She absolutely, utterly could not accept it!**
It had already been over a month since her last escape attempt.
Yet looking back now, it felt like years had passed. How had she… fallen so suddenly and so far?!
No! Absolutely not!
Forcing her to bear a child was her absolute, non-negotiable bottom line!
This time might only be talk… but what about next time?!
Even if Movira didn’t invent new ways to torment her, would there be a second, a third…?
Escape! She had to carry out a second escape!
And this time was different from the last. Last time she had no allies at all, but now…
If she passed through Duke Dekrian’s territory and then the Giantwing Demon chieftain’s domain, she could absolutely be smuggled out!
But… if she suddenly vanished, what would happen to Lina? To Ailinuo?
In the process of gaining allies, she had unknowingly accumulated far too many ties.
Perhaps… she should plan more carefully.
At the very least, she had to get away before Movira decided her body was fully “developed” and “nourished” enough!
This time the plan had to be flawless…
…
Inside the study of the Princess Regent’s Palace, the air carried the familiar scent of ink and parchment.
Seraphina sat behind the wide desk, still wearing the same long gown she had worn returning from the Bloodborn banquet; only the heavy jewelry had been removed.
Even her hair was simply let down, loose behind her back.
Ailinuo was temporarily taking Lina’s place, carefully sorting the documents Seraphina had already reviewed.
Her movements were still a little clumsy, about the same as Lina’s had been at the beginning, but far more earnest.
One of the scrolls had been delivered by Dekrian’s messenger; it had actually arrived at the Demon King’s Castle before Seraphina herself.
It was not formal correspondence; the wording was unusually direct.
It mentioned that the human cuisine served at the banquet had indeed piqued the interest of clans that had been sitting on the fence, but it had also irritated the die-hard opposition.
They were already grumbling in private that these were “weak human toys of humans” and questioning whether this would make the Demon Realm dangerously dependent on mankind.
Of course, a small faction had always been secretly sabotaging the seed transports.
This scroll required no reply from Seraphina. After reading it, she handed it to Lina on the side.
“Take it and burn it.”
The documents from Blackstone Outpost were still marked with the highest priority seal.
From them Seraphina learned that in the past half-month, the seedlings in that black soil had never stopped growing; some were even showing signs of ripening.
Bask’s wording was off; ripening? It was far too early to call it ripening!
Still, Seraphina approved rewards and ordered that, outside of wartime, a portion of the soldiers should set down their weapons and reclaim as much land as possible.
The entire session lasted nearly two hours, yet Seraphina swore these were the most willingly processed documents she had handled in over a year.
Working hard for her own cause (food) and finally seeing results was truly wonderful.
“Lina.” Seraphina looked up at the figure arranging books in the corner.
“Go make three cups of tea. Same as last time is fine.”
The moment she mentioned “last time,” Seraphina couldn’t help remembering how she had deliberately made things difficult for Lina.
Looking back now, she wanted to slap her past self. How could she have been so childish!
“Yes, Your Highness.” Lina’s response was calm, which actually relieved Seraphina.
But… why did her tone feel a little colder than before?
It must be my imagination.
When Ailinuo heard the order, she quickly waved her hands. “There’s no need, Your Highness. I’m not thirsty, please don’t trouble yourself…”
“It’s fine.” Seraphina gently cut off her refusal. “We’re almost finished with the paperwork; it’s quite dull work. This is just to refresh us. Besides, you should taste Lina’s skill.”
Seraphina watched Lina’s retreating back, then glanced at Ailinuo still meticulously finishing the last tasks.
She had to carefully balance the two.
Before Ailinuo arrived, almost everything had been left to Lina.
Now that Ailinuo was here, Seraphina was obliged to give her real work, which inevitably meant taking some duties away from Lina.
She needed to maintain Lina’s loyalty with appropriate attention, whereas with Ailinuo… there was no need to be overly concerned.
Lina soon returned with three steaming cups. She placed one beside Seraphina’s hand and handed another to Ailinuo. “Here you are.”
Her voice was flat and even, betraying no emotion.
“Thank you, Miss Lina,” Ailinuo said softly. She regarded Lina with the natural awe one shows toward someone close to Seraphina, especially curious about the special treatment Lina received.
Seraphina lifted her cup. The perfectly warm tea sent up curls of steam that gently chased away the fatigue in her mind.
Night fell as expected. Seraphina had long finished the day’s work and was now passing time in the courtyard.
Ailinuo had been led away by the other maids to her new room, leaving only Seraphina and Lina present.
“Ha— it’s getting late. You should rest early too.”
Seraphina said this to Lina, then rose from the recliner and headed toward the bedroom.
Whose bedroom it was… went without saying.
If it wasn’t Movira’s bedroom, Movira would simply drag her back, and the consequences would be far worse.
Pushing open the heavy door to Movira’s bedroom, that familiar incense washed over her at once.
Movira was indeed already there, wearing only a thin nightgown, lazily reclining on the chaise with her long legs crossed.
The moment she saw Seraphina step inside, cautious and tense, a smile immediately curved her lips.
“My, my, my dear is being very proactive tonight. I was expecting to have to ‘invite’ you a second time!”
Seraphina said nothing. She walked silently to the bedside and began removing only her outer coat.
That was all. As for the clothes underneath… she didn’t dare touch them.
Even though, in front of Movira who truly wanted to explore, those layers were as thin as cicada wings…
Movira set down the gem she had been toying with, stood, and slowly walked behind Seraphina.
Her arms naturally slid around Seraphina’s waist; her chin tilted and rested against Seraphina’s neck.
Movira could feel the girl in her embrace stiffen instantly. She tightened her hold to prevent any escape.
“Let… go…”
Seraphina’s protest was weak and powerless.
“Don’t move~”
That single sultry syllable from Movira sent a jolt of alarm through Seraphina’s heart.
“Ah—!” A startled cry burst from Seraphina’s throat.
One moment she had been standing there forcing herself to stay calm; the next, the world spun violently.
A tremendous force seized her waist. In an instant Movira effortlessly scooped her up like a sack of cotton and cradled her princess-style.
“Movira! Are you fucking in heat?!”