Bai Li’s fists clenched tightly at his sides.
The Rongrong before him—or rather, Yan Xi—radiated an aura that was clearly gentle and harmless, yet it made his every nerve scream for him not to relax even for a second.
He knew very well that he was standing at a vital crossroads. One wrong step… and he might never return to his original life.
He would never be able to face the King he served or the people he had spent his life with.
“No… no matter what, I cannot betray… my King or my race.”
His voice was firm.
Even if giving up magic meant losing many ways to protect himself in the future, he did not waver in the slightest.
Loyalty was something carved into his very marrow; it was not something easily discarded.
“So what if I cannot use magic? I just won’t use it. I can accept that.”
Rongrong swung her legs, her tone carrying a hint of curiosity and a touch of admiration.
“Oh? You’re quite determined, aren’t you? I thought you would hesitate for a long time.”
“I have already decided. There is no need to try and persuade me further. Thank you for being willing to tell me your true identity. I will remember this honesty.”
Bai Li looked up, his gaze meeting hers calmly. He did not dodge her eyes, nor did he show fear.
“Oh, so it’s a rejection then. No matter, no matter. I already guessed you would choose this.”
Yan Xi stood up slowly, her movements natural and casual.
In the next second, she pulled a soft wig out from nowhere and slipped it onto her head before quickly changing into a clean maid uniform.
In the blink of an eye, the mysterious and powerful aura from before vanished without a trace.
The person standing there was once again the obedient, well-behaved, and seemingly non-threatening Head Maid Rongrong.
Even her posture and the look in her eyes had completely changed.
Watching this, Bai Li could not help but be secretly amazed. If she had not confessed the truth herself, he probably would have spent his entire life thinking she was just an ordinary maid.
“Madam, let me take you to the room that was originally prepared for you. It isn’t far.”
Rongrong lowered her head slightly, her voice returning to its usual respectful and gentle tone. She was like a different person compared to the Yan Xi of a moment ago.
“Alright.”
Bai Li nodded slightly. He didn’t ask any more questions and silently followed behind Rongrong.
As they walked through the ornate and quiet corridors of the Dream Demon Palace, Bai Li’s mind was not on the scenery at all.
His thoughts were churning over their previous conversation and the special identity of the Head Maid before him.
‘Yan Xi is surprisingly easy to talk to,’ he mused inwardly.
He had thought that after revealing her true identity, she would use a forceful attitude to pressure him into making a choice.
Perhaps she would use her power to suppress him or use threats and lures, but she did none of that.
Not only did she refrain from forcing him, but she also easily accepted his refusal and immediately turned back into Rongrong.
It was as if that confrontation had been nothing more than an ordinary chat.
What made his feelings even more complicated was that the former Succubus Queen, who had once ruled a region, was willing to set aside all her pride and status.
She had condescended to disguise herself as an inconspicuous maid, staying by her daughter Ziya’s side day after day.
She looked after her and protected her silently, never forcibly interfering in her life, simply watching her grow freely according to her own heart.
There were no world-shaking declarations or grand sacrifices, yet this extreme, silent protection was somehow more heart-warming.
‘Is this… the power of a mother?’
No matter how noble the status or how great the power, when facing their own child, they would willingly shed all their sharp edges and become the most ordinary, gentle guardian.
Thinking of this, Bai Li’s face suddenly turned red.
‘Oh no…’ he wailed in his mind.
‘Does that mean all those days when Ziya was clinging to me and calling me Mother were seen by her actual mother from start to finish?’
Dressing, eating, daily bickering, even the moments when he occasionally acted like a fool… the real person had seen it all.
Just thinking about his “dark history” occurring under her watchful eye made Bai Li feel so embarrassed he wanted to find a hole in the ground to crawl into and never come out.
“Madam, don’t think too much. Keeping certain things in your heart will only make you uncomfortable.”
Rongrong, who was walking in front, suddenly spoke softly. Her tone remained calm.
Bai Li was startled and froze in his tracks.
‘How does she know what I’m thinking? She has her back to me and hasn’t even turned her head once…’
“The person Ziya cares about and relies on most is you. Therefore, I don’t mind what kind of relationship you two form. Whether it’s family or something more special, I think it’s fine.”
Rongrong’s voice drifted back, carrying a sense of nonchalant ease. Bai Li listened with a look of dazed confusion, his mind filled with complaints.
‘It doesn’t matter what kind of relationship we form? I am her legitimate adoptive father! What kind of strange relationship could we possibly have?’
Clearly, the way Monsters thought could not be measured by the common sense and logic of ordinary people.
In their eyes, the boundaries between relatives and the distance between identities seemed as if they didn’t exist at all.
“To be honest with you, Madam, every painting in this corridor is my eyes,” Rongrong said casually, as if they were just chatting about the weather.
“Eyes?”
Bai Li blinked, subconsciously looking up at the paintings on both sides of the hallway.
The paintings depicted various Dreamland scenes with lifelike characters. Every pair of eyes in the paintings seemed exceptionally vivid.
“Yes. Every pair of eyes in those dreams allows me to see everything happening in the palace. No matter where something happens, I can know immediately. For example, right now, I can clearly see the maid Xiaomiao being pulled away by the big sister next door for a Feeding session.”
The corner of Bai Li’s mouth twitched violently.
This ability was simply too uncomfortable. It was essentially twenty-four hours of monitoring with no blind spots; there wasn’t a single place in the entire palace that could hide a secret.
“This is probably the benefit of being a Spirit Form. However, the price is also high… I can only be trapped in this palace forever, unable to go anywhere, looking at the same scenery day after day. I can’t even tell myself if it’s a curse or a blessing.”
Rongrong’s voice lowered slightly. One couldn’t tell if she was sad, frustrated, or if she had long ago come to terms with it.
Bai Li fell silent.
He knew very well that in this world, power never came for free, and there was no such thing as unearned happiness.
To get something, one had to pay a corresponding price. To gain knowledge, one had to spend time buried in books.
To gain strength, one had to endure sweat and pain.
To touch magic that did not belong to him meant he would inevitably have to bear the consequences of the backlash.
Much like himself—he had been naive and foolish enough to try and borrow the power of a Succubus to cast spells, and in the end, he was left with side effects he couldn’t get rid of, landing himself in this current dilemma.
Perhaps only a Hero could walk a smooth path without paying any price, gaining great power and achieving a perfect ending.
Ordinary people like him could only move one step at a time, bearing all the results brought by their choices.
The two walked in silence for a moment before Rongrong finally stopped before an exquisitely carved door.
“Madam, we have arrived. This is your room. Everything inside has been prepared. Later, I will have the maid Xiaomiao wait by the door. If you need anything, you can call her at any time; don’t be polite. I will take my leave now as I have other matters to attend to.”
“Um… thank you, Rongrong.”
Bai Li emphasized the name intentionally, gazing at her calmly.
He was making it clear that he knew her true identity and understood her disguise.
Rongrong seemed to understand the subtext. She merely chuckled softly twice without offering further explanation or showing any other expression.
She turned and quietly left the corridor.
Bai Li pushed the door open and entered the room, closing it gently behind him.
With a soft click, he was isolated from the outside world.
This was his first night in the Dream Demon Palace, staying alone in his own room.
The room was decorated in a soft and cozy manner. The bed was fluffy, and the lighting was gentle, permeated everywhere with the unique, dreamlike atmosphere of the Succubus race.
However, he couldn’t relax at all.
He walked to the window, looking out at the hazy night scenery. His mind was still a mess.
What was Yan Xi’s ultimate goal?
Would refusing to betray the King and his race really bring this matter to an end?
Countless questions swirled in his heart, and the more he thought, the more uneasy he felt.
***
On the other side, after leaving Bai Li’s room, Rongrong walked straight to Xiaomiao’s door.
She raised her hand and knocked gently on the wooden panel.
Immediately, sounds drifted from the room that would make anyone blush.
“Xiaomiao, Madam has moved to the room originally prepared for him. When you two are finished, remember to go to the door and stand by. Take good care of Madam’s needs.”
“Ah… I, I understand~ Meow~ We… we will be finished soon, meow~”
Xiaomiao’s soft, dainty voice drifted out from the room, sounding both pained and blissful as she gave a mumbled response.
Rongrong smiled helplessly and turned to walk away. These young maids really had too much energy; they were exactly like she had been when she was young.
Letting them take care of Bai Li was actually quite a good idea.
His refusal earlier had been so blunt and firm; it was even more interesting than she had expected.
She had thought he would struggle, hesitate, and be at a loss, but she hadn’t expected him to reject her outright without even a flicker of wavering.
“However…”
Rongrong’s footsteps paused slightly, and a glint of mischievous laughter flashed in her eyes.
When the time truly came to make a decision, it wouldn’t be up to him anymore.
His current refusal was nothing more than a temporary struggle.
The side effects of Dream Demonization were not as easy to endure as he imagined.
She walked down the corridor with an expressionless face, but internally, she was cheerfully planning for the good show to come.
As a Spirit Form acting as the Head Maid, she had long ago lost the power to shake the world’s foundations. She might as well settle down and be a spectator enjoying the fun.
Pretending that nothing was wrong, she stopped and quietly admired a painting on the wall, as if she were truly focused on the dream within.
But only she knew that through countless eyes, she was locked onto the room where Bai Li was staying.
She intended to watch this show clearly, from the very beginning to the very end.