Chapter 21: Stella, Who Loves to Tease

The shadows on the ground grew shorter as the sun rose.

Time slipped by, and before she knew it, it was 9 a.m.

The Demon Castle’s royal palace was truly enormous.

Hualí was starting to forget how long she’d been walking.

She’d wandered in circles so many times she’d lost track of where she’d come from.

“Kitchen… dining hall, where are they… food… I need food…”

Dragging her legs—soft as boiled noodles from hunger—like a walking corpse, Hualí let out a despairing wail.

She had originally thought of sneaking some ingredients as revenge against Sidella, feeling proud of her clever idea.

But she hadn’t even gotten a chance to start her plan before she collapsed in defeat.

“So hungry~ If I’d known, I wouldn’t have become a Hero.”

Hualí wanted to cry, but there were no tears.

Unknowingly, she walked into a garden.

Thanks to the maze of paths and the flowers blocking her view, she quickly lost her sense of direction completely.

Her gaze fell upon a small pavilion in the center of the garden.

Hualí rubbed her eyes.

The entire pavilion was surrounded by clusters of roses, thorny vines winding up the supporting pillars.

It was as if the roses and the green leaves had made a secret agreement: one to decorate the pavilion with brilliant red, the other to grow wildly up to the roof, their intertwined veins shielding the scorching sunlight and creating a cool, shaded world below.

Of course, none of that was the main point.

The main point was the familiar figure under the rose pavilion—her nemesis—

The Blood Queen, Sidella Eve Cecilia!

Beneath the shadow woven by the rose vines, the silver-haired girl’s sweet face was half-hidden behind blood-red blooms.

A strand of silver hair slipped from its confines to sway gently by her ear, moved by the breeze.

The roses weren’t the only things swaying.

The entire scene was self-contained, harmonious, and quietly beautiful.

On the table sat a cup of steaming black tea and a plate of rose-petal-dusted pastries.

Sidella sat on a western-style chair, lifting the tea to her lips in a delicate sip, her attention fully absorbed by an old, worn book.

Throughout the palace, everyone knew Her Majesty preferred quiet, especially during her undisturbed morning tea.

To avoid disturbing her, all noise was forbidden during this time, and every maid and guard moved as lightly as possible, no matter their tasks.

Sidella picked up a pastry and took a small, elegant bite.

It tasted as good as always, but today, she found it wasn’t quite enough.

She gazed at the last piece left on the plate, a hint of surprise flickering in her red eyes.

She covered her mouth and thought:

I finished twenty minutes earlier than usual. Has my appetite grown?

Her dainty brows knit in distress.

This won’t do.

Putting aside the dignity of a Blood Queen, for any cute girl, gaining weight is unacceptable.

“Looks like I’ll have to ask Jeilinfa to cut the portions a bit more.”

Still, that could wait.

The remaining food mustn’t be wasted.

Thinking this, she licked her lips and reached for the last piece on the plate.

At the exact moment her hand touched it, a small, greasy hand covered in pastry crumbs shot up from under the table and snatched it away.

Sidella stared, stunned, as the hand retreated beneath the table like lightning.

Her hand hung in midair.

She blinked, a giant question mark floating over her head.

With pursed lips, she retracted her hand and bent down to look under the table.

She’d already guessed who the greedy little mouse was, but seeing Hualí’s form in person still made her mouth twitch.

Beneath the table, Hualí sat cross-legged with her back to Sidella, her pink dress spread out like an upside-down flower, hiding her pale thighs.

Both greasy hands clutched the pastry—now missing a bite.

She chewed quickly in small mouthfuls, crumbs landing on her skirt.

Completely absorbed, she munched away, entranced by the delicious scent.

Back in the Human Domain, she’d never even seen such treats, let alone tasted them.

Of course, that might have been because she was too poor then, forced to scrape meals together with her buddies—there was no way she could afford such luxury.

In other words:

“That’s the kind of food only rich people eat. Where would a poor girl even see it?”

“Is it good, Hualí?”

“Goo—cough! Cough cough…”

The sudden voice startled her so much she choked on her pastry and started coughing violently.

She tried to flee instinctively, forgetting she was under the table and slammed her head against the stone top.

Clutching the bump on her head with greasy hands, she coughed so hard her eyes teared up.

“Cough cough… ouch…”

After burning so much energy yesterday and not eating a drop all day, she’d truly become dizzy with hunger.

“Eh, you really are an idiot, Hualí.”

Sidella shook her head helplessly.

Crimson magic flowed from her palm as she pressed it to Hualí’s head.

The Blood Clan’s magic was unique—who’d think such dangerous-looking crimson energy could be used for healing?

The pain faded bit by bit.

Sidella pulled the greedy little mouse out from under the table.

Noticing Hualí was still coughing, she picked up the warm tea and offered it to her.

“Here, drink, idiot Hualí~”

“I’m not… cough, not an idiot! You’re the one who didn’t give me any food!”

Hualí balled her tiny fists in anger.

“Do you have any idea how tempting food is to a girl who’s gone a whole day without eating?”

You know nothing! All you do is torment hungry girls with your twisted humor and make them hit their heads!

She glared fiercely at Sidella.

But in the end, she still took the tea and gulped it down, finally stopping her cough.

Only after confirming that Hualí drank the tea did Sidella smile.

Then she ‘kindly’ added:

“Oh, right. I forgot to mention, that cup of tea you’re holding is the one I just drank from. If you mind, I can pour you a new one.”