Volume 5, Chapter 15 – The Confrontational Maiden

The group of six soon arrived at Count Yureidon’s reception room. Compared to the dim, torch-lit corridors of the castle, this room was clean and bright. From the warm, goose-yellow magic lamps overhead to the paneled walls and floors, it already had some of the refinement of the capital’s nobility.

However, the atmosphere in this spacious room of thirty to forty square meters was not very good. Fia and Claire sat on the same side, Tilulu and Radric sat on the side next to Fia, and opposite them were Nola, who had been untied but still had her mouth and hands bound, and the unconscious Ying.

By now, Nola knew that Ying had not been killed by Fia as she had thought, but her eyes remained hostile, her purple eyes glaring at Fia as if they could spit fire.

Truly, rivals in love meet with eyes burning with jealousy.

Nola’s gaze made Fia sigh inwardly. Even though Nola was silent now, she could guess what she would say once Fia removed the linen cloth from her mouth—things like “Claire, stay away from her!” and “The Eldest Princess is dangerous!”

Of course, Fia also knew that this was just her own selfish thought. Claire only held feelings for Nola like those for a niece, something akin to familial affection. In that case, Nola might also just see Claire as an older sister or a mother. Wait, if that’s the case, doesn’t that mean I just beat up my daughter? Everything seemed to make sense. It was perfectly natural for a mother to discipline a daughter who brandished a weapon at her. Even if she kicked her out, no one would blame her.

Alright, let’s take this opportunity and kick her out in one go! Claire only needs me!

With this encouragement, Fia maintained a blank expression. Since she needed to find out Nola’s purpose for being here, as well as her relationship with Claire, she couldn’t keep her gagged forever. So, Fia stood up to untie her, removing the linen cloth from her mouth. The damp fabric and the saliva dripping onto the back of her hand made Fia regret it a little. She should have used [Telekinesis] to remove the cloth.

“Clai—”

“Hey, I didn’t allow you to speak so you could shout and scream,” Fia interrupted harshly before Nola could finish saying Claire’s name. “Let’s talk business first. After we’re done, you can catch up with Claire. Otherwise, don’t blame me for being impolite.”

Nola’s breath hitched. Her divine weapon was not at hand, and most of her mana had been taken by Fia. She didn’t want to lose face in front of Claire again. However, her pride still wouldn’t let her back down. She raised her head stubbornly and said in a stiff tone.

“You’re the Eldest Princess of Silvar? With white hair?”

Nola clearly knew the Eldest Princess’s characteristic features were black hair and red eyes, so she was surprised to see Fia with white hair. But Fia couldn’t tell anyone the reason she had dyed her hair, nor was there any need to tell Nola. She answered coldly.

“You don’t need to know the reason.” Fia sat back down, her gaze falling on the half-snake girl lying on the sofa next to Nola. “Is she your companion?”

“What if she is?”

“She colluded with the rebels in Yureidon territory and tried to kill everyone in this castle. Putting aside my royal status, even an ordinary person wouldn’t let a madman who tried to kill them go free. With my authority, I can execute you at any time. If you weren’t an acquaintance of Claire’s, you’d be prisoners by now. But if you can confess your origins and what you’re up to, I can spare you the death penalty. You can choose not to answer, but you’d better think about your companion.”

This sounds so much like a villain’s line, like the uncle who captures a magical girl and threatens her with her companion’s safety to make her obey, Fia stuck out her tongue inwardly.

“Are you threatening me? We have nothing to do with those stupid nobles. Ying fought your maid only to buy time for the others in the castle.”

“Others?”

“Hmph.”

Nola turned her face away, clearly unwilling to continue on this topic.

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Fia looked unconcerned.

“It’s fine if you don’t want to talk. They’ll fall into the hands of Anastasia, Nagg, and the others sooner or later. To tell you the truth, the four magic casters you saw earlier are all at the Sixth Tier. I don’t think your companions can escape their pursuit. If they die at their hands because they resisted, don’t blame me for not warning you.”

Perhaps holding onto a sliver of hope, or perhaps suspecting that Fia was bluffing to trick her into revealing information about her companions, Nola didn’t directly answer Fia’s question, but instead reluctantly stated her purpose for being at the castle.

“We only came here to find Tilulu.”

“Then why did your companion attack Anastasia, my personal maid?”

“…”

Nola fell silent again. It wasn’t that she was being stubborn in the face of death, but that she couldn’t tell the truth. She couldn’t very well say that she and her companions had run into the rebellious soldiers and thought that since the Eldest Princess would be a constraint on the Cold Night’s development in the future, it was better to take the opportunity to kill her if they could, to buy the rebels time. This would both create chaos, increasing their chances of finding Tilulu, and make it easier to find an opportunity when the princess’s guard was down. No matter how you looked at it, saying that was asking for death.

After a moment’s thought, Nola chose to hide the latter part, that is, not to say that they had actually considered killing the Eldest Princess. She only said that obstructing the soldiers was to make the scene more chaotic and make it easier to find Tilulu.

This statement immediately made Radric let out a heavy breath. Under the goose-yellow light, his deep purple dragon head looked intimidating.

“So you were after Tilulu after all. To drag your young kin into a power struggle and make her your puppet, don’t you Holy Son Faction people feel any guilt? Where were you when Tilulu was being hunted by the Royalist faction? To ask me to hand Tilulu over to you heartless people, don’t even think about it! I would rather take Tilulu to the Dragonfall and have my brothers and sister smash your Cold Night to pieces than let you despicable people succeed!”

Completely different from her anger towards Fia, Nola’s expression became tense. Her fiery red cat ears stood up straight, and her beautiful, deep purple vertical pupils were full of justification.

“Half-dragonoid, we have our own difficulties. We can’t just come and go as we please like you. Once we completely fall out with the Royalist faction, the old and weak in our clan will face a massacre. That’s tens of thousands of innocent civilians. I want to help Tilulu stop the Royalist faction’s pursuit, but I also have to be responsible for my own people.”

“And on this matter, our interests have always been the same. Chazo is our common enemy. We can cooperate. You join us, and then we’ll unite with the Regressionist faction to deal with Chazo. As for what to do after he’s dead, we can talk about it then. If you insist on thinking I will harm Tilulu, then I can swear on my god that I will not harm a single hair on her head.”

“Don’t think we don’t know what you’re planning. You’re willing to cooperate with us only because Tilulu is the orthodox royal family, and you want to use her as a puppet! Take back your hypocrisy. We would rather seek help from Silvar than trust you despicable beastfolk. We have nothing in common to talk about!”

Although she had been exposed by Radric, Nola showed no embarrassment. Instead, she became even more self-righteous.

“Since you’re a reasonable person, I’ll be direct. Compared to your current life of wandering, what’s so bad about letting Tilulu be a puppet queen? After we kill Chazo, I can also provide protection for her followers. Living a life of ease is much better than your current situation. Is there a more comfortable life than having good food and drink without doing anything?”

Probably not?

Although Fia was an outsider in this matter, she couldn’t help but chime in in her heart. Living a life of ease without having to do anything sounded very relaxing just thinking about it.

However, people with different life experiences would not give the same answer. Radric waved his hand in refusal without any hesitation.

“Tilulu is the granddaughter of the previous king. It is her duty to become queen. Only those who are afraid of death would agree to your terms and live a disgraceful life!”

Hey, isn’t that insulting me too?

Fia’s expression instantly froze. She couldn’t help but be glad that she hadn’t revealed her inner thoughts just now.

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Seeing that Radric was unyielding, Nola lowered her head and shifted her gaze to the petite figure sitting next to him. Due to their argument, Tilulu’s white beast ears were drooping against her head, looking rather uneasy.

“Tilulu, is what Radric said your own thought? Don’t make things difficult for yourself just to cater to an outsider’s obsession.”

At the mention of her name, Tilulu’s body trembled slightly. As if seeking protection, she held onto Radric’s arm with one hand, then timidly raised her head and said slowly.

“I… I want to become queen and avenge my father and the people in the village…”

“I am abiding by Tilulu’s will. You foolish person who attempts to sow discord, from the moment you tried to take her away by force, there was never any possibility of cooperation between us. You and Chazo are birds of a feather!”

First denied by Tilulu, then mocked by Radric, Nola’s face turned ugly. However, she still wanted to persuade them. But Radric was unwilling to waste more words on her. He stood up with Tilulu, placed his right hand on his chest, and gave Fia a slight bow.

“Elf princess, we will take our leave first. Please be sure to inform us when you depart.”

“Ah, I will.”

“G-goodbye, Lady Witch of Calamity Flame…”

In contrast to Radric’s slight bow, Tilulu, dressed in a simple dress, knelt on the floor and bowed deeply to Fia, her forehead touching the ground. Then, she patted the dust off her white over the knee socks and skirt and left the room with small, slow steps.

What a well behaved, cute, and polite child, Fia couldn’t help but want to pat Tilulu’s white beast ears. This child looked so soft. The only flaw was that she was too rule-abiding and overly introverted.

She really inspires a person’s desire to protect.

Fia began to understand why Radric had chosen Tilulu as the object of his protection. If Tilulu were to treat her as her only lifeline, hugging her arm and begging her with teary eyes to save her family, her blood would probably rush to her head, she’d lose all reason, and kill all of Tilulu’s bullies in one go.

As the sound of their footsteps faded away, the spacious room fell silent again. Nola, who had reached out to stop them, clicked her tongue heavily and sat back down.

“What kind of potion did you give them that they would rather cooperate with you than trust us, who are also beastfolk?”

“Shouldn’t you be asking yourself that question?” Fia shrugged. “Putting aside the fact that your methods are unpopular, your ultimate goals are contradictory. It’s no wonder they wouldn’t agree to your proposal. Also, let me give you a piece of advice. This is Silvar, not your Cold Night. If you try to abduct Tilulu in Silvar, it’s a violation of the Kingdom’s laws. Don’t blame me for being merciless then.”

“Then? You mean you’re going to let us go for now?”

“We’ll see how you behave.”

Giving an ambiguous answer with a smile, Fia secretly touched Claire’s hand under the table, signaling for the ever-worried Claire to get back to the topic at hand. Then, she sat up straight.

“Since you’re done talking about Tilulu, let’s talk about our business. According to my information, your Holy Son Faction only decided to start a war, but you didn’t expect the Royalist faction’s target to be us, Silvar. Is that correct?”

“Who told you that? How could the news travel so fast!”

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As if she had heard something incredible, Nola’s voice rose several pitches, and she almost stood up from the sofa.

Fia just spread her hands.

“Just because the Cold Night can’t do it doesn’t mean Silvar can’t. Judging by your reaction, your Holy Son Faction had no intention of declaring war on us?”

“That’s right.”

Giving an affirmative answer, Nola slowly sat back down. She was actually lying. At the last moment of the declaration of war, the Holy Son Faction had already known that the Royalist faction’s target was Silvar. But considering the difficulty of stopping them and their own interests involved, they had not stopped the Royalist faction from carrying out the decision.

Fia was instantly relieved. As long as the Holy Son Faction hadn’t declared war on Silvar, she had no reason to kill the Holy Son. Considering that neither the Holy Son nor Ying had caused any substantial harm to her or Anastasia, their death penalty could be commuted to another form of punishment. Whether it was ten or twenty lashes would depend on Nola’s attitude.

People who had never witnessed a flogging would think of it as a light punishment, associating it with the pain of being spanked by their parents with a wooden stick in their childhood. But in reality, the two were worlds apart.

First, the whip used in a flogging was a specially selected and treated instrument, guaranteed to inflict unforgettable pain. Second, the executioner was also a trained person with guaranteed strength, ensuring that every lash was delivered with full force, making a terrifying cracking sound and hitting the most painful spots. Finally, the victim’s buttocks were bare, and they couldn’t dodge. The whip would strike directly, and the pain was far beyond what one experienced from a childhood spanking.

Generally, an ordinary human or elf would lose consciousness after three or four lashes and would definitely pass out after no more than seven. Even a strong beastman or Stellacryst Beast would faint from the pain after ten lashes. Afterwards, without healing magic, the lingering pain would keep them in bed for days, and the skin on their buttocks would become wrinkled and scarred, incredibly ugly, forming a permanent memory.

“Then we have something to talk about.” Fia sighed softly. She gestured towards Claire as if introducing her and said, “You and Claire should have a lot to talk about. You can talk now.”

To Fia’s surprise, Nola didn’t immediately ask about Claire’s recent situation. Instead, she raised her eyebrows and stared at Fia with her purple cat eyes.

This gaze made Fia feel puzzled—if it were someone else, they would feel the unease of being stared at by a leopard. She couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow.

“What, is there something on my face?”

Nola was speechless for a moment, her eyes looking at Fia as if she were an idiot.

“…The rumors say the Eldest Princess of Silvar is known for her wisdom. After all this, you still can’t read the room?”

Fia instantly understood what Nola was trying to say.

“You want me to leave?”

“Of course. Claire and I have known each other for seven years. A private conversation shouldn’t be overheard by outsiders.”

If you had put it another way, I might have kindly given you some privacy. But with that wording, I have to stay.

Fia’s competitive spirit was instantly ignited. She straightened her back without giving an inch, widened her ruby-like eyes, and said in a triumphant tone.

“Hoh, what big words. I’m not an outsider. I don’t need to leave.”

“Have you known Claire longer than I have?”

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Nola retorted with a tone of sarcasm that was no less than Fia’s, the look of victory on her face even more pronounced.

As if smelling the gunpowder in the air, Claire’s expression became one of a dilemma, full of distress. She looked at Nola and urged her softly.

“Nola, say less.”

“Why? I was the first one to meet Claire. This person is just a latecomer who popped out of nowhere.”

By the end, Nola had already started to swish her fiery red cat tail behind her, looking down her nose at Fia—although this was just an illusion created by Nola’s triumphant chin-up and the height difference.

Tsk.

This brat. I have to teach her a lesson.

“Popped out of nowhere? Holy Son of the Fire Cat Tribe, are you mistaken about something? Claire and I are already engaged lovers. Our marriage has been blessed by the Holy Tree and all the people of Silvar. You’re the third party who popped out of nowhere.”

Fia snorted smugly. Then, in front of Nola, she gently wrapped her arm around Claire’s, just as Liti usually did with her, and snuggled closer. After taking a deep breath of Claire’s faint, medicinal body scent, she raised her chin just like Nola and declared.

“We have promised each other for life. We are partners whose souls are connected and whose destinies are intertwined. And Claire only thinks of you as a niece. If you think of Claire as a mother, you’ll have to call me ‘mother’ too—ah, that’s not bad. Although you’re a bit arrogant, since you’re Claire’s daughter, I’ll reluctantly accept it. Right, Claire?”

At the end, Fia even gave Claire a sweet and loving look, seeking her opinion.

Even Claire couldn’t help but feel a headache at this scene. She pressed her free hand against Fia’s raised face, then looked at Nola with a placating expression, trying to explain in a way she could accept. However, before she could speak, Nola’s breathing became visibly ragged. She stared straight into Claire’s distressed eyes.

“Claire, is what she said true? You… you two are already…”

“Nola…”

Without directly answering Nola’s question, Claire tried to calm her down. However, this action seemed to make Nola understand something, and she became furious. She looked at Fia, who was throwing her a provocative and triumphant look, and gritted her teeth. The fur on her entire body stood on end, and her fists made a terrifying cracking sound, as if she were about to rush over and punch Fia the next second.

“You bastard…!”

At the end of her words, Nola had already thrown a punch at Fia. However, her fist was stopped in mid-air because Claire had reached out and blocked her. Her fist couldn’t move an inch.

At this moment, Claire was also clearly angry. Her eyebrows shot up, and she scolded Nola like a parent.

“Nola, you stop right there!”

Then, she turned and pinched Fia’s pointed elven ear in annoyance, because this brat was currently gloating on the sofa.

“You too, Fia. Don’t deliberately provoke Nola. I’m not going to run away just because of a verbal spat.”