This isn’t just a little… *ahem*… thirst, is it?

“Stop! Doing it like this could cause an infection! Don’t you have any common sense?!” Liang Lin protested. “And—and it’ll put serious strain on my body!”

Liang Di fell silent, seemingly pondering.

“Hmm… You do have a point.”

Relief washed over Liang Lin. “Then untie me already! If I’d known you’d act like this, I…”

*I should’ve strangled you as a kid.*

She swallowed the words. *A person of principle doesn’t act on impulse.* She was pinned, utterly helpless. One wrong word… (censored) She’d rather die than be humiliated. If Liang Di had just held a knife to her throat—“Obey or die”—this wouldn’t feel so degrading.

But Liang Di wouldn’t let go. (censored; details to follow)

“Sister Liang Lin… it’s fine. I’ll just… (censored).”

Liang Lin: “Huh?”

A sound of pure mental short-circuit.

“You—*what* do you mean, ‘just’?”

Had she misheard?

(censored)

Liang Lin: “…”

Utterly helpless, tears of frustration welling.

Liang Di gave no room to protest, acting exactly as she pleased. (deleted section)

Finally—before Liang Lin’s sanity fully shattered—(censored)

She even felt a flicker of relief: *Thank goodness it’s my period today.* (deleted section)

Though the act ended, Liang Di still clung tightly, counting on her fingers.

“Sister Liang Lin, human periods last about a week, right? To be safe: seven plus three—ten days total. So… in ten days, we can be together~”

…Relentless. Impatient.

Liang Lin nodded half-heartedly. “Mm.”

*Damn it.* If Octavial brought news from her sister within ten days—if her sister agreed to meet—she’d pack and flee this den of trouble *tonight*. Clan head position? She didn’t care. With her strength, she could return to the borderlands, rally surviving loyalists, and make a comeback.

But if no news came? How to delay further?

Wait—

*The black hole!*

“Liang Di, one thing you never told me… What’s *really* inside that black hole?”

“The black hole… Only those with House Langwendi’s bloodline may enter. Others face certain death. Inside? Pitch black. Nothing visible. But… I felt something guiding me deeper.”

Remembering Gratice—spitting blood, convulsing after being dragged out—Liang Lin asked, “Then… that vampire *is* of House Langwendi’s bloodline? So…”

“Yes.”

“Then why…?”

“Oh, the blood? I beat her up.”

“…You’ve got guts.”

Liang Di shrugged. “She kept struggling. At the cave entrance, she frayed the ropes and tried to escape. I wrapped her in tentacles to stop her—accidentally used too much force. Probably broke a few bones.”

“Octavial will heal her.”

Inside the Demon Spire, Octavial stared at Gratice and Laura lying motionless side by side on the bed, chin in hand, deep in thought.

“Octavial, what happened?”

A woman appeared behind her—barely shoulder-height, radiant golden hair, pink eyes like an innocent little white rabbit. She wrapped her arms around Octavial’s waist, resting her head affectionately on her shoulder.

“Fu… Where were you? I searched everywhere after waking.”

Octavial stiffened, glancing back as she gently grasped the hand on her chest.

“Darling… I went to find your younger brother… well, *sister* now.”

Siralili blinked, withdrawing her hand. “Why *now*? She’ll ask where I am! We agreed to wait three months—how do we explain this?”

“I had no choice.” Octavial slumped against the wall, massaging her temples, worry etched deep. “Liang Di… you know her. Liang Lin is your blood sister, yet their personalities clash. But Liang Di? She’s *so* like you. Expecting her to suppress her emotions would be strange.”

“Oh? So my personality’s *bad*?”

“…No! Darling, we were talking about the *kids*!”

Octavial looked near tears. If she had puppy ears, they’d be drooping miserably. *Seriously—blamed out of nowhere?*

Siralili let it pass. “What happened? Tell me.”

Octavial recounted the crystal ball vision, the teleport to Lanvendi Manor, everything.

“So you told her I was… *disfigured*? Hence why I can’t see her?”

Siralili stroked her smooth cheek, a seductive smile curling her lips. She tapped Octavial’s forehead lightly.

“Your lies are still full of holes. I’ll patch them.” She picked up a quill. “I’ll write Liang Lin a letter tomorrow. Should calm her for now.”

“Fu.” Siralili lifted her gaze.

Her eyes sharpened with killing intent.

“Tell Liang Di: I admire her. But *never* force my sister to do what she refuses.”

“Did—you—understand—me?”

She reached out, gently patting the cheek of the woman beside her.