Chapter 48: A Difficult Choice

Bane laughed in a low voice.

“Looks like you do care about me quite a bit.”

“Of course,” Rivina replied as if it were only natural.

“In that case,” Bane’s voice grew deeper and filled with temptation, “on the day of my plan, I will inform you.”

“At that time, I will dispatch an elite force to you. They will be your most sumptuous feast. Make sure you eat everything clean—don’t leave a single scrap.”

“Of course,” Rivina said with a smile.

She stuck out her tongue and slowly licked her lips.

“With such delicacies, I’ll naturally eat them clean. Not a single drop of blood will be wasted.”

Her eyes glittered with a pure desire for slaughter and devouring.

“I really must thank you properly, Lord Bane~”

“As long as it makes you happy,” Bane said with satisfaction.

He cast Rivina one last glance.

“Then I’ll be going.”

As his words fell, his entire body vanished.

Inside the Demon King’s Castle restaurant.

“Merorin, hurry and try this piece of cake. It’s so delicious!” Sevia’s voice came from beside Merorin.

She scooped up a small piece of cake with a spoon and brought it to Merorin’s lips.

Seeing the eager look on Sevia’s face, Merorin took a bite.

“Sevia, this really is very good. You did an excellent job—sweet but not cloying, just right, and the texture is very smooth,” Merorin praised.

“Really?” Sevia’s eyes instantly lit up.

Using the same spoon Merorin had just tasted from, she scooped another bite and savored it carefully.

Sevia’s slender succubus tail quietly slipped out from beneath her skirt and wrapped around Merorin’s calf.

This scene happened to be seen by Cassie, who was sitting nearby.

“Damn it! Sevia, you bad woman!” Cassie complained inwardly, her little fist unconsciously tightening around her fork.

“She’s actually trying to steal my dearest Sister Merorin while I’m not paying attention!”

She immediately put down her fork, picked up a knife, and cut off a piece of meat from her own plate.

She moved in front of Merorin and said in a coquettish voice, “Sister Merorin, try this grilled meat I have. It’s really tasty too. I saved it especially for you!”

Seeing Cassie’s pitiful expression, Merorin couldn’t bear to refuse and smiled as she ate the piece of grilled meat.

She chewed carefully and nodded in praise.

“Cassie, this grilled meat is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and the seasoning is very well balanced. You really controlled the heat perfectly.”

“Really?!”

Hearing this, Cassie jumped up from her chair in excitement and bounced twice on the spot.

Seeing this, the resentment in Sevia’s heart only grew stronger.

“Damn it! Cassie, how dare you compete with me right in front of me for the cutest Merorin-chan!”

She gritted her teeth inwardly, then smiled and said to Merorin, “Merorin, how about we go trim the plants in the garden together later?”

“No!” Cassie immediately retorted.

She quickly grabbed Merorin’s hand and shook it.

“Big Sister Sevia, Sister Merorin is supposed to accompany me to test my new invention later!”

“This is very important, so there’s no time to go play in the garden with you.”

Hearing Cassie say this, a wave of offended anger immediately rose in Sevia’s heart.

She tightly hugged Merorin’s hand, as if protecting her own treasure, and said anxiously, “Merorin, you’re usually with me!”

“Today, since Lady Lilith isn’t feeling well, I should take Lady Lilith’s place and properly accompany Merorin and take care of her!”

As soon as Cassie heard this, she puffed up her cheeks and angrily retorted.

“Hmph! Big Sister Sevia is the real bad one!”

“The Demon King personally said this morning that Mom should specially attend to Sister Merorin!”

“And Mom is going to check my new invention with me later. That’s a very important task!”

“So, Sister Merorin should of course come to the laboratory with me later!”

“Besides, my inventions are all super interesting—way more fun than trimming those boring flowers and plants!”

When Sevia heard Cassie not only argue back but also mention the Demon King’s order personally conveyed by Irina that morning, the confidence in her heart instantly collapsed, and her eyes dimmed.

She clutched Merorin’s arm tightly, her fingertips turning slightly pale, her heart filled with unwillingness.

“This is the Demon King’s order… but I’m so unwilling!”

“Today was such a rare chance to spend the whole day alone with Merorin-chan. Why, why did I have to be excluded… why not give me a chance…”

Cassie keenly noticed Sevia’s dejection and immediately became smug, her small face filled with a “see, you lost” expression.

Seeing the two people beside her arguing fiercely over her, one tightly hugging her arm and the other staring at her eagerly, Merorin couldn’t help but feel troubled.

She already had many worries today and her own plans to carry out, yet she was dragged into this endless struggle.

At that moment, Irina, who had been standing not far away and quietly observing everything, finally walked over slowly.

She spoke in a steady voice.

“Lady Merorin, the Demon King indeed personally gave orders today for me to attend to you. Therefore, today’s schedule will be entirely decided by you.”

After finishing her words, she walked to Cassie’s side and gently patted her head.

Though her movements were somewhat stiff, they carried an awkward kind of tenderness.

“Cassie, I may not be able to accompany you to test your new invention today. Everything will depend on Lady Merorin’s wishes.”

Hearing Irina say this, Sevia felt like a drowning person grabbing onto a lifeline, and hope instantly ignited in her heart.

She immediately turned her head and made a smug face at the stunned Cassie, then said with a laugh, “Cassie, did you hear that?”

“Where Merorin-chan goes today isn’t up to you. It’s up to Merorin-chan herself to decide!”

Seeing Sevia’s smug look, Cassie’s little face flushed red with anxiety.

She immediately stood up from her seat, clasped her hands together, and looked at Merorin with the most pitiful eyes.

“Sister Merorin, please, you have to come test inventions with me today!”

“My laboratory has lots of fun things—little robots that breathe fire, and magic lamps that can change colors. I promise Sister Merorin will have a great time!”

“This is way more fun than trimming those flowers and plants in the garden!”

Seeing this, Sevia refused to back down as well.

She immediately took Merorin’s other hand and gazed at her affectionately, her voice filled with temptation.

“Merorin-chan, come to the garden with me today.”

“We can admire the flowers while chatting, and we can even do some interesting things together.”

“This is much more fun than staying in that small, dark laboratory.”

Merorin was caught between the two, Sevia on her left and Cassie on her right.

Looking at the two faces full of expectation, she found herself unable to decide for the moment, her head aching from the dilemma.