Chapter 46: The Duchess’s Transformations

When the domain of silenced magic vanished, a ravenous, insatiable hunger, like an abyss, surged through Ramola’s entire being. She coughed dryly in disappointment, stumbling back a few steps before collapsing to the ground, seemingly adjusting to the abrupt change.

“Hey, are you alright?”

Seeing Ramola’s disheartened state, Yunajin almost couldn’t resist using her ability again.

‘To feel hungry yet have no appetite… well, it’s probably like when mealtime arrives, and the table is laden with nothing but fungi. For me, that would be an absolute nightmare.’

“There’s no helping it. If you want to feel better, I’ll give you a hand.”

“No need.”

“Huh?”

Ramola extended a hand, signaling Yunajin not to activate her power again.

“Heh heh, I never thought that after enduring for millennia, just a few minutes of liberation would nearly make me lose control.”

Ramola forced a smile, her pale expression appearing quite strained.

“To be honest, I nearly wanted to devour you just now, the current Fifth Demon Lord. Even a strong will struggles to resist a moment’s pleasure.”

Ramola had always been trapped in a state of perpetual hunger and extreme pickiness. Beneath her seemingly elegant and composed exterior, her stomach remained empty, and to sate it, she had to force others to “willingly” become her sustenance.

Perhaps this was precisely why Ramola remained the sole surviving Abyssal Kin on this land. The souls and other material energies she consumed were far less than those of other Abyssal Kin, amounting to mere scraps compared to her elder sister, who was known as the ‘Endless Glutton’.

Ramola’s unwavering will and maintained sanity were intimately tied to her constant struggle against her “picky eating.”

However, after trudging forward with such difficulty for so long, Ramola, in the presence of Yunajin’s unique ability, had for the first time comfortably settled down. Once immersed in such pleasure, it would be exceedingly difficult to return to her usual state.

She could either devour Yunajin and absorb her abilities, or keep her by her side forever.

Evidently, the consequences of both options would be the same—

Ramola would be annihilated by Meredith, who possessed the power to slay all living things.

Even if Meredith was her old friend.

Yet, upon reflection, was it truly out of fear of death that she had relented?

‘No, I will not easily surrender to fate.’

“Let’s stop here for today. Though it’s hard to let go, at least I experienced a moment of a normal person’s life.”

Ramola cast a spell, and a dark blue dress materialized upon her. Immediately after, she prepared to conjure one for Yunajin as well.

“Hm? The magic isn’t working… It seems she possesses an invalidation trait herself. Doesn’t that mean…”

Observing Yunajin’s bewildered expression, Ramola grew thoughtful.

“It’s fine, I’ll do it myself.”

Yunajin casually grabbed a bathrobe and draped it over herself, grumbling indignantly, “I barely even got to soak for long! Honestly, you’d better make it up to me another day.”

“We’ll see about that later, if you don’t want to be seen naked by someone.”

“What?”

Ramola lifted her gaze, her eyes shimmering with an ethereal blue light, pointing directly at a distant rooftop.

She had detected Qiaolun’s inquisitive gaze.

“Ugh!”

Before he could react, Qiaolun felt as though he had been locked in an embrace of extreme cold. His body instantly froze solid, not through a conversion to elemental power, but by magic directly congealing into ice. The demonic energy within him was assimilated into ice in a single moment.

“Th-this… what kind of power is this?”

Qiaolun struggled to utter the words, shock frozen in his eyes, before he lost consciousness.

When Qiaolun awoke again, he was greeted by the familiar white ceiling. Had he not seen the white coat hanging at the head of the bed, he might have believed himself still in the Demon Lord’s City.

“What happened? Was it a nightmare?”

Qiaolun sat up, pressing a hand to his forehead. He attempted to circulate the demonic energy within him, but it felt like a frozen water pipe in winter; only a few faint embers flickered in his palm.

‘Just a glance at me nearly incapacitated me. What a terrifying individual.’

‘Someone must have brought me back to my room afterward. How utterly embarrassing. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have taken that extra peek.’

Regret festered in Qiaolun’s heart. He got out of bed, pulled back the curtains, and discovered the window was undamaged. The events of last night flashed vividly in his mind, abruptly ending after he had been frozen into an ice sculpture.

The person who came had drawn the curtains and also repaired the glass.

“What’s this?”

Qiaolun picked up the small note on his bedside table. Opening it, he found a few elegantly written words—

[Come to the back garden once you wake up – Yunajin.]

“Little Icy, how did you manage to plant such a large expanse of these blue roses? I remember they’re quite difficult to cultivate.”

Yunajin gazed at the surrounding blue flower bushes. Golden sunlight fell upon the ethereal blue blossoms, yet it did nothing to dispel the faint chill that emanated from them, making them appear strikingly out of place.

“Daytime isn’t these children’s stage. I really should have brought you to see them at night.”

Ramola took a delicate sip of tea. She then picked up a rose from the vase and dispelled the magic clinging to it.

Under Yunajin’s fascinated gaze, it reverted to its original red color.

“It was merely a little trick,” Ramola said indifferently. “Much simpler than tedious cultivation.”

‘So if I just exert a little power, will all these flowers turn back into red roses? Heh heh, I’d quite like to try that.’

As Yunajin entertained these whimsical and mischievous thoughts, she remained unaware that Ramola had already noticed the unconscious upturn of her lips.

“What are you thinking about, looking so pleased?” Ramola asked with a wicked grin. “You’re not recalling the ‘comfortable things’ you did with that human last night, are you?”

“N-no, not at all!” As if a sensitive nerve had been struck, Yunajin’s face flushed crimson. “It hasn’t reached that point yet! It’s too soon…”

Yunajin was still unsure of Qiaolun’s feelings towards her, or what level of affection he held. It was probably not enough for them to become lovers…

“Wait… this is all your fault!” Yunajin suddenly remembered something, her tone accusatory. “If you hadn’t frozen him into an ice sculpture, how could you have interfered with me!?”

“Isn’t that wrong? You just said you weren’t thinking anything, and besides, he was the one who peeked at this Duchess bathing first. Not killing him was me giving you face.”

“Bullshit…” Yunajin couldn’t help but curse. Ramola, however, misinterpreted this, believing her companion was simply displeased with her actions.

“He was clearly looking at *my* body, why would he look at yours? He’s not interested in you!”

Upon hearing those words, Ramola’s expression momentarily froze in surprise. Yunajin’s puffed-cheeked expression looked entirely serious.

By all accounts, when Yunajin spoke this way, Ramola should have conceded. A simple compliment or a way for Yunajin to save face would have preserved their close friendship.

Alas, Ramola had always been extraordinarily confident in her own charm.

“My apologies, my dear Lady Yunajin. I merely kept this form because I considered your tender age, a blend between cute and mature, giving the impression of still growing…”

“What do you mean?”

Ramola twirled a strand of hair draped over her shoulder, a smile playing on her lips. “One’s appearance can be changed at will. For instance, like this…”

A flash of blue light, and Ramola instantly transformed into a little girl of about ten years old. However, the cunning and playful glint in her blue eyes made Yunajin realize that she was still the same Ramola from moments before.

“Now you’re truly Little Icy.”

“Hmph, don’t be so quick. There’s also this form…”

No sooner had the words left her lips than countless tiny ice flowers unfurled in a dazzling display, revealing a slender, utterly captivating woman before Yunajin.

From her exquisitely textured and supple breasts to her firm, shapely derriere, her long, fair legs, and her perfectly sculpted, delicate face—Yunajin, witnessing all of this, felt as though she were sitting on pins and needles.

“Goddammit!”