Dolosa felt her temples throbbing as she looked at Morgana, who wore a face of pure sincerity and was itching to serenade with her Witch’s Lullaby.
An overwhelming sense of helplessness flooded her heart.
There was no way to reason with someone whose mind worked in such mysterious ways.
Forcing her out was out of the question. If this kept dragging on and accidentally woke up Liang Lai, that would truly be a disaster.
She drew in a deep breath, forcing out a “kind” smile so twisted it looked almost grotesque.
Her mind raced—she needed to find a reason so utterly compelling that Morgana would have no choice but to go.
There! She had it!
“Morgana.”
Dolosa’s voice was as steady as she could make it, tinged with a barely noticeable urgency.
“I just remembered—on the topmost shelf of the storage cabinet in the kitchen, I think I hid a book…um…Potion Compendium, one of those really ancient ones. Maybe it’s got Potions for quick sobering up, or to help people sleep better? Want to go check it out now? If Mom wakes up with a headache tomorrow, maybe it’ll come in handy?”
She was just making it up on the spot, wanting nothing more than to send this walking disaster away.
A Potion? Sobering? Who knew!
But as long as she made it about “witches” and “research,” that was always enough to hook this curious creature.
Sure enough, Morgana’s eyes lit up in an instant, brighter than a searchlight.
“Potion Compendium?! Ancient?! Really?!”
In a heartbeat, “taking care of Liang Lai’s mom” and “lullaby” were tossed straight out the window. Excitement took over her whole being.
“Where, where? I’ll go now! I promise I’ll make the best Sobering Potion~”
Her hunger for knowledge, especially the obscure kind, overpowered everything else.
“It’s on the very top shelf of the kitchen, the locked cabinet. The key… I think it’s under the flowerpot next to it,” Dolosa continued spinning her tale, her face unchanging, just hoping Morgana would vanish quickly.
“Great! I’m going right now~” Morgana cheered, darting out of the room like a husky off its leash.
Her footsteps thundered down the corridor, charging straight toward the kitchen.
The world… finally grew a little quieter.
Dolosa let out a long, silent sigh of relief, feeling as if she’d just fought a hard battle.
She immediately spun around and slammed the door shut with a bang—this time, locking it decisively with a crisp click.
Leaning her back against the door, icy blue eyes reignited with blazing fire—an uneasy mix of irritation at being interrupted and the thrill of about to succeed—she stared intently at the still-unconscious Liang Lai on the bed.
And at… Asterys and Delucia, whose eyes now openly sparkled with the same excitement and anticipation.
Obstacle… temporarily cleared. Now, it was an “internal” issue.
Asterys and Delucia cocked their heads in sync, two innocent little faces twisted with mischievous grins as they looked at Dolosa.
“So… can we do it ‘together’ now, Big Sister Dolosa?” Asterys’ voice had a hint of temptation.
Delucia said nothing, but her figure began to waver, growing indistinct.
The moment her sister gave the signal, she would melt into her shadow.
Dolosa’s expression grew so dark it could drip water.
She loathed this kind of sharing, even if it was with these two Shadowborn who were already familiar and somewhat friendly.
But she knew—if she didn’t go along, they’d never stop making trouble.
They might even blab about what just happened, or worse, bring new people in to “share” with her.
Damn it.
She gritted her teeth, forcing out a single, utterly reluctant syllable from her throat: “…Mn.” That counted as consent.
Stabilize them for now—then, when the chance came… The moment permission was given, the twins’ grins widened.
Delucia took a step forward and, soundlessly, melted into the floor, merging with Asterys’ shadow.
That shadow immediately deepened and began to wriggle, as always, stretching out like octopus tentacles.
A slender “tentacle,” composed of pure shadow, slipped silently from the edge of Asterys’ shadow.
Gliding across the chilly floor, it crept noiselessly toward its target on the bed—Liang Lai.
Dolosa held her breath as she watched.
There was a strange thrill, a sense of violating something sacred, twisted together with the bitter displeasure of being forced to share her own territory.
The Shadow Tentacle was first to make contact, brushing against Liang Lai’s hand, which hung off the side of the bed.
It wound softly, like the finest silk, around her wrist, bringing with it a chill, inhuman touch.
In her sleep, Liang Lai seemed to sense something and shivered faintly, but did not wake.
Asterys and Delucia were now releasing toxins.
Even though Liang Lai was drunk, that didn’t mean she wouldn’t wake up; it just meant she was sleeping more deeply than usual…
If they did anything too outrageous, she’d still wake.
So they had to inject the toxins again—only then could they be sure she’d stay unconscious, no matter what happened.
The Shadow Tentacle grew bolder, slowly inching upward.
It traced along Liang Lai’s pale arm, savoring the flow of warm blood beneath the skin, a sharp contrast between the warmth of life and the icy hunger of the Shadowborn—a stimulation both strange and heady.
It traced every curve of Liang Lai’s arm, sometimes playfully scratching at the soft skin inside, coaxing tiny, unconscious moans from her lips as she dreamed.
Asterys stood rooted to the spot, her face lost in intoxicated bliss.
Through her sister’s shadowy avatar, she could share in the sensation.
She murmured softly, almost as if in a dream: “Saintess’s skin… so warm… just like sunshine… I really, really love it…”
Dolosa watched as the shadow roamed Liang Lai’s body, shameless and free, her own jealousy and longing coiling ever tighter around her heart.
She couldn’t just stand by and watch any longer!
She wanted to join in—whether to replace them or take part, it didn’t matter! She couldn’t bear simply watching—Liang Lai had to be hers! Even if only partly hers…
She strode quickly to the bedside and, almost roughly, shoved aside the Shadow Tentacle lingering on Liang Lai’s arm.
The tentacle writhed in protest, withdrawing a little.
Dolosa bent low, her gaze searing as she stared at Liang Lai’s flushed cheeks—red from both wine and disturbance.
She reached out, and this time her touch was no longer hesitant, but marked by a clear possessiveness.
Her fingertips pressed down firmly, tracing Liang Lai’s brows, her eyes, then those lips she’d just tasted, still swollen and red.
Her every motion was a declaration of ownership—a challenge, both to Delucia in the shadow and to Asterys at her side.
Liang Lai seemed to sense a more forceful intrusion.
Her neck twisted restlessly, brows knitting even tighter, her breathing growing more ragged.
Asterys saw this and a sly smile tugged at her lips. She willed the pushed-away Shadow Tentacle—Delucia—to change tactics at once.
No longer did it linger on the arm. Like a cunning vine, it slipped up under the hem of Liang Lai’s Saintess Robe, along the smooth line of her calf…
The sudden cold, slippery touch against warm skin made Liang Lai shudder sharply. Unconsciously, she tried to ward off the strange invasion, but only succeeded in trapping the shadow further.
“Mmn…”
A muffled, uneasy little sound escaped Liang Lai’s throat.
At the same time, a thinner branch split off from the main Shadow Tentacle, moving of its own accord, climbing up Liang Lai’s waist, even slipping into the gap of her clothing to seek out her core warmth.
Dolosa’s gaze grew even darker.
Watching Liang Lai, ensnared in her dreams, reveal a side so fragile and tempting—so unlike her usual holy self—completely upset Dolosa’s breath.
No longer satisfied with surface caresses, her fingers, trembling, began to undo the ties at the side of Liang Lai’s Saintess Robe…
Only three remained in the room—two people, one shadow.
The heavy, uneven sounds of breathing, mingled with the unconscious moans and whimpers of the sleeping girl. The air grew thick as ink, heavy with sinful, forbidden, yet intoxicating desire.
A twisted “care” in the dead of night, known to no one, was unfolding quietly upon the drunken, sleeping Saintess.
Of course, they still didn’t dare go all the way.
And the only outsider, Morgana, was happily rummaging around in the kitchen, searching for a Potion Compendium that didn’t exist.
“So strange, where is it? It’s not here!” Morgana muttered, frowning, cheeks puffed in frustration.
“No way! I have to go back and ask Dolosa properly! She didn’t even tell me where it is! Seriously…”
Completely unaware she’d been tricked, she was about to storm into Dolosa’s room to demand an explanation.
In Morgana’s mind, it was Dolosa who was the fool, simply remembering the place wrong.
With that, Morgana returned to Dolosa’s door. Just as she was about to knock, she heard a strange sound from within.
“Eh?”
Her fist hovered mid-air, neither falling nor withdrawing.
“What’s that sound inside? It feels so familiar… Just like at the start, only way more intense.”
She muttered, squinting as she hesitated, then finally lowered her hand.
Once again, Morgana chose to eavesdrop by the door.
She pressed herself against the door, careful not to touch the handle for fear of pushing it open again.
“Hoo~”
She took a deep breath, held it, and listened intently to the unspeakable sounds from within.
It puzzled her—just how were those sounds being made?
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.