Though battered and leaning on a crutch to walk, Kanata dared not neglect the Sovereign. That woman was her everything—if she didn’t come, Nozomi would die.

Inside, Kanata hated Alessia so fiercely her teeth ached, yet outwardly, she remained perfectly respectful. Until Alessia grew bored of toying with her, she had no choice but to keep playing along.

Tonight, the Sovereign had already bathed. Draped in a silver silk robe, one leg crossed over the other, she lounged on the sofa reading the *Luoying Evening News*.

The city-state was peaceful today—orderly under her rule, free of chaos.

“How boring… Same news every day. Shouldn’t these reporters be replaced?”

Their writing was dull, the stories lifeless. Better to buy a novel from the bookstore.

Still, tonight’s wait felt unusually long. The appointment was for nine. Nearly ten now, and that figure still hadn’t appeared at the door.

“Could she be tired of this life… and run off with her sister?”

The thought that her hard-won prey might be slipping away stirred restless irritation in Alessia.

No. Nothing—and no one—should escape her control.

But… she could command Kanata’s life, dictate her sister’s fate… yet never grasp her heart.

Because she couldn’t see through it, she couldn’t control it.

“Damn it. Issue a city-wide alert?”

Alessia slipped her right thumb into her mouth, unconsciously nibbling her nail—a habit whenever anxiety prickled.

Then, the restless Sovereign lit a cigarette and pressed the service bell. The maid’s knock came later than usual, sharpening Alessia’s displeasure.

*Is today some special occasion?*

Reprimand hovered on her lips—until she saw the maid guiding the bruised, bandaged Kanata into the room. Instantly, her tone twisted to mockery.

“Well, well. Our proud Miss Kanata… reduced to this?”

The girl before her leaned heavily on a crutch. Bandages swathed her head; gauze patched her face; a bruise darkened her lip. She looked like a soldier fresh from the front lines.

Alessia knew these wounds weren’t battlefield-born. Without passing the Imperial Guard’s final combat trial, recruits couldn’t leave the city gates.

Most likely, this still-proud daughter of the former finance minister had picked another fight.

“Sorry… Lady Alessia… but… please… go easy on the pay deduction…”

Kanata forced a faint, bitter smile.

She was an hour late. The Sovereign paid by the hour—100 credits for company, versus 50 a day in logistics.

Staying longer would earn more… but then she’d truly be a woman selling herself.

*Well. It’s practically the same now.* Just wearing the guise of a proper job while doing what her family would scorn.

Nozomi had no idea what her only sister did daily at the Sovereign’s mansion. Kanata only said she ran errands there—for extra pay.

She still owed Alessia over 100,000 credits for Miss Gen’s medical bills. Who knew when she’d repay it? This was the debt phase.

“How desperate *are* you? Coming like this… afraid I’ll break you?”

Cigarette dangling, Alessia’s interest suddenly waned.

Bandages crisscrossed Kanata’s frame—a fragile mosaic, as if hastily pieced together. One wrong move, and she might shatter.

Alessia even worried: *If I grip her throat too hard… would it snap?*

“The uniform fee… repaying Miss Gen’s bills… cough… next month’s rent… meat prices in Luoying rose again…”

Adding it up: over a week of grinding work. *Damn rent.* It choked her every month.

But she couldn’t move Nozomi to some cheap, filthy room where bad air would worsen her illness.

Life’s weight crushed her. She had no choice but to endure.

“Tch. Feels like you’re quietly blaming me… and this city.”

Alessia shrugged, took a sharp drag, and blew smoke straight into Kanata’s face.

“Cough… Lady Alessia… please… smoke less… it’s bad for you… cough…”

*(Secondhand smoke was worse—but Kanata swallowed her anger.)*

The Sovereign relished watching her flounder in a quagmire of disliked things: the smoke, the pool incident—

*Like that time she shoved Kanata in, knowing she couldn’t swim well, then laughed while she flailed.*

Alessia built joy on others’ pain. And this “honor”? Reserved solely for Kanata.

The maid discreetly slipped out, closed the door, and hung the *Do Not Disturb* sign.

What happened inside? She’d pretend not to know.

Tonight’s main event would proceed.

“Enough talk. I can’t wait to taste you.”

A hungry, impatient light burned in Alessia’s eyes.