The morning light was faint.
Wendy was woken up by a gentle tickling sensation.
He bleary-eyed opened his eyes, and the first thing that came into view was Astreia’s exquisite sleeping face right in front of him.
The Valkyrie of the North was currently lying on her side next to him, sleeping soundly, her even breathing lightly brushing against his cheek.
Her dazzling, long pale-golden hair cascaded across the pillow like a waterfall.
One strand of hair was unconsciously wrapped around her fingertip, and that same fingertip, by some coincidence, was lightly stroking the Prince’s face.
Wendy moved his body, only to feel as if he had been run over by a carriage.
He felt sore and weak all over, especially around his waist, where a sense of hollow exhaustion lingered.
Without even needing to reminisce, he knew exactly what kind of crazed “Purification Ritual” had taken place last night.
From twilight to deep night, from the sofa to the carpet, and then from the carpet to this soft, large bed…
The dignified Prince had been “purified” by Her Highness the Princess—who had clearly developed a taste for it—in various ways for the entire night.
The final result was that the Witch Personality had indeed been suppressed, but he himself was nearly drained dry.
‘Is this a curse purification or a kidney harvest?’
Wendy complained wildly in his head but didn’t dare make even the slightest move, fearing he would wake the older woman who could undergo “Witchification” at any moment.
But just because he didn’t move didn’t mean she wouldn’t react.
Astreia’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she slowly opened those emerald, starry eyes.
Looking drowsy from sleep, she saw Wendy was awake.
Her face didn’t show her usual shyness; instead, it wore a lazy, satisfied smile.
She leaned in and gave Wendy a light peck on the corner of his mouth, her voice carrying the characteristic rasp of early morning.
“Good morning, my Mr. Pet.”
Wendy: “…”
‘Wait, is the “guardian by day, pet by night” contract already being enforced? The sun is up; I should have switched back to my “guardian” identity!’
However, meeting Astreia’s eyes—which were filled with satiety and possessiveness—Wendy wisely swallowed the protest that was on the tip of his tongue.
Forget it, a wise man knows when to yield.
***
The two of them lingered in the room for a long while.
It wasn’t until the growling of their stomachs could no longer be ignored that they slowly changed into spare Academy uniforms and headed to the dining hall on the first floor of the castle.
The dining hall of the Central Continent Academy was less like a restaurant and more like a magnificent palace.
Intricate magical murals were painted on the high vaulted ceiling, and a massive crystal chandelier cast a soft, bright glow.
The long dining tables were covered in snow-white tablecloths, laden with all sorts of steaming, delicate dishes.
As soon as Wendy and Astreia stepped into the dining hall, a gaze full of resentment shot toward them like a sharp arrow.
Not far away, Laxana stood with her hands on her hips, glaring at them indignantly, her beautiful violet eyes nearly spitting fire.
Seeing her look of sleep deprivation and the slight dark circles under her eyes, Wendy could guess even with his toes that the world-shaking “Purification Ritual” from last night had been “experienced immersion-style” by this Lady of the Klein family through the empathy of the “Thorn Kiss.”
Facing Laxana’s sorrowful little gaze, Wendy guiltily lowered his head and stuffed a piece of bread into his mouth.
He focused on his nose and his heart, trying his best to lower his presence.
However, Astreia beside him showed no intention of backing down.
In fact, she took the initiative to attack.
Under the stunned gazes of both Wendy and Laxana, Astreia took a long stride, walked straight up to Laxana, reached out, and pinched the girl’s puffed-up cheeks, pulling them outward.
“Oh, isn’t this our Lady of the Klein family?”
Astreia’s tone was full of sarcasm, and her emerald eyes held an unshielded scrutiny and coldness.
“You certainly have a lot of nerve.”
“In Berwick City, while I was away, you stole my man. After returning to the Royal Palace, you even dared to drag my younger sister into a threesome.”
“Laxana Klein, tell me, is there anything you don’t dare to do?”
This string of accusations hit Laxana like a barrage of cannon fire, each sentence causing the color to drain from her face.
Laxana’s eyes widened in instant horror.
She had originally thought that the crazed behavior from last night must have been dominated by Astreia’s Witch Personality.
Although she was jealous that the Witch could possess Wendy so unscrupulously, what she truly feared and cared about was Astreia’s pure, kind, and original personality that regarded her as a comrade-in-arms.
But now, Astreia was actually digging up every single thing that had happened in the past!
This meant… the original personality was back!
And she knew everything!
A wave of massive panic and shame instantly seized Laxana’s heart.
In the end, she had betrayed her best friend!
“I… I didn’t mean to… Astreia… I’m sorry…”
Laxana’s voice was thick with a crying tone, and a mist gradually covered her eyes.
She looked like a child caught red-handed doing something wrong, utterly humiliated.
The originally noisy sounds in the dining hall quieted down.
Quite a few noble students looked over curiously, but fortunately, they were far enough away that they couldn’t hear anything clearly.
Wendy kept his head down, gnawing on his bread, feeling deathly nervous.
He feared that in the next second, he would witness a classic scene of best friends turning against each other and brawling on the spot.
However, just as the atmosphere reached its peak tension, the strength in Astreia’s hand pinching Laxana’s cheek suddenly loosened.
Her sarcastic expression was gradually replaced by a sliver of mischievous teasing.
“Alright, what are you crying for?”
She wiped away the tears from the corner of Laxana’s eye with her thumb.
“I’ll let the past go. In the future, if you still want to play…”
Astreia leaned into Laxana’s ear and whispered in a volume only the two of them could hear:
“I can take you along. We can toy with him together—”
As the words fell, the bread in Wendy’s mouth—who was pretending to be air—dropped back onto his plate with a clatter.
He jerked his head up, his face covered in question marks.
‘Toy with “him” together? Toy with who? Me?!’
Laxana was also stunned.
She looked up at Astreia in disbelief, her tear-filled eyes written with confusion.
It took a long time before she stammered out a question.
“You… you don’t mind?”
Hearing this question, the teasing look on Astreia’s face faded, and her expression gradually became solemn.
She let go of her hand and led the dazed Laxana and the ghostly-looking Wendy to an empty table in the corner of the dining hall.
“When I first found out what happened between you and Wendy in Berwick City, I was indeed very angry. I felt betrayed,” Astreia said honestly, her gaze sweeping over the two of them.
“It was precisely because of that intense emotion that she was able to take advantage of the opening and seize control of the body. Afterward, I could actually see and feel the things that happened between ‘her’ and Wendy, like a bystander locked in a cage.”
Astreia’s gaze became complex.
“I cannot accept the way ‘she’ treats Wendy. That method of completely disregarding his feelings and only treating him as a possession and a pet… that isn’t love; it’s pure possessiveness.”
“So, I need your help, Laxana.”
Astreia looked solemnly at her friend.
“With my power alone, it’s difficult to completely suppress her. But if I add you, perhaps we have a chance.”
She paused, then added:
“Furthermore, your first time with Wendy was an accident. I can forgive you.”
At this point, a rare and suspicious blush appeared on Astreia’s cheeks, and her voice dropped lower.
“And… while watching ‘her’ and Wendy… being tainted by those desires, I sometimes… even had some… strange fantasies…”
“For example, being together with you…”
The sentence wasn’t finished, but the meaning was already more than clear.
Boom!
This explosive revelation caused both Wendy’s and Laxana’s brains to crash.
The two of them stared at Astreia, open-mouthed, feeling as if their worldview was being reconstructed.
The pure Princess not only forgave her cheating best friend but also actively invited her to “fight” her own dark side together… and even confessed that she had fantasized about a threesome?
Was there something wrong with the way this plot was developing?!
After a brief moment of stagnation, Laxana was the first to react.
A surge of wild joy, like a mountain flood, instantly washed away all logic.
“Astreia!”
She shrieked and threw herself into Astreia’s arms, burying her face in that familiar, warm, and soft chest just like when they were children, crying loudly with excitement.
Her best friend was back!
And she had even received “official permission” to be with the man she loved!
This was double the happiness!
It was a scenario she only dared to imagine in her dreams!
Astreia smiled, gently patting Laxana’s back, softly comforting her long-lost comrade.
Everything seemed so warm and touching.
However, only Wendy, who was sitting directly across from them, saw it clearly.
From an angle Laxana couldn’t see, as Astreia held her friend, the smile that slowly curled at the corner of her mouth was a bit deeper than usual.
For some reason, it made Wendy feel a hint of… unfamiliarity.