Humid moisture settled on the witch’s face, like a sorrow that refused to dissolve.
Olivia sat listlessly by the lakeshore, holding a dry branch she’d picked up from who-knows-where, idly tracing circles in the mud by the water’s edge.
Wind swept across the surface of Lake Hali, churning up waves.
Her anxious gaze strayed past the meaningless circles on the ground, fixating on the endless expanse of the lake before her, her burning stare seemingly trying to sear through the placid waters.
As time trickled away, Olivia’s neck gradually grew sore, and her eyes began to sting and ache.
Even so, Olivia stubbornly kept her gaze fixed on the lake, refusing to look away.
Her body stiff, Olivia felt that if Tunzuo didn’t come back soon, she’d take root and sprout right here, eventually becoming a statue of a lovelorn wife at the lakeshore.
Just as Olivia’s patience was about to be ground to dust, her heart full of disappointment and restlessness, the tranquil lake suddenly churned with waves.
Soon after, a faint mist began to rise from the surface, spreading swiftly toward the shore.
“She’s back?!”
Olivia’s eyes lit up.
On pure reflex, she tossed away the branch, shot to her feet, and hurried to the water’s edge, her gaze burning into the mist as she waited to welcome the witch she’d been pining for day and night.
Yet, as a leisurely sound of footsteps treading water echoed out from the fog, Olivia’s elation came crashing down.
A pair of slender hands parted the white mist, and the one who stepped out was not a yawning Tunzuo, but Antuxi, her face bright with amusement.
Seeing only Antuxi emerge, the radiant smile on Olivia’s face instantly dimmed.
She instinctively glanced past Antuxi, scanning the lake in every direction, yet no matter how hard she looked, she couldn’t find a single trace of Tunzuo on the water.
Left with no choice, Olivia could only hang her head in disappointment, shoulders slumping as a whimper escaped her—looking for all the world like a golden retriever abandoned at the roadside.
“What’s the matter, little dragon whelp? You don’t seem too happy to see me?”
Olivia’s all-too-obvious shift in mood rubbed Antuxi the wrong way.
A brow arched upward, her previously pleasant mood apparently soured by Olivia’s reaction.
Antuxi sized up Olivia’s bitter, aggrieved face with a look of ill intent, a hint of unmistakable chill seeping through her teasing tone.
“N-no! How could I dare, Your Eminence!”
Sensing danger, cold sweat beaded down Olivia’s back.
She snapped back to her senses in an instant and hurriedly plastered on a fawning smile.
Given the unfathomable authority of the Witch Prime, as well as Antuxi’s “illustrious reputation” among witch-kind, Olivia simply couldn’t bring herself to get close to her future mother-in-law.
Left with no choice, Olivia tensed up, answering with utmost deference, not daring to let her gaze wander.
Normally, it was other witches who trembled in fear before Olivia.
Well, look how the tables have turned—time for Olivia to get a taste of what an interrogation felt like.
“Tsk.”
Noticing the emotions Olivia hadn’t fully concealed beneath her eyes, Antuxi clicked her tongue in displeasure, feeling her authority had been somewhat diminished.
“Hmph. You’re quite the devoted one, aren’t you?”
Antuxi’s tone softened slightly, but still carried a condescending scrutiny.
“Come with me. My foolish daughter’s training won’t be over anytime soon. Rather than standing here freezing in the wind, you might as well come keep me company for a chat.”
Hearing this, Olivia—with nothing better to do—could only look back one last time, reluctant to leave the shore, turning to accompany her unpredictable future mother-in-law.
Behind the two witches, Hastur’s tentacles slowly rippled as he followed along.
On a flat patch of grass not far from the lakeshore, Antuxi stopped and casually swept her hand through the air.
Ripples spread through space at her gesture, and in an instant, an exquisite carved tea table materialized out of nowhere, followed by several cushioned rattan chairs settling steadily onto the grass.
Antuxi picked a chair at random and sat down, then casually tossed the Pale Mask she’d been holding into the air, speaking in a flat tone.
“Stop playing dead. Get up and brew the tea.”
The Pale Mask tumbled through the air, flipping a few times, before twisting bizarrely into the form of a silver-haired maid dressed in a black-and-white uniform.
Naiya landed lightly without a word, naturally beginning to arrange the tea set on the table.
With practiced skill, she warmed the cups and rinsed the leaves—a seamless process without a single flaw.
Antuxi casually pointed at a chair beside her and commanded Olivia, who stood off to the side like a wooden post.
“Sit.”
Olivia seemed rather hesitant at Antuxi’s instruction.
She stood in place, hands clasped behind her back, not daring to take a seat.
“What’s this? Suddenly playing the obedient little girl now?”
Antuxi chuckled at Olivia’s dull expression, a hint of amusement woven into her voice.
“I remember when you were wooing my daughter, you weren’t this well-behaved. Sit. It’s not like I’m going to eat you—or are you saying you don’t want to build a good relationship with me?”
Antuxi’s words—whether comfort or threat—precisely struck Olivia’s weak spot, forcing her to carefully take a seat at the tea table.
She perched on only half the chair, back ramrod straight.
Gazing at Antuxi, who looked as relaxed as if she were merely enjoying afternoon tea, Olivia hesitated for a long while before summoning her courage and nervously speaking up.
“Your Eminence, forgive my boldness, but may I ask—what exactly does the special training you’ve arranged for Little Ghost entail?”
“You little dragon whelp—I haven’t even asked you anything yet, and you’re already questioning me. Don’t worry, nothing will go wrong.”
As she spoke, Antuxi gazed out at the calm surface of Lake Hali, her eyes deep and distant, as if waiting for something to surface.
“It’s just a dream, tangled up with reality.”
Hearing this, Olivia felt a wave of relief, temporarily setting aside her worries for Tunzuo’s safety.
But Antuxi’s next words sent Olivia’s just-settled heart right back up to her throat.
“Speaking of which, you’ve picked up quite the seduction skills from Fafnir. You’ve got my foolish daughter wrapped right around your finger.”
The moment Antuxi said this, Olivia knew the real topic had arrived.
If she wanted to be with Tunzuo, passing Antuxi’s test was an absolute must.
“You flatter me, Prime.”
Olivia sat up straight, her attitude humbled to the extreme, trying to project the image of a perfect son-in-law before Antuxi.
“I am utterly devoted to Little Ghost. Though I did use some less-than-honorable methods during my pursuit, we’ve already talked it all out. Little Ghost and I truly love each other.”
“Hehehe, Sister Fox, don’t listen to this yellow lizard’s nonsense!”
Before Olivia could even finish, a few sneering, sarcastic laughs came from beside her.
Naiya, pouring tea for Antuxi, launched into malicious slander.
“She’s the main reason someone’s sanity collapsed! Don’t let this yellow lizard fool you! She’s got trick after trick up her sleeve!”
“That yellow lizard talks a good game, Sister Fox, but earlier, the Young Mistress almost—”
At this moment, Naiya wished nothing more than for Antuxi to kick Olivia out of Carcosa entirely, ensuring this troublesome yellow lizard could never pester her Young Mistress again.
Olivia’s eyes blazed with fury, but since she truly had been in the wrong before—having caused Tunzuo immense pain—no matter how much anger she felt, she couldn’t vent it.
She could only grit her teeth and swallow the curses that nearly slipped out.
“That incident wasn’t entirely a bad thing. I’m actually quite satisfied that my dull daughter’s spirit value increased because of it.”
However, Antuxi didn’t seem to take Naiya’s slander too seriously.
She waved her hand, cutting off Naiya’s barrage, before turning a sharp gaze toward Olivia.
“But a dragon witch preaching devotion? Tsk. In all my years of mischief, that might be one of the funniest jokes I’ve ever heard.”
Antuxi leaned forward slightly, her gaze like a blade, as if trying to cut open Olivia’s very heart.
“What’s the matter? Split your heart into pieces, and if each piece loves a different witch, that counts as wholehearted devotion, is that it?”
Antuxi elegantly lifted her teacup and took a light sip—but the moment the tea touched her lips, her body stiffened.
Then, expressionless, she set the cup back down.
Olivia wanted to retort at Antuxi’s soul-piercing question, but the words that followed plunged Olivia into a silence as deep as death.
“As a dragon witch, isn’t your mother the finest example?”
Antuxi’s voice was low, tinged with a barely perceptible trace of melancholy.
“‘No regrets for the rest of my life; this heart is yours alone.’ Listen—what beautiful words.”
Antuxi gazed out at the calm surface of Lake Hali, propping her chin on one hand against the tea table, lost in thought.
“But before you rejected Mother, she never accepted any other witch, did she, Your Eminence?”
When Olivia remained silent for a long while, Antuxi assumed she’d won the argument—but the sudden words that came made Antuxi snap her head around.
Olivia stared straight at Antuxi, no trace of retreat in her eyes, as if asking a question—or confirming a fact.
“How much did she tell you about those things, little dragon whelp?”
Antuxi’s voice was icy, her expression dark—never having imagined those events would be recounted by another witch.
“A lot. From school days all the way to the Great Expedition. When I was little, Mother told them to me as bedtime stories.”
Facing Antuxi’s mountain-crushing pressure, Olivia smiled with ease, and within that smile was the pride and calm of Fafnir.
Watching Olivia’s carefree grin, Antuxi held her gaze for a brief moment before quietly looking away.
That damned dragon—does she tell her child everything? Proud of it, is she?
Antuxi massaged her temples with a headache, rare frustration coloring her voice.
“Enough, enough. I’ll count this as my loss and let you off the hook. Not like I ever planned to interfere with you two anyway.”
“But Sister Fox! The Young Mistress, she—”
Seeing Antuxi about to let Olivia off the hook, Naiya panicked.
She tried to argue, but before she could finish, Antuxi reached out and pressed down on Naiya’s wrist.
Antuxi tilted her head slightly, speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear.
“Don’t worry. I won’t let her take her away from you all. Some things only need to happen once. Go—pour that little dragon whelp a cup of tea.”
With no other choice, Naiya grudgingly picked up the teapot and poured Olivia a cup.
Just as Olivia thought she’d successfully weathered the storm, feeling rather pleased with herself, she raised the cup and took a grateful sip.
“—!”
The taste of a potion flooded her mouth.
A foul stench shot straight through the crown of her head—absolutely vile, as if it mixed mud, gall, and expired medicine.
It nearly made Olivia throw up last night’s dinner.
Olivia forced down the violent nausea, choking the tea down her throat.
She raised her head shakily to see Antuxi smiling at her with delight, while Naiya pulled down her lower eyelid and made an outrageously smug face.
Only then did Olivia realize why Antuxi hadn’t touched the cup again after that first sip.
“Damn you, Naiya! You’d even poison the Prime just to get at me?!”
Olivia’s agony seemed to please Antuxi greatly, but the very next second, Antuxi abruptly shifted gears.
“But, little dragon whelp—you’ve passed my test, sure. Yet some matters aren’t decided by just one witch alone.”
Olivia froze at the words, then looked up and glanced around her.
At some point, the sky had been covered in a sea of rainbow-colored bubbles, refracting a kaleidoscope of strange light.
A woman with enormous ram horns and square pupils stood beside Olivia, smiling warmly.
Clearly, if Olivia wanted to marry Tunzuo, she still had to win over the Cthulhu-kin.
“Hmph! I’ll never agree to this! As long as I’m here, this yellow lizard won’t get her way!”
Naiya fumed, glaring daggers at Olivia.
“Ohoho, I think this dragon lady is quite lovely. The Young Mistress adores her. Though there were some bumps along the way, I believe Lady Dragon’s intentions are pure.”
Shub caressed Olivia’s golden hair fondly, casting a vote in favor of Olivia and Tunzuo’s relationship.
As for Yog, floating in the sky, after weighing everyone’s positions, remained silently neutral.
“The votes are now tied among those in charge. So—who will break the deadlock?”
Thus, spurred on by Antuxi’s gleeful instigation, every pair of eyes turned to Hastur, who stood quietly off to the side.
“What in the—”
Feeling he’d been set up, Hastur let out a helpless sigh.
To ease everyone’s tensions, the poor Yellow King could only step up under pressure, hefting a proverbial shovel to smooth things over.
“Since the wind of time can scatter the dust and sand of the mortal world, why not leave this matter to time? Perhaps, as time passes, we may all come to see one another differently. Besides, on this matter, we must heed the Young Mistress’s will, must we not?”
Hastur’s evasive reasoning naturally couldn’t soothe everyone’s feelings.
Just as Olivia and Naiya were about to clash again, a sudden splashing sound echoed from Lake Hali in the distance.
“Oh? That quick?”
Looking at the turbulent lake, Antuxi showed a flicker of surprise before rising and heading toward the shore.
Seeing this and knowing it was likely Tunzuo returning, Olivia hurried after her.
The Three Pillar Gods and Hastur exchanged glances, then made their way to the lakeshore as well.
The clear water washed against the shore again and again, gently delivering Tunzuo onto the damp grass.
Washed ashore, Tunzuo wearily opened her eyes.
The first things to greet her were Antuxi’s teasing smile and Olivia’s worried face.
Catching sight of a certain familiar big golden retriever, Tunzuo pulled a tired smile and pointed at Olivia.
“Silly dog.”
Olivia:
“(=·ᴗ·=)?”
Seeing Tunzuo still not entirely coherent, Antuxi smiled and crouched down beside her.
“Well, did you have a good dream?”
At that, Tunzuo curled the corner of her mouth and raised a big middle finger at Antuxi, her voice hoarse.
“More or less… neither good nor bad.”
“Mhm. Well then, dear daughter—welcome home.”