The fragmentation of the mountain and rivers' power caused Iris to be backlashed, but it didn't have much impact on her. She was still able to move freely.

At this moment, she sat on the Your Majesty's seat and began to heal herself using the Dragonwood Jade Pendant. A green vitality surged into her body. (The parting gift from Meng Zhang)

She could feel that her injuries were rapidly healing.

After a while, she opened her eyes with a joyful smile on her face.

Iris's injuries were healed, and her body was restored to its peak state.

She stretched her body and instantly felt a powerful force surging all over her body, making her feel extremely comfortable.

Then, a small flame of platinum color burned on her left hand. Iris looked at the flame and murmured, "So this is what my mother meant by blood sublimation. It's truly peculiar."

No wonder my mother always said that drinking her blood could change the White Flame. Now it seems to be true.

After all, she has Subin, and her mother has Muyan. One day, the White Flame will also become Nanming Lihuo. Moreover, the temperature of her flames is still increasing, just slowly.

Although this change is not very obvious, she still noticed it.

Next, she would deal with some government affairs before finding Lilia.

...

At night, a crescent moon hung in the sky, casting a bright light.

A flying dragon carried two little girls and flew towards the palace. The dragon made a curved path in the night sky and landed in the palace.

The two little girls opened their wings and jumped off the dragon. Baixi transformed from beast form to human form, becoming a tall and beautiful young girl.

At this moment, Iris was dressed in a red gown, with the long skirt dancing in the wind, and her hair slightly lifted.

The hem of the skirt was embroidered with golden phoenix patterns, vivid and lifelike, as if about to take flight. A red belt was tied around her waist, perfectly accentuating her beautiful curves.

Bathed in the silver-white moonlight, she seemed to be immersed in a holy halo of white light.

She took a step and walked slowly towards Baixi, a gentle smile on her face. She asked, "Are the mountains and rivers of the Shuowan Empire beautiful?"

"The Shuowan Empire?" Baixi was puzzled, thinking that this country was called the Crimson Empire?

"I am the new ruler of this country, so it is only natural to change the name. As for the Crimson Empire, it has already been destroyed." Iris explained.

"I see!" Baixi nodded, then answered Iris's previous question, "Shuowan is very beautiful, with continuous mountains and picturesque scenery."

"What do you think, Baiying?" Iris turned her head and looked at the little Baiying beside her.

Baiying gave a thumbs-up and nodded in praise, "It's beautiful!"

"What about you, Yingling?" Iris turned to Yingling beside her and asked.

Yingling tugged at Baixi's skirt and didn't dare to meet Iris's gaze, lowering her head timidly and said, "It's beautiful."

Yingling was quite afraid of Iris because there was an inexplicable pressure emanating from her. She dared not look directly at her.

She was afraid of saying something wrong and angering Iris, which would lead to her own death and implicate her mother.

"That's good!" Iris said calmly, "Starting tomorrow, Yingling, you will start to study and learn palace etiquette. If you dare to be lazy, you know the consequences!"

"I...I understand, Miss Iris." Yingling's voice trembled as she replied.

"Wear this veil and don't let anyone see your face! If anyone sees it, I will personally ruin your face. If you dare to recognize those old party members, I will execute them in front of you, and you will be imprisoned in a birdcage for the rest of your life. If you deliberately reveal your identity, I won't mind throwing you into the abyss for the wild dogs to devour." Iris's tone was very plain, but it carried a chilling coldness that sent shivers down one's spine.

"I will remember it and never do anything that goes against your teachings, Miss Iris." Yingling's voice also trembled, showing how much she feared Iris.

Iris handed a thin, silver veil to Yingling and said, "I hope so."

Yingling took the silver veil with both hands and carefully placed it in her arms.

Then, she looked at Baiying beside her, "Baiying, starting from tomorrow, you will also study and learn palace etiquette. If you dare to be lazy, you will be severely punished."

"Yes, mother..." Baiying sighed, looking down in a dejected manner. She had thought that her life of staying at home was over and that she could go with her mother and sister to enjoy the mountains and waters. However, she didn't expect that it was just a larger home with the added task of studying. Life as a beast was so bitter.

"Baixi, take them to rest!" Iris instructed Baiying.

"Understood, mother." Baixi bowed and then led Yingling and Baiying out of the hall.

Once the three of them left, Iris commanded the black-armored demon behind her, "Go and fetch the head maid!"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Several black-armored demons respectfully replied.

A moment later, the black-armored demons left to carry out the order. Before long, Candace hurriedly arrived and knelt down on the ground. She had heard some rumors about this new ruler. At that time, she was busy working in the kitchen and naturally knew how terrifying this young girl before her was.

This afternoon, Victor had announced the change in the country's name to the entire nation, as well as the name of the new ruler.

"Pay respects to Her Majesty, the Empress." Candace lowered her head, showing extreme humility.

"Raise your head!" Iris said coldly.

"Yes... Your Majesty." Candace lifted her head, carefully looking at Iris, unsure of what she meant.

"I heard that you were the head maid for Lilia, is that true?" Iris asked Candace.

"That..." Candace hesitated for a moment, then nodded, "In response to Your Majesty, I indeed used to be the head maid for Lilia."

"Very well..." Iris stood up and walked step by step towards Candace, looking down on her from above as she kneeled on the ground. "From today onwards, you will be responsible for teaching my sister and daughter the palace's etiquette and writing, while also holding the position of head maid."

"Yes... Your Majesty." Candace dared not resist and could only agree.

What surprised Candace was that this young girl, who was probably only eighteen years old, already had a daughter.

"Your Majesty treated you well before, so why did you betray her?" Iris sneered coldly, looking at her mockingly.

Thinking of the past, tears shimmered in Candace's eyes. She bit her lip and choked up as she said, "Your Majesty treated me very well, like family... But my mother was captured by Laina. She forced me to reveal the possible hiding place of Merice. If I didn't comply, she would have slit my mother's throat. In order to save my mother, I had no choice but to betray... and that led to the capture of Princess Merice. I didn't want to lose my mother, so I made that choice..."

Hearing Candace's confession, Iris' face remained expressionless as she looked at Candace and said, "And then?"

"Afterwards... My mother, upon learning what I had done, chose to take her own life." Candace's eyes were moist, and tears glistened at the corners of her eyes, making people unable to bear witnessing her pain. If she had known this would be the outcome, Candace would rather die than betray.

"Since that's the case, why don't you thank with death?" Iris sneered, mocking her. "Do you still hope that Lilia can regain her position as Your Majesty?"

Lowering her head, Candace remained silent for a long time, unable to utter a word. Then, she raised her head with determination in her eyes and said, "I believe that Your Majesty will make a comeback. She will definitely regain her position as Your Majesty."

"Is that so?" Iris sneered again, saying, "I'm looking forward to that day. I hope you won't be like your cowardly mother and choose death to escape."

"I definitely won't, I definitely won't!" Candace immediately shook her head and said resolutely.

"Good, I hope you will keep your promise." Iris nodded, then turned around and left.

Candace watched Iris leave and still believed that Lilia would regain her rightful position as Your Majesty, and she would also serve her beloved Your Majesty faithfully.

Iris didn't have any grudge against Candace. The reason she said those words was simply to make her strong and not want to see her devastated. If they were in Candace's shoes and threatened with Ling Guang, she would have reacted the same way. However, such a thing shouldn't happen, after all, her mother is incredibly powerful.

Iris left the palace and walked into the courtyard, looking up at the starry sky. She couldn't help but think about how long it had been since she last stargazed...

At that moment, Baixi approached her with dinner in her hands, placing it on a stone table next to Iris. "Mother, it's time to eat," she said.

"Okay." Iris withdrew her gaze from the night sky and looked at the food on the table in front of her.

"These are all your favorite dishes," Baixi said with a smile.

"Thank you for your hard work." Iris reached out and touched Baixi's forehead.

"Compared to you, Mother, this is nothing," Baixi said with a smile, then sat down beside Iris. "By the way, Mother, who do you plan to appoint to teach Yingling and Baixi?"

"Candace. She should be experienced in court etiquette, after all, she is the head maid."

As Iris spoke, she picked up a piece of blood-soaked beef with her chopsticks, put it in her mouth, chewed twice, and then nodded in satisfaction. "It tastes good!"

"Do I need to wear a veil or something to prevent Candace from recognizing me?" Baixi asked, looking at Iris with a coy expression.

"No need. Ever since you advanced, your facial features have changed. She probably won't recognize you. Besides, you used to have a serpent body, and now you're a 6-foot-tall cool and elegant lady. If you say you're Baixi, who would believe that? Just make up a random name then."

"Is 6 feet tall considered tall? When I still had a serpent body, I could stand over 6 feet tall... I've actually gotten shorter..." Baixi said.

Iris: "..."

Iris no longer paid attention to Baixi and focused on eating her meal. The difference in height between her and Baixi was a whole 20 centimeters. Not only was this girl taller, but her figure was also stunning. If it weren't for the presence of demons and Ling Guang's bloodline in her body, she would probably still be just a 5-foot-tall little girl.

In a way, Cecilia's bloodline was still very strong. Even with the support of two different bloodlines, her body had only developed slightly.

...