Mo Baiwei looked at the thing in front of her—whether it could even be called food—and swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
It looked really disgusting…
Carefully bringing the spoon to her lips, Mo Baiwei stuck out her tongue and took a lick.
A sour, sweet, and tooth-achingly astringent taste rushed directly along the tip of her tongue into Mo Baiwei’s mouth.
After coughing violently a few times, Mo Baiwei put the spoon back.
“I don’t want to eat this.”
Holding the salad, Mo Baiwei swung her legs, ran to the waitress, handed the salad back, then turned and ran away again.
“Your Highness, if you don’t finish this, Her Majesty will punish you by making you go hungry for three days.”
The waitress looked at the tiny figure rolling around on the bed, then glanced at the salad in her hand, and decided to speak up anyway.
After all, this princess was just a child; though she was somewhat unusual, the waitress still couldn’t bear to see the child punished.
“No, no.”
Mo Baiwei rolled over on the bed and said with a pout:
“I’m not eating this. It’s too gross.”
“Very well, Your Highness.”
Seeing that Mo Baiwei insisted, the waitress replied calmly, then turned and left Mo Baiwei’s room, closing the door behind her.
‘Why has Aunt been feeding me such weird things these days…’
Mo Baiwei pouted, then wrapped herself up in the quilt, feeling the darkness and warmth around her.
Little did she know at that moment what she would face in the years to come.
Soon, a knock on the door came again.
Sleepy Mo Baiwei was woken up and felt very annoyed.
She mumbled toward the door:
“Who is it? Who is it? I said I won’t eat. I’ll go hungry for three days, I don’t care.”
Naively, she thought that Aunt was just joking with her, only trying to make her eat.
The knocking paused.
After a long moment, a familiar voice came from outside the door.
“Baiwei, aren’t you eating?”
“Aunt?”
Hearing the voice at the door, Mo Baiwei jumped out of bed in surprise and ran to the door, her little feet pattering.
“Aunt, why are you here?”
Excitedly pushing open the door, Mo Baiwei saw Aunt in her imperial robe.
Aunt’s beautiful face was still cold and icy.
Since Mo Baiwei could remember, Aunt had always worn that expression.
Mo Baiwei was used to it.
Mo Baiwei thought that Aunt was her only family in this world and would surely care for and forgive her.
Even if her face was cold, she wouldn’t say anything.
Besides, after all these years, Aunt’s expression had never changed.
Maybe she was just born with that face?
Although Aunt had always been harsh with her since she could remember, Mo Baiwei believed that Aunt must be good to her, so no matter what Aunt asked, she would try her best to do it.
“Baiwei, you’re not even eating now? Are you being this naughty?”
The Queen spoke coldly, looking down at Mo Baiwei from above.
Mo Baiwei didn’t notice anything unusual in the Queen’s eyes.
She explained in a soft, whiny voice:
“Aunt, that thing really tastes awful. I don’t like it.”
“Just because you don’t like it, you can not eat it?”
The Queen’s gaze didn’t change.
She looked at Mo Baiwei without a trace of emotion.
At this point, Mo Baiwei also sensed the change in the Queen’s tone.
Her previously cheerful mood instantly dropped.
“But…”
Mo Baiwei clasped her hands behind her back, lowered her head, and said hesitantly:
“That thing is really, truly disgusting.”
“Baiwei, you’re not a little kid anymore.”
As the Queen spoke, she waved her hand.
Immediately, two guards stepped forward from behind her.
“Take her away.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The guards acknowledged, then came forward, each grabbing one of Mo Baiwei’s arms.
Realizing something was wrong, Mo Baiwei was almost frightened to tears.
She shouted at the Queen in a trembling voice:
“Aunt? Aunt! What are you doing?”
“Weiwei was wrong. Weiwei will never refuse to eat again.”
“Please, Aunt, I’m really sorry.”
At that moment, Mo Baiwei was still just a child.
In this situation, her voice had already choked up as she sobbed and begged the Queen.
“Follow me.”
The Queen gave Mo Baiwei a light glance, then said to the two guards.
She then walked out of the room first.
The group wove through the vast palace.
Occasionally, they encountered patrolling guards.
Those guards all bowed respectfully upon seeing the Queen, completely ignoring Mo Baiwei behind her as if she were invisible.
Soon, they arrived at a place that looked like a dining hall.
In the magnificent hall was an ornate wooden long table, flanked by over a dozen chairs upholstered in silk.
At the Queen’s signal, the two guards pressed Mo Baiwei into a chair, making it impossible for her to struggle.
Then, the Queen clapped her hands.
A waitress came forward carrying a large pot of dark green salad.
“Baiwei, you have to finish all of this.”
As the Queen spoke, a cruel smile curled on her face.
“Aunt is doing this for your own good. She can’t bear to see you go hungry.”
At this moment, Mo Baiwei, with tears welling at the corners of her eyes, dimly saw the thing the waitress was holding.
Her pupils suddenly dilated.
“I don’t want it! I don’t want to eat it! I don’t want it!”
Mo Baiwei screamed at the top of her lungs, but that couldn’t stop the Queen from personally picking up the spoon and shoving it into her mouth.
The sour and astringent taste exploded in her mouth instantly, choking her until tears and snot flowed.
Elves normally ate natural grass, leaves, fruits, and such.
Those things usually didn’t have strong flavors; instead, they had a faint sweetness.
Let alone Mo Baiwei, who had lived in the palace for so long.
How could she have ever eaten something like this?
In an instant, she felt her tongue go numb.
“Ugh…”
With a thick tongue, Mo Baiwei looked at her aunt who was feeding her, a glimmer of hope in her eyes, but she saw that the latter still wore a smile, calmly stuffing the dark green stuff into her mouth.
Gradually, her salivary glands, intensely stimulated, kept secreting large amounts of saliva.
Mo Baiwei could no longer hold it back.
Thin silver lines of drool flowed from the corners of her mouth, dripping onto her clothes and the floor.
Her tiny body couldn’t stop trembling, shaking like a sieve.
Her arms were pinned by the guards, unable to move, so she could only twist her fingers desperately.
Her nails nearly tore through the silk chair cover.
Since Mo Baiwei hadn’t been wearing shoes when she was dragged out, her bare feet also curled up tightly, as if she was enduring something with all her might.
Then, this small body seemed to have reached its limit.
She suddenly went limp in the chair.
Her lifeless pupils stared straight at the ceiling, and the liquid at the corner of her mouth kept flowing uncontrollably.
Feeling Mo Baiwei’s painful struggle, the Queen smiled in satisfaction, patted her head, and spoke softly:
“If Baiwei doesn’t eat again in the future, then every time I’ll have to feed you myself, okay?”
Hearing these words from the Queen, Mo Baiwei, whose whole body was limp, trembled in her pupils, then sobbed and pleaded:
“Aunt, I was wrong. Weiwei will never dare to do it again. Please let Weiwei go.”
“Aunt, I’m really wrong. I’ll never refuse to eat again.”
“From now on, I’ll eat every meal well. Please forgive Weiwei.”
Looking at Mo Baiwei, whose face was a mess of tears and snot, the Queen felt immensely pleased.
She gently wiped the corner of Mo Baiwei’s mouth with her finger and looked at her with a beaming smile.
“Baiwei is such a good girl. You must be this obedient from now on, okay?”