“I know.” Indeed, Liana’s attitude toward Minoga had become much colder these past few days. During these five days, they had spoken fewer than ten times, almost all of which were initiated by Minoga.

“Is that so?” Mephilia reached out, cupping Liana’s face. “I know that after all this, you must be dissatisfied with Minoga, since she just watched, right?”

“I can’t think from her perspective either, but her intentions must have been good. She’s already reflected on it. If this continues, it wouldn’t be good for either of you, especially since she’ll still be protecting you later.”

“Of course, I’m just saying this. I won’t force you to make a choice, after all, Minoga did do some things that made you uncomfortable,” Mephilia said.

After learning the truth, Mephilia also knew Minoga had no choice, given Orleya’s status. But as Liana was still unaware, she certainly couldn’t speak from that perspective.

“I understand.” Actually, after seeing Loraviel wake up, most of Liana’s anger had dissipated, but thinking about what happened yesterday... maybe it would have been better if she hadn’t woken up.

Liana was truly troubled now.

But then she felt a soft touch and sweet nectar on her lips.

“You should rest well for now. I’ll handle some Venus Manor affairs, and then tomorrow we’ll prepare to set off to meet the elf princess,” Mephilia said, gently kissing Liana’s lips.

She had become quite skilled at this now.

Liana felt the warmth leave her lips and nodded. “Mm, I understand.”

After Mephilia left...

Liana immediately opened the envelope, her heart racing. What had Loraviel left for her?

Yesterday, why did her speed seem to slow down, as if under some weakening effect? Her body had become extremely slow. The one most likely capable of this was probably Loraviel, related to her innate magic.

Was she too afraid? Or, as Minoga had said, did Loraviel know the truth, and then...

Impossible! If she really knew, why didn’t she just talk to me properly instead of choosing to offer herself?

If she had talked it out, Liana certainly wouldn’t have done anything.

But she didn’t know that that was exactly what Loraviel wanted. She knew very well that if Princess Liana learned of this, given Princess Liana’s personality and her current relationship with Princess Mephilia, she would definitely be rejected.

So Loraviel chose to use deceleration magic, giving Princess Liana no chance to refuse.

Liana slowly opened the envelope. Inside was familiar handwriting—after all, Liana had secretly read several of Loraviel’s letters before, so she was somewhat familiar with it. The writing was beautiful and neat.

[Princess Liana, by the time you see this letter, I have presumably left Venus Territory and gone to a far-away place.

I’m very sorry. I originally thought you were a very kind young lady, but...

I apologize for being so presumptuous, for saying disrespectful things that made you angry. I was too arrogant, showing you a disrespectful side. This is a maid’s dereliction of duty. I know I cannot be a qualified maid.

Although Princess Mephilia said she would ensure my family’s safety, please... I beg you, don’t involve my family, Princess Liana. I have already given you my all, I’ve given everything to you.

What happened yesterday, I will treat as a nightmare, as if it never happened.

Please treat it as if I never appeared in your world. Forget me. We will probably never meet again.]

As if! Loraviel wrote this letter just so Liana could feel somewhat at ease.

And the most important point was to make Princess Liana believe she would never appear again, only to suddenly appear before Princess Liana. At that moment, what expression would Princess Liana have?

Loraviel was very curious and eager to see.

Meanwhile, Liana looked at the letter in her hand.

Oh no!

So it wasn’t some strange dream she had; these things had really happened.

Liana read the letter over and over again.

Why had it come to this?

Although Loraviel’s letter said to pretend it never happened, how could Liana possibly do such a thing...

Never meet again?

Regardless of the reason, Liana didn’t want this to be the outcome.

For this world, Loraviel’s power was indispensable. She had originally thought that after leaving, Loraviel would undergo a period of training, return upon completing her studies, and then they would explain the previous matters. Along with Liana’s gradual changes, their relationship would at least not be so rigid.

With Mephilia’s connection, the two might even become friends. Then become part of Mephilia’s force, able to contribute when resisting the demons.

For Liana’s own selfish reasons, she also wanted to see Loraviel. Liana had indeed wronged Loraviel in many ways, and she had originally wanted to apologize properly to her, whether or not Loraviel would forgive her.

Now that things had reached this point, although Mephilia could contact Loraviel and have her return, but...

When the two met again, what kind of scene would it be?

Loraviel would probably want nothing more than to kill her...

Liana laid down on the bed. The soft mattress enveloped her body, her platinum hair somewhat disheveled against her lips as she stared blankly at the ceiling.

What should I do...

This was the first time Liana had felt so helpless.

“...” But soon, Liana’s gaze changed from confused to determined.

No matter what, Loraviel had become like this because of her. This was the result she had caused. Regardless, Liana had to make amends for this.

Moreover, when the time came, Loraviel would probably sit down quietly and talk properly with her, out of respect for Mephilia.

Rather than worrying about these things, what Liana should be doing now was improving herself.

Her strength was far too weak. Although she had undergone a period of training with Oliphia, it was still far from enough. On that day, when she saw the assassin, Liana truly felt the gap in strength.

After all, this world was one where individual power reigned supreme. The neighboring Luska Kingdom was a good example.

The Lisat Kingdom was the same. To put it bluntly, it was simply because King Lisat’s fist was big enough to make others follow his rules.

Only by improving herself would she have the right to speak.

Liana put away the letter, hiding it. If Mephilia saw this, she would be in big trouble.

“Minoga.” This was the first time since Loraviel fell unconscious that Liana had called Minoga’s name proactively, apart from inquiring about Loraviel.

“Princess Liana.” Minoga appeared before Liana.

She no longer had that relaxed demeanor from before, but stood before Liana in a standard knight stance, head lowered, listening carefully to Liana’s words.

Seeing Minoga like this, Liana felt somewhat uncomfortable. After all, before, in private, she had always been rather informal. To suddenly become so serious seemed a bit strange.

“You’re different from before,” Liana said.

“I apologize, Princess Liana,” Minoga lowered her head. “I have recognized how excessive my previous actions were.”

Minoga truly felt wronged. As a Judge, she was humbling herself so much, and this matter couldn’t be blamed on her at all.

“I’m not angry anymore. Just go back to how you were before. You like this, I’m a bit uncomfortable,” Liana said.

The past few days she had been upset, too worried about Loraviel’s condition. After seeing Loraviel wake up, her anger had largely dissipated.

Plus, Minoga’s attitude was very sincere, and Liana wasn’t very angry anymore.

Moreover, fundamentally, this matter seemed to have been initiated by herself. She had asked them to help find a teacher for Loraviel.

Minoga must have chosen this teacher carefully. It’s just that this teacher seemed somewhat unreliable.

“Thank you, Princess Liana.” Minoga still maintained this demeanor, very cautious, afraid of making Liana unhappy.

It seemed that no one could withstand the cold treatment, not even a Judge.

After all, given her relationship with Mephilia, Liana would likely spend a considerable amount of time with Minoga in the future. If things became unpleasant, it would be troublesome.

Liana sat up and said to Minoga, “Come here.”

Minoga came before Liana.

Liana took Minoga’s somewhat cold hand and placed it on her cheek. “Isn’t this what you like to do most? This time, I’ll let you pinch once.”

Princess Liana’s cheeks were still as soft as before, feeling nice to touch. When gently lifted, one could see a cute little ball of flesh.

“Thank you, Princess Liana.” Minoga seemed to relax a bit. “I’m sorry, Princess Liana. I didn’t consider everything thoroughly when finding a teacher for Loraviel. Although I was watching at the time, I shouldn’t have let you all be put in danger.”

Ah, just mentioning this made Liana angry. “That person, if anything happens to Loraviel, I will definitely not let her off!”

If it weren’t for her bizarre, strange tests, none of this would have happened!

“I know assassins are mysterious and unwilling to expose themselves, but you should be able to check on Loraviel’s condition, right? If anything happens to Loraviel, tell me immediately. I understand you might have some difficulties—maybe the other person has a strange or malicious personality? You might not be able to do anything about her, ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) but I can have Mephilia help me. If all else fails, I’ll go to His Majesty the King for help,” Liana said.

Minoga’s expression was somewhat peculiar. In this matter, seeking the king’s help might not be very effective. Princess Liana herself might have more influence?

Actually, Minoga didn’t know much about Orleya either, only that such a person existed.

Her mental state seemed to have serious issues, and given her special status, few people were willing to approach her. But the King of Lisat had confidently recommended her to Minoga.

He had repeatedly emphasized to mention Liana’s affairs, which might have some effect.

After all, Orleya was currently in a state of denying emotions while also trying to understand them.

She was the most outstanding assassin in the Lisat Kingdom because she had abandoned everything to become an assassin.

When serving as an assassin, she had carried this out thoroughly, becoming a merciless killer. No matter how the target pleaded, she would kill them without hesitation. Or rather, in most cases, she killed them before they even had a chance to beg for mercy.

But after the establishment of the Lisat Kingdom, it seemed her role as an assassin was no longer needed. She retired, watching her two excellent sons, and her lost emotions gradually returned.

Originally, things were going very smoothly. Orleya believed that having emotions was good after all. But Rayen’s sudden death completely changed this view.

She mercilessly eliminated the family that had killed Rayen, and disappeared after that.

From that moment, her mental state became very unstable. She craved those beautiful emotions but was also afraid of losing something else because of them.

At that time, she was more helpless than a child.

Especially when she saw all of Liana’s beastly actions, and the various behaviors of Countess Rose and Cain, she completely gave up.

Emotions were indeed worthless things. Even family members would fight each other over certain matters. Emotions should not exist.

But Liana’s behavior three months ago gave Orleya hope again, so at this point, someone needed to give her a push.

Either Mephilia or Liana would do, so the King of Lisat recommended Orleya.

“I understand, Princess Liana.” Minoga enjoyed Liana’s cute little face after a long time. “If anything happens to Loraviel, I’ll tell you immediately. No, I’ll also keep you informed about Loraviel’s training status regularly.”

Liana stood up. Although her body was still somewhat sore, what had exhausted her more was the mental strain.

Now, Liana had reconciled with herself. Regardless of Loraviel’s intentions in doing those things, what happened had happened. No matter the outcome, she had to properly clarify this matter with Loraviel.

So, before that, she should improve herself. Start changing from now on.

“What kind of training method do you think would suit my magic?” A gem appeared in Liana’s hand.

“With Princess Liana’s intelligence, you should know much better than I do what wonderful methods to use. Princess Liana should understand this better than I do, so I believe Princess Liana just needs to improve her physical condition,” Minoga was very clear that Liana had invented the spellcrafting.

She didn’t have that kind of wisdom to teach Liana. With Liana’s creative ideas and thinking that differed from this world, she would certainly be able to use more amazing magic.

“Is that so?” Liana looked at her palm. What Minoga said was quite right.

She had many strange ideas, but due to her own limitations, she couldn’t use them.

“Loraviel...”

“Have you gotten used to it, Princess Liana?” Minoga smiled slightly. “Do you need any help? Until Princess Liana finds a suitable maid, let me be Princess Liana’s maid.”

“No need.” Liana waved her hand. She should get used to this kind of life. Before, Loraviel had spoiled her too much.

If Loraviel were still here, she would know as soon as Liana spoke that she needed to change clothes and go out.

Liana reached out to undo her buttons when she suddenly realized there was someone else in the room.

It wasn’t that Liana had changed clothes in front of Loraviel before—though it had happened—but in most cases, Loraviel would proactively leave the room without Liana having to say anything.

“I’m going to change clothes,” Liana said.

“I understand.” Minoga’s figure disappeared from the spot.

Liana sighed. It seemed changing this habit would take a long time.

In just three months, Loraviel had nearly turned Liana into a helpless person.

After changing clothes, Liana looked at herself in the dressing table mirror. Her current outfits were almost all prepared by Loraviel before.

This was the dressing table she had left for Loraviel. It probably wouldn’t be used for a while now.

Liana covered it with a cloth and left the room.

Liana walked down the corridor outside. Because of Mephilia’s arrival, the previously somewhat chaotic Venus Manor had temporarily returned to calm.

“It’s been a while, Princess Liana.” Oliphia appeared before Liana at this moment.

Counting the time, it had been almost a week since she had seen Oliphia.

“During this time, Princess Liana has relaxed quite a bit,” Oliphia said. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

“I’m sorry, some matters held me up,” Liana said.

“Sorry?” Oliphia heard an incredible word, although now she wasn’t as shocked as before. “Princess Liana is truly an unfathomable person.”

“There’s nothing unfathomable about it,” Liana waved her hand. “Aren’t you going to suspect that I’m slacking off?”

“Princess Liana wouldn’t do such a thing.” After Liana persisted for half a month, Oliphia’s view of her had changed somewhat. If Princess Liana were truly as she had been before, she couldn’t possibly have persevered.

And recent events had once again proved her conjecture wasn’t wrong.

“Tomorrow, I’ll be going with Mephilia to meet the elf princess. We’ll continue training after I return,” Liana said.

“Yes, I understand.”

Liana arrived at the conference room and saw two guards standing watch.

“Princess Liana.”

“I want to go in,” Liana said.

“I’m sorry, Princess Liana, Princess Mephilia and Lady Erinna are discussing some matters inside. We can’t let anyone disturb them,” the guard said.

“Open the door,” Liana repeated.

The two guards were somewhat troubled.

“If you don’t open the door, then step aside,” Liana said.

“Let her in,” Erinna, inside the conference room, had already heard Liana’s voice.

“Yes!” The guards opened the conference room door, and Liana entered.

“Liana, are you alright now?” Mephilia asked with concern, as Liana’s complexion hadn’t looked good earlier.

“I’m fine now,” Liana sat beside Mephilia. “How’s it going?”

“It’s been handled. Now, we just need to trust in Erinna’s abilities.” By the time Liana entered, they had already begun organizing the materials, seemingly reaching the end.

“Erinna,” Liana suddenly called Erinna’s name.

“What is it, Liana?” Erinna was puzzled. “Is it like before, wanting to show off how intimate you two are in front of me? Unfortunately, I’m not a child anymore. Now, I have more important matters to handle.”

“...” This person—Liana had, for once, wanted to encourage her. But seeing her dark circles, Liana felt somewhat sympathetic.

At this age, having to bear so many responsibilities. Mephilia had it better; at least she had two other heirs to help with matters, and if real problems arose, King Lisat was watching over her.

Erinna was different. She could only rely on herself, with many people watching her—either become the duchess or be expelled, possibly even face death.

“Keep it up, don’t exhaust yourself, remember to rest... after all, if you collapse, then I’ll have to become the Venus Duchess whether I want to or not. I don’t want such trouble,” Liana said.

“...” Erinna hadn’t expected Liana to say such words. “Well, thank you, Liana. It’s just that things will be busier for a while. Once I handle these matters, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

Liana then thought of something and had Minoga fetch a small pouch from her room.

“This is...” Mephilia immediately recognized what Liana was holding. Wasn’t this the tea that King Lisat had given to Liana before?

At that time, Liana had complained to her that the tea was bitter, but due to face, she had to accept it.

“This is tea bestowed upon me by King Lisat, and now I’m giving it to you,” Liana said. “You should receive it with gratitude. After all, His Majesty the King likes this very much. It must have something special about it.”

“Liana, if you don’t like bitter tea, just say so...” Mephilia couldn’t bear to watch. Wasn’t it obvious that Liana didn’t want to drink it herself, didn’t want to waste it sitting there, so she was just casually giving it to Erinna while trying to earn some goodwill?

However, this was indeed tea bestowed by King Lisat, a rather precious item.

“What are you saying!” Liana immediately retorted. “I can handle bitterness just fine. I just see that Erinna has been overworking lately and wanted her to drink something good as a snack. What if she happens to like this bitter taste?”

“...” Erinna actually did like this bitter taste.

It kept her alert and reminded her of her situation and status.

“Thank you, Liana,” Erinna accepted the tea. “I will cherish this gift from you.”

“See? She likes it,” Liana said.

“You two have become so close,” Erinna looked at the two of them, somewhat enviously.