Chapter 28: The Shameless Secret of the Doll-like Maiden

On a deserted patch of ground outside the White Orchid Garden, Xiamiya leaned against a wall, breathing heavily.

“Hmph, hmph, hmph~”

After pulling Youka away from the White Orchid Garden and ensuring the doll-like maiden wouldn’t, in a fit of pique, simply kill Beni, Xiamiya finally let out a long sigh of relief.

Once she had recovered her composure, the Third Holy Princess immediately turned to face the doll-like maiden behind her.

While Xiamiya was quite pleased that Youka had avenged her, slapping a noble young lady without a word, and even knocking out her teeth? That was clearly not a wise decision.

‘Honestly,’ she thought. ‘Hadn’t I already told her not to act so rashly within the Holy Royal Palace?’

A flicker of displeasure crossed Xiamiya’s rainbow-colored eyes as she considered this.

“Hey, Youka, I was going to say…”

However, before Xiamiya could speak, Youka, standing behind her, preempted the conversation, immediately questioning Xiamiya’s actions and seizing control of the dialogue.

“Master, why did you let that person go?”

“Huh?” Xiamiya blinked, a bewildered expression on her face as she scratched the back of her head. “Wh-why?”

“You are a Demonic God candidate. That foolish woman insulted you, which is tantamount to insulting the Demonic God, and by extension, the entire Starfall Palace. Such a being has no reason to be spared.”

“Please, Youka, do you even know who she is? She’s the eldest daughter of the Roberitz Marquisate. The Roberitz family is the second most powerful faction among the nobles. If we offend them, how am I supposed to get by in Ophelia later?”

As she spoke, Xiamiya seemed to recall something, and she nervously twirled a strand of her hair. “Wait… you didn’t kill her, but you slapped her so many times? Oh no, doesn’t that still mean we’ve offended them?!”

Realizing this belatedly, Xiamiya’s face instantly filled with apprehension.

In response, Youka spoke with a hint of exasperation. “Then if you hadn’t stopped me and allowed me to eliminate all of them, wouldn’t there be no trouble at all?”

“What? How would that be no trouble? If you had killed her, wouldn’t we have offended them even more thoroughly?”

“No.” Youka shook her head, directly refuting Xiamiya’s words. “To prevent those noble young ladies from spreading this incident, all three of them should have been dealt with.”

“But, killing someone in the White Orchid Garden…”

“There’s no need to worry. No one would suspect you. Don’t forget, what is your greatest advantage right now? It’s that you have no talent, are weak and frail, timid and cowardly, utterly useless, and no different from trash…”

“Uh, Youka, are you… are you insulting me?”

“No, I am merely stating your image in the eyes of others.”

Youka explained with a straight face. “In short, what I mean to say is that even if Miss Beni and her attendants had died in the White Orchid Garden, no one would suspect you. After all, Miss Beni is a young, fifth-tier genius Divine Art Master, and you, Master? You are merely a second-tier ‘waste’.”

“This… seems to be true.” Xiamiya sighed resignedly.

A second-tier, untalented ‘waste’ like herself. No one would ever suspect her.

Nevertheless, Xiamiya continued, “Youka, perhaps you’re right. But no matter what… acting violently within the Holy Royal Palace is a very high-risk endeavor! Even if you wish to act, you must first obtain my consent, understand? Hmm… After all, if you act rashly, you might just ruin my grand plan! Do you understand?”

…

Meeting Xiamiya’s serious gaze, Youka nodded obediently.

‘A grand plan, huh?’ she mused. ‘Fine, whatever.’

“I understand, Master.”

“Phew~” Seeing Youka so compliant, Xiamiya breathed a small sigh of relief.

At the same time, the Third Holy Princess couldn’t help but curiously examine Youka’s attire. The doll-like maiden was already captivating, but paired with this maid’s uniform, she exuded an even more distinct charm.

Beautiful, elegant, and noble.

“Wow, speaking of which, Youka, where did you get this outfit? There shouldn’t be any maid uniforms in the Snow Lotus Palace, should there?”

“I made it myself, Master.”

“Oh, I see. That’s right, Youka, you’ve always been skilled at making clothes. But this time, it was so fast? I’ve only been out for a little over an hour, haven’t I? And you’ve already made an entire outfit?”

“Not entirely.” Looking down at her attire, Youka slowly shook her head. “Many parts are still unfinished.”

“Unfinished?”

“Yes, it’s merely a temporary exterior.”

“Hmm?” Xiamiya tilted her head, a hint of confusion in her gaze.

“What do you mean?”

However, Youka seemed to have no intention of directly answering Xiamiya at that moment. Instead, she posed another question to her master.

“Before that, Master, how do you intend to handle the Roberitz family moving forward?”

Her usual calm tone subtly carried a chilling undertone.

Although Youka had refrained from further attacking Beni due to Xiamiya’s request, she had clearly noted Beni’s insult towards Xiamiya in her mental ledger.

“Any being that insults the Demonic God must be subjected to the cruelest punishment. This is the fourth rule of the Demonic God’s Precepts.”

“Uh, this…” ‘Sure enough, Youka won’t let this go easily…’

“I know.” Xiamiya averted her gaze, replying softly. “They will be dealt with, but not now…”

“Not now?”

“No, I’m still… still counting on their support,” Xiamiya mumbled, her emotions tangled.

As the Palace Lord of Starfall Palace, Xiamiya still had to abide by the Demonic God’s Precepts, as stated by Youka. According to these precepts, human nations, especially those that worship the Goddess of Creation, must either be destroyed or brought under the dominion of Starfall Palace.

For Xiamiya, she was unequivocally unwilling to destroy Ophelia; it was her father’s life’s work.

In that case, her only option was to dominate the nation. There were two ideal ways to control the Theocracy: either become the legendary Saintess or inherit the Holy King’s throne. Regardless of the chosen path, the support of the noble faction was indispensable.

“You know as well as I do, the noble faction is one of the Theocracy’s three major powers. Without their support, it’ll be incredibly difficult for me to control this country, let alone become the Saintess, alright?”

“The Saintess, then…”

“Wait, don’t misunderstand!” Xiamiya hastily interjected. “The Saintess title is just a cover for Starfall Palace! It has no other meaning!”

“Yes, I know.”

“Oh, good, as long as you know.”

“Master, do you need to gain more support to control this country?”

“That’s right.”

“Actually, increasing your support rate is not difficult at all.”

“Huh?” Hearing this, a spark of brilliance flashed in Xiamiya’s eyes, and she looked at Youka with anticipation. “Youka, do you have a method?”

“It’s quite simple: eliminate those who do not support you, leaving only those who do. Wouldn’t that suffice?”

Youka replied with a perfectly serious expression. “Uh…” Xiamiya couldn’t help but press a hand to her forehead. “Never mind, pretend I didn’t ask. For now, just listen to me obediently and don’t act recklessly. I have my own methods.”

“Understood, Master.”

“Sigh…” The cherry-haired maiden couldn’t help but sigh once more.

‘Well,’ she mused. ‘Though I claim to have a brilliant plan, in reality, I still have no clear strategy in mind, merely muddling through each day as it comes.’ In truth, whether it was becoming the Saintess or the Holy King, Xiamiya possessed no definitive means to achieve either.

‘The Saintess?’ she scoffed internally. ‘Please, I’m the so-called Child of Curses! A Child of Curses becoming the Saintess would undoubtedly incite public outrage, wouldn’t it? Until that title is stripped from me, becoming the Saintess is utterly out of the question.’

As for the Holy King? Xiamiya dared not even consider it.

She couldn’t govern a nation, nor did she possess the temperament to be a monarch. Moreover, her father clearly had more suitable choices than herself.

“Sister Helibea…” ‘My sister is far more suited to be the Holy King than I am. How could I, after receiving so many favors from her, shamelessly snatch what rightfully belongs to her?’

“Sigh.” Pondering this, under Youka’s thoughtful gaze, Xiamiya crouched on the ground, hugging her knees, and briefly retreated into a state of self-isolation, plagued by her own conflicted thoughts.

She was utterly conflicted about her future.

“What’s wrong, Master?” Youka stepped in front of Xiamiya, asking with concern.

Hearing this, Xiamiya slowly looked up, speaking with resignation. “It’s nothing, Youka, just thinking about some future pla… wait?!!!”

However, in the very next instant, Xiamiya’s words abruptly ceased. Her rainbow-colored eyes suddenly narrowed, filled with utter astonishment.

Because, having squatted down and then looked up, Xiamiya had inevitably caught a glimpse beneath the doll-like maiden’s skirt.

As a girl herself, Xiamiya seeing another girl’s skirt wasn’t inherently scandalous. But… the most crucial detail was… Youka…

Whether intentionally or by accident, beneath her short skirt, there was absolutely nothing…

The maiden’s secret garden was thus completely exposed before Miss Demonic God.

“Sh-she’s not wearing any?!!!”

GazIng at the skirt’s underside, which seemed to glow with a blinding holy light capable of dazzling both man and beast, Xiamiya’s face abruptly flushed crimson.

The next moment, the Third Holy Princess, her face beet red, shakily raised a hand to point at Youka’s face. “Y-y-y-you! How could you, you… how can you be so shameless!!! Why aren’t you wearing any panties?!?!”