“Huh?”
Miss Klein was dumbfounded.
‘Good?’
‘What kind of absurd treatment plan is this?’
‘Did your head get squeezed by a door?’
“Laxana, I know you too well.”
Her Highness walked slowly up to her, crossed her arms, and stood at ease.
“You simply can’t act like that woman named Xiyong—that kind of seductive tenderness.”
BOOM!
Laxana felt as if her pride had been trampled on.
“When you’re intimate, if you’re a little too greedy, a little too proactive, that man Wendy, who’s been spoiled by false tenderness, will immediately sense something wrong.”
“He’ll realize that the person in his memories and the you in front of him are two completely different people!”
Astreia’s plan was simple, crude, and… hit the nail on the head.
But Laxana was unconvinced.
‘Why!’
‘Why are you so sure I can’t act it out!’
“Who says I can’t act it out!”
Miss Klein’s stubborn temper flared up.
She stiffened her neck, her face flushed with indignation.
“Don’t forget, I’ve read all those drawing books since I was a child—if not a thousand, then at least nine hundred!”
She grew more agitated, even taking a step forward, trying to overpower her best friend in presence.
“In terms of theoretical knowledge, I’m far richer than you! Why can’t I be a little gentler?”
This vehement accusation was met with an even more obvious laugh from Astreia.
“Theory?”
Her Highness looked as if she had heard the biggest joke.
“Laxana, my dear friend, you want to talk theory with me now?”
She extended a finger and gently tapped Laxana’s forehead.
“Then tell me, in all those past opportunities, when you got close to Wendy, weren’t you as desperate as a cat that’s stolen fish?”
“Which time didn’t you wish you could devour him whole?”
“Even if you tried your best to restrain yourself, your magic power fluctuations were several times more intense than a normal woman’s!”
Astreia withdrew her hand, glanced around the secret chamber, and finally let her gaze settle on the large sofa.
“Your ‘gentleness’ is just pinning him down on the sofa and biting him?”
Laxana was choked speechless.
Every word was like a boomerang flying from the past, hitting her hard in the face.
There was no refuting it.
Because everything Astreia said was the truth.
The moment she saw Wendy’s face, the moment she smelled his scent, her brain would automatically short-circuit.
All theoretical knowledge, all plans and reserve, would be thrown out the window.
Bodily instinct would take over everything.
“That was carrying out the plan! It was for Wendy’s good! I can control it!”
She finally squeezed out a pale and feeble excuse through gritted teeth.
“I’m different now! I’ve learned my lesson! I—”
“Control?”
Astreia raised an eyebrow.
“Really?”
“That… that was before!”
Laxana stammered for a long while, unable to produce a strong defense.
Astreia suddenly leaned in, lowered herself, and asked in Laxana’s ear with a very soft voice:
“Do you really… not enjoy this process?”
“Being relied on by him, being gazed at with that loving look, hearing him call you ‘Nana’…”
“Dare you say there isn’t a hint of secret delight in your heart?”
Laxana trembled violently, as if struck by an electric current, and abruptly stepped back, widening the distance between them.
Her face had turned pale.
Astreia watched her reaction, the curve of her lips growing more knowing.
“See, you can’t even fool yourself.”
“Laxana, stop deceiving yourself. You’re a king in theory, but a… rookie in practice.”
“I’m not!”
Laxana almost screamed.
“I’m not a rookie! I can do it! I can definitely play that role well! I can definitely do better than that demon!”
Her eyes were bloodshot, and the dormant magic inside her began to surge wildly again due to the intense emotional fluctuations.
She couldn’t take it anymore.
She couldn’t stand Astreia’s condescending scrutiny, and even more so, she couldn’t stand how easily the other had exposed her innermost secret desires.
“Fine.”
Faced with her almost hysterical rebuttal, Astreia was surprisingly calm.
Because the goal had been achieved.
She didn’t continue to provoke Laxana.
“Since you’re so confident, prove it to me.”
Her Highness slowly straightened up, regaining her composure.
“Words are useless. We’ll see the real deal tonight.”
“Wendy will be the best judge. He’ll give you a score with his own body.”
These words were more piercing than any mockery.
Having said that, Astreia no longer looked at her, turned around, and walked toward the exit of the secret chamber.
Just as she was about to step out the door, she suddenly stopped and looked back.
“Oh, by the way.”
Her Highness looked at Laxana, who was already in a daze, and a strange expression appeared on her face, half-smiling.
“Let me remind you.”
“Don’t forget, between you two, there’s still the empathic link.”
“Anything you do to him, you yourself… will also feel double.”
“So, whether you’re guiding him or he’s seducing you, that’s hard to say.”
“Don’t play too far and fall into it yourself.”
After saying that, Astreia’s figure completely disappeared through the doorway.
The door of the secret chamber was gently closed by her.
Click.
A soft sound, completely locking Laxana inside this cage woven from lies, guilt, and secret delight.
Her legs gave way, and she slumped weakly onto the sofa.
Astreia’s words were like countless needles, piercing her until she was full of holes.
‘Yes.’
‘The empathic link.’
‘That damned empathic link that let her experience ultimate bliss and also exposed her completely.’
‘How is she supposed to act?’
‘How is she supposed to maintain an image of gentle virtue and calm composure under that double stimulation?’
‘This is an utterly impossible task!’
‘Astreia… she knew from the very beginning!’
‘She proposed this plan not to test Wendy at all, but to test Laxana herself!’
‘She was forcing her, forcing her to reveal her most genuine desires in front of Wendy!’
“This woman… so malicious!”
Laxana clung tightly to the notebook in her arms.
This was her only trump card.
Also her only hope.
‘No.’
‘I cannot admit defeat.’
‘I must never lose to Astreia!’
‘And I can’t let myself be outdone by that demon who’s already turned to ashes!’
‘Isn’t it just gentleness?’
‘Isn’t it just composure?’
‘Isn’t it just… seduction?’
‘I’ll learn!’
‘I’ll learn right now!’
‘There must be a magic that can achieve this effect!’
Miss Klein’s fighting spirit was completely ignited.
She abruptly stood up from the sofa and opened the notebook in her hand.
She had to find a magic that would allow her to perfectly control her emotions and become the top ‘actress’!
On the pages, those obscure forbidden spell runes seemed to come alive, emitting an alluring glimmer.
She had to find one that could let her perfectly control her emotions, that could…