“Even though I make the rules, we can’t keep Mephilia waiting too long, right? I’ll head back now.” Liana quickly stood up. She had been so engrossed in listening to Avira talk about the Elf Forest that she’d lost track of time. When she came to her senses, she realized it was already eight-thirty, a full half hour late!

It’s fine, it was just an accident. Mephilia probably wouldn’t mind such a small thing.

As Liana extended her hand to open the door, she noticed a red line appear on her wrist, identical to the one she had seen when she encountered Sephirena.

Was Sephirena coming to kill her?

No, that wasn’t possible. Besides, what exactly was this red line? Liana had never figured it out. Could it be a secret technique of the elves?

Liana wanted to ask Avira, who was behind her, but if this was an elven secret technique, wouldn’t admitting she had seen Sephirena expose her?

Wait, Liana suddenly realized something—Avira had just said that Sephirena had been abandoned by nature, so she shouldn’t be able to use magic related to the elvenkind. This proved that the red line wasn’t elf magic.

“What’s wrong, Princess Liana?” Avira asked, puzzled by Liana’s motionless stance.

Liana turned around, raising her hand and pinching the red line. “Princess Avira, can you see this thing in my hand?”

“Something in Princess Liana’s hand?” Avira looked at Liana with confusion, tilting her head. “Is Princess Liana going to perform some kind of trick?”

“You can’t see this line in my hand?” Liana moved to Avira’s side, lifting the red line and placing it before Avira. “Really, you can’t see it?”

Avira still shook her head. “Is Princess Liana trying to convey something?”

“...” Judging by her reaction, she wasn’t pretending. So only Liana could see it?

Why? What exactly was this thing?

“Li~a~na~” Liana heard Mephilia’s voice from outside the door, and her body instinctively shuddered.

“Ahem.” Oh no, Mephilia had really come looking for her, and judging by her tone, she didn’t seem very happy.

“I’ve kept Mephilia waiting too long, and she’s not happy. I’ll stop chatting with Princess Avira and go comfort her.” Liana cleared her throat.

“Good luck, Princess Liana.”

Despite Liana’s claim that she made the rules, Avira could clearly see that Liana was the one who obediently followed orders.

As Liana opened the door, she seemed to see the red line in her hand connecting with Mephilia, but it disappeared so quickly that she couldn’t see it clearly.

But the main issue now was how to deal with Mephilia standing before her—no, how to explain to her.

“Good afternoon, Mephilia.”

“Good afternoon? Really, Liana?” Mephilia smiled at Liana.

“Hmm? Isn’t it?” Liana looked at Mephilia in confusion. “I don’t think Princess Avira and I chatted for too long, and the clock in the room still shows it’s not yet eight.”

“Oh? It seems the room’s clock is broken. We should fix it.” Mephilia started to walk in.

But Liana stopped her. “Princess Avira is still inside. It wouldn’t be polite to enter now, would it?”

“Liana, you actually know you’re late, don’t you?” Mephilia smiled at Liana.

Please don’t look at me like that, the pressure is too much...

“Sorry... I just got carried away in conversation.”

“Liars must swallow a thousand fingers,” Mephilia whispered in Liana’s ear.

“Hmm? What did you say?” Liana didn’t hear clearly.

But Mephilia had already taken her arm and was pulling Liana back to her room.

“Princess Liana, Princess, welcome back,” Vivian stood at the doorway.

“Long time no see. Would you like to join us for a meal?” Liana invited.

“Vivian, come back to clean up tomorrow morning. If anyone comes looking for me and it’s not urgent, tell them to wait a bit, and I’ll deal with it tomorrow,” Mephilia said.

“I understand, Princess,” Vivian nodded.

Hey! Don’t be so understanding right now, help me out! Isn’t she your most precious princess? Didn’t she save you? Don’t you disapprove of me? Why are you just watching?

Shouldn’t you be stepping in to stop me? Hey! Save me!!! 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Bang!

Upon entering the room, Mephilia immediately closed the door.

“Mephilia?” Liana nervously took two steps back, but accidentally hit the stairs and lost her balance, falling backward.

Thud!

Mephilia reached out and caught Liana, protecting her. “Be careful.”

However, their current position was somewhat intimate. Liana was leaning against the stair steps, which felt a bit uncomfortable, and Mephilia, having pulled her, was now positioned as if pinning Liana beneath her.

“Mephilia, thank you, I’m fine now.” Liana was about to stand up.

Slap!

Mephilia’s hands landed on the steps on either side of Liana’s neck, effectively trapping her against the stairs.

“Mephilia?”

“Liana, why did you lie?” Mephilia leaned down, coming very close. Liana could feel Mephilia’s breath. “If you had just told the truth, I wouldn’t have been angry.”

Mephilia couldn’t bear to be angry with Liana; Liana was her most precious treasure.

“If I say I don’t know, would you believe me...” Liana didn’t know why she always instinctively looked for excuses, like a child who had done something wrong trying to cover it up.

But Liana seemed to forget that while getting away with a lie might be fine, once discovered that you’re deliberately hiding something, your little bottom will be in trouble.

“What do you mean, ‘don’t know’? And Liana, you seem very interested in Sephirena. When did you meet an elf outside?” Mephilia asked.

“It’s a misunderstanding. I really don’t know Sephirena. It’s just that Avira was concealing something from me earlier, so I was curious about who Sephirena is,” Liana hurriedly explained.

“Why would I lie to you? It was completely instinctive. I knew I was late and didn’t return on time. I was afraid you’d scold me, so I instinctively wanted to lie to you.”

Liana had expected Mephilia to be angry, but instead, Mephilia suddenly smiled. She reached out and gently stroked Liana’s hair. “Liana, you usually appear so calm and collected, but at times like this, you’re very much like a child. I wouldn’t really be angry with you.”

Liana breathed a sigh of relief. “So Mephilia, you’re not angry?”

“Mm-hmm.” Mephilia nodded.

It seemed Mephilia was so nice, she wouldn’t be angry with her... right?

“But Liana, you did lie to me. Liana, you should remember what I said, right?” Mephilia said.

“Hmm? What did you say?”

“Liars must swallow a thousand fingers,” Mephilia whispered mysteriously.

When did Mephilia ever say that? (Actually, Liana just hadn’t heard her earlier.)

“Liana, no matter what happens, as long as you don’t do anything to harm yourself, I won’t be angry with you,” Mephilia had originally wanted to say she wouldn’t be angry no matter what.

But when she learned that Liana had endured so much without telling her, Mephilia felt not only heartbroken but also a little angry.

Liana had chosen to hurt herself for Mephilia’s sake, which was something Mephilia didn’t want to see and would absolutely not allow.

“I’ll remember that, so will you let me go now?” Liana asked.

“No, Liana, you seem a bit forgetful, so I’ll have to make your body remember.” Mephilia extended the fingers of her right hand and placed them in Liana’s mouth—one, two, three—gently pressing on Liana’s tongue.

Liana’s cute tongue quickly wrapped around them. So ‘swallowing a thousand fingers’ really meant swallowing fingers...

But how long would it take Liana to swallow a thousand?

No way! Not happening!

Mephilia’s left hand began to behave mischievously, slipping inside Liana’s pantyhose.

“Mephilia?” Liana reached out, trying to stop Mephilia.

【Sacred · Light · Binding】

A beam of light bound Liana’s hands. So ‘swallowing fingers’ meant this? That can’t be right!

“Mephilia, I think we can sit down and talk about this properly. My memory is actually very good. I still remember that night, there was a mole on the inside of your right thigh,” Liana said.

“...” Mephilia narrowed her eyes.

Oh no, did she say something wrong?

“Liana, your body needs to remember well. Liars must swallow a thousand fingers,” Mephilia said with a smile.

“One finger, two fingers... it seems you can’t take any more, Liana.”

Mephilia felt the warm sensation around her fingers, a feeling that could drive one crazy. Liana was simply too amazing.

“Mmph!” Although Liana was protesting, her protests were ineffective.

“One-two, two fingers, one-two, four fingers.”

Liana couldn’t recall how many times she heard ‘one-two.’ When she came to her senses, she was already lying in the bathroom.

“Liana, you slept for so long,” Mephilia said.

Give me back the gentle and considerate Mephilia!

Liana felt a bit parched, and at that moment, Mephilia thoughtfully handed her a glass of water. “Thirsty?”

“...” At least you still have some conscience, becoming extremely gentle afterward, huh?

Liana drank it all at once, feeling much better.

Mephilia was devious. Once she entered intimate mode, she seemed like a completely different person, but after entering sage mode, she reverted to her previously gentle and considerate self.

Why couldn’t she be gentle during intimacy?!

Liana laid in the bath, like a young lotus just showing its pointed tip. Mephilia watched as pink little cherries peeked above the water’s surface and then submerged again.

Was Liana really not trying to seduce her?

“Liana, you really don’t pay any attention to your privacy,” Mephilia reached out and pinched one.

Glug glug glug!!!

This caused Liana to sink down, before quickly resurfacing, creating a huge splash. “Cough cough cough!!! Don’t pinch randomly!!!”

“I’m just trying to make you pay a little attention,” Mephilia said.

“That’s only for you!” Liana was only this relaxed and unguarded with women she was close to.

“Liana, you mean this is my privilege, right?” Mephilia also stood up, embracing Liana from behind. After making Liana experience the shocking sensation of her measurements again, they sat together in the bath, causing another splash.

Mephilia placed her hands under Liana’s arms, then slowly moved along her arms, finally lifting Liana’s right hand. “I’ve been curious since you returned. Liana, what is this?”

“This is a bracelet given to me by Princess Avira, a small gift. It can increase the recovery speed of both the body and magical power,” Liana explained. “It also seems to be a noble’s bracelet. Princess Avira said that other elves who see this bracelet will treat me as an honored guest of the elf race.”

Mephilia looked at the bracelet. Just taken out of the water, the moisture on it was completely absorbed, disappearing without a trace.

“Increases physical recovery speed?” Mephilia caught an odd piece of information. “No wonder...”

“No wonder? What do you mean?” Liana was puzzled.

“Normally, with your stamina, Liana, you would have been unable to continue after the hundredth finger, but this time, that number doubled. This might be... ouch!”

As Mephilia was saying this, Liana suddenly dove underwater, then quickly resurfaced, bumping Mephilia’s chin. Liana’s entire skin was visibly turning pink.

“Mephilia... you’re so annoying.”

Mephilia also realized that she might have teased too much. She found it strange; she normally wouldn’t act this way, always maintaining a certain restraint. After all, Mephilia was concerned that if she teased too much, Liana might start to dislike these things.

But why was she acting like this today? Was it because she saw Liana getting close to another woman? Was she jealous?

“I’m sorry, Liana. I seem a bit strange today...” Mephilia hugged Liana. “Maybe I’ve been too happy lately. I need to calm down a bit.”

“I’m not angry...” Liana placed her hand on Mephilia’s.

This was merely a seasoning for their relationship.

Liana... is really so cute.

Mephilia hugged Liana more tightly. “I need to work harder.”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

“What Princess Avira said today gave me a sense of crisis. Although I haven’t seen the demon race or any records about them, from what Princess Avira and father have said, I know they are absolute monsters capable of destroying this world. But... I don’t want that to happen. I still want to be with Liana,” Mephilia said.

“Me too.” Liana was currently working hard for this very purpose. “I’ll work hard together with you.”

“You’ve already helped me so much.” If it weren’t for Liana, Mephilia wouldn’t be progressing so smoothly now.

“It’s not enough.” Liana now just wanted to see the Demon Realm explode on the spot; otherwise, she wouldn’t feel at ease no matter what.

“Then let’s work hard together.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Mephilia’s gaze remained fixed on Liana’s bracelet.

“Are you still concerned? I can take it off,” Liana said.

Mephilia shook her head. “Liana, actually, this was your goal all along, wasn’t it?”

“Actually, you’ve met Sephirena, or at least know information about her. You discussed this with Princess Avira to get this bracelet, so you could better contact Sephirena, right?” Mephilia said.

As expected of a heroine’s observational skills. Liana also admitted that her intentions might have been too obvious.

Liana nodded, no longer choosing to hide anything from Mephilia. “Yes, was it too obvious?”

“A bit. I thought you would deny it,” Mephilia said.

“You’re not angry?” Liana asked.

“Angry? Why would I be angry? I said as long as you don’t do anything to harm yourself, I won’t be angry. Or are you planning to do something that will harm yourself?” This made Mephilia a bit anxious.

“Of course not! I’m very afraid of pain.” It seemed Mephilia was in sage mode now. If she had been in intimate mode earlier, she probably would have given Liana a fierce scolding before calming down to talk.

“That’s good then. I trust you unconditionally. I believe in your decisions, Liana. You just go ahead and do what you need to do. If you need anything, you can always come to me for help,” Mephilia said.

This was the sense of security that the First Princess brought to Liana.

“Thank you.” Liana naturally trusted Mephilia, which is why she told her about this matter.

“You want to keep it secret, right?”

“Yes, please.” Liana wasn’t clear about Sephirena’s current situation; she would only know the outcome when she met her.

After staying in the Lisat Royal Capital for a few days, Liana proposed the idea of returning to Venus Manor.

During this time, Liana had spent time with Mephilia, touring the Lisat Royal Capital. It had been a relatively relaxing period for Mephilia.

They would wake up naturally at eight in the morning, then take Princess Avira around the Lisat Royal Capital. In the afternoon, they would discuss matters regarding the alliance.

Although the elf race was willing to share their wisdom, not everyone could go there; strict selection was required.

After all, there were many moles in the Lisat Kingdom, so only relatively trustworthy people could be sent to learn.

The same applied to the Lisat Kingdom. After learning that human incantations could be merged with elven incantations, Avira had developed a strong interest in human magic.

But the two countries couldn’t appear too intimate now, or it would provoke targeted actions from the Luska Kingdom.

Although the two countries combined wouldn’t be concerned about the Luska Kingdom, no one wanted to be targeted by a madman, especially during such an ambiguous time period.

If a conflict with the Luska Kingdom occurred when the Demon Realm’s seal suddenly loosened, wouldn’t everything be finished?

As for the evenings, of course, Liana spent them with Mephilia.

After all, Mephilia only had this short period of leisure; she would soon be extremely busy again, probably only able to meet once a month.

“Then let Minoga stay by your side to protect you,” Mephilia said.

“It’s not good for Minoga to always be by my side,” Liana also needed to consider faking her death, which would simplify many things. However, she still needed a small opportunity.

The previous probing by that psycho would have been a good chance, but the timing wasn’t quite right. Liana still had some unfinished business.

“Let’s keep it this way for now. I’m currently very safe.”

“I should be able to return Minoga to you soon,” Liana said.

“Don’t do anything strange, okay? If it’s too dangerous, you must tell me in advance, otherwise I’ll really be angry,” Mephilia reminded her again.

“I got it,” Liana waved her hand.

“If you just leave like that, I’ll also be angry,” Mephilia’s words made Liana, who had just turned around, turn back again, allowing Mephilia to lightly kiss her lips.

After getting into the carriage, Minoga asked, “Princess Liana, are we heading directly back to Venus Manor now?”

Liana looked at the bracelet on her hand and shook her head. She now felt the demon race was right behind her. Mephilia’s situation should be settled, and Loraviel... seemed settled too. After all, no matter what, Mephilia would support her.

As for Erinna, she was thoroughly career-oriented and a workaholic, not requiring Liana’s concern. Liana felt that whether she appeared or not, Erinna would proceed along the correct path.

So, with the issues of these female protagonists resolved, only the problem of Sephirena remained.

Liana wanted to resolve it quickly. Even if she couldn’t resolve it completely, she could find ways to compensate, reconcile, and give herself some room for error. This was the conclusion Liana had reached during this period.

There was no need to push herself too hard now. She now had people she could rely on.

They arrived back in Venus Territory.

“Let’s first go to the Angus Commerce Guild at Risade Square. I want to buy some things,” Liana said.

She wondered if Tari was still at the Angus Commerce Guild.

“I understand,” Minoga nodded and headed toward the Angus Commerce Guild.

Soon, the two arrived in front of the Angus Commerce Guild at Lisat Square.

“If I may ask, what does Princess Liana want to buy?” Minoga inquired.

“A slave,” Liana said.

“A slave, yes, the Angus Commerce Guild is indeed the place to go, after all, the Angus Commerce Guild... Wait?” Minoga suddenly looked at Liana, doubting if she had heard correctly. “Princess Liana, did you just say...?”

“A slave. What’s wrong?” Liana asked.

“Princess Liana, have you discussed this with Princess Mephilia?” Minoga asked.

“No. Do I need to report to Mephilia when I purchase a slave?” Liana countered.

“Well, not exactly...” Minoga now wanted to open that damn communication crystal and let Mephilia know about this.

“What is Princess Liana’s reason for buying a slave?” Minoga asked. Princess Liana must have her own considerations for doing this.

“I can’t keep troubling Minoga, and I need an obedient servant by my side,” Liana said. “Someone as obedient as Loraviel is probably one in a million. Given my current delicate situation, a slave would perfectly fulfill these conditions—able to protect me, capable of handling simple household chores, and most importantly, slaves don’t betray.

After signing a slave contract, if a slave shows any resistance or betrayal toward their master, the master can use the contract to eliminate the slave at any time.

And to break a slave contract, especially one from the Angus Commerce Guild, one would need the intervention of a Judge, which obviously wouldn’t happen. This is one reason why the Angus Commerce Guild is so popular; they truly invest in quality.”

“I can fulfill all these conditions too,” Minoga said.

“Minoga, you are Mephilia’s guardian knight, not mine,” Liana said. “Protecting Mephilia should be your priority.”

“Princess Liana...”

“By the way, I’m not angry about what you did to me before. I’ve already forgiven you, otherwise I wouldn’t have let you pinch my face,” Liana interrupted Minoga. “I have my reasons for doing this. I need to create an opportunity, and if you stay by my side, I’ll be too safe.”

“But Princess Liana, didn’t Princess Mephilia tell you not to do anything dangerous?” Minoga couldn’t possibly stand by and watch Liana take risks when she knew Liana was in danger.

She had promised both Mephilia and herself that she wouldn’t let Princess Liana fall into dangerous situations again.

“So, I need your help with this. You are an indispensable part,” Liana smiled mysteriously. “Don’t worry, I have absolute confidence. After all, I escaped from Countess Rose’s forbidden drug. This isn’t dangerous for me. I trust you, and you trust me, right? Only you can help me with this.”

“Of course I trust Princess Liana, but if Princess Liana encounters any danger, my first directive will always be to protect Princess Liana’s safety, even if it means disrupting Princess Liana’s plans,” Minoga said.

“You’re being a bit overprotective,” Liana waved her hand. “But such things definitely won’t happen.”

Liana wanted to fake her death, so she needed Minoga to leave her side. With Minoga protecting her, who would dare to harm Liana?

Therefore, Minoga’s departure was necessary. What Liana needed was someone who could help her when Minoga was away, someone who could at least delay things long enough for Minoga to return to her side.

Sephirena obviously met these conditions, which was Liana’s purpose in coming here. She claimed to be buying a slave, but in her heart, she already had a candidate.