Su Nian thought of that handsome, aggressively striking face that always carried a wicked smile—the man who seemed ready at any moment to pin her against the wall…
Her heart clenched sharply.
The girl snapped back to her senses, shaking her head vigorously, trying to fling that man’s image out of her mind.
‘Wuu wuu wuu.’
What was she even thinking had she gone mad!
Why, when considering what kind of partner she might seek for emotional and physical needs after leaving the horned demon, did her mind land on that man…
That horned demon bastard was her sworn enemy!
The villain she had vowed to defeat in this lifetime…
Could it really be like those strange novels and anime—after being possessed again and again by the damned horned demon, she was sinking into depravity… developing a taste for it, her heart quietly giving birth to some entirely different emotion?
Why was this happening?
After mentally screening through every possibility, the one who remained—the one who best matched her subconscious desires—was actually that bastard horned demon… the one who had imprisoned her, violated her, trampled her dignity underfoot and wantonly ravaged her.
This realization filled Su Nian with overwhelming humiliation and shame!
It meant that, without her noticing, she was gradually being conquered by the horned demon.
On the surface, her reason hated him to the bone; she swore to tear him into a thousand pieces.
Yet in the deepest, most primal part of her instincts, an inexplicable feeling toward him had emerged… one she couldn’t even explain to herself.
‘No. This absolutely was not affection.’
It had to be because that bastard had used every despicable method to forcibly twist her body and emotional perceptions!
Plus the influence of those strange conditions she was under.
Once she became a deity, once those conditions vanished, everything would return to normal.
Yes, that had to be it!
Having found what seemed like a reasonable excuse, the stormy waves in Su Nian’s heart finally calmed a little.
However, deep inside, there still lingered the possibility that frightened her the most.
What if, after becoming a deity and gaining the power to completely defeat the horned demon, she still ended up groveling at his side, letting him toy with her as he pleased…
No… impossible.
Absolutely impossible!
“Nian Bao? What’s wrong? Your face is so red.” Amy looked at her worriedly and reached out to feel her forehead.
“N-nothing!”
Su Nian flinched like a startled fawn, frantically waving her hands to dodge Amy’s touch.
“I just… used up too much today. I’m a bit tired!” She scrambled for an excuse in a fluster.
Right now, Su Nian didn’t even dare meet the concerned yet slightly gossipy gazes of Amy and Lise, terrified they would read her shocking secret from her out-of-control expression.
The noble, powerful Holy Lady whom everyone admired was, in private, actually a captive chambermaid who needed to serve the horned demon…
How could she possibly admit that?
Noticing Su Nian didn’t want to continue the topic that had frozen the air, the quick-witted Lise immediately changed the subject.
“Recently Amy and I have been taking lessons from the same teacher to learn painting. The magazine happens to need hand-drawn style cover sketches from us too.”
As she spoke, she pulled Amy over to drag two drawing boards out from the corner, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.
“Why don’t we have Miss Su Nian model for us and let us draw one?”
“Eh, sure!” Su Nian nodded immediately.
She needed something else to do—something to drive that figure out of her mind.
The next moment Su Nian struck a pose in front of the two girls, straightening her back and forcing the corners of her lips into a perfect arc, just as she had practiced countless times on stage.
The magic light orbs in the dressing room cast a soft glow; a faint scent of powder drifted in the air, mingling with the fresh smell of paper and charcoal.
Amy and Lise held their breath.
The charcoal pencils in their hands produced rapid, faint scratching sounds against the paper.
Su Nian watched their focused profiles—watched them lift their heads from time to time to study her, then quickly lower them to sketch again.
After who knew how long, the sound of charcoal stopped at the same moment.
“With Nian Bao as judge, I think my style is going to win!”
Amy puffed out her cheeks and held up her drawing board like a treasure, brimming with confidence.
“Let’s see it.” Su Nian’s gaze shifted over.
The next second, the fake smile at the corner of her lips turned into an unstoppable soft laugh.
On the paper was a chibi version of herself.
Big round eyes, a plump little face.
And her mount, the wind-element giant dragon Little Green, had its mouth wide open—swallowing a jelly-like slime in one gulp.
That silly, adorable look was so ridiculous it made her burst out laughing.
“Hahaha, Little Green looks way too funny.” Su Nian laughed until her shoulders shook.
The gloom that had weighed on her chest for days seemed to truly lighten a little thanks to this cute drawing.
Next came Lise’s work.
The moment Su Nian’s eyes landed on that drawing, the smile on her face froze instantly.
Her eyes widened and her breathing halted for a second.
Lise had also drawn her but this wasn’t a cute cartoon style—it was realistic.
The girl in the painting wore the same starry dress, standing quietly.
The use of light and shadow was perfect, making her look exceptionally beautiful.
“Are you two… sure you had the same teacher?” Su Nian asked subconsciously.
“Huh? Nian Bao… What do you mean? Are you saying mine looks bad!” Amy immediately puffed up indignantly.
“Hehe, I think yours is pretty cute…” Su Nian quickly gathered herself and teased with a smile, “It’s just that my giant dragon might think you drew it too ugly and come attack you in the middle of the night…”
“Aaaah… nooo, Giant Dragon Lord, I was wrong!”
Amy dramatically clutched her head and let out an exaggerated wail.
The dressing room filled once again with cheerful air.
After messing around for a while, the three settled down again.
“By the way, the magic phone recently added a new ‘game’ function. Let’s play together!” Lise shook the magic phone in her hand excitedly.
“Game?” Su Nian’s heart jolted.
The “updates” on the magic phone—apart from the horned demon’s Shadowmoon Manor—no one else on the entire continent could pull off.
‘That horned demon guy…’
The magic phone itself could be explained as a communication tool; that was easy enough to imagine.
But developing games on the magic phone… his way of thinking was too advanced, too… familiar.
“Hurry, Nian Bao, log in!”
“Coming!” Su Nian shook her head hard, forcing herself not to dwell on those heart-pounding guesses.
She needed to immerse herself, enjoy this brief moment of peace with her friends.
Several hours of gameplay flew by.
It was a tower-defense-style strategy game where players could team up to gather resources, defeat monsters for more resources, then build various magic towers to fend off wave after wave of monster attacks.
Su Nian, Amy, and Lise played with great enthusiasm.
Excited shouts and frustrated groans rose one after another.
Night fell.
Su Nian glanced at the time displayed on the magic phone; her heart sank abruptly.
“I… I’ll head back first! You two rest early too!”
Her figure slipped through the back door of Magic Feather Fantasy like a wisp of smoke.
She silently cast light invisibility magic and melted into the thick darkness surrounding Shadowmoon Manor.
At the same time, in the study, Chu Tian stared at the magic map.
The light dot representing Su Nian was moving rapidly—heading straight toward the manor.
Only then did his constantly taut nerves relax the slightest bit.
His little wildcat’s reputation and strength were skyrocketing at a pace that even startled him.
He felt both proud and—unavoidably—an anxious fear of losing her.
He dreaded that the breathtakingly beautiful girl he had once held freely in his arms, taking whatever he wanted, would one day spread her fully grown wings and fly off into her own vast sky without looking back, forever escaping his control.
Fortunately, she had returned.
The moment Su Nian dispelled her light magic in the manor courtyard and her figure reappeared, a maid respectfully approached and softly relayed her master’s command: “please proceed to the dining hall for dinner.”
“Mmm…”
Dinner still had to be eaten.
Today she had perfectly carried out that damned horned demon’s plan—essentially working for him all day like a loyal subordinate.
Eating one good meal from him was only right and proper.
‘Time to chow down!’
In the dining hall, the crystal chandelier cast warm, bright light.
Su Nian sat at one end of the long table.
Under the maids’ meticulous gaze, she maintained flawless dining etiquette, her movements elegant as though taken from a textbook.
But her eating speed was noticeably faster than usual and she deliberately picked the most expensive items!
After finishing, she dabbed her lips.
A tall figure silently appeared beside her, casting a heart-fluttering shadow.
“Go wait in the room first. I still have some matters to handle in the study.” Chu Tian’s voice was calm, emotionless.
Su Nian gave a slight nod, saying nothing.
Inside, though, she was frantically roasting him.
Who knew if this guy really had business to attend to?
Maybe he just wanted her waiting on her knees at the door to satisfy his sense of dominance?
‘Perverted horned demon!’
Roast him though she might.
Back in the familiar main residence, Su Nian moved without the slightest hesitation.
She deftly took out the soft cashmere rug from the wardrobe, spread it carefully at the entrance, and even smoothed every wrinkle by hand.
Then she went to the table, prepared the fruits he usually ate, warmed the teaware with hot water, and readied a pot of fine black tea.
What rotten luck.
Out in the world she was the revered Holy Lady; in private she lived like a full-time maidservant dedicated to serving her master.
Su Nian’s hand paused slightly as she warmed the teacup.
A bold idea quietly sprouted in her mind.
Tonight, she would test her “taming the horned demon” plan.
Step one: make that arrogant bastard pour her a cup of tea himself.
The excuse… she would say she was exhausted today and terribly thirsty.
Though it sounded completely backwards.
But… judging from what she knew of him, he seemed especially susceptible when she acted spoiled and vulnerable.
She felt the chance of success should be pretty high.
Just as her mind wandered.
From outside, at the end of the corridor, came the steady, familiar sound of footsteps.
It was her horned demon master.
The next moment, Su Nian took a deep breath, forcefully suppressing all her chaotic thoughts.
She hurried to the door.
The starry dress on her body—symbol of supreme glory and purity—drew a dreamy, deep-blue arc with her movement.
Then, slowly, she knelt and sat on the soft rug she had laid out.
Hands folded neatly on her lap, eyes modestly lowered, she assumed the most obedient posture and quietly waited for her master… to push open that door.