Inside Beatrice’s Edron Mansion.
Beatrice sat on the sofa in the living room, reading a book while grumbling about today’s unpleasant events.
Aurora, meanwhile, was slicing apples as she responded to what Beatrice had just said.
After cutting an apple into several small pieces, she picked one up and personally brought it to Beatrice’s lips.
After chewing twice, Beatrice swallowed, then complained with some dissatisfaction, “Hah, they said a substitute teacher was hired to take over my afternoon class. Does that mean the class I teach isn’t as good as that substitute’s?”
“Mm…”
Aurora didn’t say much in response. Instead, she picked up another piece of apple and brought it to Beatrice’s mouth again.
Beatrice seemed to get a bit annoyed at Aurora’s perfunctory “Mm.”
“Ah-um!”
She opened her mouth wide, biting Aurora’s fingers along with the apple.
Aurora was startled by the sudden action, but after a brief shiver, she quickly regained her composure. She didn’t pull her fingers out of Beatrice’s mouth, letting her bite as she pleased.
A metallic taste of blood mingled with the apple’s sweetness, swirling around Beatrice’s mouth.
She seemed to enjoy the flavor, her agile little tongue winding around the wound on Aurora’s fingertip, the sticky, slippery sensation dancing over Aurora’s slender fingers.
Each time the warm, wet tongue licked her wound, a sharp sting shot through her finger, and Aurora’s beautiful brows furrowed slightly in pain.
Noticing her reaction, a faint smile curled at the corner of Beatrice’s lips. The next moment, the pain intensified as Beatrice’s tongue tip pressed insistently against the wound, trying to burrow deeper into it.
Seeing Aurora’s face twist in discomfort from the pain, Beatrice’s smile only grew wider.
After a long moment, she finally pulled Aurora’s finger out of her mouth. A sticky, glistening thread stretched between finger and lips before dropping to the floor.
Beatrice flashed her a teasing smile and provocatively asked, “Did you like that, Aurora?”
Looking at her wound, still bleeding and slick with saliva, Aurora’s face remained expressionless as she calmly replied, “Yes, my master.”
“Heh.”
Just as Aurora was about to withdraw her hand, a slender hand gripped her arm tightly.
Beatrice’s eyes were icy cold as she stared at her, clearly displeased with Aurora’s indifferent attitude.
With a hard yank, Aurora was caught off guard and pulled into Beatrice’s embrace.
Before she could lift her head from Beatrice’s arms, a low, sultry voice, warm and damp, sounded by her ear.
“If you like it, then I’ll let you feel even more.”
A hand suddenly pinched her cheek. Her lips parted to speak, but the slick tongue forced its way inside.
Another round of unrestrained exploration—by the time Beatrice finally let go, Aurora’s lips and tongue were numb, and her mind was left hazy from lack of air.
She lowered her head slightly, just about to catch her breath, when her cheek was covered again.
As her face was lifted, her gaze met Beatrice’s mesmerizing, inky eyes.
“If you ever brush me off like that again, it won’t be as simple as biting your finger.”
“I… understand.”
Only after receiving a definite answer did Beatrice release her cheek.
Then, as if nothing had happened, she resumed reading her book.
But before long, she clicked her tongue and protested again, “I refuse to believe there’s anyone who knows more about Magic than I do.”
With that, she picked up a broom nearby, sat on it, and slowly floated into the air.
“This afternoon, you’re coming with me to the classroom. I want to see just what this substitute teacher is capable of.”
“…Yes, Master.”
*****
It was past noon, the hottest part of the day.
Wearing such a heavy maid outfit in the academic building felt truly odd. Sitting in the front row, Aurora could clearly sense the students’ gazes on her.
Of course, perhaps they weren’t just looking at her, but also at Beatrice, who sat beside her.
Beatrice, who was usually only seen on the podium, was now sitting among the students, her gaze fierce. The students who liked to sit in the front row all instinctively moved back, afraid her temper might rub off on them.
Sweat was already beading on her forehead, and Aurora felt as if her skin beneath the maid uniform was burning.
They had been waiting in the classroom for a long time, but still, the “substitute teacher” Albert had mentioned hadn’t shown up.
Just as Beatrice’s patience was about to run out, a heavy set of footsteps sounded from the hallway outside.
The sound was like steel striking the ground, accompanied by the clinking of armor…
All the students turned their eyes toward the classroom door, curious about what kind of mage or witch could make such a noise.
A flash of red passed by the classroom window—a high ponytail swayed as its owner walked past one tall window after another.
Aurora recognized instantly who the red hair belonged to, who that high ponytail could be.
“Lola Bell…”
Her pupils widened, her heart pounding faster. She kept denying what she had just seen, but her subconscious insisted—the one who just passed by was her younger sister, Lola Bell.
“Click.”
The classroom door opened, and when Aurora saw who entered, her heart finally sank.
Lola Bell? Why is she here?
Isn’t she a Saint Knight of the First Kingdom? Why would she come here…
A string of questions exploded in her mind. Suddenly, she remembered the person beside her had fought with Lola Bell before, so she discreetly shifted her gaze to the side.
She saw Beatrice beside her, eyes cold, staring at the person on the podium. Beatrice suddenly grabbed Aurora’s wrist, pulling her closer.
“Nice to meet you, everyone…”
A familiar voice rang out from the podium. As she spoke, several large characters slowly appeared on the blackboard behind her—Lola Bell Eve.
“My name is Lola Bell Eve.”
“I am the academy’s newly hired substitute teacher. From now on, I will be teaching you all the Light Magic course.”
After saying this, her gaze swept over the students, finally landing on Aurora.
At the same time, the burning sensation on Aurora’s body vanished, replaced by a pure yet tainted mana swirling within her—this mana was not Beatrice’s. Then whose was it?
Aurora looked at the woman on the podium and slowly mouthed four words—
“Lola Bell Eve?”