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“Get out!”
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Lorin shoved Claire toward the doorway and snapped, “Why aren’t you bonding with your dear sister? Why are you bothering me instead?”
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Claire clung desperately to the doorframe, refusing to budge.
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“Bonding with my daughter is obviously more important!”
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“Who’s your daughter?! There’s no daughter of yours here. Be smart and put me back where you found me!”
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Lorin’s face was full of exasperation as she doubled down, using all her strength to push Claire out of the room.
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Eventually, she managed to succeed and was about to slam the big pink door shut—
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—but suddenly paused.
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Hope flickered in Claire’s eyes.
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Was she going to change her mind?
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Then came Lorin’s voice, sharp and businesslike:
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“By the way, when are you going to compensate me for my alchemy item—my spatial cube?”
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She had almost forgotten about that.
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Since Claire had voluntarily delivered herself to her doorstep, she wasn’t going to be polite.
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Claire froze, eyes narrowing as memories surfaced.
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She remembered the little alchemical trinket Lorin had used to ambush her in that alley.
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Her lips curled into a cold sneer.
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“You know, I was fine until you brought that up. But now I’m pissed.”
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“You stabbed me twice and now you’re asking for compensation?”
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“That’s a separate matter entirely…”
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Lorin muttered under her breath, face red with embarrassment.
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Claire had been the one who’d walked into her knife—not her fault!
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And besides, she’d already paid a very heavy price for those stabs.
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“I’ll compensate you,” Claire said slowly, “if you let me take one little bite.”
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“No way!”
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The memory of Claire biting her in that alley had become a recurring nightmare—many a night she’d cursed herself for ever picking that fight…
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“Fine then,” Claire said, backing up with a sinister smile.
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“Let me bite you anyway, and I still won’t compensate you.”
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Lorin froze.
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She suddenly sensed danger… and when her eyes met Claire’s, they were filled with hunger.
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Lorin: “!!!”
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“Forget the compensation!”
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She spun around in a panic and grabbed the door handle with both hands, slamming the door shut with a bang—
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—or so she thought.
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A slender, snow-white hand shot out and braced the door open.
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Lorin shoved with all her might, but the door wouldn’t budge an inch—it might as well have been nailed to the wall.
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Tears welled up in her eyes.
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She squealed, half-threat, half-plea, “Claire! I swear, if you try anything, I’ll scream!”
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“Even if you scream until your throat breaks… no one will come~”
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“HEEELP!”
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Claire swooped forward and scooped her up like a prize.
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Up to now, Lorin had always been the one biting her.
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Claire had yet to taste what her daughter was like.
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“Mother dearest~”
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Lorin switched tactics, going full spoiled princess.
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Unfortunately, this only triggered something in Claire.
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“Mommy’s here~”
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***
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The next morning, Lorin opened her eyes wearily atop the huge pink bed.
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She was exhausted.
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Thank goodness she’d bitten Claire a few times in return last night, or she might not have survived her wrath.
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“Damn Claire! Crazy daughter-obsessed psycho! Evil woman!”
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“Why… why is my life such a never-ending string of tragedies?!”
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Sitting upright, Lorin began loudly cursing Claire’s vile conduct.
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Of course, none of it changed her fate.
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Her title of “Princess” came with no dignity attached.
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Her eyes drifted to a nearby blood pack.
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With a long sigh, she reached over and began her breakfast in silence.
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Moments later, she sank into full-on sage mode—life just felt so… empty.
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“No. No! I refuse to let Claire ruin my youth. I will never surrender!”
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Closing her eyes, she focused inward, feeling the flow of mana through her body.
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She was close—very close to becoming a fourth-tier mage.
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Once she got there, she wouldn’t have to fear Grace anymore.
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Knock knock knock!
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“Come in,” Lorin called lazily.
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Grace entered quietly.
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Before the maid could speak, Lorin cut her off. “Take me to your alchemy workshop.”
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Since Claire had no intention of compensating her—and even dared to bring up the stabbing—then Lorin wasn’t going to hold back either.
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She had paid a very steep price for that incident, thank you very much.
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She planned to use the Blood Clan’s alchemy materials to craft herself a new artifact.
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If she could find spatial cube components, all the better.
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Because she wasn’t just a grand archmage—she was an alchemist.
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Alchemists had three tiers: Explorer, Equivalent Exchange, and Gold.
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In her past life, she had reached the second tier—Equivalent Exchange Alchemist.
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“Your Highness…”
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Grace looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated.
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Lorin raised a brow. “What is it?”
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“The Queen and Princess asked that you go to the royal office… to handle some matters.”
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Lorin’s face twisted in disdain.
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So they really were treating her like an heir.
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No thanks!
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She needed to find a way to return to her original body and start a romantic journey worthy of a young adult.
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There was no way she was staying trapped in this loli form.
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What if things got serious and someone looked at her and said, “Wait… you don’t have that?”
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Where would she even put her face then?!
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“No—”
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Just as she began to refuse, Grace added, “The Princess said that if you don’t go, she’ll personally come visit you. Every single night…”
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“I’M GOING! Heading to the royal office now—let’s move!”
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Lorin did a 180 on the spot.
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***
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“Where are they?”
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Lorin looked around, bewildered.
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The massive royal office was completely empty.
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It sat at the highest level of the castle.
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The morning sun poured in through spotless windows, flooding the space with a warm, golden glow.
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The walls were painted a pristine white.
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A few abstract paintings hung in asymmetrical harmony, adding life and artful flair to the otherwise orderly room.
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At the front sat an enormous, finely crafted desk.
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Its surface was as smooth as a mirror, glinting faintly in the light.
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Behind it stood a luxury chair—its ergonomic design perfectly blended comfort and nobility.
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Soft leather.
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Precise stitching.
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The kind of craftsmanship that screamed expensive.
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Piled high across the desk were towering stacks of documents, blocking Lorin’s line of sight… and maybe her future.
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“They… went out to inspect the Bloodlands,” Grace said after a moment’s thought, carefully choosing her words.
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Lorin stared at the paper mountain and swallowed hard.
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She had a very bad feeling.
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This stack… couldn’t possibly be for her, could it?
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“Uh… actually, let’s just head to the alchemy lab—”
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She tried to slip out, but Grace blocked her path.
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“The Queen and Princess said they’d like to assess Your Highness’s capabilities in governing state affairs.”
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“Wha—?! Is that even legal???”
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Lorin was dumbfounded.
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Then she laughed coldly.
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Oh, now she got it.
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The two of them just wanted to go out and have fun without coming back to a fortress buried in paperwork.
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So they’d dumped it all on her, like she was some beast of burden in the royal stables.
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“Assessment,” they said… Ha!
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Half of Phyllis’ current governing skill came from her guidance back in the day!
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Though of course, no one here knew she was once the famed archmage of the Northern Continent.
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“Not doing it!”
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She raised both hands in protest, declaring her resignation from responsibility.
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“The Princess… left a letter for you.”
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Grace quietly took out a sealed envelope and handed it to her.
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Lorin accepted it and looked down.
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Scrawled across the front was a single name:
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Christian Byrne.
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