Inside the Phoenix Family residence.
Rita elegantly lifted the bone china teacup, gently blowing away the hazy steam from its surface, and took a sip of the richly fragrant black tea.
Her gaze traveled over the rim of the cup, landing on the mature and dignified red-haired woman sitting opposite her—Jella Phoenix, the current head of the Phoenix Family, and mother of Huayin.
Just moments ago, right in front of Rita, Jella had used an irrefutable phone call to drop two heavy bombs—one onto the Old Dormitory’s bathroom, and the other onto her own daughter’s future.
Jella put down her phone, her meticulously shaped eyebrows arching slightly as she looked at Rita, her tone calm yet tinged with scrutiny.
“Well, are you satisfied now?”
Rita set down her teacup, a flawless smile blossoming on her face, carrying a hint of apology, yet deep within those emerald green eyes was a glint of undisguised calculation.
“Thank you very much for your cooperation, Madam Jella.” Her words were watertight, as if everything truly was for the sake of Huayin and Ange.
Yet, her inner monologue was an entirely different scene.
Following Ange’s request? Helping her clear up misunderstandings? What a joke.
In Rita’s mind, images of Ange from the past six years surfaced—half-dead, barely living, doing only the most necessary tasks before retreating to the Old Dormitory, a pile of wasted potential who sustained her vital signs on the bare minimum of food and periodic Magic Mark maintenance.
That kind of decadent, futureless existence—Rita was thoroughly fed up with it.
That idiot, possessing such power, yet content to bury herself in the dust, eating and sleeping in endless cycles, occasionally driven by desire to hide in the bathroom… Just watching that kind of life was suffocating.
Now, a golden opportunity was right before her—one that could forcibly drag Ange out of her musty corner, throw her back into the spotlight, and force her to face the world, even her own family. How could Rita possibly let it slip by?
Yes, the egg never even existed. From the moment Ange came to the Phoenix Family with that “egg,” it had all been part of Rita’s carefully orchestrated performance.
She merely happened to “mention” the unexpected incident between Ange and Huayin to Madam Jella, who cared so much for her daughter’s affairs, and then “inadvertently” emphasized Ange’s value—still belonging to Beelzebub, plagued by a curse, but with the potential of a Demon King.
Nothing to be done about it. They only had themselves to blame—for in the end, it was these three problem children who chose for Ange to become a teacher.
For an ancient family like the Phoenix Family, who longed for a stronger foothold at the Demon Hunter Academy, the prospect of a future heir with the blood of both Phoenix and Beelzebub, and a top-tier combatant bound by marriage and duty—such temptation was more than enough for them to let go of the details and eagerly play along.
All it took was a nonexistent child as an excuse, to threaten that overly responsible, pure-hearted yet hopelessly rigid idiot… How could she possibly refuse? She wouldn’t even have the courage to verify the truth, but would just grit her teeth and bear the burden.
And the Phoenix Family could thus, quite naturally, claim Ange—the gentle beast—even if only in name for now, which was enough to make other factions reevaluate their standing.
A win-win, wasn’t it? Of course, as for those two at the heart of it all… heh, chalk it up as the price of growing up.
As her thoughts turned, Rita and Jella exchanged a knowing glance—an unspoken agreement had already been reached.
Rita rose to her feet, giving a perfectly standard gesture of farewell.
“Then, I won’t trouble you further. There are still matters at the Academy that require my attention. As for arrangements regarding Huayin and Ange, I’ll leave them in your capable hands.”
Jella gave a slight nod in reply.
Turning away from the Phoenix Family’s palatial reception room, Rita’s steps were light and unhurried, sunlight filtering through the stained glass windows along the corridor, casting cheerful patterns over her.
Perfect—not only had she solved Ange’s slacker problem, but she’d also presented the Phoenix Family with a generous gift. Most importantly…
A sly, almost wicked, curve crept across Rita’s lips.
Ange, you now owe me two favors. Though you probably won’t thank me at all, hehehe~
I truly can’t wait to see it—what kind of wonderful expression will that dead-fish-faced fool make when she finds out she’s become an unexpected mother?
Oh dear~ Am I being a little too mean? Surely not~
After all, even she never expected Ange would lay her hands on her own student back then.
Inside the Old Dormitory at the Academy.
A wave of shock, like a bucket of icy water, crashed down from above, temporarily suppressing even the searing, gnawing Magic Mark turmoil in her lower abdomen.
The desire that had raged like wildfire moments before now ebbed away in the face of this sudden, life-altering absurdity.
Ange leaned against the cold tiled wall, feeling that restless power within her gradually subside, leaving only a hollow exhaustion behind.
She tried to move her lips, forcing out a smile more pitiful than tears, and carefully called out to the stiff-backed Huayin who still stood rooted in place.
“Hua…yin?”
Huayin spun around abruptly.
Ange’s words were cut short.
In Huayin’s striking red eyes, there was no longer mockery or anger—now, it was fire made manifest.
The Phoenix’s power spilled out of her uncontrollably, golden-red flames dancing with a life of their own at the corners of her eyes, illuminating her radiant face until she looked like an enraged demon.
The temperature in the air soared, carrying the scent of something about to burn.
She didn’t speak, but her eyes said everything: shock, absurdity, fury, and a pent-up frustration with nowhere to go.
Ange stared at the fire at the corners of her eyes, her scalp tingling.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say something—maybe suggest they calm down first, or ask if there had been some kind of misunderstanding, or perhaps offer to find another solution…
But all the words lodged in her throat, ultimately dissolving into a silent sigh.
What could she say? Faced with an ironclad family announcement and the confirmed existence of a child, any words seemed weak and powerless.
Just as the suffocating silence and tense standoff were about to escalate again…
Bzz… Bzz…
Ange’s phone vibrated in her pocket at the worst possible moment.
She pulled it out almost mechanically. The screen lit up, displaying a new message from Ingrid Beltans.
“Miss Ange, sorry to bother you. Director Lita says the teaching plan outline for this semester needs to be submitted as soon as possible. She asked me to remind you.”
Ange stared at that line of properly composed text on the screen, then looked up at Huayin—whose eyes were still aflame, clearly on the verge of erupting…
Her face turned instantly as dark as a pancake left to mold for too long.
Teaching plan? Semester outline?
To hell with the teaching plan! Her entire life plan was in shambles right now!
She glanced at Huayin, her lips trembling for a moment, but in the face of those blazing flames, she swallowed all her words, leaving nothing but chaos and…
Utter despair…
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