“Ah-choo!”
Xing Yue sneezed and woke up from her sleep.
She rubbed her nose, opening her eyes drowsily.
‘What’s going on? Why did I suddenly sneeze—’
Then she reached for her stomach, but her hand met empty air.
Xing Yue froze, then slowly looked down.
The blanket was gone.
She had nothing covering her, lying stiffly in the middle of the bed, with the cool air enveloping her from all sides.
Xing Yue’s face instantly darkened.
She turned her head to look at the person beside her who had wrapped himself into a silkworm cocoon.
Emily was curled up inside the blanket, having rolled it into a huge ball, with only half of her pink hair and a small section of her pale, tender feet exposed.
Her sleeping posture was incredibly peaceful, with even a silly smile hanging on her face, dreaming of who knows what.
Xing Yue’s mouth twitched.
‘It really was this little pink-haired one’s doing!’
‘Back when she was unconscious, she’d cling to me in her sleep, hugging me tight like a body pillow.’
‘Now that she’s awake, she doesn’t stick to me, but she’s even more restless when sleeping, constantly pulling the blanket toward herself all night long.’
‘I sneezed several times for no reason just now—I must have caught a chill because of this little pink-haired one!’
‘This girl… is she really sent by Phyllis to torment me?’
The more Xing Yue thought about it, the angrier she got. She sat up and stared at that sleeping face.
‘Tight… my fists are tight.’
She reached out, pinched Emily’s exposed cheek, and kneaded it.
“Ugh…”
Emily frowned, letting out a dissatisfied grunt, then rolled over, burying her face in the blanket, continuing to sleep in a muffled state.
Xing Yue: “…”
‘She didn’t even wake up?!’
‘Definitely a pink-haired piggy!’
‘Still, I have to say, her cheek feels pretty soft and nice to squeeze.’
Xing Yue snorted twice, feeling a bit satisfied. She stopped bothering with Emily, turned over, and got out of bed.
She glanced at the clock on the wall. It was still early.
‘Better go wash up first.’
The moment the cold water splashed on her face, Xing Yue’s mind cleared up considerably.
She looked up, seeing her own beautiful face covered with water droplets in the mirror, and suddenly remembered something.
‘That fluctuation last night…’
‘It was definitely from Alpha. She was asking me for power.’
But at the time, Xing Yue hadn’t thought much about it.
Alpha was a honest child. If she opened her mouth to borrow power, it probably meant she’d run into some trouble.
So she just sent back a thought of “consent,” and then turned around to discuss with Emily whether they should sleep in separate beds that night.
Now that she thought back, Xing Yue felt something was off.
‘Wasn’t my ability already given to Alpha when I bestowed her name?’
‘That kid can use it whenever she wants, so why did she have to specifically ask me?’
Xing Yue wiped the water from her face, her brow slightly furrowing.
‘Was the trouble Alpha encountered that tricky?’
‘I wonder how Alpha is doing now…’
‘Come to think of it, shouldn’t that forbidden book be able to show Alpha’s situation?’
Thinking this, Xing Yue quickly finished washing up, returned to the room, and sat down on the edge of the bed.
Emily was still asleep, that pink-haired ball motionless.
Xing Yue glanced at her, then ignored her, took a deep breath, and stretched out her hand.
The jet-black forbidden book materialized out of thin air, landing in her palm.
The pages fluttered automatically, turning to the first page.
Xing Yue’s gaze fell on the top of the page.
[Transaction Successful]
[Client Satisfaction: ♥♥♥♥♥ (Five-Heart Good Review!)]
Seeing this, Xing Yue suddenly froze.
She remembered this line was still an unevaluated dash before, but now it had changed.
‘Wait… hold on…’
‘No way!’
‘Why is this review not five-pointed stars, but hearts?!’
‘Someone would think this is affection points from a galgame!’
“It should be that a five-heart review means Alpha is very satisfied with this transaction, right?”
“It must be just that, right?”
Xing Yue held the book and pressed for an answer.
Unfortunately, this book didn’t seem to speak. The entire room was filled only with her voice and the steady breathing of the little pink-haired one.
Helpless, Xing Yue had to continue reading, but the rest of the content hadn’t changed.
[This Harvest: A Story, A Goddaughter, A Clan’s Favor]
[Review: …]
That was all.
Xing Yue wasn’t satisfied. She flipped a few more pages.
Blank.
Still completely blank.
She went through the entire book from beginning to end, carefully examining each page.
Aside from that one page with text, there was nothing else.
No Location Function, no Status Display, and no way to confirm Alpha’s current situation.
This jet-black forbidden book… seemed to have turned back into an ordinary diary.
Xing Yue closed the book and was silent for a few seconds.
‘Alpha…’
‘She was the first human I bestowed a name upon.’
‘If something happened to her, I—the “Demon Lord” who saved her and granted her power—would end up failing to protect her in the end.’
‘Such an outcome would be too cruel for Alpha, and for myself as well.’
“Alpha… you have to be okay…”
Finally, she let out a soft sigh, silently praying for Alpha in her heart.
This worry didn’t last long. Xing Yue immediately began worrying about her own situation.
Because—
The door suddenly opened.
There was no knock, no warning. That door simply opened on its own.
Sensing the movement, Xing Yue instinctively and quickly tucked the jet-black forbidden book into her arms.
“Oh my~ Yue Yue is already awake?”
A light, syrupy-sweet voice came from the doorway.
Xing Yue’s entire body stiffened.
She was far too familiar with that voice.
So familiar that just hearing it sent an instinctive chill down her spine.
She raised her head stiffly and looked toward the door.
Phyllis was leaning lazily sideways on the Black Throne, one hand propping up her cheek, a smile rippling in her blood-red starry eyes.
“M-Mom…”
Xing Yue’s voice was a little dry.
“Hmm~”
The Black Throne carried Phyllis as she floated into the room. The door behind her closed automatically, sealing tightly, instantly cutting off everything from the outside world.
Phyllis’s gaze swept over Xing Yue, landed on the still-sleeping “pink-haired ball” on the bed, then slowly returned to Xing Yue’s face.
That look carried a playful amusement that made Xing Yue’s scalp tingle.
“I heard from Xiao Du that the little one I left with you woke up?”
Xing Yue was taken aback for a moment, then realized she meant Emily.
“Ah… right, she woke up.”
“She just woke up yesterday.”
Phyllis nodded, floated to the bedside, and looked down at the pink-haired girl wrapped in a ball, sleeping in a messy heap.
“Hmm~ Looks like her complexion is pretty good.”
She commented, a hint of satisfaction in her tone.
“You took good care of her, Yue Yue~”
Xing Yue opened her mouth to say something, but found she didn’t know what to say.
Finally, she just gave a dull “Mm.”
Phyllis turned her head, looked at her like this, and suddenly smiled.
That smile was even more meaningful than before.
“Oh my~ Yue Yue helped so much. It wouldn’t do if Mom didn’t show her appreciation~”
“So, Mom has decided to give you a reward~”
She reached out and ruffled Xing Yue’s hair.
The motion was very light, very gentle.
But Xing Yue’s heart suddenly tightened.
Because she saw…
The undisguised playfulness in Phyllis’s eyes.