"Oh dear~ one misstep in the game, and I've completely lost," Jiuli Xue said with a smile, tilting her head as she looked at Vanessa. "There's nothing I can do, I underestimated my opponent."
"As the winner, Miss Vanessa can do anything to me tonight, right?" Jiuli Xue leaned in close to Vanessa’s ear, blowing a warm breath. "I promise I won’t resist, and I'll cooperate fully."
Vanessa quickly stepped back, a rare blush creeping onto her usually composed face, but she quickly regained her composure.
Despite having the upper hand, Jiuli Xue had managed to turn the situation around and had Vanessa at her mercy.
"Miss Jiuli Xue, I don't think I let you move, did I?" Vanessa smiled faintly, her tone cold and detached, though it seemed like she was trying to cover up her earlier slip-up.
"Whoops," Jiuli Xue giggled, covering her mouth with a playful smile. "Miss Saintess is surprisingly innocent, still a virgin, I take it?" She even licked her tempting lips as she spoke.
Vanessa raised an eyebrow.
She couldn’t understand why Jiuli Xue would say such things. According to the original setting, ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) Jiuli Xue was all theory but had no practical experience. In short, she was just talking big, with no real experience to back it up.
All of the female protagonists in the original story—Aeciphysis, Princess Mirecia, Imperial Princess Isathia, and Elf Queen Seliphine—were all untainted by experience, pure like blank slates.
Except, of course, Mirecia, who was genuinely clueless. The others, however, knew something, with Aeciphysis and Jiuli Xue being the most knowledgeable and aggressive, very forward in their flirting.
From what Vanessa understood, it seemed like even Mirecia, who appeared innocent, wasn't entirely ignorant. She shook the thought from her head, realizing it was impolite to speculate on others' affairs.
"Miss Jiuli Xue, not only does your behavior show no sign of grace, but your words are also quite offensive. This is not how a lady should act," Vanessa said in a tone that seemed polite but had a hint of sarcasm.
"Oh? Miss Vanessa is going to punish me?" Jiuli Xue asked with a mischievous grin. "Come, come."
Vanessa said nothing, seemingly preparing herself, but in reality, she was confused. Looking at Jiuli Xue’s eager expression, Vanessa couldn't understand why she seemed so excited. Wasn’t this her first time experiencing something like this? Shouldn’t she be embarrassed?
"Miss Jiuli Xue is quite the greedy little cat, huh? Looking forward to it so much?" Vanessa teased, gently ruffling Jiuli Xue's head as if she were petting a dog.
"I'm very excited~" Jiuli Xue cupped her face with both hands, her cheeks flushed with a sickly red hue. "Miss Vanessa, feel free to punish me. After all... you can only do it tonight, right?"
Jiuli Xue’s sly fox eyes curved into crescent shapes as she made her deduction. She knew that such enchantment-like objects with control effects must have limits, such as time and strength restrictions. It couldn't just work indefinitely—if such an indestructible enchanted object existed, why had she never heard of it before?
There was only one possibility: Vanessa had taken advantage of her current weakened state.
Once tonight was over, Jiuli Xue was certain she could break free from the collar’s control, even if she only regained half of her strength. She could easily overpower the pink-haired girl in front of her.
As Jiuli Xue made her judgment, Vanessa’s thoughts were equally active.
She gazed deeply at Jiuli Xue, reaffirming her belief that, even though Jiuli Xue had fallen into her trap, she would still find a way to escape if Vanessa ever intended to harm her. But that would come at a great cost, and Vanessa would only resort to it as a last resort.
No matter. Vanessa had no intention of killing Jiuli Xue. She wasn’t interested in a deadlock; after this skirmish, leaving Jiuli Xue alive would be a valuable gift for the demon world, causing chaos and internal strife among the demons.
After all, the fox in front of her wasn't the kind to forget slights easily. She would never forgive those who took advantage of her vulnerabilities.
Jiuli Xue would likely repay her tenfold for everything she had done to her.
Vanessa knew humiliating Jiuli Xue was a risky move—one wrong step, and Jiuli Xue might take her head, impaled on a spear, and hung on a city wall.
But Vanessa had given so much, and the temptation of Virtue made her take the risk.
It was like how she had stayed in the capital despite the risks, refusing the offer from Kareliman Academy.
She was greedy.
Vanessa knew, after tonight, Jiuli Xue would hate her, gnashing her teeth in vengeance, plotting to tear her apart.
That's why she had said earlier that after tonight, she and Jiuli Xue would never cross paths again.
She was joking, of course—if they were still interacting, she would be completely out of her mind.
That was the second reason she didn’t want to kill Jiuli Xue. It was impossible to kill her without consequences, and it would only create a long-standing enmity.
"Ah~" Jiuli Xue trembled.
Vanessa frowned, confused. She didn’t understand what Jiuli Xue was up to now.
"Miss Vanessa, you must always remember everything that happens tonight~"
"What?" Vanessa looked at Jiuli Xue, clearly not acting normally, and had a bad feeling.
"Because I will remember it forever~" Jiuli Xue smiled like a blooming flower. "The humiliation I’ve endured tonight, the excitement it’s given me, the shame that has kept me up all night..."
"Until the day I come to thank you~" Jiuli Xue stared deeply at Vanessa, licking her lips like she was eyeing a tasty prey.
Had she finally provoked a lunatic?
"Miss Jiuli Xue, I have no interest in you, nor your life." Vanessa blinked her innocent eyes.
She was only interested in Virtue.
"But right now, I’m very interested in you~!" Jiuli Xue gasped, her face flushing unnaturally. "After tonight, I’m so looking forward to it, looking forward to our next meeting... I can already foresee it!"
"HAHAHAHAHA!"
『Virtue +100 (Major character emotional fluctuation)』
『Current Virtue: 584』
Vanessa said nothing as she watched the white fox girl laugh, her voice growing sweeter. Although her Virtue had increased dramatically, over 500 points from just this outing, Vanessa didn’t feel the slightest bit of joy.
Why did it feel like she had gotten herself into big trouble?
"Sorry, Miss Jiuli Xue, but after tonight, I don’t want to see you again." The white fox girl stopped laughing—not because she had calmed down, but because Vanessa had stepped forward, grasping her cheeks.
Vanessa spoke coldly, as always, but now with an unyielding tone.
"No, Miss Vanessa, I have completely set my sights on you~" Jiuli Xue reversed Vanessa’s grip on her hands, holding the fingers firmly against her cheek.
"After tonight, no matter how deep I have to dig, I will find you," Jiuli Xue said, gazing intently at Vanessa as though imprinting her image in her mind. Beneath the moonlight, her red fox eyes glimmered as her sharp fangs bared in a predatory smile.
"How about this, when the game ends, I’ll be the master, and you can be my little puppy~?"