Su Nian uncorked the bottle and placed the shimmering granules into her mouth.
A rich, fruity, sweet-and-sour flavor instantly exploded across her taste buds with a domineering intensity.
Immediately following that, countless tiny bubbles began to dance wildly and burst atop the tip of her tongue, making a faint “crack-crackle” sound and bringing waves of a strange, intense tingling sensation.
Then slowly, and with a reckless determination as if she were abandoning all inhibitions, she slid off the bed.
The soft, thick wool carpet silently swallowed all the sound of her knees hitting the floor.
She knelt before the man who was still reclining against the headboard.
The young girl lifted her head, her misty eyes looking up at the man before her… her Master.
However, she opened her mouth slightly.
Chu Tian’s dark pupils suddenly constricted.
He watched the girl’s movements and the light in her eyes—a mixture of humiliation, resolve, and a hint of defiance.
The blood in his body felt as if it had been ignited in an instant.
***
[Humiliation Value: +23,677]
[Annoyance Value: +23,677]
….
20 minutes later.
Su Nian walked with steady steps to the bathroom partitioned by a screen.
With a slight flick of her fingertips, a stream of clear water appeared out of thin air, gently washing over her body and carrying away all traces of stickiness.
She focused on washing her cheeks and her long hair.
The cool water lowered the temperature of her burning cheeks and allowed her brain, which had been somewhat clouded by extreme shame, to regain its clarity.
As an existence whose soul was once that of a man, everything she had just done was undoubtedly humiliating.
Before her Horned Demon Master, she still could only play the role of a “servant.”
But everything was different now.
She was no longer just a passive recipient.
Now she had found a new way—a way to fight back, a way to disturb this bastard’s peace of mind.
‘Everyone, things are looking up!’
‘Operation: Turn the Horned Demon into a Simp, initiate!’
***
In front of a dressing table carved with rose patterns Su Nian sat quietly, meticulously tidying her disheveled clothes and re-combing her smooth, golden hair.
She wanted to demand to leave this dungeon immediately, but she did not speak.
This was because she could clearly feel that the Horned Demon would soon take the initiative to let her out.
After all, if he truly intended to imprison her here forever, there would be no need for him to mention the Third Prince who had fled from battle, nor would there be any need to test her with such a suspicious tone.
He was afraid.
He was afraid that once she, the Star-Moon Saintess, regained her freedom, she would escape his control and be snatched away by the Redmaple Royal Family and that useless Third Prince.
Sure enough.
Just as Su Nian acted as though nothing had happened, skillfully using one red headband to tie her long hair into a fresh, neat high ponytail behind her head, a deliberately suppressed voice came from the man behind her.
That voice had returned to its usual steadiness, even carrying a hint of feigned coldness.
“Now, I have an important plan.”
Through the mirror, Su Nian saw that the man had sat up straight again.
The flushed look of losing composure had faded from his face, replaced once more by that cold and wicked expression.
She sneered inwardly but turned around with a perfectly timed look of pleasant surprise on her face.
“What plan? Does… does it also have something to do with me?”
She blinked innocently, looking like a kitten that had heard its master’s call and was wagging its tail while waiting to be fed.
“Mhm.”
Chu Tian stood up from the bed and walked slowly to stand behind her.
He reached out, his long fingers running through the golden ponytail the girl had just tied, feeling the smoothness and softness of the strands.
“The plan concerns the movements of the Demon Race. Our radiant Star-Moon Saintess will need to cooperate fully.”
He leaned down, his hot breath brushing against the rim of her ear.
At the thought of this peerless girl before him—who was about to cause a sensation throughout the entire kingdom once again—being his personal property, and how her high-and-mighty, holy appearance hid a flirtatiousness that bloomed only for him, an indescribable sense of excitement and possessiveness grew wildly in his heart.
However, serious business came first.
The threat of the Demon Race had to be eradicated as soon as possible.
When that time came, he would have plenty of time to engage in a “battle of wits and courage” with this little wildcat, who was becoming increasingly good at scratching people.
‘To think she actually learned to use something like “popping candy” to deal with me, making me feel “off my game” today and causing me to lose so much face…’
‘It seems I also need to go to the System Shop and look for some suitable “props.” I must make her understand who the real Master is.’
Upon hearing that the plan concerned the Demon Race, the flirtatious expression Su Nian had deliberately put on for survival melted away like ice and snow under the sun.
Her body subconsciously tensed, and the mist in her eyes vanished, replaced by a clear and sharp cold light.
This was the focus of a Magic Tutor and the determination of the idol Su Nian when facing a challenge.
‘The Demon Race…’
This term cast a heavy shadow over her mind.
She did not want the life she had finally adapted to to be completely destroyed by the flames of war.
She could not imagine Amy, Lise, the lively and lovely girls from Magic Feather Fantasy, or the students at the Academy who were full of hope for the future turning into cold skeletons under the black iron hooves of the Demon Race.
Uniting with the Horned Demon to fight the Demon Race together.
After careful consideration, this was her only realistic choice.
The Horned Demon might be wicked, but he was not weak.
His power was unfathomable, and his strategies were sinister and cunning.
Pulling such a powerful combat force into the fray to deal with those fearless and purely mad demons was definitely a situation where the benefits outweighed the disadvantages.
Moreover, she could hear that this time, there wasn’t a hint of mockery or playfulness in the Horned Demon’s tone.
He was being serious.
This was not another humiliating game where she was forced to execute some strange “task.”
“Regardless of how dangerous the plan is, I will carry it out properly.” Su Nian spoke, her voice returning to its usual coldness and serenity, carrying a sense of unquestionable decisiveness.
She straightened her back once more, as if the woman who had been kneeling on the carpet just a moment ago, doing her utmost to please him, was merely an illusory phantom.
Chu Tian watched her instantaneous transformation, the smile in the depths of his eyes growing thicker.
He nodded slightly, appearing extremely satisfied with her current posture.
That was it.
This was the woman he had set his sights on.
In front of outsiders, she was the radiant, cold, noble, and untouchable Star-Moon Saintess.
Only in front of him, and only within his bedroom, would she cast aside all her disguises and defenses, revealing that charm and obedience reserved solely for him.
This extreme contrast and this double standard meant only for him undoubtedly satisfied his desire for conquest to the greatest extent.
“Tomorrow at noon, I will give you a set of blueprints.”
Chu Tian took a step with his long legs and walked over to the large desk.
His fingertips tapped lightly on the smooth wooden surface, making a steady and rhythmic sound.
“You will ride your Giant Dragon and reappear before the world in your identity as the Star-Moon Saintess.”