Chapter 689: The Last Time

The ceiling of the bedroom hung high, woven with intricate geometric patterns of gold thread and stained glass.

Moonlight streamed through the colored glass, casting dappled shadows on the floor.

The air was thick with the fragrance of frankincense and rose oil, as a bronze censer burned silently.

“Crack!”

The sound of marble tiles shattering a porcelain cup echoed again.

The two young maids outside the sealed door flinched, their shoulders trembling, heads bowed in silence.

The usually gentle and kind High Priestess had broken character tonight.

Merely from the violent shattering sounds, one could sense her abnormal rage and fury.

Crack—

The heavy door suddenly swung open.

The High Priestess’s peerless beauty, capable of turning heads, emerged with the drifting scent of incense.

Her face was deathly pale, her brow heavy with lingering resentment and wrath.

“Go tell Pera—I no longer want her to find that person!”

“Y-yes, immediately!”

“No! Have every person with that same name castrated!”

“Yes, my lord!”

Boom!

The heavy door roared shut.

On the cold, ebony-carved dressing table lay the white porcelain vial that once held the Spirit Seed, and the sealed farewell letter.

Lilian’s fists clenched white, her entire body still trembling with fierce anger.

Her pale blue Ancestral Magic could no longer be contained, leaking from her skin and spreading frost across the floor with crisp cracking sounds.

Her snow-white teeth bit through her lower lip, drawing a thread of blood.

“Damn it!”

She surged forward without hesitation, smashing and tearing the objects to pieces.

Moonlight filtered through the carved window lattice, casting vine-like shadows across the wool rug.

The shadows twisted and moved.

“Lilian.”

A familiar, gentle male voice spoke.

Lilian spun around in shame and fury, only to see the man seated on the windowsill—when had he gotten there?

She forced a stiff, cold smile: “Oh? Mr. Luo De, what are you doing in my chambers? Come to deceive me again, like before?”

Luo De adjusted his Charm Domain’s [True Deception] to permanent mode, and the First Deep Affection of Dusk Hill appeared.

“I’ve been looking for you.”

“So you found her? My daughter? Hmm?”

“I met Eve elsewhere—she looks too much like you, I couldn’t help but—”

“Stop! It’s over now!”

Lilian cut him off, her anger fading into bitterness and pain.

She finally remembered: Luo De had originally been brought to her for Eve as a husband, and her own relationship with Luo De had always been the mistake.

Isn’t this now simply a return to the right path?

The atmosphere froze briefly.

“Does Eve know about us?”

Luo De shook his head, stepping lightly off the windowsill and subtly closing the distance.

“Don’t come closer.”

Lilian gritted her teeth, refusing his approach. “What do you want now? Why are you here? Let’s just forget everything that happened. From now on, you’re Eve’s husband—I’ll arrange your wedding as soon as possible.”

Luo De suddenly reached out and seized her hand; Lilian tried to pull away, but he held her fast.

“Lilian, I’ve never forgotten you for a single day. The moment I saw Eve, I thought Heaven had sent you back.”

“Let go.”

Lilian growled.

Yet a familiar current surged through their skin contact, leaving her limbs numb and tingling—her long-ago injuries, the dryness of her body, suddenly felt like that exquisite night in the axe-shore tent.

Something stirred in her lower abdomen.

“So what are you trying to say? That Eve is my substitute? Or that I’m the substitute? Do you think this is appropriate to say to my face?”

“Neither. Why must you choose? You’re both my wings.”

The words sounded ridiculous.

Even Luo De blushed slightly.

Over Pera’s shoulder, he saw Tally staring wide-eyed, peeking out and giving him a thumbs-up in awe.

“You’re insane!”

Lilian flared again, her magic surging violently across her skin.

She had suffered severe injuries years ago—her body remained dry, and she carried many lingering complications.

That’s why Eve had desperately drawn energy from Luo De, desperate to take on the burden alone.

“Mmmh.”

The magical fluctuations didn’t cease—they intensified.

Lilian groaned, blood seeping from every one of her features.

Luo De was startled.

He caught her before she fell.

He unleashed the Grass Domain’s [Green Vine Mutual Healing] at full power, then immediately fed her several healing potions.

“Go—go away!”

“Why say that now?”

Luo De sensed the depth of her internal affliction—it couldn’t be healed by simple restoration spells. He immediately shoved two Spirit Seeds into her mouth.

But like Eve, she was stubborn—she clenched her lips and turned her head away.

At this point, Luo De wouldn’t indulge her.

Ignoring her wide, furious eyes, he pressed a forceful kiss upon her.

As he passed the Spirit Seeds, the [Charming Bodily Fluids] effect surged instantly.

Lilian, weakened and unwell, struggled only briefly before her eyes turned hazy with desire.

She claimed to resist.

But our Miss Lilian was half-heartedly playing hard to get.

When Luo De removed his clothes,

it was clear her resentment wasn’t deep.

Rather, she had hoarded years of longing.

She murmured his name listlessly, clinging to his waist, refusing to let him go.

The next morning.

Lilian pressed her palm to her forehead—the lingering pain from her injuries had faded to a mere whisper.

Beside her, the naked man lay sprawled on his back, arm wrapped around her slender waist, fingers idly tracing the soft flesh of her lower abdomen.

The man opened his eyes; sunlight spilled across his face, making him impossibly beautiful.

Lilian’s heart pounded—but regret followed close behind.

“Luo De… we shouldn’t have—”

“There’s nothing we shouldn’t have done.”

“No, no—”

Lilian pulled the blanket to her chest, but it couldn’t hide the bold curves of her body—the swell and fall of her form still visible.

“Last night was my lapse. Let’s pretend it never happened. Forget it. From now on, you’re still Eve’s husband.”

“I refuse.”

“Don’t refuse. Go now. I left in a hurry last night—Eve must be worried. Return to her. I’ll visit the Thousand Throats Tomb later, alright?”

Her tone softened. Luo De knew the battle was half-won—he nodded.

But then he immediately shook his head again.

Lilian pleaded: “What do you want from me, you little devil? I’ve already done as you wished—”

Luo De pointed to the tented blanket beneath. Lilian looked—and panicked.

“We did that last night—how can you still be—”

Luo De lazily crawled over, nestling into her arms, breathing in the milky scent filling his nose.

“Lilian, you’re too beautiful. I couldn’t help it—just one last time. Truly.”

Lilian’s skin tingled from his hot breath, her whole body melting with longing, a pink flush creeping over her exquisite face.

She gently patted the back of his head, unable to hide her scolding tone: “You… I’m not as young as you. I can’t take this kind of torment. This is truly the last time—never come to me again.”

(End of Chapter)