I felt the warm rays of the morning sun on my closed eyes.
A sudden, warm weight pressed down on , preventing from moving as I lay there with my eyes still closed.
Could this be a lingering effect from yesterday’s incident?
Opening my eyes, I found two twin tails of hair lying across my chest. The unmistakable dark purple hue told instantly that it was Cupcake’s hair.
When did I return to our room?
I lifted my head to find Cupcake’s small form sleeping soundly on my chest, her skin covered by nothing but her black leather underwear.
As I attempted to lift my hands, an invisible force held them back. My eyes darted to the edge of the bed, where a rope was fastened tightly, its coils wrapped firmly around my wrist.
I tried to move my legs, but a knot around my ankles held in place. The slight tremor of my body as I shifted was enough to stir Cupcake from her sleep.
She got up and sat on my stomach, the blanket slipping from her back and landing on my thighs. She brushed away strands of hair that were covering her red eyes and glanced at , a long smile spreading across her lips as she yawned.
"Morning, Darling," she said, her voice soft with sleep.
"Morning," I mumbled back, still half-asleep.
My gaze shifted from Cupcake to the ropes tying my limbs. Following my line of sight, she watched as I looked at the restraints on my wrists.
"Could you untie , please?" I asked Cupcake with an awkward smile.
I have to be certain you can’t leave ," she said, her fingers tracing the knot on my right hand. "Tell , what were you doing in Shazog’s room last night?"
Cupcake leaned in, and her hand shot out to the drawer beside the bed. She took out a table knife, lifted it to her face, and licked it.
"I want you to be honest with ," she said.
I looked up at Cupcake with a lump in my throat. Her pupils were dilated, eyes stretched wide and unblinking, and an unnervingly exaggerated smile curled across her lips.
"I passed out," I said. "Shazog offered to let stay the night."
Cupcake dragged the table knife along my chest as if deciding where to make the first cut. "Grak called to pick you up last night. Why were you in the sa bed as Shazog, and why was she naked?"
My gaze flickered away as I fought to control my expression.
It was a setup. Grak deliberately called Cupcake last night after her sister fell asleep, scheming to get in trouble from the very beginning.
"Trust , nothing happened between and Shazog. I just had a mana drain and she helped out. That’s all there was to it."
Lifting my chin with the knife, Cupcake inserted it between my lips. "Before you suffered from mana drain, before Grak entered the room, what were you doing with Shazog?"
My heart hamred in my chest. Cupcake was acting crazy, and I had no idea how far she would go if I lied.
I pushed the knife away with my tongue and swallowed my saliva. "I made a mistake and walked into Shazog’s room, thinking it was ours. She ca out of the bathroom naked. That’s all that happened; I am innocent."
My desperate plea seed to work. Cupcake’s eyes went back to normal, and she set the knife down in the drawer. She then picked up a silver tray and set it on my chest.
"I believe you," she said. Her hand took a sausage from the tray and offered it to my mouth. "I woke up early and made you breakfast, but I must have fallen asleep again while I was waiting."
She shoved the sausage into my mouth, smiling like a child hosting a tea party with her dolls. "Eat up, it’s getting cold."
’Munch-munch.’
I was forced to take a bite of the beef sausage, swallowing it quickly before speaking. "Untie my hands. I can’t eat while lying down."
Ignoring my request, Cupcake took a slice of bread topped with a fried egg from the tray and forced it into my mouth. "I didn’t add any seasoning to the egg," she said. "Do you like it like that?"
"I’ll tell you what," I said softly, my eyebrow twitching. "This would taste a lot better if you untied and let eat sitting up."
A smile played on her lips, her eyes crinkling with quiet delight as she reached for a glass of rose tea, clearly intending to feed it to .
"I’m on my back. I can’t possibly drink it like this."
Ignoring my protests, she pushed the cup to my lips and tilted it. The pink liquid poured into my mouth, though much of it spilled over the edges, running down my chin.
"Do you like it?" she asked, wearing the happiest face in the world.
"Yes," I answered, the word stretching out of my throat like a rubber band.
"Would you please untie ?"
Using a napkin, she gently dabbed my cheek, cleaning away the spilled rose tea. "Promise you won’t ever leave alone," she whispered.
I t her gaze and saw the worry lingering there. Her touch was steady as she cleared the fluid from my skin.
"I promise," I told her.
Cupcake cut the four ropes with the table knife, freeing my limbs. I imdiately sat up, and she threw her arms around , her face wet with tears.
"What were you thinking last night?" she asked, her voice filled with concern. "Grak told what happened. You nearly died from mana reversion."
I hugged Cupcake back, patting her on the back. "I’m fine," I said. "There’s no need to worry."
Cupcake hit on the back, her sobs growing louder. "You idiot," she cried. "The policy is to imdiately execute people undergoing mana reversion before they turn into a beast. You were lucky Shazog was kind. If not for her, I would have lost you."
Cupcake pulled away from the hug, wiping her tears with her forearm. "I need the Demon King to ascend the ranks and beco a field marshal; your death is not an option."
"You are my disciple," I said, placing my palm on her head. "I need you to worship so I can unlock my true powers."
I set the plate of bacon Cupcake had made on my lap, took a bite, and glanced at her sitting beside . "This is amazing," I said, "the seasoning is on point."
Cupcake glanced away, her cheeks slowly turning red. "I’m glad you like it," she said.
I picked up another piece of bacon, but before I could eat it, Cupcake interrupted.
"You lied to Lana about Lady Beatrice. You never told any of us that you knew she was still alive."
"I didn’t an to d—"
Cupcake placed her finger on my mouth. "I won’t force you to tell why you lied," she said. "The reason I wanted to talk about Lady Beatrice is because her state funeral is tomorrow."
Lifting her finger, she rested her hands on her thighs. "According to the classified docunts Lana provided, I discovered that the duke’s son, Lucas, was in a clandestine relationship with Lady Beatrice following the dissolution of her engagent to Joseph. She was using him to obtain protected information."
Cupcake placed her hand on my lap and looked in the eye. "Lucas is furious. He thinks we’re responsible for Lady Beatrice’s death, especially you. Avoid him at tomorrow’s event—he’s a loose cannon and you don’t want to ss with him."
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