After bidding Syl goodnight and rolling around on the bed, preparing to log off, I heard a knock at the door.
“Did you forget to mention something, Syl?” I asked curiously, gently opening the door.
But instead of Syl’s familiar face, a tall figure stood before me, holding a stack of clothes, still poised to knock, clearly not expecting me to open the door so quickly.
I froze for a moment before realizing it was someone I recognized.
“Your Highness Sophie-Lina, these are spare pajamas. Please change into them after your bath,” said Kai, the Trainee Knight Captain I’d encountered during the [Bloodthirsty Frenzy of Eternal Night] event, now standing respectfully before me.
Though unexpected, I’d anticipated situations like this. She wouldn’t recognize me as An Tong, so there was little to worry about.
“Thank you, big sister.” I steadied myself, reaching for the clothes, but noticed her sneaking a glance.
Blinking, I asked, “Um, is there something on Sophie-Lina’s face, big sister?”
“My apologies, there’s nothing,” Kai replied, unfazed by being caught.
“I’d heard tales of Your Highness from others, so when Lady Claire tasked me with protecting you, I was curious to see the saintess candidate for myself.”
“I’m just a candidate, not a saintess yet,” I said, blushing.
“With Your Highness’s kindness and charm, I’m certain you’ll have many supporters,” Kai said warmly.
Hearing “cute” from someone who’d caused me so much trouble before made me purse my lips, quickly changing the subject.
“I hope I’m not troubling you, big sister.”
“Not at all. If I hadn’t been assigned here, my companions and I wouldn’t get to stay in such a fine room.” Kai smiled, her initial aloofness replaced with a touch of warmth.
“Companions?”
I glanced outside, catching a few sneaky gazes that quickly darted away—undoubtedly Daisy, Bemira, Him, and Biri, the ones sent to confront “Lilina” during the event.
Kai didn’t linger long, leaving after mentioning she’d return to collect my changed clothes post-bath.
“I didn’t expect it to be them,” I muttered.
I’d figured Claire would arrange protection, but assigning Kai and her group—level 30 elites—seemed underwhelming compared to her earlier grand gestures.
Is she worried I’d feel uneasy, so she avoided sending high-level guards? A level 100+ guard might’ve felt like surveillance rather than protection to someone like me.
With that thought, I stepped into the bathroom, filling the wooden tub with hot water using prepared heating and water-flow magic.
This body seems to have an innate magical quality, staying clean even without much washing back at the Demon King’s Castle.
But appearances had to be maintained.
“Should I give those guys a bit of trouble?”
Last time, if not for them, I might not have acquired the Lilina template so quickly to create the dungeon. Then again, it was mostly Alice’s fault for stirring up trouble.
I shook my head, sinking into the warm water, and logged off.
After enduring Yuyu’s scolding and Anrou’s gaze—like I was some gaming addict—I hurriedly ate reheated dinner, washed up, and returned to the game.
The water had cooled slightly by then.
Slipping into the spare pajamas, I found the nightgown and underwear remarkably soft and light, fitting perfectly.
This isn’t ordinary silk.
“I’m getting more curious about that Claire’s intentions,” I mumbled.
I also wondered why the monastery had children’s clothes so readily available. The craftsmanship suggested they weren’t hastily made.
Just as weird as this thing. I examined the Magical Disguise cat ears, their fur completely dry. “Waterproof? That’s absurd.”
Thankfully, both Magical Disguise items were waterproof. Otherwise, accidentally exposing my demonic aura in the monastery would’ve been a disaster.
It’d be a scene drenched in holy light. These knights and priests are practically built for that.
Lost in thought, my grip slipped, and the cat-ear Magical Disguise fell, bouncing under the bed.
“Oh no!” I scrambled to the floor, reaching under the bed’s narrow gap, grateful for the plush carpet keeping me clean.
Too focused on retrieving the crucial item, I didn’t notice the knock at the door.
“Your Highness?” Kai called, knocking again.
Receiving no response, Kai exchanged a glance with Bemira, who was behind her, and forcefully opened the door, worried something was wrong.
But the sight that greeted them—and Daisy, Him, and Biri, who followed—left them stunned.
A blonde loli in a white nightgown was diligently searching under the bed, unaware that her position exposed a scandalous view.
Her pale, delicate legs knelt on the carpet, her dainty feet almost too adorable, with translucent veins faintly visible.
The mysterious area under her nightgown was partially obscured by a golden cat tail.
Unable to find what she wanted, the loli reached deeper, causing the tail to slip free from the nightgown’s hem, fully revealing blue-and-white panties to Kai and the others.
“Phew, found it…”
I retrieved the cat-ear Magical Disguise, wiped it off, and placed it back on my head, only then noticing the commotion behind me.
“Wait, was there a sound at the door?”
Turning, I met the stunned faces of Kai and her group. My cheeks exploded with heat as I leapt up, pressing down my nightgown’s hem.
“Y-You… you all saw?!”
The flustered blonde loli’s cat ears twitched with her embarrassment. In the white nightgown, she seemed less saintly and more like an approachable, adorable neighbor girl.
This shy display was no less captivating than the earlier scene.
Kai quickly recovered. “Apologies, Your Highness Sophie-Lina. We knocked but got no response and feared you were in danger.”
Now that she mentioned it, I vaguely recalled a knocking sound, ignored in my panic to retrieve the disguise.
“Um… I… really like cats, so…” I scrambled for an excuse to diffuse the awkwardness.
Thankfully, Kai gave me an out.
“Your Highness is still a child and bound to have hobbies. More importantly, may I take your changed clothes?”
Blushing furiously, I handed over the clothes from the bathroom. I noticed Bemira, Daisy, and Him had remade the bed with fresh sheets and pillows, while Biri placed a tray of milk and cookies on the nightstand.
Catching my gaze, Kai smiled.
“We worried Your Highness might not sleep well. Please don’t think us presumptuous.”
“No way… Thank you,” I stammered.
As Kai turned to leave, I grabbed her sleeve, my voice barely a whisper. “Um, please don’t tell anyone.”
After the door closed, I recalled the mortifying moment, banging my head against the doorframe.
I was supposed to give them a hard time!
But their genuine concern softened my embarrassment. Honestly, Kai and the others hadn’t done anything wrong.
So, my thoughts shifted to self-reproach for my carelessness.
“Next time, I’ll be more careful… Huh, what’s this?”
After my reflection, I noticed something under the blankets. Curious, I pulled out a palm-sized storybook.
Did they leave this to keep me entertained? The mental tally against Kai’s group lost another mark.
Curious about its contents, I opened the first page.
But the more I read, the deeper my frown grew.
The story followed Lia, a nearly ten-year-old illegitimate noble girl, sent as a marriage pawn to a mysterious, ancient family.
Expecting hardship, Lia was instead treated like kin, with meals tailored to her tastes, clothes of the finest fabric, and devoted servants and guards who never slacked.
The young earl, only a decade older, always made time to read her fairy tales before bed, despite his busy schedule.
His fiancée, far from being cruel, brushed Lia’s hair daily and comforted her with bedtime chats when she couldn’t sleep.
Just as Lia began to be touched by their kindness, she uncovered the family’s dark secret: they served a demon.
Hiding in a recessed alcove, Lia overheard the earl and his fiancée in a secret chamber at the end of a shadowy passage, accompanied by the demon’s low, raspy chuckle.
“Is it still that girl… You humans are truly amusing…”
“What would happen if she saw your true faces… She’d probably be in disbelief…”
“I can’t wait to savor that delectable body, heh heh heh…”
The story ended abruptly, a typical dark fairy tale with a predictable grim conclusion.
But to me, it held deeper meaning.
This wasn’t left intentionally. Someone accidentally forgot it here.
Lia’s experience eerily mirrored my time at the Radiant Monastery—Claire’s odd behavior and the strange reactions of those around her.
Claire must be using this kindness to lull me into a trap for some hidden purpose.
“Hmph, think this’ll make me fall? You underestimate me.”
I muttered, finishing the last cookie and downing the milk.
They’ll regret letting a Demon King “farm” freely in their “jungle”.
“Urp…” Maybe I ate too much.
…
“What are you looking for, Bemira?”
“The first volume of Lia the Maiden. I don’t know where I lost it. So strange.”
“Forget it. You can trade for it at the ‘gathering.’”
“Ugh, that’ll cost so many merits… Good thing I didn’t lose the second volume.”
“Wasn’t it you who refused to get it until I insisted you read it?”
“The start was so off-putting. Who knew it’d have such a huge twist? Anyway, I’m rereading the second volume tonight. I’ll definitely have sweet dreams.”
“Pervert.”