Chapter 95: To Hell With the Honey Trap!

The hall fell into a dead silence.

Brock’s body lay on the ground.

Those once-arrogant eyes were wide open, staring blankly at the sky, silently telling the madness of his life.

Blood slowly flowed from under him, winding into a dark red stream across the stone floor.

No one spoke.

Duke Vern leaned on his sword, breathing heavily, his back already soaked with cold sweat.

Several generals rushed up, supporting him and leading him away from the rubble.

The Magic Mirror stood in the shadows, a rare hint of expectation gleaming in her eyes.

Commander Pake looked at Brock’s body, closed his eyes, and placed a hand over his chest, as if whispering something to someone.

Celeste simply stared at the corpse in silence, recalling Earl Harris in her heart.

His revenge was complete.

Now, she would avenge the real Celestia.

“Thank you for your help, Your Majesty the Empress of the Witch Council.”

After expressing his thanks, Pake walked over to Brock’s body and prepared to handle it.

Seeing this, Celeste turned around.

The fact that Celeste, Empress of the Witch Council, was actually Tia, the daughter of a Count, was not something she had spread.

So Pake did not know she was Tia.

Mephia stood beside her, dispersing her Remnant Wings.

Soon, her body swayed and she began to fall to one side.

Celeste caught her.

Mephia leaned in her arms, her eyes half-closed, yet she still struggled to look at her.

The corners of her lips curled into a faint smile.

“It’s nothing… just… tired…”

With that, she closed her eyes.

Every time Mephia used her full strength, she would fall into a coma for several days due to aftereffects.

The last time she was unconscious, the Inquisitors of the Inquisition had pursued her relentlessly, but not this time.

With Celeste here, no one dared touch her.

After this, Callum led the Imperial Army back to the Third Fortress.

The news he sent was that he had routed the Rebel Army, forcing Duke Vern to flee in panic with no chance of regrouping.

But what he didn’t know was that his superior, Brock, was already dead.

The false news he had sent to save his own skin was useless.

The next day, he was beheaded.

Without a leader, the Imperial Army once again fell under Mephia’s command.

All the generals who refused to obey Her Highness the Princess were secretly executed by Duke Vern.

With Brock gone, the Snake Eye Organization completely collapsed.

The newly emerged leader couldn’t command respect, and many broke away to form their own factions.

Under the Witch Council’s interference, these people silently disappeared from the world.

Morning light filtered through the gaps in the tent curtain, casting scattered golden fragments on the ground.

Tia sat by the bedside, holding Mephia’s hand. It had been three whole days.

That hand was still cold, but her pulse was much steadier than yesterday.

Her pale face appeared especially soft in the morning light.

Her long eyelashes cast two small shadows on her eyelids.

Her breathing was calm and even.

The tent curtain was gently lifted, and the Magic Mirror poked her head in.

“Your Majesty, the army is fully assembled. Duke Vern is awaiting your orders.”

Tia did not turn around.

“She hasn’t woken yet. Wait a little longer.”

The Magic Mirror was silent for a moment, then let out a soft sigh.

The curtain fell.

Inside the tent, only Tia and Mephia remained.

Without the Imperial Army and Brock, the Empire had lost all means to resist the Rebel Army.

Now, with the Rebel Army at the gates of the Imperial Capital, no one could stop them.

But that Empire King…

As far as she knew, that King had already become a monster eroded by the Deity.

His strength was even more unfathomable than Brock’s. Winning would not be easy.

Tia lowered her head, looking at the sleeping face.

She reached out and gently brushed her lips.

The morning light flowed quietly, spreading a warm stillness between them.

“If you don’t wake up soon, don’t blame me for drawing on your face.”

As if recalling the past, Tia suddenly chuckled softly.

Before long, the hand she was holding suddenly twitched slightly.

Tia startled.

She looked up and met a pair of open golden eyes.

Mephia looked at her, the confusion of waking still in her eyes.

But soon, that confusion faded, replaced by an indescribable warmth.

“Tia…”

She murmured softly.

Tia quietly released her hand, averted her gaze, and whispered, “You’re awake…”

Mephia paused for a moment, then tightly gripped her hand again.

“What’s wrong?”

“N-no… nothing…”

Seeing Tia stammer a little, Mephia couldn’t help but let out a light laugh.

Then she changed the subject herself.

“By the way, after Brock died, has the Rebel Army reached the Imperial Capital?”

“No. I had them wait for you to wake up.”

Seeing her bring up serious matters, Tia also shed her inexplicable shyness and continued, “Speaking of which, after you wake up, we’ll head to the Imperial Capital to face the Empire King…”

She didn’t finish the sentence, but Mephia understood her meaning.

No matter what, the Empire King was still her father.

She feared that when she faced him, her heart might still waver, especially since this time, they were going to kill him.

Mephia stared at the ceiling, silent for a long time.

Then she suddenly spoke, her voice very soft.

“Tia.”

“Hmm?”

“Do you want to hear a story?”

Tia was slightly stunned.

She looked at Mephia, then nodded gently.

“Yes.”

Mephia’s story began many years ago.

“When I was five years old, I was sent to a place. They said it was for my own good. They said it would make me stronger. They said…”

She paused.

“It was a gift from my father.”

Tia’s fingers tightened slightly.

Mephia’s gaze became somewhat distant, as if she were seeing that nightmare of a childhood.

“It was a laboratory. There were many children inside, children just like me. Every day we underwent various experiments—blood draws, injections, being locked in cages filled with Magic Power to observe our reactions.”

“Some children died, some went mad, and some…”

A bitter smile curled at the corner of her lips.

“Became monsters.”

Tia tightened her grip on her hand.

“Mephia…”

Mephia turned her head and looked at her.

“But I was special. Because I was the King’s daughter, the injections they put into my body were all special. That’s when I got these wings.”

She raised a hand and gently pressed it behind her shoulder.

There, the base of the Remnant Wing was faintly hot.

“Those people injected something into my body. I don’t know what it was. All I knew was that it hurt so much—so much I almost died.”

“My body also mutated then. A tumor-like lump grew on my back. But I didn’t understand at the time. I thought it was the gift my father had given me…”

As she spoke, her eyelids drooped slightly.

“The other children in the laboratory saw me and were terrified. But I wasn’t sad, because I thought I had received my father’s love.”

“It wasn’t until some children turned into monsters right in front of me and died miserably that I understood what I was going through… That wasn’t a gift at all. It was a curse.”

Tia held her hand tightly and asked, “Those children…”

Mephia shook her head.

“They’re all dead.”

She said softly.

“Only I survived. The tumor on my back transformed into that eerie Remnant Wing. Not only that, I’ll never forget the expressions on those people’s faces when they saw it.”

“Frenzy, obsession, even reverence. In their eyes, my success was like a Divine Manifestation…”

After a long silence, Tia finally couldn’t help but ask, “And your father… did he know?”

A rare trace of mockery appeared on Mephia’s face.

“Of course he knew. He arranged all of it.”

Tia’s hand unconsciously tightened slightly.

“He was already eroded by the Deity by then, his mind in chaos. He sent me to the laboratory, perhaps wanting to shape me into a monster that would destroy humanity.”

“But what he didn’t expect was that, under the ravages of those drugs, I still retained my human consciousness.”

At this point, Mephia turned to look at Tia and smiled.

“So, Tia, don’t worry about me. I’ve been without a father since I was a child. Killing him won’t weigh on my conscience at all.”

Tia looked into those golden eyes, filled with calm and release.

For some reason, her heart felt as if someone had clenched it tightly, causing her pain.

“Mephia…”

She didn’t know what to say.

She just instinctively reached out and hugged Mephia tightly.

And Mephia didn’t move.

She just leaned in Tia’s arms, closed her eyes, letting the warm embrace envelop her.

A long time passed.

She grasped Tia’s shoulders.

A hint of cunning flickered in the depths of her eyes.

Then, pretending to be vulnerable, she spoke softly.

“When I was little, I often had nightmares. I dreamed of those dead children, dreamed of those experiments, dreamed of the wings that grew from my back.”

“But later, I stopped having those dreams.”

Tia asked softly, “Why?”

Mephia met her eyes and said gently, “Because I met you.”

Tia was stunned.

Mephia reached out and gently stroked her face.

“After I met you, I realized that living could be warm.”

Tia’s heart stirred.

For a moment, her breathing became difficult.

For some reason, the vulnerable and gentle Mephia seemed to strike a chord in her heart, making her heart race uncontrollably.

At the same time, her beauty made her willingly sink into it.

But her sixth sense told her something was off.

She seemed to have fallen for Mephia’s honey trap.

But…

To hell with the honey trap!

She was willing!

After that, neither of them spoke.

They just looked at each other.

Their thin lips kept drawing closer, until they touched—

Just then, the tent curtain was suddenly thrown open.

The Magic Mirror stuck her head in.

She was about to speak, but seeing this scene, she quickly pulled her head back out.

“What’s wrong? Why aren’t you going in?”

Duke Vern, following behind her, was quite surprised.

Just as he was about to step forward, the Magic Mirror blocked his way, pushing him back two steps.

She shot him a glare and whispered, “What are you making a fuss about? Is the Princess’s tent a place you can just come and go as you please? And unless Her Majesty my Empress gives the order, don’t think you’re getting past me!”