"If you EVER dare to try to touch my face again with those claws," Heena said quietly but with absolute conviction, "believe me, I will bury you directly in the ground beneath this room. That’s not a threat—it’s a promise."

She pointed downward with her finger to emphasize the point.

Maya literally shrieked with rage and tried to jump at Heena, attempting to tackle her to the ground.

But Heena just kicked her in the stomach—not with full force, but enough to send Maya stumbling backward and falling onto her bed, gasping for air.

Heena wasn’t particularly worried about consequences.

Thanks to Maya’s proud and suspicious nature, she’d literally thrown both of her assigned keeper-servants out of the room earlier, wanting privacy for her sulking.

And even if those servants HAD been present, in this world, nothing was more powerful than money.

Buying the silence or cooperation of two newly-hired servants who had no particular loyalty to Maya? That was not a big deal at all.

So definitely, no one was going to come save this woman.

And Heena had learned over many lifetimes to precisely control her strength.

Even though the slap had been hard and the kick forceful, Heena knew that within twenty minutes, the visible marks would fade significantly. Within an hour, they’d be nearly gone.

After all, she wasn’t called the Black Lotus just for show—she knew exactly how to hurt someone without leaving lasting evidence.

After a few more moments of Maya gasping and glaring with impotent fury, Heena smiled pleasantly, brushed off her clothes as if nothing had happened, and said cheerfully:

"Well, I should be going now! I have shopping to do! Enjoy your confinement, Mother-in-law. I’ll be sure to bring you more water next time!"

And with that, she walked out, leaving Maya trembling with rage and humiliation on her bed.

---

’’[One Hour Later - The Market District]’’

After about an hour of walking through the busy streets, Heena found herself in the market district of the neighboring town—the place where Maya’s mother supposedly lived and conducted business.

The market was just as one would expect from an ancient setting: small stalls arranged along the streets, some vendors operating from tents, others from permanent shop structures, the air filled with the smells of food, fabric, incense, and humanity.

Heena asked the System in her mind, ’Where is the usual place Maya’s mother visits?’

The System, floating invisibly beside her, pointed toward a particular area and said, ’It’s that coffee shop over there—the one with the blue awning. She normally visits it most days, usually sits at the fourth table near the window. Oh, look! She’s actually there right now!’

Heena raised her eyes and looked in the indicated direction.

And she saw her target.

A truly beautiful woman—though not in the conventional sense that Maya was beautiful. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

This woman had something different. She looked exactly like someone who belonged to an aristocratic family.

Her way of sitting, her posture, even the way she looked at people and things around her—it was all full of discipline and ingrained principles.

Just by observing her for a few moments, Heena could immediately assess: ’This woman does not look like someone who would casually abandon her own daughter. There’s something else going on here.’

Heena entered the coffee shop, walking with deliberate casualness.

As she passed by the woman’s table, she suddenly "tripped" over absolutely nothing—

A waiter who’d been passing by with a tray of drinks tried to catch her—

The jug of water he’d been carrying slipped from his grasp—

And the entire contents splashed directly onto the elegant woman sitting at the table.

’Perfect execution,’ Heena thought with internal satisfaction. ’Clumsy but believable.’

The woman frowned at the sudden cold water soaking her expensive robes, but her reaction was controlled—annoyed but not explosively angry.

Heena immediately began apologizing with exaggerated distress: "I’m SO sorry! I’m so clumsy! I didn’t even see—I’m terribly sorry for—"

She looked at the woman with wide, apologetic eyes.

The woman had been staring at Heena this entire time, and now a slight knowing smile turned up the corners of her mouth.

She simply waved her hand dismissively and said to the waiter, "You can go. It was an accident."

The waiter bowed gratefully and hurried away.

Heena continued her apologetic performance: "I’m really, truly sorry, ma’am. Please, I should compensate you for the damage to your clothing and the inconvenience—"

Suddenly, the woman raised her hand, cutting off Heena’s words, and said directly, "What is it you want, young lady?"

Hearing that blunt question, Heena paused mid-apology.

The woman smiled slightly and continued, "Please, sit down. Whatever you wanted to discuss, just say it clearly and directly. I’m too busy to engage in roundabout conversations and social nonsense. I don’t have time for elaborate games."

Hearing that straightforward approach, Heena abandoned her "clumsy apologetic girl" act entirely.

She sat down across from the woman, and this time, all pretenses dropped from her expression.

She looked at the woman seriously and said, "You’re quite perceptive, my lady."

The woman looked at Heena and said calmly, "Well, being a merchant’s wife requires developing certain skills. One must be able to read people and situations quickly."

Heena nodded and said, "Yes, I’ve heard much about you, my lady. Your principled nature, how you handle all the merchant business affairs for your husband and household, your reputation for sharp intelligence—"

The woman interrupted, still with that slight knowing smile: "Then you’ve also surely heard about how I treat my daughter?"

Hearing that direct acknowledgment, Heena paused for just a moment, then smiled and said, "Your information network is quite sharp indeed, my lady."

The woman looked at her and said, "Well, I AM in business, so of course I need sharp information at all times. I need to know what types of insects are trying to crawl their way into my sphere of influence."

Just then, a waiter approached and placed a glass of water in front of Heena.

After the waiter left, Heena picked up the glass and took a deliberate sip, then looked at the woman and said, "Well, maybe your eyes have caught something interesting today, my lady. After all, who knows whether the person sitting in front of you right now is an insect... or a predator? A prey... or a hunter? Who can really say?"

Hearing that subtle challenge, the woman looked at Heena with increased interest and said, "Indeed. After all, you ARE the daughter-in-law of my daughter’s household."

Heena smiled again and said, "You certainly have excellent information sources, my lady. And you’ve probably already deduced why I’ve come here to find you?"

The woman looked at Heena seriously and said, "Well, I have heard quite a lot about you—how you constantly clash with my daughter, the various conflicts in that household. But I want to hear directly from your own mouth: Why do you need to speak with ME? Because I cut connections with my daughter a long time ago. And I don’t think there’s anything useful you could gain from talking to me."

Hearing that seemingly final statement, Heena looked at her and said, "Ah yes, you ’disowned’ your daughter. I’ve heard about that."