Those inside wish to come out, while those outside wish to go in.
Just like Theresa, who asks Kiana and the others every day, desperately wanting to enter Ye Feng's world.
Meanwhile, Ji Lin, who was playing the jade flute, feels every second in the peach-colored, alluring chamber like an eternity.
Unfortunately, the more one desires something, the more elusive it becomes.
Theresa still cannot enter.
Kiana, too, couldn't possibly tell her aunt that she gets "taken" every day inside. She could only stammer vaguely.
But Kiana's special training inside has indeed brought progress—she even achieved the second-best grade in her year.
This was solid, undeniable proof. Theresa even checked the surveillance footage to confirm that Kiana hadn't cheated.
Theresa's desire to enter reached its peak.
—If even Kiana could rank second in the entire grade after training there, what terrifying results could be achieved if all of St. Freya's students were sent in?
Theresa was filled with boundless yearning, her azure eyes shining with excitement.
"No wonder Kiana's been sleeping earlier lately. My dear niece may seem idle on the surface, but she's actually working very hard."
Theresa was pleased.
A Valkyrie cannot achieve victory through brute strength alone.
Knowledge often plays an unexpected, even game-changing role in battle.
Knowledge is power!
"Yae Sakura, what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?"
Yae Sakura had also moved into the Valkyrie dormitory, sharing meals with everyone.
For some reason, Theresa felt a natural closeness to this pseudo-Herrscher.
Yae Sakura and the Crimson Imp's existence also gave Theresa a new perspective on Herrschers.
Especially the Crimson Imp—it was practically just a mischievous little brat.
At this moment, Yae Sakura noticed the hidden longing in Theresa's eyes, her emotions complicated.
This little girl, who so resembled Kallen… reminded her of those beautiful memories.
"N-no, it's nothing. Please don't mind me."
But she wouldn't reveal the Benefactor's affairs because of this.
After all, she had been given orders by the Benefactor.
"Yae Sakura, you can go there too, right? Can you tell me your thoughts in detail?"
The headmistress strode over, standing on tiptoe, looking up at Yae Sakura with sparkling eyes.
"This…"
Yae Sakura hesitated. "Why does the headmistress wish to enter the Benefactor's world?"
"Because it's the headmistress's duty!"
Theresa placed a hand on her hip and raised a thumb proudly. "—If the training effects there are truly this remarkable. Hm? Yae Sakura, why are you sighing?"
"...It's nothing. I've always been like this."
"Ah, now that I think about it, I should thank you, Sakura."
Mei walked over as well.
"Through sparring with you, I've gained many new insights into the North Star One Blade Style."
Theresa blinked. "Sparring? Can't you spar in reality? There's also the simulation training grounds."
"It's not the same."
Mei explained, "The accumulation of experience is worlds apart. Training there is real, life-or-death combat—because even if you get injured, you recover immediately."
Yae Sakura's fox ears twitched. That was because the Benefactor had applied a status effect to Mei.
But Yae Sakura didn't understand why the Benefactor had ordered her to train Mei to the brink of death, the more intense, the better.
Their battles were almost nonstop, always at the highest intensity.
Her heart pounded violently, as if it would leap out of her throat.
Still, even if she didn't fully understand, Yae Sakura would resolutely carry out the Benefactor's task.
...
...
Meanwhile, Ji Lin had just finished her evening bath, draped in a light robe. The sheer fabric clung to her, still steaming with warmth, flushing her cheeks pink.
She returned to her room—an antique-style pavilion specially prepared for her by Ye Feng.
Ji Lin lit the emerald bronze lamp on the small desk and unrolled a tightly woven bamboo scroll under its golden glow.
She read by lamplight, hoping to dispel the… heat in her heart.
Yet no matter what, she couldn't immerse herself in the text as before. The moment she closed her eyes, the earlier debauchery replayed in her mind.
Ji Lin felt dirty...
She set down the scroll and walked to the small stream outside the pavilion. Kneeling, she cupped the flowing water in her fair, delicate hands and splashed it over her eyes.
The cool water did nothing to soothe the fire inside—if anything, it only grew fiercer.
Ji Lin felt as if she had returned to that moment.
Standing there, her face burning, she nearly fainted from embarrassment.
And yet, she had to keep playing the jade flute.
That scoundrel Ye Feng was even worse—for every wrong note, he made her take a step forward.
Ji Lin had already reached the edge of the large bed, her snow-white feet stepping onto the damp floor, her toes pressing against the bedframe. There was nowhere left to go.
One more mistake, and she'd have to step onto the bed.
The more flustered she became, the more mistakes she made.
In the end, she stepped onto it.
The pristine sheets were soft, like stepping into clouds, as if she might sink in entirely.
The bed undulated like stormy waves. The howling wind, the violent rocking—Ji Lin felt like a small boat in a tempest, tossed between crest and trough.
Just like her emotions.
The classically trained maid stood on the bed, her mind melting into mush.
Her senses blurred, her vision filled only with two intertwined serpents.
Ji Lin, clad in pure white robes, looked as holy and ethereal as a goddess emerging from the Luo River.
Her delicate feet stood on the bed, their arches smooth and flawless, their jade-like skin so translucent that faint blue veins could be seen beneath.
Occasionally, droplets of sweat splashed onto them.
Each time, Ji Lin would startle like a frightened rabbit, her toes curling adorably.
She tried to hide her feet, but the silky arches couldn't be fully concealed.
The sweat glistened like oil, coating her soles, making them shimmer even more.
Even now, her jade feet still burned as if on fire.
She had already washed them meticulously once, yet now she submerged them in the flowing stream again. But the scorching sensation seemed seared into her soul, impossible to shake.
It burned so fiercely that the classical maid's heart trembled.
"Chi Yuan…"
Under the moonlight, Ji Lin let the cool water run over her fair hands.
She clenched her fists, her hair swaying, her eyes lost and sorrowful as she gazed toward the golden birdcage.
"What should this one do…"
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