“Des…ire?”
In the resplendent golden hall, the red wine in the glass reflected the two faces so close to each other.
Mochi’s eyes, filled with curiosity, were so near that Landis could clearly feel the gentle, fragrant breath on her cheek.
Her eyes were stunningly beautiful; long lashes fluttered with each blink like a calm lake rippling softly.
Her deep and serene gaze was like an emerald gem dyed with ink—so mesmerizing that Landis instinctively held her breath under that look, unaware even of the trace of infatuation in her own eyes.
Her cheeks burned slightly, and something inside her chest seemed to be pounding wildly—the admiration for strength etched deep within her Demon King bloodline was stirring restlessly.
What was this restlessness for…?
“Are you even listening to me?”
A slightly cold voice reached her ears, pulling her drifting consciousness sharply back to reality.
“I—I’m listening.”
“What I hate most is waiting like a fool for something…”
Mochi said, then picked up a cake from the table and bit into it.
“Sorry, sister, sis.”
Mochi glared at her coldly, chewed a few times, then suddenly her eyes lit up.
Holding the half-eaten cake, she excitedly asked Landis, “What is this called?”
“…Doudou Cake.”
“Doudou Cake? I like this.”
She swallowed the cake in two or three bites.
After eating it, her mood seemed to improve; the gloom that had darkened her face earlier vanished suddenly.
She grabbed another cake, took a bite, then pointed the half piece at Landis and asked again, “I’ll ask you once more—what is your desire?”
“Desire…”
What was her desire…?
Lowering her head, Landis racked her brain but found no answer; in fact, she didn’t even know what the word “desire” truly meant.
If desire meant wanting to do something strongly, then perhaps she only felt that when hungry or tired.
But eating and sleeping were common to everyone—could those be called her desires?
The candles in the hall quietly burned down, half the white candle gone, but the girl deep in thought still hadn’t found an answer.
“Hey…”
Suddenly, a somewhat dissatisfied voice sounded.
She jolted up and met those ice-cold eyes.
“I ask you—surely you don’t have no desire at all?”
“I… don’t know.”
Mochi suddenly stood and advanced toward Landis step by step.
“You are a living being, the Demon King’s daughter, yet you don’t have even the slightest desire?”
For some reason, anger furrowed her brow, and her tone carried the chill of a forest in the dead of winter.
“I… don’t know.”
Another weaker, almost whisper-like reply. Mochi frowned even deeper.
“Desire comes from instinct, from jealousy, from hatred, from interest. As long as you want to find it, it will always be waiting deep in your heart.”
“Hunger, lust, bloodlust, greed, material desire, ***, the desire to conquer, to hunt, or even to toy with others—don’t you have even one of these?”
Landis fell completely silent this time, afraid to utter a word, for there truly was nothing she wanted to do.
The Demon Race lived for a thousand years, and the Demon King’s lifespan rivaled that of gods.
As the Demon King’s only daughter, she had been spoiled rotten.
Whatever she desired, she could obtain—food, jewels, even God-tier Magical Apparatus were found for her to play with.
Her talent in Magic was also exceptional.
With the Demon King’s bloodline, from birth, the level of Magic she could wield was already High-tier, and she was but a step away from Divine-tier.
To say she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth was an understatement.
The maids of the Demon King Palace often said—she was the very child personally brought by the Divinity of Eiffel, carrying Divine Favor to walk to the ends of the world.
“Tsk…”
Mochi clicked her tongue suddenly.
She quickly closed the distance, grabbed Landis’s cheek, and pressed it against the dining table.
Her gaze was fierce, as if she saw something she hated.
“Even the rats on the roof dream every day of eating the birds in the sky, and you’re not even as worthy as a rat.”
Her words were merciless, utterly demeaning the pampered Princess.
But Landis dared not retort.
Her obscure eyes flowed with tears, and her humiliating expression was fully captured in Mochi’s sight.
Seeing such a pathetic face only fueled Mochi’s anger further.
Since birth, she had always been driven by desire.
The desire for power, food, authority, conquest, and even toying with others—these were the driving forces behind her actions.
Even killing the Demon King to become the Demon King herself was fueled by the long-growing desire in her heart, to satisfy hunger, greed, and conquest faster.
She firmly believed that living beings were vessels of desire; there was no person without any desire.
Lust, greed—no matter how shameful the desire, it was the essence hidden in every fiber and bone of the living.
Mochi released her grip on Landis’s chin, then picked up a gleaming silver dining knife from the table and placed it in Landis’s hand.
Gripping Landis’s hand, she pressed the knife against her own chest—right over her heart.
“Tell me, do you want to kill me?”
Her gaze was equally icy but held more insight.
She searched Landis’s eyes for even the faintest trace of bloodlust, for that would prove she was alive.
But in those innocent eyes, there was not even a hint of murderous intent.
Even the tears that flowed seemed laced with fear.
Now she was so frightened she couldn’t speak.
“Tsk…”
The anger in Mochi’s eyes deepened.
She lightly drew Landis’s hand downward, cutting a slit in her chest garment, revealing a patch of pale, flushed skin.
She controlled Landis’s hand, gently pressing the knife’s tip bit by bit into her own heart.
Her expression remained cold and unchanging as she spoke, “I’ll give you a chance to avenge your father. You can kill me right here. I promise I won’t resist. Just lightly stab the blade in, rip out my heart, and swallow it. How about that?”
As she spoke, it was what she truly thought.
She saw hatred in Landis’s eyes, that much was clear—but there was no killing desire.
It seemed she only dared to hate, nothing more.
Clang.
The knife dropped to the ground.
Mochi was utterly disappointed in her newly recognized sister.
She grabbed Landis by the neck and lifted her up, her dark eyes unblinking as they stared at her.
“That’s enough. You truly disappoint me.”
Landis wept painfully, but even now she didn’t dare make a sound.
Mochi’s chest was partially exposed, and when she looked down, that soft, tender bloom was fully revealed.
Just as Mochi was about to strangle her outright, she finally saw—the desire concealed in the Princess’s eyes…
Clatter.
Landis was thrown to the ground.
She clutched her neck and coughed violently, tears streaming down her face.
Raising her head, a pair of long, fair legs pressed against her side.
Mochi’s chest leaned close, and with slender fingers, she pushed aside the half-covered softness, revealing it completely to Landis’s gaze.
Only now did Mochi see clearly what desire hid within her.
“Oh… so that’s it.”
A meaningful smile appeared on her lips.
A plan to toy with Landis silently took shape in her mind…
She suddenly stepped back and straightened her clothes, speaking calmly, “Tomorrow, three minutes past noon, wait for me in the hall. I’ll teach you to cure that weak little sickness of yours.”
With that, she left the hall lightly, ignoring the tear-streaked, flushed-faced girl lying on the floor.