As the orange glow of evening spread across the sky, Esdeath finally returned home after a long day. These days, she didn't have much to do except wait patiently for her plans to move forward as she wanted.
Of course, she didn't waste her time. She still fought monsters regularly to keep her body sharp and her muscle memory strong. In her free time, she practiced learning complex magic patterns and builded experience with merging and refining essence stones.
There were moments when she deeply wanted to go out and kill a few hundred people—just to absorb their souls —but she knew it would draw too much attention. A string of murders would easily leave behind clues to her and ruin her current reputation, and right now, she couldn't afford that.
With a small sigh, she shook her head and opened the door to her home. But the moment she stepped inside, she froze.
Selene was running happily around the room, giggling like a little child. At first glance, nothing seemed strange, but when Esdeath looked closer, her eyes narrowed slightly in surprise. Selene, who had grown taller and now stood almost a little taller than her shoulder height before, had suddenly returned to her old form—the small six or seven-year-old child Esdeath had met for the first time.
Esdeath didn't panic or raise her voice. She just walked in calmly, her sharp eyes observing the girl. "How did this happen?" she asked softly but firmly.
Selene stopped running and smiled brightly, her eyes shining with innocence. "Lilith! She's my new friend. She taught me how to transform!"
"Lilith?" Esdeath repeated the name, and her expression changed slightly. The only Lilith she knew was Lilith Maranthia—Kailith's mother.
As Selene continued, she explained everything in her sweet, cheerful tone. She told Esdeath that her aunt—Maruti's girlfriend—had sent her to Lilith for some lessons, and Lilith had been very open minded and knowledgeable taught her this.
"It seems a lot of things are happening behind my back," Esdeath thought coldly, her eyes narrowing. Without another word, she turned around and said in a calm voice, "I'll be back in an hour. Don't go outside."
Selene nodded, still smiling.
Esdeath left the house and went straight to the academy. Being an archduchess, she didn't need permission or an appointment to meet anyone. Even a high-ranking professor like Lilith couldn't refuse a sudden visit from her.
When she entered Lilith's office, the air instantly became heavier.
Esdeath stepped forward, her crimson eyes glowing faintly with irritation. Her voice was cold and sharp when she spoke, "Care to explain why you didn't tell Selene about your actual age? Or should I start thinking you're a child predator?"
Lilith leaned back in her chair and looked straight at Esdeath, her calm silver eyes glinting slightly. "First, why don't you tell me where you found a silver dragon and made her believe that you're her mother?" she asked, her tone firm but strangely calm.
Esdeath crossed her arms and gave her a sharp glare. "I couldn't care less about your question," she said coldly.
Before, Esdeath had to hide Selene carefully so neither Kailith nor Lilith would find out about her. But now, her position and reputation were much higher than theirs. She no longer felt the need to explain herself to anyone—especially not to Lilith.
Lilith sighed softly, as if she had already expected this kind of reaction. "I just did part of the job that you should've done," she said in a quiet but slightly scolding tone.
Esdeath raised an eyebrow, but before she could say anything, Lilith continued, "It seems you don't understand the situation properly. Selene is a dragon, not a human. Dragons must learn to take human form—not the other way around. When she met you, she must have instinctively changed her appearance to look like you."
Esdeath's expression didn't change much, but her crimson eyes flickered slightly with interest as Lilith went on.
"But as she grows older and stronger," Lilith explained, "her transformation will become unstable. If that happens, one day you might find a giant dragon three times larger than normal bursting through your roof and crushing your house in one go. I had to teach her how to properly control her transformation—how to look human and stay that way."
Esdeath's voice was cool and calm. "Then why did you make her look like a child instead of her current form?"
Lilith shrugged and replied simply, "Because she asked me to. You can ask her yourself if you want."
Esdeath didn't say anything after that. She already understood why Selene wanted to become a child again. That innocent, smaller form suited her personality better.
Lilith had only helped her perfect it. Selene could now freely switch between her smaller child form and her normal one whenever she wished.
After confirming everything, Esdeath turned around to leave. But as she reached the door, Lilith's calm voice stopped her again.
"It seems you're not a very good mother," Lilith said quietly but firmly. "She's a dragon, not a human. You should let her stay in her dragon form more often. Or, if you're too busy, you could leave her with me for some proper training. Don't worry—it'll be free of charge."
Esdeath turned her head slightly, her lips curving into a small irritated smile. "I'll consider it," she said dryly. Then she slammed the door behind her, making the entire room tremble for a second.
The next morning, Esdeath sat in the classroom, thinking about giving Maruti a good beating for being so careless and letting things get this messy. But when Maruti finally walked in, Esdeath stopped immediately.
The sight of her made Esdeath raise an eyebrow. She didn't even need to ask what happened—it was clear that Maruti had already received her punishment from someone else.
Maruti's appearance was completely different. She was wearing black fishnet stockings that clung tightly to her legs, her nails were neatly polished, and her lips were covered in glossy lipstick. Her face looked brighter, as if someone had forced makeup onto her, and she was even wearing shiny earrings.
But her expression told the real story. Her eyes looked empty and tired, her shoulders slouched, and her smile—if one could even call it that—was dry and lifeless.
Yesterday, Maruti's secret three, No, Four-way relationship had been exposed. Kailith and Alice had both found out that Maruti had not just one but two other girlfriends.
Things eventually settled, but not without some harsh conditions. Kailith, being the bold one, had demanded that Maruti wear the fishnet stockings she had gifted her during their date. Maruti had tried to delay it by pretending to act shy and saying she'd wear them next month, but after a month passed, she still hadn't done it. Now, she clearly had no choice.
Another condition was that she had to take better care of her appearance—get her nails done, wear lipstick, and even style or color her hair if possible.
And lastly, she was required to go on a date with all four of them—Kailith, Alice, Ravenna, and Brenna—on a regular basis. The original demand was every three days, but Maruti had managed to negotiate it down to once a week.
Of course maruti wasn't planning to follow these rules for long, If she were to bounded by rules so easily, She wouldn't have manifested freedom essence stone in the first place
As Esdeath looked at her, she almost felt a bit of pity—but only almost.
Everyone in the class went silent the moment Maruti walked in. For a few long seconds, the students just stared at her from head to toe, their eyes wide with confusion.
She looked… very different from the usual "Saintess" they admired. The stockings, the lipstick, the shiny nails—it didn't match the image of Saintess maruti at the cathedral.
One brave girl, unable to hold her curiosity, stood up and quickly walked toward Maruti. She leaned closer and whispered softly, "Miss Saintess, why are you wearing those clothes?"
She didn't call her by name—just "Saintess." Like many others in the classroom, she was a devoted follower of Maruti and saw her as a messenger of the goddess Seraphine herself. But seeing her dressed like that… it shook her faith a little.
Maruti, however, kept her calm smile. "I had an intuition," she said gently, her voice filled with fake holiness. "That wearing this would bring good luck to all of you. I believe most students will pass the coming exams if I wear this outfit."
Her words were definitely less charlatan type and effective because her mind was already messed enough that she couldn't think of a better excuse.
But still, It was enough to fool some devot believers.
The girl gasped slightly, her eyes sparkling. "Ah! So that's the reason! The Saintess is doing this for us!" she whispered, almost teary-eyed before bowing and returning to her seat, her faith restored.
Maruti sighed softly and sat beside Esdeath, hiding her tired expression behind a saintly smile. "It's good that these people are so easy to fool but I'll need a valid reason in future," she thought with a wry grin.
Out loud, she muttered, "I need to become an S-rank as soon as possible."
She knew well—if she could surpass Kailith and Alice in power, the situation would finally calm down. Ravenna and Brenna were easy to handle, but those two were… too much.
"You should pray to your constellation instead," Esdeath said coolly without looking at her. "Maybe it'll finally bless you with something useful."
Maruti's smile twitched. "My useless constellation?" she groaned. "There's no difference between having him or not, He's clearly non existent to me!"
"Then be ready for the secret auction," Esdeath replied calmly. "You might find something there to enhance your strength."
Maruti blinked and leaned back slightly, remembering something—the golden veins essence stone Lilith had given her. She was about to bring it up but the classroom door opened.
Kailith walked in with a bright, satisfied smile.
The moment Esdeath saw her, she quietly stood up and moved to another seat without a word. She already knew drama was about to unfold and didn't want any part of it.
As for Maruti… she could only accept her fate.
"Mei, you look even more beautiful today," Kailith said cheerfully, sitting beside her. Without any hesitation, she wrapped her arms around Maruti and pressed her body against hers. Her hands slid around from behind and grabbed both of Maruti's large breasts, making them jiggle lightly.
Maruti's face turned bright red—but not from embarrassment of being touched. It was because of the name. "Don't call me that!" she said sharply and smacked Kailith's head lightly.
But Kailith only smiled more, her amber eyes full of playful mischief. "You smell nice too," she whispered, nuzzling her shoulder. "Is that the perfume Brenna recommended? I love it, It suits your mature vibe."
"Stop being weird! We're in class!" Maruti hissed and tried to push her away, but Kailith was far too strong.
Thankfully, the teacher entered right then, and Kailith finally let go, sitting up straight as if nothing had happened.
The teacher—a calm, green-haired woman —smiled at the class. "Alright, everyone. Today we have an announcement," she said in a bright, steady voice. "There's a new student joining you. She has been promoted to Class A due to special recognition of her skills."
The class murmured in surprise. The teacher turned toward the door. "Come in."
A girl slowly stepped inside. She had long violet hair that covered half her face, hiding her eyes and forehead. Her presence felt heavy, gloomy even, and the long purple tail swaying behind her revealed her beastkin blood.
"She is Alice Arlecchino—a half fox-kin," the teacher introduced.
The room fell silent for a moment.
Maruti, however, wasn't surprised. She knew this was coming. It was part of Alice's deal—she wanted to spend more time with Maruti, and Ravenna had personally used her royal authority to promote Alice straight to Class A.
Belta, sitting near Ethan's group, gave a mocking scoff. "A fox-kin? The weakest kind?" she muttered under her breath. "Can't compare to a tiger-kin like me."
Several students quietly agreed, whispering to each other. In recent years, fox-kin were looked down upon as frail and weak—many believed Alice only made it here because of someone powerful supporting her and actually they were right.
Maruti frowned slightly. "Now that I think about it," she thought, "I never asked her which beastkin she was."
Then she remembered what Xing Liang once told her—that fox-kin used to be the strongest of all beastkin. Her eyes narrowed slightly. "It seems her background isn't as simple as I thought," she thought quietly.
Alice didn't say a word. She simply walked quietly through the murmuring classroom and took a seat right next to Maruti.
Kailith's smile froze for a moment. Her lips twitched slightly, and her aura darkened—but she said nothing. She knew very well that Alice was also one of Maruti's girlfriends, She had no choice but to share.
"Is she Maruti's friend?" one of the students whispered, looking between them. The way Alice sat close to her without hesitation made the answer clear.
At the very front, Ravenna turned her head slightly and glared back at them, her pink eyes narrowing in jealousy.
"Tch… I'm the only one who can't get along with my master in public," she thought bitterly, resting her chin on her hand. "It's so unfair…"