Chapter 27: Crying

Melorin leaned against Lilith’s embrace, her body trembling slightly.

The nerves that had been tightly wound finally loosened under those gentle whispers.

That long-suppressed exhaustion, fear, and loneliness finally found an outlet.

A single tear slid down silently.

Then a second.

A third.

At last, she could no longer hold it back.

She began to sob softly in Lilith’s arms, her voice hoarse and broken.

“Lilith…”

She choked, her fingers clutching tightly at the corner of Lilith’s clothes as if grasping the only piece of driftwood left.

“I’m really… so tired, so tired…”

She cried as she spoke in broken fragments, as though grievances bottled up for far too long had finally burst through the dam.

“Sometimes… I really want to just lie down like this… rest for a bit… think about nothing, do nothing… and just fall asleep…”

Her voice grew softer and softer, like she was talking to herself, or begging for understanding.

“But… I’m really scared…”

“When I close my eyes, I’m afraid I’ll never wake up again… afraid that when I do wake up, I won’t be myself anymore… afraid that I’ll even forget how to hate…”

She could not go on.

She only buried her face deeply into Lilith’s arms.

Her tears soaked Lilith’s clothes as her shoulders shook uncontrollably.

Lilith did not interrupt her.

She only held her tighter, her palm gently stroking Melorin’s back, soothing her like a child who had endured too much.

“Melorin…”

Lilith spoke softly, her voice gentle yet firm.

“Don’t worry.
No matter how dark the road ahead is, as long as you don’t give up hope, you will succeed.”

She paused, then gently lifted Melorin’s chin with her fingertips, forcing her to meet her eyes.

“I believe in you.
So… you must believe in yourself too.”

Melorin gazed into those eyes.

The string in her heart that had nearly snapped was slowly pulled taut again.

She sniffed, wiped her face clumsily with her sleeve, and forced herself to straighten her back.

Her voice was still hoarse, but now carried a trace of resolve.

“I… will definitely succeed.”

She looked at Lilith, a faint yet stubborn light rekindling in her eyes.

“Thank you, Lilith.”

Lilith smiled.

It was not a polite, practiced smile, but one born from the heart, filled with sisterly affection.

She reached out and gently rubbed Melorin’s hair.

“There’s nothing to thank me for.”

She said softly.

“As sisters, we should look after each other.

When you’re tired, lean on my shoulder.

When you’re scared, hide behind me.

As long as I’m still standing, I won’t let you face the storm alone.”

Hearing this, warmth surged in Melorin’s chest.

She couldn’t help but nestle closer into Lilith’s embrace, letting out a small “mm.”

It felt as if she had returned to a warm dream she had long forgotten.

Seeing that her emotions had finally settled, Lilith smiled and lightly patted her shoulder.

“Alright, alright, no more clinging.”

Her tone turned cheerful.

“Get dressed properly and hurry to breakfast.

If you skip breakfast, you won’t have any energy all day~”

Only then did Melorin realize she was still half-nestled in Lilith’s arms.

She blushed and nodded quickly.

“Mm… I know.”

Lilith began helping her straighten her clothes, her movements careful and practiced.

When she bent down to smooth Melorin’s skirt hem, her fingers accidentally brushed against the soft, not-yet-fully-developed curves on her chest—

“Ah!”

Caught off guard, Melorin let out a small cry, her entire face instantly flushing red.

Lilith looked up, and seeing her expression, couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s not the first time.

What’s there to be shy about?”

Melorin looked down at the little soft mounds that had been teased, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed.

Yet she no longer reacted as fiercely as before.

She only gave Lilith a light push, her voice gentle, like a bashful girl.

“Alright… stop teasing me already, Lilith…”

Seeing her shy expression, Lilith’s smile deepened.

Her fingertips still hovered before those little buns, lightly tapping them.

“Melorin, I just think… you’re really cute like this.”

Melorin froze, her heartbeat inexplicably skipping.

“C-cute…?”

She murmured the word, her cheeks burning hot, even the tips of her ears turning red.

“I… I’m cute like this?”

For some reason, a warmth rose from the depths of her heart, like sunlight streaming into a room long shrouded in gloom.

For a fleeting moment, she felt dazed—

As if she were truly just a younger sister cherished by an older one, and not some plaything of the Demon King.

But the next second, she shook her head violently, forcefully dispersing those dangerous feelings.

“No… I can’t be fooled by this kind of gentleness…
The nicer she is to me, the more likely it’s all part of the Demon King’s arrangement…”

She bit her lip, suppressing the turmoil in her heart.

Yet she still raised a smile and spoke softly.

“Thank you for the compliment, Lilith.”

In the dining hall

With Lilith’s support, Melorin slowly took her seat.

Her body still ached faintly from the torment of the previous night.

She glanced around, her gaze landing on the empty seat of honor, her brows knitting slightly.

—The Demon King was not here.

She looked at Lilith beside her with some confusion and asked softly.

“Lilith… where did Morgana go?
Why don’t I see her?”

Lilith was pouring her a cup of warm honeydew.

Hearing the question, she chuckled softly.

“This?
Lady Morgana still has official duties to attend to.”

She gently pushed the cup toward Melorin, her smile warm.

“The administration of the Demon King’s Castle, border battle reports, tribute lists from the various races…
All of these need her personal review.”

Hearing this, Melorin’s eyes widened slightly, her tone carrying an unmistakable trace of disdain mixed with teasing.

“I didn’t expect… Morgana to actually handle official affairs?”

She muttered quietly, her mind involuntarily replaying the wild scenes from the previous night.

Her cheeks warmed faintly.

“Her physical stamina is really something…
After such intense activity, she can still go to work full of energy…”

Halfway through speaking, she suddenly realized her tone sounded far too intimate.

She quickly lowered her head and took a sip of honeydew, trying to hide that fleeting embarrassment.

Lilith saw it all and merely smiled lightly, reaching out to pat her shoulder.

“Don’t worry about those things, Melorin.”

Her voice was gentle yet firm.

“Eat first.
After breakfast, we still have classes to attend.”

The moment she heard the word “classes,” Melorin’s heart sank heavily.

She sighed inwardly.

Those unbearably shameful lessons again…
Things like The Way of Succubus Service, Demon Etiquette and Intimate Behavior Standards…

It was basically a systematic demolition of my sense of shame.

She stared at the exquisite food on her plate, but her thoughts drifted far away.

“When will I be able to find any useful information…
A way to awaken Sylvia, the Demon King’s weakness, an escape route…”

“Will I… already have completely fallen… before I even uncover a single clue?”

Her hand gripping the fork tightened slightly, her knuckles turning pale.