Morgana pressed herself against the icy cold door, her ears perked high as she tried desperately to catch the suppressed and strange sounds from inside.
At first, there was only a faint, rustling sound of fabric—as if someone was moving carefully and quietly.
Then, she heard Lianglai Mama’s unconscious, nasal humming.
It sounded uncomfortable, but also… was there something else mixed in? She couldn’t tell.
Next, the noises grew more hurried.
She seemed to catch Dolosa’s breathing—much heavier than usual—and… Asterys, that rascal, seemed to be whispering something, her voice low and rapid, carrying an odd, excited energy?
“Warmth… like…”
Broken fragments of words drifted to Morgana’s ears.
Morgana frowned.
Warmth?
Like?
What were they talking about?
Did caring for someone who’s drunk require saying such things?
Then, she heard a much more pronounced, trembling gasp—it came from Lianglai! Immediately after, there was a slippery, squirming sound, like something alive wriggling around? It was very faint, but in the quiet of the night, pressed up against the door as she was, Morgana heard it as clearly as ever.
This sound… it was so familiar.
Morgana racked her alcohol-soaked brain, searching for the answer.
That’s right! It was just like the sound of the Vine of Human Faces in the forest, the ones that only come out at night to hunt moths, winding around their prey!
But why would there be a Vine of Human Faces in the room?
Before she could figure it out, the commotion inside seemed to grow even more… intense?
Lianglai’s voice grew broken, now mixed with faint sounds that were half struggle, half acceptance… Dolosa’s breathing was getting heavier…
Asterys and Delucia seemed to have gone completely silent, but Morgana could feel it—there were definitely more people inside than just Dolosa and Lianglai! That weird, vibrant sense of Shadow writhing about was getting stronger and stronger.
Suddenly, an image flashed through Morgana’s mind—
Long ago, back when she hadn’t yet been accepted into the Witch Gathering, she’d once stumbled upon two young witches in the Herb Garden beneath the moonlight… tightly embraced, the sounds and breathing they made… sounded a bit like what she was hearing behind the door right now!
Back then, her young self hadn’t understood. She’d just been frightened away by the heated and forbidden atmosphere.
Could it be… could it be that inside…?!
Morgana’s face turned scarlet in a flash, her heart pounding madly as if it were about to leap from her chest.
She finally, belatedly, realized what might be happening inside.
This wasn’t taking care of someone! Not the sort of care she’d imagined at all!
A rush of heat, mixing embarrassment, shock, and an unexplainable curiosity, surged to her head.
She felt like a naughty child; even her toes curled in awkwardness.
Run!
She had to get out of here right now!
The thought urged her to turn and flee at once.
But her feet felt nailed to the floor, another, even stronger curiosity rearing its head and holding her fast.
Just what was it like in there? Was it the same as… what happened between witches? What did Lianglai Mama look like now? What expression did Dolosa have? And the Twin Sisters—what roles were they playing inside?
Her thirst for knowledge—or perhaps some strange urge to explore—finally triumphed over her shame.
Her brain short-circuited, and almost without thinking, she reached out to push the door.
She wasn’t even sure what she wanted—maybe just to confirm, or… maybe to join in?
“Bang!”
The door didn’t budge, locked tight from the inside.
The sudden crash clearly startled everyone inside.
In an instant, all the sounds stopped dead, and a deathly silence fell.
Morgana froze, her hand still pressed to the door, her mind blank.
A few seconds later, a flurry of frantic, muffled sounds came from the room—someone jumping away, hurriedly fixing their clothes, and the faint, quick retreat of Shadow slipping away.
After a suffocating dozen seconds, footsteps approached the door.
“Click.”
The lock turned.
The door opened a crack, and Dolosa appeared behind it, her face flushed, golden hair disheveled, icy blue eyes burning with rage and lingering emotion, along with a flicker of barely hidden panic.
Her breathing was unsteady, her chest rising and falling as she stared daggers at Morgana outside, her voice hoarse and suppressed.
“What are you back for now?! Did you find the diagram?!”
Her tone was especially unfriendly.
Looking at this completely different side of Dolosa—the flushed cheeks, moist eyes, and obviously out-of-sorts breath—Morgana’s earlier suspicions were instantly confirmed.
Her brain once again shorted out, and the ridiculous sentence that had been circling her mind blurted out before she could stop it:
“I, I, can I join in too?” As soon as she finished, she regretted it bitterly—wishing she could bite off her own tongue! What was she even saying?!
Dolosa was clearly stunned by the blunt and idiotic request, freezing for two seconds before the red on her face was quickly replaced by an ashen anger.
“Join?! Join what? Get out!” She practically growled, her voice twisted with repressed emotion, “Right now! Immediately! Go back to your room and sleep!” With that, she moved to slam the door shut.
“Wait!”
Morgana reflexively braced a hand against the door, her Witch Physique making it easy to block Dolosa’s force.
That intense, unsatisfied curiosity made her throw caution to the wind.
She met Dolosa’s almost murderous glare, her brain buzzing again, and started her classic “Morgana-style” bargaining and… reckless threats:
“Wh-why not! At least… let me watch, okay? I promise I won’t disturb you! I’ll just… just watch from the side! Learn something! I’ve never seen… uh… how humans… ‘care’ for others…”
The more she spoke, the smaller her voice became.
Even she thought her request was ridiculous, but she braced herself and went on, finally pulling out her trump card.
“O-or else… I’ll… I’ll go tell everyone that you all were up late, secretly… secretly taking care of Lianglai Mama! I’ll tell Illucy! I’ll tell Motifiel! I’ll tell Dexilensi! I’ll tell everyone!”
She tried her best to sound menacing, but with her face as red as a ripe apple and her shifty gaze, it was anything but convincing.
Dolosa was on the verge of being driven insane!
Idiot!
Fool!
Maniac!
She wished she could poke this noisy witch full of holes! But she also knew this idiot was absolutely capable of blabbing everywhere—and then it would all be over.
As the two stood there—one shaking with anger, the other guilty but stubborn—a lazy, laughing voice floated from inside the room, unmistakably Asterys:
“Dolosa~ Let her come in~ What’s the harm in letting her watch~? Anyway, it’s even livelier with more people~”
That was like pouring oil on the fire.
Dolosa whipped her head around to glare into the room.
Morgana took the chance to rise up on her tiptoes and try to peek in, but Dolosa’s body blocked her view.
Dolosa turned back and locked her gaze on Morgana, her eyes struggling for a long moment.
In the end, her overwhelming anger and fear of exposure won out.
She couldn’t let this stupid witch make a scene outside.
With great reluctance, practically grinding her teeth, she stepped aside just enough to let Morgana slip in, her words squeezed out from between clenched teeth:
“Get in, close the door. If you make a single sound, I’ll… kill you!”
Morgana, feeling like she’d been granted a royal pardon (?), darted inside like an eel and gently closed the door behind her.
The sight in the room made her eyes go wide in an instant.
Lianglai still lay sleeping on the bed, but her robe was far more disheveled than before, the collar askew and exposing a swath of fair skin and delicate collarbone, where there even seemed to be some suspicious…
Her white hair spilled out beneath her, her lips slightly swollen, even in sleep her brows were furrowed, and her long lashes quivered faintly.
Asterys sat leisurely on a chair by the bed, swinging her legs with an amused, meaningful smile.
Delucia had already returned to her human form, standing beside her sister, her own cheeks a bit red and her gaze wandering, avoiding Morgana’s eyes.
The air was thick with a sweet, ambiguous, lingering scent—Light Honey Wine mixed with the fragrance of young girls.
Dolosa stood by the door with arms crossed, face ashen, giving Morgana the look of someone who’d dig her eyes out if she stared too long.
Morgana felt like a complete fool, not knowing where to put her hands or feet.
She snuck curious, secret glances at the enticing, unaware Lianglai on the bed, her heart beating wildly again.
“Have you seen enough?”
Dolosa’s icy voice rang out, brimming with impatience.
“Ah? Oh… yeah, that’s enough.” Morgana answered on reflex, but her eyes kept drifting toward Lianglai.
Delucia let out a soft chuckle.
“Looks like you’re quite curious too, Morgana~”
Dolosa shot the Twin Sisters a death glare, and the two immediately mimed zipping their lips, though the mirth in their eyes didn’t diminish at all.
With such an enormous, shining “third wheel” planted in the middle of the room, staring with wide, inquisitive purple eyes, the previously ambiguous mood had long since vanished without a trace.
Dolosa felt nothing but stifled and annoyed.
How could she possibly continue like this?! Just being stared at like this made her feel completely on edge!
Asterys and Delucia clearly felt it was no longer any fun either.
Being watched by others was a bit exciting, sure—but they couldn’t really let themselves go, especially with the “vengeful spirit” Dolosa standing by.
What had originally been planned as a “deep” session of Nighttime Care was now, thanks to Morgana’s untimely interruption and thoroughly atmosphere-destroying “spectating,” forced to end abruptly, unresolved and unsatisfying.
Dolosa, face black as thunder, roughly straightened Lianglai’s messy robe, covering up all traces.
Asterys and Delucia pursed their lips, bored, and seemed ready to head back to their own room.
Morgana was still standing there, a blank look in her eyes, as if she hadn’t understood why it had ended so quickly.
“That’s… it?” she blurted out.
Dolosa’s hand, straightening the robe, stopped, and she snapped her head up, eyes flashing with the urge to eat her alive.
“Huh? What else do you want? Are you hoping we’ll reenact everything that just happened in front of you? Or maybe do it several times?” Dolosa’s words came out laced with anger.
But unexpectedly, upon hearing this, Morgana’s eyes lit up and she blurted out,
“Ah? You can do that? Then—go on, reenact it! Just once is enough!”