“C-can I? No, no!”

“You! You’re so shameless! How is someone like you fit to be Empress of the Demon Clan?”

Liya’s cheeks flushed, and she finally remembered to cover her eyes. But it was too late. Her mind was already filled with images of her mother’s graceful figure and her rather risqué lingerie.

For some reason, Liya felt her heart pounding faster and faster.

In that instant, the little girl seemed to understand why the Demon Emperor was so devoted to Mu Nanyan.

“You don’t want to? Fine, then. Are you going to keep standing there watching me sleep?”

Mu Nanyan yawned and pulled the covers over her head.

“I apologize for offending you earlier, Your Majesty.”

Gan Mei gave a slight nod. Her attitude had completely changed from before. Looking at the lazy, laid-back woman before her, Gan Mei couldn’t even be sure what kind of person she really was.

The Demon Emperor hadn’t killed her, the Grand Princess Alisha treated her with great respect, and she was now someone who’d tried to assassinate the Demon Emperor…

That alone said plenty! All those complicated factors tangled together, and just thinking about sorting them out made Gan Mei’s head feel heavy.

“Mm, it’s fine.”

With her back to the two of them, the Empress spoke calmly, showing no displeasure at all.

Gan Mei slowly raised her head and looked around the somewhat dilapidated Cold Palace. She couldn’t help letting out a quiet sigh.

If Her Majesty the Empress really did have some unspoken reason for all this, and wasn’t a threat to the Demon Emperor, then going this far for her meant their relationship could only be called true love.

“Then please get some rest. I’ll keep watch outside the door. Just call for me if you need anything.”

“I-I’ll go prepare the herbs for the next dose!”

Liya suddenly remembered there was still a pit outside that she’d threatened to use to bury Mu Nanyan—and she hadn’t filled it in yet.

“Mm, all right.”

Mu Nanyan’s tone remained flat. It wasn’t that she was unflappable; she was simply so tired that she couldn’t be bothered to show any emotion. She could barely even be bothered to speak.

But to Gan Mei and Liya, this woman had to be hiding something.

Otherwise, how could she be so utterly unconcerned in a situation like this? If either of them had been confined here, they’d have had a breakdown long ago.

And she could still sleep? How was that even possible?

“Then I won’t disturb you. Please get some rest.”

……

“Your Majesty, your condition has improved considerably. You’ll still need to continue recuperating. The poison has been suppressed for now, but it hasn’t disappeared.”

“That medicine worked very well, but this poison… it’s unusually potent.”

The imperial physician released the thread in his hand and gazed at the graceful silhouette behind the thick gauze curtains. He wanted to say something, but held his tongue at the last moment.

He wanted to ask about Mu Nanyan, but he was afraid the Demon Emperor might get angry.

“Mm. Nanyan gave you the medicine?”

The Demon Emperor’s voice had a dreamy, bell-like lilt, so sweet and clear that it gave no hint of the Demon Emperor’s usual brutality or authority.

“Nanyan? You mean Her Majesty the Empress…”

“Mm.”

“Yes. Her Majesty the Empress also gave this humble servant the prescription. However… I ordered my apprentice to try reproducing it, but every attempt failed.”

The imperial physician lowered his head, disappointment in his voice.

“While I was unconscious, I kept having the same dream. There was a man in it, harassing me in every way he could.”

The Demon Emperor leaned against the bed, her voice tinged with distaste.

“It looked like a dream, but it was more like an ancient form of magic. It draws someone into an illusion and gradually alters their mind by influencing their spirit.”

“Little by little, the person being changed either goes mad, loses consciousness, or becomes the caster’s slave.”

“This isn’t poison. It’s a conspiracy disguised as poison.”

The Demon Emperor’s words made the imperial physician’s eyes widen. He hadn’t considered that. The poison wasn’t really poison at all… It had only been made to look that way to conceal the truth and mislead the Demon Clan’s healers.

That bought the enemy time to wear away at the Demon Emperor’s mind.

If Her Majesty the Empress hadn’t stepped in, the Demon Clan could only have watched helplessly as the Demon Emperor fell into the abyss.

“Send Gan Mei to keep an eye on Mu Nanyan. She isn’t the mastermind; she’s only a pawn. If they dare target my mind, they’ll regret it.”