At last, the grand punishment of the little thief-cat finally came to an end.

The three women—whose names had now been deeply engraved into the Empress’s memory—curled their lovely bodies around Muen, occasionally rubbing their smooth skin against him while enjoying his gentle caresses.

They had intended to quietly savor the lazy, blissful afterglow following such an intense battle.

Unfortunately, beautiful moments were always short-lived.

Especially for a room full of extremely busy people.

Although Celicia had already used her authority beforehand to ensure this place remained exceptionally secluded, someone still managed to find it.

Knock knock knock.

A hurried voice came from outside the door.

“Your Majesty? Your Majesty? Are you here?”

“......”

The three women jolted upright from Muen’s broad chest and exchanged glances.

Their gazes swept across the surroundings.

The room was a complete disaster.

Then they looked at one another—

the Swordbearer, the Saintess, the Great Sister currently serving beside the Saintess, and the Imperial Empress herself tied up nearby...

If this scene were exposed, the entire continent would probably suffer an earthquake of catastrophic proportions. The shockwaves might even surpass the Empire’s victory in this war.

Fortunately, the door was protected by restrictions, and Veil herself was extremely respectful. She did not attempt to force the door open.

However, she had clearly already sensed the aura belonging to the Empress upon the barrier. If she received no response for too long, panic might drive her to break in by force.

And if that happened—

there would only be two choices left.

Silence her permanently.

Or turn the girl named Veil into an accomplice as well.

There was no third option.

Therefore—

Anna rose gracefully and walked toward the Empress with swaying hips.

“I’m sure Your Majesty doesn’t want anyone seeing you like this.”

Smiling sweetly, Anna removed the gag from Celicia’s mouth.

“So you know what to do.”

“......”

Celicia’s eyes were no longer as cold as winter snow.

The flames burning inside them had raged for several straight hours. Any ice long ago had not merely melted—

it had evaporated.

If looks could kill, Anna and the others would already have died several times over.

Yet even at this moment, when she wanted nothing more than to tear these shameless sluts apart with her bare hands, Celicia still forced herself to calm down.

Because just as Anna said—

she understood what truly mattered.

“Your Majesty?”

“......I’m here.”

After wearing the gag for so long, Celicia felt as though her jaw ached, yet she still steadied her breathing and forced her tone back into normalcy.

“Your Majesty’s here? Thank goodness! We finally found you!”

Outside the door, Veil sighed in relief and patted her chest.

“I kept trying your Voice Stone, but you never answered. I thought something dangerous had happened to you. If we still couldn’t find you, I was about to mobilize the Royal Knights to search as well!”

“......I am not so fragile that such measures would be necessary.”

Celicia inhaled slowly.

“What do you need?”

“Did Your Majesty forget? The banquet with the Kingdom ministers!”

Veil hurriedly explained.

“It’s already been almost two hours past the appointed time, and those nobles are all still waiting there!”

“......”

She had almost forgotten.

No—

rather, under the current circumstances, she simply had no mental space left to think about something as trivial as dining together with a pack of Kingdom pigs.

“I understand. Let them wait a little longer.”

“Eh? Is that really okay?”

“They’ve already waited this long. A bit longer makes no difference. Inform them that I’ll arrive shortly.”

“But after waiting this long already, the Kingdom ministers’ emotions might—”

“Do I need to care about their emotions?”

Celicia’s voice suddenly turned glacial.

Emotions?

She herself had nowhere to vent her own emotions right now, yet she was supposed to care about a bunch of surrendered ministers?

Being forced to watch for so long while helping those three shameless sluts hide everything had already pushed her rage dangerously close to the limit!

“If they’re dissatisfied, tell them this.”

“Those willing to wait may continue waiting.”

“And those unwilling to wait...”

“...can get out.”

“O-oh! U-understood! I’ll go immediately!”

Veil had served Celicia for years. She knew perfectly well that for someone as cold and restrained as the Empress to display emotions this openly, her anger had already reached an absolutely terrifying level.

Damn it.

Who exactly had angered Her Majesty this badly?

That hateful yellow-haired bastard?

Muen Campbell truly was no good thing!

Not daring to think further, Veil hurried away at full speed to notify the still-waiting Kingdom officials.

“Shall we continue?”

After Veil departed, Celicia narrowed her eyes and lifted her chin toward Anna.

“Oh my, I would love to keep playing.”

Anna remained utterly fearless, smiling as brightly as ever.

“But since even you, our noble Empress, can behave so reasonably, if I allowed myself to be toyed with emotionally so easily, wouldn’t I become no different from some bitter housewife?”

“There’s always next time. Let’s stop here for today.”

“I hope you’ll still be smiling next time.”

“With a man who loves me dearly, of course I can smile whenever I please. Isn’t that right, my dear little Empress sister?”

Anna raised her hand and gently stroked Celicia’s flushed cheek before lightly tapping her forehead.

“Though honestly... it looked like you enjoyed yourself quite a lot too.”

“......Next time, I’ll make sure you enjoy yourself as well.”

“Hehe. I’m looking forward to it.”

Anna waved casually, and darkness surged beneath her feet like flowing shadows.

“Come along, little sisters. Time to leave.”

“Who exactly are you calling little sister?”

A trace of coldness flashed across An’s beautiful face. Despite everything they had just done together, she felt no intimacy whatsoever toward the other two women.

In her eyes, they were merely smaller pests temporarily cooperating to eliminate a larger pest.

Still, her current disheveled appearance possessed little intimidation. Fragrant warmth lingered around her body, loose strands of hair clinging to her sweat-damp skin, lending her elegant features an intoxicating charm.

After tonight, everyone present arrived at the same realization:

that yellow-haired villain truly had improved tremendously after only a month or two apart.

Next time, if any of them fought him alone one-on-one, they would need to be extremely careful.

Otherwise, he might genuinely overturn the situation and finally achieve his grand ambition of ending up “on top.”

“Eh? Time’s already up?”

Compared to the others, the pure Saintess Liya reacted far more honestly. She immediately hugged Muen again and clung to him for another moment.

“We’ll play again later, darling.”

Mia.

Reluctantly, Liya planted a fierce kiss directly onto Muen’s lips before finally following An and Anna away.

As the shadows melted into darkness, the room that moments ago had resembled a battlefield of thunder and wildfire finally fell completely silent.

Without An’s control, Celicia at last broke free from her restraints and slowly stood.

The room’s temperature began plummeting at a clearly perceptible speed.

Very quickly, frost spread across the windows, the floor, and the bed wherever traces of moisture still remained.

And how did Muen—the battlefield itself throughout this entire incident—respond?

He closed his eyes tightly and pretended to be dead.

Namo Amitabha... Namo Amitabha...

God, Jesus, the Three Pure Ones, Withering King...

Please, please let Celicia ignore insignificant little me right now... please...

Unfortunately, with only the two of them left in the room, no amount of pretending or praying held any meaning whatsoever.

“Enjoy yourself earlier?”

Celicia walked to Muen’s side. Her tone was gentle, almost like a wife greeting her husband.

But her eyes had once more frozen into an icy lake.

Cold beyond measure.

“D-did I?”

Muen opened his eyes with an awkward laugh.

“N-not really... I was forced! All I felt was humiliation and suffering from being forced!”

“Humiliation? Suffering?”

Celicia suddenly extended one leg clad in battle-damaged black stockings and stepped directly onto that spot, grinding mercilessly back and forth.

“It certainly didn’t look humiliated or suffering earlier. It looked quite happy to me.”

“And you seemed pretty happy too.”

“N-no... I really was humiliated and suffering... ah—lightly! You’re going to crush it!”

Muen’s expression twisted in agony and pleasure simultaneously. Yet he did not dare resist and could only stare pitifully at Celicia.

“My beloved Cia... spare me.”

“......”

Celicia fell briefly into thought, as though suddenly remembering something.

“Fine. I’ll spare you for now.”

“Really? I knew it! Everyone else is just a demon trying to drain me dry! Only you truly care about me, Cia!”

Muen immediately lit up with joy and tried to hug and kiss her jade-like foot, only for Celicia to evade him directly.

“Stay here.”

“You’re not allowed to go anywhere.”

“Eh?”

“Once I finish my business, I’ll come back and settle accounts with you properly.”

Celicia lifted her chin arrogantly, looking down upon him.

“......”

Right.

So this was not mercy after all.

His death sentence had merely become a delayed execution.

Muen looked utterly miserable and once again stared at Celicia pitifully, attempting to beg for a little more forgiveness.

Unfortunately, Celicia gave him no opportunity whatsoever.

She simply turned and left the room.

The cold night wind rushed in through the doorway, instantly clearing away much of the heated atmosphere from moments before.

Celicia activated magic, erasing every scent and trace from her body.

She had never removed her dress, while the torn stockings remained hidden beneath the thick layers of her floor-length skirt, so there was little concern on that front.

After confirming no traces remained, she happened to encounter Veil returning from delivering the message.

“Let’s go.”

“O-oh... eh?”

“What is it?”

Seeing Veil suddenly freeze in place, Celicia looked at her in confusion.

“N-no... it’s nothing!”

Veil jolted violently and hurriedly pulled back the gaze she had been staring at the Empress with.

“I just thought... Your Majesty’s hair accessory suits you very well!”

“......”

Expressionless, Celicia raised a hand and removed the cat-ear accessory from atop her head.

The black cat ears contrasted beautifully against her silver hair.

Soft.

Fluffy.

Ridiculously adorable.

“Forget what you saw.”

“Eh?”

“Forget it.”

“......O-oh! Understood! I-I didn’t see anything! Absolutely nothing!”

Veil hurriedly covered her face.

“......To think I forgot about it for a moment. So that woman pulled one final trick at the end as well?”

Recalling Anna’s tap against her forehead earlier, Celicia immediately understood she had been schemed against one last time.

She casually stored the cat ears away and prepared to leave, but after taking two steps, she suddenly paused.

“W-what’s wrong, Your Majesty?” Veil asked nervously.

“......”

Celicia furrowed her brows and thought silently for a moment before glancing back once over her shoulder.

Then, as though nothing had happened at all, she continued walking forward.

Her small feet stepped elegantly atop crystal-glossed high heels, every movement graceful and refined, perfectly displaying the noble and icy dignity belonging solely to the Empress of the Empire.

Not the slightest abnormality could be seen.

“It’s nothing. Let’s go.”

“O-okay.”

Veil obediently followed behind her, not daring to provoke her further.

Yet as she walked, she suddenly rubbed her eyes.

Because beneath the swaying layers of the Empress’s skirt, she thought she had vaguely glimpsed something...

“It was an illusion. Definitely an illusion!”

After only a moment’s thought, Veil clapped her hands decisively.

The cat ears could still be explained as Her Majesty experimenting with a different style for once.

But that kind of thing?

There was no way the noble and icy Empress would possibly wear something like that.