“You haven’t wronged anyone. What you did wasn’t wrong. My situation wasn’t caused by you,” Liana said gently.

“Why are you always so calm, so gentle? You’re the victim. You’ve endured so much grievance, so much pain, yet now you’re the one comforting me,” Mephilia’s voice trembled.

“Come on, don’t think too much about it now. Don’t overthink things. Look at it from another angle—from now on, you’ll have more free time, won’t you? You no longer need to face those tedious books or deal with those troublesome matters. We have more time for each other.”

“It was precisely because of those wrong decisions, those wrong things, that we can be like this now, holding hands,” Liana kissed Mephilia’s lips. “Don’t worry anymore. I’ll always be by your side.”

Mephilia buried herself in Liana’s embrace and had a good cry. Fortunately, Liana was by her side now.

She still had a goal; otherwise, she truly wouldn’t know what to do. It was so good that she still had Liana.

“Wait... never mind.” Liana felt that Mephilia was pressing a bit too hard. Those two beautiful mounds on her chest made Liana a bit awkward, but she ultimately didn’t say anything, just quietly hugged Mephilia, gently patting her back.

Who knows how much time passed before Mephilia gradually calmed down.

“Mephilia?” Liana called her name softly.

But Mephilia didn’t respond. Liana gently broke free from Mephilia’s embrace and found that Mephilia had fallen asleep while hugging her.

“...It seems she’s really tired.” Liana stood up, her legs a bit numb. Mephilia had been leaning her full weight on her for quite some time. Although she wasn’t too heavy, it had been a long time.

Liana carried Mephilia to the bedroom and locked the door.

She slowly undid Mephilia’s clothes. The beautiful body curves, the snow-white skin, and... all were now displayed completely naked before Liana, as if tempting her.

However, Liana wasn’t in that frame of mind now. After changing Mephilia into nightwear, she tucked her in properly. “Rest well.”

But just as Liana was about to leave, she found that Mephilia was tightly gripping her hand.

“I’m just going to get something. I won’t leave,” Liana said.

But the other party was asleep. How could she hear what Liana was saying? She gripped Liana’s hand tightly, unwilling to let go.

“Alright, alright.” Liana had no choice. She pulled out a chair and sat beside Mephilia.

When they came in, Liana had seen some fruits on the table. It was probably prepared by Vivian for them to enjoy when they returned, but it was too sudden, and Vivian hadn’t had time to prepare before being taken out by Minoga.

Liana closed her eyes and raised her hand. [Mana Sense]

Using magical power to sense items in the room, she then used magic to pick up the plate of fruit and bring it into the room.

Liana had originally wanted to peel some fruit for Mephilia to eat when she woke up, but with one hand held by Mephilia, many things became inconvenient.

[Create Gem Knife]

A small knife appeared in Liana’s hand. Since Mephilia was holding her right hand, she could only use her left hand to deal with these fruits. If she were Mephilia now, being left-handed would make things much easier.

But after trying a couple of times, Liana found it extremely awkward!

She felt her body was somewhat beyond her brain’s control.

“...” Liana chose to let go, using magic to hold the knife and apple, but this kind of very delicate magic was still somewhat difficult for her.

Although she cut away a lot of the fruit flesh and the appearance wasn’t good, at least she succeeded.

“So tiring...” Liana felt that the magical power consumed this way was more than what she used during training.

Then she looked at the hand holding Mephilia’s, a gentle smile appearing on her face. She placed a light kiss on Mephilia’s forehead. “Rest well, my princess.”

Nightfall came. Mephilia slept for a very long time, very deeply, completely unaware of what was happening.

When she woke up, it was already dawn.

She hardly ever napped, had never fallen asleep at this time, and had never woken up at this hour.

She looked at the pitch-black sky outside, somewhat confused, but then she felt the warmth in her hand and saw Liana asleep, resting her head on her thigh.

“Liana, do you like thighs that much?” Mephilia was a bit more energetic now, and also more at ease.

Mephilia looked at the nightwear she was wearing. Without even thinking, she knew Liana had changed it for her.

She saw the fruit on the table. “A bit ugly... but I’m happy.”

Liana’s usual skill and knife work wouldn’t have such mistakes. This was clearly because of her.

Because she had been holding Liana’s hand, Liana couldn’t work freely. Plus, Liana wasn’t left-handed like her. To achieve this result was already quite impressive.

Mephilia reached out and brushed aside a strand of Liana’s hair. Liana could sleep peacefully on her because of her absolute trust.

And she was the same. It was precisely because of trust that she could sleep peacefully beside Liana, without worrying about anything strange happening.

“...” Mephilia pulled open her nightwear and looked at her skin. Unfortunately, she didn’t see any marks of having been played with.

She reached out and poked Liana’s cheek. “Silly Liana, am I so unattractive to you? I’ll poke you to death!”

As Mephilia kept poking, she accidentally slipped her finger into Liana’s mouth.

“Hmm?” Liana opened her eyes groggily and saw something strange.

A delicate jade hand was right in front of her, and it looked a bit strange. There was also something odd in her mouth. Liana bit down a bit, and it was soft with no particular taste.

“...” Brain.exe rebooting...

At this point, Mephilia wanted to pull out, but Liana was biting down too firmly, giving Mephilia no chance.

And now Liana had completely woken up. She realized that what she was biting was Mephilia’s finger.

“...What are you doing?” Liana released her mouth.

Mephilia’s finger was finally freed, pulling a transparent string from Liana’s mouth.

“It’s because Liana is too greedy. You can’t blame me,” Mephilia shrugged.

Liana didn’t believe Mephilia’s nonsense. She must have been up to some mischief again. But for now, she would let it go. She’s the boss now.

“Is that so? Maybe I was dreaming,” Liana stood up and stretched.

Mephilia put that finger into her own mouth, savoring it.

“...” Mephilia had become a pervert.

“Here, open your mouth. Don’t eat that,” Liana took a fork, speared a piece of apple, and handed it to Mephilia.

“This is a rabbit, right?” Although it was a bit ugly, Mephilia could still tell.

“No, you’re mistaken,” Liana didn’t want to admit it because it was too much of a failure.

“Alright,” Mephilia swallowed it in one bite. “So sweet.”

Mephilia smiled dreamily, and it wasn’t clear if she was referring to the apple or Liana.

“Is it?”

“Haven’t you tasted it yet?” Mephilia asked.

Liana shook her head, though apples all taste the same. They couldn’t possibly have different flavors.

Mephilia reached out, placed her hand on Liana’s cheek, and gently turned Liana to face her.

“What...” Liana’s pupils dilated slightly.

“Sweet, isn’t it?”

“Mm...” Liana tasted the apple in her mouth and couldn’t help but marvel—imported apples were indeed different.

Well, Liana had underestimated. They really could have different flavors.

“I really want to thank—”

Liana proactively kissed Mephilia’s lips. “You forgot again.”

“I didn’t forget. Because if I were to use this as a substitute, I could kiss from now until tomorrow morning. Liana, do you want to try?” Mephilia looked at Liana.

Liana felt a chill down her spine. She could sense that Mephilia wasn’t lying. She would really do such a thing.

“That won’t be necessary,” Liana conceded.

Mephilia leaned against the headboard. The goal she had been pursuing all along now seemed so ridiculous.

“After losing your goal, have you become confused?” Liana immediately saw through Mephilia’s current thoughts.

But Mephilia shook her head, which surprised Liana.

“The goal has always been clear. I’ve always been striving for this goal. Becoming the monarch was indeed one of my goals, but the reason I made this my goal was also because of you, Liana,” Mephilia placed her hand on the back of Liana’s. “If I had to choose one, I would choose you without hesitation.”

“I know, because you’ve already done so, haven’t you?” Liana said.

“Because I can’t agree with my father’s approach. If the path to becoming king is like this, I wouldn’t have agreed from the beginning,” Mephilia’s attitude was very firm. Liana was her bottom line.

“But this way, those who support you will be disappointed. They will also lose their goal,” Seeing that Mephilia could now communicate normally with her, Liana started to persuade her.

“...Are you really comforting me? I’m well aware that what I’m doing now is indeed wrong, indeed a bit too impulsive,” Mephilia knew very well what impact her decision would have on the Lisat Kingdom.

But this was her bottom line, an absolutely untouchable bottom line. “But, even if it were a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times, I would still make this decision.”

“If you continue like this, I’ll get angry,” Liana reached out and patted Mephilia’s head. “I’ve said it before: what you did might not be right, but it’s definitely not wrong.”

“I’m telling you these things not to make you change your mind,” Liana also understood that even if she said these words now, Mephilia wouldn’t listen.

“What I want to say is that all along, your goal has been to become an excellent, perfect ruler, just as the King of Lisat expected, right? So you tried to do your best in everything. This is also why others support you.”

“So, you no longer need to strive for so-called perfection. You can become a queen for yourself. There’s no need to become one for the King of Lisat,” Liana said.

“In the end, you still don’t want me to give up, do you?” Mephilia rolled her eyes at Liana.

But what Liana said wasn’t wrong. Mephilia had been too strict with herself before, always wanting to do everything perfectly.

Because she knew very well that having Liana was a burden, she had to do better than others just to be on par with them.

Originally, she thought everything would get better after Liana improved.

But then Hodwen and Oester appeared, making Mephilia quite irritable. Combined with today’s events, it completely set Mephilia off.

However, Liana also saw some hope. Mephilia was excellent, but when it came to matters concerning Liana, she would lose some rationality. This had always been her issue.

After a period of calm, she would understand herself. Liana just needed to give her a push.

“What if you abandon me? I still want to be a pillow princess after you become a queen,” Liana joked.

“Now, that’s not impossible. I’ve only given up my heir status, not my princess status,” Mephilia said.

“That’s true.”

“But this way, we’ll have to keep hiding,” Mephilia reached out and hugged Liana, lying on the bed.

She could let down anyone, disappoint anyone’s hopes, but she absolutely couldn’t let down Liana.

Everything Liana was experiencing now, everything she had to face, was because of her.

It was Liana who actively gave up a peaceful and stable life, choosing to support her, sacrificing a lot for her, and attracting a lot of hatred.

If she gave up now, then everything Liana had sacrificed would be in vain. Moreover, Liana had already been living a very hard life, concealing her magic.

Hiding everywhere, needing Minoga by her side to be safe—all of this was because of her.

Giving up now would indeed free up more time to be with Liana, but what about afterwards?

Minoga would have to be constantly vigilant, avoiding retaliation from Hodwen and Oester, until the appearance of the next king.

This kind of life would continue for who knows how long. And what’s more deadly is that if the new king were someone else, it would be fine. But if Hodwen or Oester became king, that would be truly disastrous.

Although this was unlikely to happen, during the waiting period, they would have to live very cautiously.

Mephilia didn’t want Liana to follow her and live such a life.

“Am I being too willful?” Mephilia asked. “You’ve sacrificed so much for me, worked so hard, carried so much burden, and even dealt a heavy blow to them a few days ago. At a time like this, when I could become king just by nodding, I made such a decision.”

“Because this is the decision Mephilia would make. If, after hearing this news, you still appeared very calm, I would have to wonder if you were really Mephilia,” Liana also reached out and hugged Mephilia.

“Be a bit more willful. Absolute perfection is unlikely to happen. Everyone must have their flaws.”

Absolute perfection? Unlikely??

Then what was this Liana she was hugging?

In Mephilia’s heart, Liana was absolute perfection. If forced to say a flaw, it would be that she was somewhat unaware and often didn’t take herself seriously. This point was truly annoying.

“I won’t give up on becoming the monarch,” Mephilia took a deep breath. “I can be willful, but at least after you’re living a good life, then I’ll be properly willful once.”

“That’s better,” Liana knew that Mephilia definitely wouldn’t give up easily, especially with her around.

Because she was a burden!

“But I will never forgive what the King of Lisat has done, even if he is my father,” Mephilia bit her lip.

She still couldn’t understand why.

“You’re not thinking of severing ties with the King of Lisat, are you?” Liana said.

“...” Mephilia stared at Liana.

“What... what’s wrong?”

“Never mind,” Mephilia sighed. It was no longer surprising that Liana would say such things.

“I will, as you said, relax a bit, no longer make myself appear so perfect. I will also, as I said before, give up my heir status—at your funeral,” Mephilia had already thought about what to do next during this time.

“At my funeral?”

“Because your status now is not like before, so at that time, many people will be watching,” Mephilia said.

What Mephilia wanted to announce wasn’t just this. She also wanted to tell everything Liana had done during this time, letting everyone know.

“Good, but while I’m still ‘alive,’ let’s continue as usual,” Liana said.

“Okay,” Mephilia’s hand moved to Liana’s waist.

Liana thought Mephilia wanted her again and proactively closed her eyes, mentally prepared.

After today’s events, she would probably be ravaged.

But to Liana’s surprise, the imagined event didn’t happen. Mephilia was just hugging her.

“What’s wrong, Liana? Are you expecting something?” Mephilia grinned mischievously.

“...Not at all,” Liana, having been caught, turned her back to Mephilia.

“You’re so cute,” Mephilia hugged Liana. “The way to express love isn’t necessarily through intimate contact. Being able to comfort me, accompany me by my side—I’m already very happy.”

“...Can you still sleep now?” Liana asked.

“It’s a bit difficult,” After all, she had just woken up.

“Do you want to go out for a stroll?” Liana suggested.

“Let’s not. If we go out, we can at most hold hands, not hug you like now.”

The next day arrived, it was time to part again.

Mephilia woke from her dream and found that Liana had already reached out with a cup of steaming hot tea for her. “How does it feel to sleep in?”

“It feels addictive,” Mephilia sat up and grabbed the cup Liana was drinking from. “I want this one.”

“Aren’t they the same?” Liana said irritably.

“They’re not the same. This cup has some extra seasoning, making it more delicious,” Mephilia smiled.

Seeing Mephilia still in the mood to joke, Liana was now completely reassured.

Mephilia’s resilience was much better than she had imagined. There was no need to worry anymore.

“Let’s explain this to Minoga in a moment?”

“Mm.”

Minoga had stood by their side without hesitation yesterday, which touched both Mephilia and Liana. Someone of her caliber didn’t need to take this risk at all.

“As for others, shall we keep it secret for now?”

“Mm, Minoga.”

Mephilia called out, and Minoga immediately appeared before them.

Minoga’s originally worried expression relaxed after seeing Princess Mephilia’s current state. “It seems Princess Liana has already soothed Princess Mephilia.”

“Minoga, I’ve finally decided to give up my heir status,” Mephilia said. “You no longer have an obligation to protect me now. If you go back now, there’s still time.”

“Is Princess Mephilia trying to drive me away?” Minoga had protected Mephilia «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» for so many years and had long regarded Mephilia as her own sister.

But if Mephilia said she didn’t need her anymore, then her mission would be completed, and naturally, she would leave Mephilia’s side.

“How could I drive you away? Without you, I would be very troubled. But won’t staying by my side cause you great trouble?” Mephilia didn’t want to implicate Minoga because of herself.

“We’ve already encountered so many troubles during this time, haven’t they all been resolved smoothly?” Minoga naturally chose to stay by her side. “It’s time for Princess Mephilia to give herself a break and relax.”

No one knew better than Minoga how hard Mephilia had worked. Giving up was good too.

“Thank you, but I don’t plan to give up the throne.”

“Then what does Princess Mephilia mean?” Minoga asked.

Mephilia explained her thoughts to Minoga.

“Princess Mephilia has indeed changed a lot,” Minoga nodded somewhat gratified.

Although the risk was great, one could only believe, right?

And also...

“I will relay this to His Majesty, but I believe His Majesty will not apologize,” Minoga was referring to the apology matter.

“I don’t expect the King of Lisat to apologize either,” Mephilia was very clear about this herself.