“The clothes are inside. You should try putting them on first. You probably don’t know how to wear them, so I’ll help you.”
Yiwen’s hand had just touched the doorknob when a blue figure suddenly blocked her path.
Shuang Ling’s arm stretched straight out, her palm pressed against the door panel, precisely blocking Yiwen’s way.
Her expression showed no change, but her body language was very clear.
No passage here.
From earlier, Yiwen had already felt that this Shuang Ling was strange.
Although she was tall and had an ice-beauty face with no desires, Yiwen always felt something was off.
Now that she observed carefully, she found the problem was in positioning.
When walking, Shuang Ling deliberately stayed one step behind Ella.
Not more, not less. Exactly one step.
When she spoke to Ella, this Shuang Ling also specifically stood behind Ella.
In other words, it felt like she was Ella’s little tag-along.
“I will handle the matter of Your Majesty changing clothes.”
Shuang Ling’s voice was ice-cold, with no room for discussion.
“You will?” Yiwen’s eyebrows rose.
“Do you know how to put on those clothes?”
“My memory contains knowledge in this area.”
Shuang Ling’s answer was crisp and straightforward.
Yiwen’s lips pressed together.
She looked at Shuang Ling’s expressionless face, then at the hand Shuang Ling had placed on the door panel.
“This… fine then…”
She withdrew her hand and took a step back.
Shuang Ling pushed open the shop door and walked inside.
The door closed behind her.
Dieyi straightened up from the wall.
She walked over to Yiwen’s side, hands in her pockets, her crimson pupils slanting toward the tightly shut wooden door.
“Did you hear that? That guy still calls Ella ‘Your Majesty’.”
“I heard, Dieyi.”
“That guy was created by Ella when she was the Insect Mother. The underlying thinking implanted in her should be loyalty to the Insect Mother. But the Insect Mother she ought to be loyal to is probably not Ella, but the Ella from when the Insect Nest’s will had taken over. What should we do? Get rid of her?”
“We can’t.”
Zhuluo emerged from the shadows.
Her black sailor uniform and pleated skirt clashed with the alley.
“I know admitting this makes you very unhappy, Dieyi. But we really are just failures. That guy called Shuang Ling, as Ella’s successful creation, her performance far surpasses ours. Even if the three of us went at her together, we probably wouldn’t be her match.”
“Then what? Just let that guy act so arrogantly? We finally managed to make Ella barely break free from the Insect Nest will’s control. Don’t let her get pulled back in again.”
“Calm down, Dieyi.”
Yiwen’s voice seemed very calm, but the worry on her face still inevitably leaked out.
“That’s why we’re here, aren’t we? As long as we keep a close watch on Ella, she won’t have the chance to spread the swarm again. That way, the possibility of her turning back will greatly decrease.”
“That’s right, Dieyi.”
Zhuluo nodded.
Her eight golden pupils simultaneously turned toward the tightly shut wooden door.
“At this point, we can only plan for the long term. Hopefully this Shuang Ling isn’t that loyal to the swarm.”
Inside the maid café, the situation was even more tense than the three outside imagined.
Ella stood in front of the changing room mirror, holding the maid outfit in her hands.
The black skirt hem hung down.
The white apron was folded on top.
The packaging bag for the white stockings hadn’t been opened yet.
The small leather shoes had their laces tied together and hung on the hanger.
It wasn’t very revealing.
The exposure level wasn’t high.
The white stockings wrapped up past the knees.
The skirt hem just covered the middle of her thighs.
The top’s collar buttoned up to the collarbone.
The cuffs were tight, so nothing would show.
Every single item taken separately wasn’t much, but put together — the white stockings, small leather shoes, black-and-white skirt and apron — every single one challenged her bottom line.
She regretted boasting so much.
Feminizing completely turned out to be such a difficult thing.
“Your Majesty, please put it on.”
Shuang Ling stood behind her.
Her blue pupils stared straight at the maid outfit in Ella’s hands.
And…
And why did this guy have a face that clearly wanted to see her put them on! Are you even on my side?!
“Shuang Ling! How about this instead! You put these on and go in my place! With your blue-haired big-sister look, maybe you’re also in that Sereya’s strike zone!”
“I refuse.”
Shuang Ling’s answer had no hesitation whatsoever.
“This is a good opportunity to get close to the ruler of this Transfer Station. If you can find a chance to make her a broodmother and obtain the Angel’s DNA, we can create even more powerful swarms.”
“Mm…”
Ella’s voice caught in her throat.
Shut up, you war maniac! It’s not you wearing it! You don’t feel the pain at all!
“Come on, Your Majesty. Put it on.”
Shuang Ling took a step forward.
“I want to see it too.”
Her right hand reached out.
Her fingers hooked onto Ella’s collar.
“You! Stop! Don’t pull my clothes!”
The entire process took less than three minutes.
Shuang Ling took a step back.
She tilted her head, sizing up Ella.
Her blue pupils swept from top to bottom, then from bottom to top again.
The corner of her ice-cold mouth moved slightly.
Ella slowly, unwillingly turned her face toward the mirror.
The person in the mirror was almost unrecognizable to her.
Silver long hair hung over her shoulders.
Crimson pupils glowed faintly red under the light.
A black ribbon was tied at the white shirt’s collar.
The black dress wrapped around her slender waist.
The white apron was tied into a delicate bow at her waist.
White stockings wrapped her long legs.
The small leather shoes’ surfaces reflected the ceiling lights.
Her face flushed from the base of her neck all the way to the tips of her ears.
It’s over…
She really put it on…
This is a road of no return…