Time quickly passed halfway by. Mo Zhi stared at her own big, watery eyes again and again, looking closely but no matter how hard she tried, she still couldn’t figure anything out.
“Sure enough, just looking won’t work…”
But she couldn’t join in their conversations either.
Part of it was because her tribe was too backward, even regarded as barbarians by those nobles.
An even bigger reason was that her race was once notorious for causing trouble, nearly committing a grave offense against the demon clan.
Many nobles back then were implicated and still held grudges to this day.
Though they were superficially polite and friendly toward her, behind her back they must have said all sorts of bad things.
If she weren’t the Demon King’s consort, they’d probably look down on her so much her nose would be in the clouds.
She took a deep breath and thought of another approach.
Her gaze shifted once more toward Landis.
Taking a deep breath, she slowly walked toward her.
Landis’s eyes hardly left Mo Zhi’s figure. When she finally looked at her, a faint smile curved at her lips as if she had already guessed something.
“What’s the matter, my beloved consort? Not going to chat with the other girls your age? You rarely talk with other races, don’t you?”
“…You know what they think of me. Besides, I don’t care to chat with those spoiled noble ladies.”
“I, I want my dear Demon King to help me…”
Seeing her shy, hesitant demeanor, the amusement in Landis’s eyes deepened.
Feigning ignorance, she asked, “Hmm? What does my consort want me to help with?”
“Just… give me a hint.”
“Oh, but didn’t my consort just confidently say she doesn’t need any hints? I’ve already forgotten the answer.”
“But…”
She smiled meaningfully, the implication clear.
“Maybe if my consort pleases me enough, I might remember something.”
“You! Don’t you know you can’t do that kind of thing right now!”
“My consort might as well specify what kind of thing you mean.”
“Just… that kind of thing.”
Mo Zhi bit her lip, looking embarrassed.
“In my tribe, only those who can spit out a snake’s tongue are allowed to do it.”
She opened her mouth, and a snake’s tongue slowly slithered out.
Its length looked like it could probe through all of Mo Zhi’s internal organs.
Mo Zhi swallowed nervously, unable to believe such a thing could be so long—two or three times longer than a normal snake’s tongue.
“Shall I remind my consort? There are only twenty minutes left before the answer is revealed.”
“I don’t need a reminder!”
She clenched her dress tightly, steeling herself mentally, then mustered all her strength and strode toward Landis.
Their flower buds gently brushed against each other, soft and redolent with the intoxicating scent of wine.
That fleeting moment of sweet softness came quickly and vanished just as fast, ending before Landis had time to fully savor it.
“Satisfied now?”
Mo Zhi averted her eyes and whispered, her voice trying to sound calm, but the flush on her cheeks betrayed her true feelings.
“I haven’t even said to start yet. That doesn’t count.”
The soft flower bud swayed again, its vivid red color more intoxicating than the wine in the glass.
“You! Cheater!!”
Mo Zhi shouted, but was immediately silenced by an even more unreasonable tone.
“If my consort doesn’t give me a kiss, don’t blame me for not giving you the chance. After all, once you live in my palace, I have plenty of time to play with you.”
“…”
She held her breath and “smack!” brushed against that flower again, but this time it didn’t run away so easily.
The moment the two flowers touched, Mo Zhi was pinned tightly against the throne. No matter how she struggled, she couldn’t break free.
That purple flower was so domineering it almost prevented the dark green flower from photosynthesizing.
After a long while, the domineering flower finally seemed bored and gave Mo Zhi some breathing room.
Now, the panting Mo Zhi before her looked like a fresh green sprout, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes like morning dew, adding a delicate charm to this pretty little branch and deepening the desire in Landis’s heart.
“You’re such a pervert…”
The brief lack of oxygen made her voice weak, and no matter how fierce her expression, to Landis’s eyes it looked like she was just being playful.
“My consort gets so angry, it’s like a little tantrum.”
She laughed softly twice, then pulled Mo Zhi into her arms.
“All right, all right, I won’t tease you for now. Didn’t you want a hint? It’s in the letter I gave you.”
“Envelope?”
Mo Zhi wiped her mouth, hurriedly took the letter from her pocket, unfolded it, and stared at it wide-eyed.
“Why can’t my consort just give up already? Living with me is so comfortable.”
Landis said while reaching out to play with her ponytail, a gesture that always made Mo Zhi feel like she was petting a cat.
“Don’t touch me! I don’t want to be humiliated by you every day.”
She turned away from Landis and focused seriously on reading.
Looking carefully, it was just a few words with nothing particularly strange.
Just as she was puzzled, her eyes suddenly caught the golden embossed pattern along the edge of the paper.
“This is…”
The pattern didn’t seem to be drawn just for decoration.
It looked like a chant of magic.
She recited it once, and the pattern on the paper began to tremble, then detached itself and gradually formed a new line of text on the paper—“Eat his right cheek to prove your loyalty.”
She read the words aloud, but this strange phrase only made her more confused.
Eat his right cheek… whose right cheek?
“Clap clap—”
Suddenly, two crisp claps came from above.
Mo Zhi shuddered and looked up at Landis, puzzled.
“Everyone, the pleasant dining time is over. Next—the banquet will enter its second stage.”
Second stage??
The banquet has a second stage?
This woman had been hiding things from her.
Was she deliberately preventing her from solving the answer?
The nobles at the other end of the long table also looked at each other with curiosity, wondering what this second stage would entail.
The door near the kitchen suddenly opened, and a maid walked in carrying a covered tray.
The cover hid what was inside.
The maid’s face looked unpleasant, as if she was deliberately keeping her distance from the tray.
After placing it in the middle of Landis’s long table, she covered her mouth and quickly ran out.
Seeing the smile curl on Landis’s lips, Mo Zhi knew whatever was inside definitely wasn’t something good.
“What’s inside… it even looks like it’s still steaming.”
Mo Zhi whispered, only to get a perfunctory reply—You’ll know soon enough, my consort.
Landis picked Mo Zhi up and gently placed her on the throne, then stood and walked toward the tray.
“I’m sure you’ve all heard the rumors. There’s a traitor among the demon clan who sold some important intelligence to the human race.”
“Today we’ve gathered here to conduct a simple test…”
She reached out and lifted the lid.
Inside was the duke’s severed head Mo Zhi had brought back earlier.
“Come, my beloved subjects, eat it and show me your loyalty.”