“Mom, where did Lillian go?”
After saying this, Iana still looked afraid of the Demon Dragon Mother before her.
Not knowing who Lillian was, she hurriedly added, her voice betraying unmistakable worry, “She’s the little girl who came in with me.”
The Demon Dragon Mother’s crimson eyes narrowed slightly, a seductive smile curling at the corner of her lips.
“Oh? The little Saintess with the golden twin ponytails?”
Iana nodded, a bit surprised that she knew so much — even Lillian’s appearance and status.
“Yes, that’s her. Where is she now?”
“You’ll see her soon enough. Don’t be anxious.”
The Demon Dragon Mother’s gaze was meaningful as she stared at Iana, making her nearly shiver in fear.
“But before that, you’d better be honest about what kind of relationship you have with her.”
The Demon Dragon Mother crossed her arms, questioning Iana, then added, “But since you said it could be anything, I’m not too eager to know.”
After speaking, the Demon Dragon Mother kept stealing glances at Iana’s reaction.
“F-Friend… I guess.”
Iana wasn’t entirely sure how to explain her relationship with Lillian.
According to Iana’s usual social web, she and Lillian should have an employer-employee relationship, but that wasn’t the case.
If anything, it felt more like a mother who worried endlessly over her daughter’s love life. Â
But how could she say that openly in front of her mom?
So, friend it was. Â
“Really friends?” The Demon Dragon Mother’s tone carried a hint of playfulness, clearly not convinced by Iana’s words. Â
“Of course. What else could it be?”
“I hope that’s true. But you know, if you keep this up, it’s going to be dangerous for you.”
The Demon Dragon Mother rubbed her forehead, her eyes filled with concern — though this time, it was less like the fear she showed before and more like a mother worrying about her daughter’s marriage prospects.
“Forget it. If Ethelrina finds out how close you and Lillian have gotten, I don’t know if she’ll go mad.”
“Ethelrina? You know her too?”  Iana felt increasingly puzzled.
How could her mother know Ethelrina?
There was no connection between the two of them, and the only person who might know both was herself. Â
Yet she had never introduced Ethelrina to her mother — there was no need to.
“We’ve all been watching over you in the Trial Land. But don’t worry, we can’t see your privacy, so when you’re doing those kinds of things, you can do so freely.”
“Those kinds of things?”
At first, Iana didn’t understand what the Demon Dragon Mother meant.
When she finally did, her cheeks flushed, “That’s still far from me.” Â
“Far, huh? I don’t think so.” The Demon Dragon Mother said softly. Â
“Well, it’s getting late. If you don’t leave soon, I’m going to get scolded again.”
The Demon Dragon Mother sighed lightly, as if lamenting how hard her life was.
“Scolded? Who would dare scold you, Mom?” Iana asked curiously.
“Who else but your other mother and your ancestors.”
The Demon Dragon Mother spread her hands helplessly.
“They all want to see you. You have no idea how much effort it took for me to get here.”
Then she leaned close to Iana’s ear, ensuring no one else was around, and whispered, “When you look for a girlfriend in the future, don’t be fooled by her surface. Remember, those who seem gentle on the outside can be fierce behind your back.”
The moment the Demon Dragon Mother finished speaking, her expression stiffened, as if she had heard something Iana couldn’t, her face darkening as she muttered to herself, “If I’d known this would happen, I wouldn’t have said any of that.”
“??? ”
Iana didn’t know what had happened and asked curiously, “Did something happen?”
“N-No… nothing.”  The Demon Dragon Mother’s eyes darted nervously, her tone revealing a lack of confidence. Â
“I… what else could happen? It’s just your other mother sending me a telepathic message, saying she misses me and wants me to come back quickly.”
“Is it really just that simple — she misses you and wants you to return?”
“Of course. I’m the head of the family. What could she possibly do to me?”
But the Demon Dragon Mother’s confidence was clearly wavering.
“All right, all right, go to your trial quickly. I have some things to attend to.”
Her tone was hurried, as if afraid of something.
Seeing her like this, Iana gave up probing further.
After all, this mother seemed very concerned about her reputation and likely wouldn’t escape a scolding from the other mother once she returned. Â
“So what should I do now?” Iana asked.
“Close your eyes, and after a while, you’ll be transported to the place where you will take the trial.”
Without hesitation, Iana followed the Demon Dragon Mother’s instructions and closed her eyes.
After some time, since there was still no movement around her, Iana called out, “Have I arrived at the Trial Land yet, Mom?”
No one answered.
It was as if there was no one around her. Â
A cool breeze blew, causing Iana to feel something was off.
Before she closed her eyes, there had been no wind at all.
This place felt like a box, but a vast one, where she couldn’t sense any material presence of the natural world. Â
“I guess I must have arrived at the Trial Land.”
Iana slowly opened her eyes, and before her stood a towering ancient tree surrounded by dense forest.
The Demon Dragon Mother was nowhere to be seen. Â
“Speak. Who are you? Who sent you? Why do you carry the aura of the Saintess?”
A deep male voice echoed clearly from beyond the great tree, reaching Iana’s ears.
“Suddenly appeared, Saintess aura… Could it be Lillian over there?”
Iana guessed based on the voice she heard.
It seemed Lillian’s current situation might not be very good. Â
Iana followed the direction of the voice, weaving between several trees.
After walking a few dozen meters, she saw a group of a dozen or so knights clad in shining silver armor, fully armed, forming a circle. Â
Next to them was a long line of horse-drawn carriages stretching as far as the eye could see.
In the center of their formation was none other than Lillian herself.
Each knight held a sword pointed at Lillian, as if treating her like a spy infiltrating their ranks.
“N-No, I… I didn’t mean to. I just… opened my eyes and found myself here.”
Lillian had never been in such a threatening situation before.
Her voice was weak and hesitant. Â
“Captain, why don’t we just kill this spy? She looks like she can’t provide any useful information.”
“No. Saintess Elia said that suspected spies must be handed over to her for interrogation. We cannot act on our own.”
“Besides, don’t you think her aura resembles Saintess Elia’s in some way?”
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