Late at night.
Within the Queen’s Bedchamber, beneath the bed, in a secret space.
A chamber built entirely of crystal, so cold it pierced the skin and stabbed into the bones.
Breaths turned to white mist, and everything glowed with a faint, icy blue light.
Wendy was fixed to the wall in the center of the room, wrists, neck, waist, and ankles bound tightly by Enchanted Collars.
His clothes were long gone, and every inch of skin trembled in the frigid air.
To the left were some interrogation tools, while to the right were some even more “terrible” and subtle things…
Tap…tap…tap.
A pair of ice-blue high heels stepped across the floor, each click ringing out clear and lonely.
The sound drew nearer, finally stopping before the Prince.
The Little Queen, Yekaterina, stood there.
She wore only a blue and white dress barely covering her key areas, her snow-white skin merging with the cold surroundings, making her seem like an emotionless ice sculpture.
No—a Demoness.
“L-Lina, don’t do anything foolish.”
Wendy forced a smile through the cold, trying to awaken her reason.
“I’m your brother-in-law!”
Yekaterina paid him no mind.
She extended a slender finger, its tip icy, tracing slowly down Wendy’s high nose, as if admiring a newly acquired toy.
“Prince Wendy, I’ve endured for a very long time.”
Though the Little Queen’s voice was soft, it sent a chill down Wendy’s spine.
“What?”
“Since I was a child, every minute, every second, I’ve lived according to others’ expectations. First my parents, then my sister, then Duke Veid. Every day, I was like a puppet. If I made even one wrong move, I’d face endless rebuke and disappointment. I’ve had enough!”
Before she finished, she suddenly gripped Wendy’s neck with one hand!
The strength made Wendy feel suffocated instantly!
“And all of this—it was supposed to be Elder Sister’s responsibility!”
Jealous flames burned in the Little Queen’s eyes.
“But why? Why can even such an ‘ugly’ Elder Sister win the favor of a rare beauty like you?!”
“Why?!”
“Astreia…she didn’t want this either.”
Wendy tried to defend, struggling.
“She’s a victim too. Lina, stop now, please? I promise I won’t tell your sister…”
“Don’t call me by that name!”
Yekaterina’s fingers tightened, making Wendy cough violently, his handsome face turning red.
“Call me, Master~”
“Ma…Master…”
Wendy surrendered in pain.
“Your state isn’t right, you might have been tainted by some evil power…”
Hearing this, Yekaterina didn’t show the slightest fear. Instead, she covered her mouth and laughed, her laughter full of contempt and pity.
“Prince Wendy, you mean, fallen into a Witch like Elder Sister?”
“You…you know?”
Wendy’s pupils shrank.
Feeling the grip on his neck loosen, he greedily gulped the cold air, asking in disbelief.
“How?”
“Because I’ve been watching you all along.”
The Little Queen smiled, both innocent and cruel.
“Whether it’s you and Royal Sister being intimate in the bath or on the bed at night, or your secret talks with the Prime Minister…I know everything. Yet you subjects…you all hid it from me!”
Her tone grew icy once more.
“This…this was all for your own good…”
Wendy shifted his gaze guiltily.
“For my good? Heh…”
Yekaterina was so angry she laughed.
“It seems Prince Wendy doesn’t understand his current situation at all.”
With that, the Little Queen slowly drew a necklace from between her collarbones.
The necklace was crafted entirely of ice-blue crystal, its pendant a flawless gem that emitted a soft, steady magical glow.
“I’m different from Elder Sister. This Heart of Serenity is a relic my mother left me. She said it’s a royal heirloom, forged to prevent descendants from falling into Witchhood.”
“It allows me to stay rational and clear-headed at all times, and lets me freely use ice magic of intermediate or lower levels.”
Yekaterina leaned close to Wendy, her breath warm against his ear.
“How is it? Jealous?”
Learning about this necklace, Wendy was stunned.
There was no such thing in !
Could it be that this necklace vanished into history when Yekaterina died?
Astreia’s mother was really too biased!
If Astreia had something like this, how could she have merged with the Demon King of Lust?
“Are you thinking my mother was unfair?”
Yekaterina seemed to read his thoughts, stepping back with a sly smile.
“If you keep me entertained tonight, I’ll give this magic necklace to Royal Sister myself. How about it?”
“Really?”
Hope flared in Wendy’s eyes.
If Astreia had this treasure, she’d never lose her mind again, and Laxana’s suffering from ‘Empathy’ could finally end!
This was…
But then, the Little Queen’s expression darkened.
“Prince Wendy, did you never consider that if I lost this necklace, I might immediately fall into true Witchhood? In your heart, am I really not worth your concern?”
“Ah? No, it’s not like that…I…”
Wendy was speechless.
Because just now, his mind was full of Astreia and Laxana.
“We…we’ve only known each other a few days…”
He tried to explain weakly.
“Hmph.”
Yekaterina snorted coldly.
“If you dare ignore your Master like this, I’ll just have to…increase your punishment!”
She spread her pale hand, and a marble-sized ice orb floated up, radiating a chilling light.
“W-what are you going to do?”
Wendy felt the intense cold from the orb, an unknown fear clutching his heart.
His trembling only grew worse.
“What am I going to do?”
The Little Queen showed a wicked smile, pinching the ice orb and moving closer.
Under the Prince’s terrified gaze, she pressed it to his chest!
“Hiss—! Ha..so cold!”
Wendy cried out uncontrollably, his shackled hands curling helplessly, grasping at nothing.
The extreme cold felt as if it would pierce his skin and freeze his heart!
Yet this was only the beginning.
Yekaterina traced slow circles on his skin with the orb.
One, two, three…
The coldness, mixed with a strange tingling, shot through his nerves to his brain, tormenting Wendy’s soul.
“Please…don’t…”
His beautiful eyes were now hazy with weakness.
But the Little Queen only became more enthusiastic.
She pressed down on Wendy’s shoulder with one hand, preventing him from moving, while with the other, she rolled the ice orb along his waist, seeking out tender spots and pressing down hard.
The Prince’s trembling voice grew weaker, his shackled hands losing strength, until they folded together, and his eyes, overstimulated, began to roll back.
Seeing Wendy’s dazed state, Her Majesty seemed to have found the most delightful toy, her laughter growing brighter.
She slid the ice orb along his waist, across his abdomen, down to his ankle, and with a gentle touch, the orb melted into icy water, trickling down his toes.
The chill made Wendy shiver all over again.
At that moment, the Little Queen knelt down, grasped the handle on the ankle shackle, and slowly turned it, forcing Wendy’s legs further apart.
Then, another crystal-clear ice orb floated into her palm.
“Prince Wendy, I’ve heard the soles of the feet are the most sensitive part of the human body.”
The Little Queen’s voice was a devilish whisper in his ear.
“So, what do you think will happen if I put this cold little thing under your foot?”
“N-no…don’t…”
Wendy’s eyes and limbs trembled weakly, his remaining reason filled with dread at what was coming.
But the next instant, a coldness far more intense than before stabbed into the sole of his foot!
“Ah～～~”
A trembling, ecstatic moan burst forth!
It echoed through the crystal chamber.
In the midst of the Little Queen’s delighted and satisfied smile, the miserable Prince lost all consciousness, not knowing if he had fallen into sensory hell or been dragged to paradise…