Chapter 79 : A Gift for the Guests

The chapter returns to the previous night.

After the cage door clicked shut, Milly heard Stacy leave the room.

She was alone again, curled up in the familiar cage.

Stacy’s reaction had been strange. Even the force with which she’d been thrown into the cage was gentler than usual.

She remembered the smile on Stacy’s face—far more terrifying than her rage. She couldn’t imagine what would come next.

Just like when she had been thrown into the forest. Because of that, she had met Tifna, and everything that followed. Though it was mostly her own fault. If she had refused Tifna’s kindness, none of it would have happened.

Maybe she would have survived on her own in the wild.

But it was too late for regrets.

A wave of exhaustion washed over her. Her eyelids grew heavy.

She tried to fight it, but the physical and mental exhaustion were too much. She closed her eyes and fell into a deep sleep…

Mmm…

Where was she?

The cold cage was gone, replaced by a familiar door.

No… it couldn’t be.

Her trembling fingers touched the door. She was afraid to open it, afraid that the moment she did, everything would shatter.

But she had to. With a creak, she pushed the door open.

Standing in the entryway, her vision blurred.

It was home. Her real home. Every corner, every detail, was just as she remembered.

She was back.

But the moment she realized it, she clutched her head and sank to the floor.

In the blurred reflection of the tiled floor, she saw herself.

It was a dream.

Only in a dream could she briefly return to this place she missed so much.

A familiar, gentle voice called out to her. Her mother’s voice.

“Milly, dinner’s ready.”

Why that name? Even here…

Before she could think, her body moved on its own. At the dining table, all her favorite dishes were laid out—food she couldn’t get in that other world.

“Don’t just stare, come get some rice.”

Hearing the familiar words, seeing the familiar figure bustling in the kitchen, Milly stood frozen. When she felt a warm stream on her face, she realized she was crying.

Just a normal, everyday scene, but she couldn’t hold back her tears.

“What’s wrong, dear? Why are you crying?”

“It’s nothing. I just… I missed it so much.”

She knew it was a fragile dream, but she wanted to stay in it, just for a little while longer, until it shattered.

Stacy watched the sleeping Milly in silence and sighed.

She gently lifted her from the cage and placed her on the soft bed behind her.

“It seems Little Milly is having a sweet dream.”

A tear glistened at the corner of her eye. Stacy pulled the blanket over her.

“Sleep. At least for now, you can escape everything in your dreams.”

She turned and left the room. Her words, spoken softly, held a tenderness she herself didn’t notice.

The dinner she had prepared yesterday was no good now. It was still early. She would make her breakfast. By the time she was done, Little Milly should be awake.

About an hour later, Stacy returned with a freshly made breakfast. Ever since she had seen Milly devouring the food at Tifna’s, Stacy had been practicing her cooking.

But in her own body, no matter how hard she tried, she could only create abominations.

Finally, in a moment of desperation, she had transformed into Eileen and tried again. In that form, her cooking was much more normal.

It was her own body that was the problem.

She placed the tray on the nightstand.

“Little Milly, it’s time to wake up.”

No response. Stacy was curious. What kind of dream was she having that she was so unwilling to wake up?

“Time for breakfast. Master prepared it especially for you.”

She gently patted Milly’s cheek, but the little one still didn’t stir.

Strange.

“It seems Little Milly doesn’t want to face reality just yet.”

A pity about the breakfast. She would just have to feed it to the low-level servants.

She lifted Milly from the bed and carried her to the deepest room in the fortress.

The room was dusty, unused for a long time. But for Stacy, cleaning it was a simple matter.

She used magic to tidy the room. The bed was simple, but better than the cage.

She gently placed Milly on the bed.

The little one didn’t want to wake up, so she would have to stay here for now. There might be a lot of noise tonight, and it wouldn’t be good to disturb her.

As she was about to leave, she paused. An ancient tome appeared in her hand.

If Milly were awake, she would have recognized it as the book Stacy was always reading.

“Little Milly, I’ll leave this with you for safekeeping.”

The book dissolved into light and flowed into Milly’s body, leaving a small, book-shaped symbol on the back of her hand.

“Sweet dreams.”

…

Night fell.

The distant horizon flickered with the light of torches, turning the night to day.

The iron hooves of the Empire’s crusade shattered the silence. Before the main force arrived, a few scouts broke off, moving like ghosts toward the fortress.

But before they could reach it, the lead scout froze. Before his companions could ask, his body exploded into a mist of blood.

“What happened?”

Before they could find an answer, their companions began to explode, one by one.

When only one scout was left, he looked up in despair. In the moonlight, a silver figure hovered in the air.

A beautiful face, with a cold, cruel smile.

“How boring.”

The sound of breaking bones was sharp in the silent night. The scout’s scream was forever sealed in his throat.

She had left one body intact. A tendril wrapped around the corpse. Stacy’s gaze turned to the crusading army on the horizon.

For uninvited guests, one must prepare a gift.