rang out.

The collar that had bound her day and night fell away.

Lilia was completely stunned.

She reflexively reached up and touched her bare neck.

Without the familiar sense of restraint and with the cold air touching her skin, she was actually a bit unaccustomed to it for a moment.

‘Did this pervert… change her nature?’

“This is a formal occasion.”

Lucia withdrew her hand, her flat voice interrupting Lilia’s wild thoughts.

“Don’t embarrass Evernight Palace.”

The tiny bit of warmth that had just risen in Lilia’s heart was instantly extinguished.

‘So that was it. She doesn’t care about me; she only cares about her own reputation. I’m just an ornament used to decorate her facade.’

While Lilia was filled with mixed emotions, a high-pitched announcement from an attendant echoed through the hall from beyond the 100-meter-tall giant doors.

“Her Majesty Queen Freya of the Low Whisper Forest — has arrived!”

She was here!

Lilia jumped, her body instantly tensing up.

She whipped her head around, staring intently at the massive hall doors as they slowly creaked open.

A tall figure walked in.

It was a woman so beautiful she didn’t seem real.

She had wavy purple hair and wore a tight purple gown that accentuated every curve.

The hem of the skirt was slit high from the base of her thigh.

With every step, her fair, long legs were visible between the folds of the dress.

She walked slowly, and the air filled with a cloyingly sweet fragrance.

When Lilia caught the scent, she wrinkled her nose hard.

It was too fragrant, sickly sweet, making her feel dizzy.

This was the Succubus Queen, Freya.

She walked into the hall without looking aside, heading straight for the throne and stopping at the base of the steps.

Then, she lifted her skirt, slowly knelt on one knee, and lowered her head.

“Freya greets Your Majesty.”

Her voice was soft and seductive.

Upon the throne, Lucia didn’t even change her posture, simply lifting her chin.

“Rise.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Freya stood up and finally shifted her attention away from the throne.

Her gaze instantly landed on Lilia at the bottom of the steps.

In that instant, the blood in Lilia’s body felt half-frozen.

Freya wore a smile, but it was one that made Lilia’s skin crawl.

She looked Lilia up and down with blatant disdain and curiosity.

“Oh?”

Freya drawled, her long legs striding toward Lilia.

The *tap, tap* of her high heels hitting the floor echoed in the dead silent hall.

Each sound made Lilia’s heart skip a heavy beat.

“So this is the rumored new…”

She paused deliberately, her red lips parting to spit out the most humiliating word for Lilia.

“…pet that Your Majesty took in?”

As her voice fell, a heavy pressure crashed down!

**5th-Rank Monarch**!

Lilia’s body suddenly sagged!

Her knees went weak, and she was on the verge of kneeling uncontrollably!

The air became thick, squeezing her lungs and making it difficult to even breathe.

She could even hear her bones letting out a *creak*.

That power wasn’t just pressing on her body; it was trying to burrow into her mind to crush her will.

This was the power of a **Monarch Rank**!

It was different from Lucia’s absolute suppression that seemed to stem from the world itself.

Freya’s pressure was pure malice targeted solely at her, intending to tear her spirit apart.

Freya wore a smile.

She wanted to see this little thing kneel before her.

To see her in a pathetic state.

Lilia bit her lower lip hard!

Her teeth pierced the skin, and the taste of blood immediately exploded in her mouth.

The sharp pain cleared her muddled mind.

She stared at the patterns on the floor, her fists clenched so tight her nails dug into her palms.

‘I can’t kneel! I absolutely cannot kneel!’

If she knelt, she wouldn’t just be losing her own face!

She would be losing the face of that perverted woman behind her!

Even though she wished that pervert would die, she refused even more to be looked down upon by this preening woman!

“I’ve heard.”

Seeing Lilia still holding out, Freya became even more interested.

She walked a circle around Lilia, appraising the little thing.

“She is also a… Hero from the old era?”

Hero!

Those words slammed into Lilia’s mind!

A surge of power erupted from her spine, forcefully pushing back against the pressure trying to crush her!

Her calf muscles tightened to the limit as she resisted the force.

Inch by inch, she straightened her bent knees!

The smile on Freya’s face faded slightly.

A little thing who had just reached the **4th Tier**…

To actually be able to stand under her pressure.

Interesting.

She walked up to Lilia, looking down at the tiny girl who only reached her chest.

“She certainly looks exquisite.”

As she spoke, she reached out, intending to pat Lilia’s head.

Lilia’s blood rushed to her head all at once!

Freya’s fingers drew closer and closer.

She could smell that cloyingly sweet perfume on the woman’s fingertips.

It made her want to vomit.

“I just wonder if the taste of this soul…”

Freya’s voice dropped low.

“…is as sweet as the rumors say?”

This sentence caused the last string in Lilia’s mind to snap.

‘To hell with sweet! To hell with being a pet! To hell with you!’

Just as Freya’s fingertips were about to touch her hair —

*Slap!!*

A crisp sound echoed through the hall!

Lilia jerked her hand up and used all her strength to slap away Freya’s reaching hand!

“TAKE YOUR DIRTY HANDS OFF ME! MEOW!!”

She completely exploded, holding her small face — flushed with anger and humiliation — high.

She glared at the woman who was a head taller than her.

In this moment, she didn’t care about anything.

Only rage remained in her mind!

“Don’t touch me!”

Lilia’s voice was high and sharp.

It cracked with intensity, carrying a sob she hadn’t even noticed herself.

“I’m allergic to your expired, cheap perfume! meow!!”

The air in the hall froze.

The smile on Freya’s face vanished inch by inch.

She withdrew the hand that had been slapped red.

Not a trace of a smile remained on her face — only shock and gloom.

A dangerous chill spread from her body, and the temperature in the hall plummeted.

Beside them, Lilith’s body tensed, her hand already on her waist.

Freya slowly looked up, her murderous intent blatant.

But she didn’t strike immediately.

She glanced at the little thing who didn’t know the meaning of death, then turned to face the throne.

A stiff smile forced itself onto her face.

“How interesting.”

She spoke, her voice no longer seductive but cold and sharp.

“Your Majesty, it seems this pet of yours lacks discipline.”