“Liya, Gan Mei, take Her Majesty the Empress back to rest.”

Alisha glanced at Liya, who was guarding Mu Nanyan, and at the short-haired maid Gan Mei, who was glaring at Mu Nanyan. Then she gave an order that shocked everyone present.

Princess Alisha had actually called Mu Nanyan, a criminal, the Empress?

“Your Highness, but…”

Gan Mei wanted to say more, but Alisha cut her off with a wave of her hand before she could get the words out.

Alisha had shed her earlier arrogance. Lifting the hem of her skirt, she slowly approached Mu Nanyan.

“The Demon Emperor hasn’t issued an order to depose you, so by the rules of the Demon Clan, you’re still Her Majesty the Empress.”

“And given our relationship, I should respectfully address you as Mother.”

Lifting her skirt, Alisha dipped into a slight curtsy before Mu Nanyan.

Her sudden change in attitude left everyone present baffled, Mu Nanyan included.

“I’ll have to trouble you to prepare the Demon Emperor’s antidote, Mother. I’ll keep talking with the Demon Emperor…”

Alisha wanted to say more, but after a moment’s hesitation, she shook her head.

I mustn’t ruin the Demon Emperor’s plan… Alisha thought to herself.

“Please forgive me if I did anything wrong earlier. What are you waiting for? Take Her Majesty the Empress back to rest.”

After speaking, Alisha shot an annoyed look at Liya and Gan Mei, who were still frozen in place.

Neither of them dared disobey the Demon Clan’s eldest princess. Though completely bewildered, they did as they were told.

Mu Nanyan followed them out of the Demon Emperor’s bedchamber, still baffled. She hadn’t said a word the entire time. None of it made much sense to her, but staying quiet was always the safest response.

As they walked, Mu Nanyan kept wondering if the things she’d said while trying to act tough had somehow had some strange effect.

Mu Nanyan couldn’t be bothered to guess. She didn’t want to, either. The more she guessed, the further she might stray from the truth.

She’d only end up imagining some grand scheme that wasn’t there.

Since she’d managed to get through the day for now, she might as well take things as they came.

At that thought, Mu Nanyan stretched with a carefree ease. The sun was already high overhead. She hadn’t slept since waking up in the early hours of the morning, and now she was utterly exhausted.

Back in the familiar Cold Palace, Mu Nanyan didn’t wait for Liya or Gan Mei to say a word. She tossed her cumbersome long skirt aside and climbed straight into bed.

Feeling the warmth and comfort of the blankets, Mu Nanyan let out a long sigh.

“Ah… I’m completely worn out.”

Mu Nanyan’s actions stunned Liya—and shocked Gan Mei even more.

One was the Demon Emperor’s adopted daughter, and the other was the Demon Emperor’s maid. Both ranked below Mu Nanyan, the Empress.

The Demon Clan had a rule: whenever the Empress or the Demon Emperor behaved indecorously, their attendants had to avert their eyes.

For example, if the Demon Emperor was bathing or changing her undergarments, you couldn’t just stay there and watch—not if you were her daughter or her servant.

But Mu Nanyan hadn’t cared about that at all. She’d tossed her long skirt aside, leaving her undergarments, pale skin, and alluring figure on full display.

Even Gan Mei, who’d served the Demon Emperor for years and had plenty of experience handling such situations, hadn’t managed to turn away in time.

Liya didn’t even need to turn away. She watched Mu Nanyan take off her skirt, climb into bed, and wrap herself up like a caterpillar.

After seeing that, Liya was so stunned she didn’t even realize she’d been looking at the Empress without permission. Instead, she found herself thinking… Mother has such a lovely figure.

“Your Majesty, if you wanted to change, why didn’t you say so first? We could’ve had time to turn away.”

Gan Mei looked at Mu Nanyan, who was sprawled on the bed without a care for her appearance.

She was still the Empress of the Demon Clan, after all. What kind of behavior was this?

“Huh? I don’t think of you as outsiders. It’s fine, really.”

Mu Nanyan didn’t care in the slightest. Curled up under the blankets, she thought about what to do next.

Then she caught sight of Liya out of the corner of her eye, staring at her with a vacant, almost eager look.

“What is it? Does Liya want to join Mother?”

“Huh?”

Liya froze when Mu Nanyan suddenly called her out.