Chapter: 0.159: Naoko's intervention

outside the hot spring was bathed in the silvery caress of moonlight. The night was quiet, almost reverent, as if the stars themselves had paused to listen. The ancient trees around the estate whispered in hushed tones, and a faint breeze kissed the surface of the water, causing thin veils of steam to sway like ghosts in a lover's dream.

Sion stood there alone—frozen, trembling slightly, her breathing shallow. The warmth from the spring contrasted cruelly with the sudden coldness she felt crawling under her skin. Her arms were still crossed tightly beneath her chest, as if trying to hold together everything that was threatening to fall apart inside her.

She was staring blankly at the steam rising from the water's surface. Her lips, still slightly parted from the breathless whisper she had spoken moments ago—"He called me... mother."

It echoed again in her thoughts. He said it. Her pulse fluttered wildly. Her heart wasn't just beating—it was soaring. A quiet warmth bloomed inside her chest. Not lust. Not ambition. Something softer. Something dangerous. Something human.

And then, like a thunderclap across a serene sky, a cold voice pierced into her thoughts.

> "[Return, Sion. Stop doing stupid things.]"

The voice was sharp. Familiar. Icy. Lady Naoko.

Sion flinched as if the voice had slapped her. Her mental link with her mistress was deep—Naoko didn't need to shout. Even her silence was a threat. And this? This was more than a warning. It was control.

> "[He said you're his second mother. That's enough for you. Be content, and return.]"

Sion's lips quivered. Her answer rose softly, mentally, like a breath slipping through frost.

> "[I... I'll return. If it's for my prince.]"

There was a pause—long enough to make Sion sweat, though the night air was cool.

> "[Good. Because if you take even one step beyond your boundary—if you so much as touch Amelia—I will destroy everything.]"

> "[D-Destroy...?]" Sion's thoughts wavered, caught between guilt and fear.

[ Yes, don't you dare try to ruin my plans, sion. You're just a dog. Do you understand.] 

Naoko's reply came slowly, deliberately.

> "[And what makes you think Amelia would accept you? If she rejects you, everything collapses. Rena will be devastated. Jin will be forced to lie to protect her. The alliance between Rotschy and Amberhart will be shattered.]"

Sion winced, mentally shrinking under Naoko's icy scrutiny. Her breath caught. Her throat burned with unshed frustration. Her chest ached.

> "[I'm sorry. I won't do it again...]"

Naoko's next words were devoid of warmth.

> "[I don't need your apologies. Be better. And know this—if you ever, ever, pull something like this again in my house or even within the shadow of my house, I will flay you alive.]"

A shiver raced down Sion's spine.

> "[...Yes, my lady.]"

A beat passed. Then the connection severed like a knife slicing through silk.

Sion stood motionless for several seconds. The world was still. The stars above sparkled like indifferent gods, and the hot spring beside her bubbled faintly, unaware of the war that had just been fought in her mind.

Then, suddenly—she laughed.

A quiet giggle at first, then louder. Dark. Hysterical. She clutched her sides and tilted her head back, laughing like a woman on the edge of something dangerous and beautiful.

"Goodbye, Amelia," she whispered to the steam, her voice raw with a strange mix of surrender and mischief. "Guess I'll just imagine you in every position I can think of."

She turned on her heel, her heels clicking against the stone path, her laughter fading into the night like a broken lullaby.

"Maybe I should just steal her underwear."

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heat: So what do you think of the main chapter? I think this is the best ending. As for the chapters that are just fillers or outside the story

Anyway, forget it, I have a new target. I want to slap Naoko's ass. I wonder what would happen if you guys slapped us. 🍑🍑🍑