The distance was too close. Tiyi couldn’t see clearly—only the unmistakable pressure of a woman’s body pinning her down. Their combined weight, amplified by unnatural strength and skill, left her dazed from the impact.

Qingruo snapped back to awareness first. She’d never felt skin-to-skin contact between women before. Their mingled fragrances tangled in the air, seeping through fabric to awaken nerves she’d buried deep. A flicker of fear tightened her chest, heightening every sensation. She pushed herself up abruptly.

Tiyi’s eyes fluttered open slowly. Dim light carried an even richer feminine scent straight to her senses. She narrowed her eyes instinctively—each breath felt like sipping wine, weakening her by degrees.

Her vision cleared. A girl in a white fencing uniform straddled her hips. From this low angle, the tailored trousers blurred into a silhouette of towering elegance. Slender waist flared upward to a chest that dominated Tiyi’s view, breathtakingly close.

*No!* Tiyi’s mind screamed at her predicament.

Before she could move, strong hands seized both her wrists. Unimaginable force pinned them flat against the floor above her head.

“Ah!” A startled cry escaped Tiyi’s lips. Her arms were locked helplessly at her sides, leaving her chest exposed. She struggled instinctively—but the hands holding her, though soft and warm, were immovable. Gentle yet absolute.

Tiyi’s strength surpassed most Imperial male warriors. Who could overpower her like this?

She jerked her head up.

Her gaze froze.

“Qingruo!?” The name tore from her throat, raw with shock.

“Who are you?” Qingruo pressed down harder on the girl’s wrists beneath her, her thighs clamping like steel bands around Tiyi’s hips. Her supple waist and hips settled firmly over Tiyi’s abdomen, pinning the smaller girl completely.

Moonlight spilled through the window as clouds parted.

Qingruo finally saw the face beneath her.

Tiyi’s slightly disheveled mid-length hair framed tear-streaked cheeks. Her skin glowed like frost-kissed moonlight. Golden eyes—deep as midnight—locked onto Qingruo’s. Something stirred in Qingruo’s chest. This face held a fallen, drowning beauty utterly unlike her own.

*How can two women be so different?* Qingruo stared, as if glimpsing a hidden world of femininity.

“You—” Qingruo snapped back to focus, voice sharpening. “Why were you in Teacher Yedi’s room? If you’re some indecent student…” Her gaze hardened. “I won’t forgive you. No matter how… *cute* you look.”

“I…” Tiyi’s world tilted. *Qingruo. She saw me leave his room. Of all people—Qingruo!*

The impact crashed over her. Her heartbeat thundered; her mind went blank. To be seen by her secret crush—dressed in spaghetti-strap lace, transformed into this blushing, curvaceous woman—was the ultimate collapse for the Empire’s once-proud warrior.

*Who am I?* Tiyi wished a sage would answer for her. *Goddess of Night… tell her who I really am.*

“I don’t know…”

“What?” Qingruo frowned. Not refusal—but *“I don’t know”*? Illogical. Her eyes traced the girl beneath her: golden irises wide with panic, parted pink lips, the delicate column of her throat. Even lying flat, her chest rose full and tempting beneath scandalous lace trim. Heat radiated between their bodies. Qingruo’s breath hitched, a faint white mist escaping her lips.

Seizing Qingruo’s hesitation, Tiyi bucked upward.

Qingruo’s hips pressed down—a soft, unyielding weight. Tiyi’s wrists lifted mere inches before being slammed back to the floor.

Qingruo leaned her full upper body over Tiyi. Their chests crushed together, stealing Tiyi’s breath with every shift of Qingruo’s strength. Warm breath ghosted over Tiyi’s cheek. A shiver ran through her, draining her strength further.

Tiyi glared up, twisting her shoulders, straining her arms—but Qingruo’s grip never faltered. Tiyi’s breaths grew ragged, gasping. Qingruo’s control deepened with every struggle.

Their strength shifted strangely with each clash. Every time Qingruo subdued her, Tiyi weakened—and Qingruo grew stronger.

A strange sense of helplessness rose in Tiyi. The girl pinning her radiated undeniable power. Under that strength, Tiyi felt… ordinary. Soft. *Weak.*

For the first time, she understood the vulnerability of being a woman pinned beneath another.

Tiyi wasn’t weak—but strength was relative. Against someone stronger, even the mighty felt small.

“Still silent?” Qingruo’s voice cut through the haze. She loomed over the trembling girl, forcing sternness past a flicker of pity. “I haven’t dragged you to Security yet out of respect for Teacher Yedi’s reputation. Keep defying me, and I’ll follow Academy protocol.”

“What is your relationship with Teacher Yedi?” Qingruo pressed her chest harder against Tiyi’s, leaning close. Her voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. “Why dress so indecently? What were you *doing* in his room? Spare me the details—I only want the truth. Or I *will* punish you.” Her fragrant breath washed over Tiyi’s ear, impossible to block out.

“I…” Tiyi trembled, words failing her.

*What’s my relationship with Teacher Yedi? I* am *Yedi! The Empire’s greatest Holy Temple Knight you once admired! Yes—I was turned into this blushing, curvy woman by a Succubus. Weak enough for you to pin down and interrogate like a criminal!*

*Happy now?*

She ached to shout it.

But she couldn’t. Shattering Qingruo’s idol—and Yedi’s last hope of reclaiming his honor—was unthinkable.

“Can… can I have some time?” Tiyi turned her face away. Qingruo’s eyes were too commanding, her lips too close, too tempting.

Shock and the shame of being overpowered as a woman clouded her thoughts. Deep inside, a faint, insistent whisper urged her to surrender to this gentle dominance.

*Why?* Tiyi fought the feeling. A man facing oppression should fight back. Stay calm. Find an opening. That was how he’d conquered the Empire.

*Turning despair into victory—that was his weapon.*

Now, that weapon lay in *her* hands. She was the arbiter. And Tiyi? Just the condemned girl beneath her.