Traveling under the cover of the Chameleon mystic art was far faster than riding a draft lizard. The one-way trip from Fishmouth Town back to the Academy took only half a day.
In Room 202.
“A tea party invitation?”
Wang Yue took a small, square card of gold-embossed white cardstock from the little maid’s hand.
Her gaze swept over it. It was a formal invitation with the name “Wang Yue” handwritten on a blank line, signed by “Professor Sabrina.”
“I’m so jealous… fewer than ten freshmen received invitations this time,” Dorothy said from the side. She clenched her fingers over her apron and whimpered, “Mmm, I really want to taste the tea party snacks…”
The last sentence was the real point. Unfortunately, Wang Yue had little interest in tea parties.
“Can I choose not to go?” she asked.
Lilith’s voice drifted from the partition:
“Idiot. This is a pass. It means you have the qualification to attend faculty tea parties and salons. Whether you go or not doesn’t matter, and your schedule wouldn’t allow you to go every time anyway.”
Wang Yue glanced at Lilith, who was sitting in a chair wearing Wang Yue’s favorite little white nightgown, her head tilted as she peered back. Wang Yue asked irritably:
“Hey, why are you in my room? And why are you wearing my dress?”
“Is there a problem?” Lilith asked, sounding perfectly justified.
“Whatever.”
Wang Yue walked out onto the balcony.
“Are you afraid of me?”
In the blink of an eye, Lilith appeared behind her like a ghost. Her voice sounded lingering and enchanting, laced with a trace of desire.
The blonde girl was like a supple cat. She stood tall, resting her claws on Wang Yue’s shoulders, her red lips hovering near the neck as if she were about to bite through her throat.
“Why would I be afraid of you?” Wang Yue asked nonchalantly.
In reality, she had long since activated her Mystic Art. Her consciousness retracted, becoming like a seed protected by a hard shell.
Lately, she found herself using the Mystic Art more and more frequently when facing Lilith.
Showing even a sliver of weakness would allow the girl to take advantage of her. Yet, when facing this girl, Wang Yue couldn’t find a single opening to counterattack. She could only rely on her Mystic Art to control her expressions, keeping them entirely blank.
Lilith was like a cat—but not the pet variety that slept after eating and spent all its energy on flies and feather wands.
She was the kind of wild kitten that, the moment you turned your back, would have her predatory instincts triggered. She would pounce, baring snowy little teeth, and aim right for your carotid artery.
Lilith leaned against her back, her softness just right.
Her body temperature was lower than an average girl’s—cool and comfortable, like leaning against a silicone pillow in an air-conditioned room during summer.
In contrast, Dorothy was always radiating heat, like a toasted sweet potato fresh out of the oven.
Even though the cool sensation on her back was pleasant, Wang Yue still voiced her refusal:
“Don’t cling to me. It’s too hot.”
Lilith straightened up and kept her distance, though her gaze remained fixed on Wang Yue. To her, looking and touching provided almost equal amounts of pleasure.
For Wang Yue, however, it was different. Being the toy and being the one playing were two very different things.
Lilith circled to the side, leaning her hands on the table as she continued talking about the tea party.
“The primary purpose of tea parties and salons is to exchange important intelligence.”
“So it’s an elite club…”
Wang Yue wasn’t unfamiliar with the concept. Although she instinctively rejected the word “elite”—considering it synonymous with being exclusionary and detached from the masses—the thought of obtaining high-level intelligence and critical information was tempting.
“Exactly. This world is composed of one percent elites and ninety-nine percent fools,” Lilith said, her fingers twitching as a mocking sneer curled her lips. “The elites must bear the responsibility of protecting the idiots. Aside from the Explorers’ Guild, there are also Witches. The latter are less popular than the former because of their unstable mental states. It’s truly annoying.”
“I will protect you, Lilith,” Wang Yue said seriously.
Lilith froze for a moment, then snapped in embarrassed anger:
“You’re the idiot!”
Tease successful…
Wang Yue allowed herself a small smile.
“What are you smirking at? Have you thought of the next game yet? Humph, in a few days, I’m going to write my name on your chest!” Lilith said, gritting her teeth.
“Not yet. Let me think about it for a while longer.” Wang Yue shook her head, her expression looking slightly troubled.
“Give me your tail to play with!” Lilith reached out her small hand to demand it.
“No… are you going to use a Command Spell?”
Wang Yue blinked slyly and brought out her tail.
“There’s only one of these in the whole world, you know.”
Her pale fingers held the soft, slender black tail. The contrast was striking, and the exquisitely shaped heart-tipped point shimmered in the light.
Lilith bit her lip, her fingers twitching with an unbearable itch. But after struggling with herself for a moment, she gave up and turned her head away.
“If you won’t give it, then don’t… stingy.”
“Are you saving up Command Spells?” Wang Yue asked.
Lilith flatly denied it, but her expression was slightly unnatural and her eyes flickered to the side—a detail Wang Yue caught instantly.
“You want to use one Command Spell to disable my Mystic Art, and then use another to do something untoward so you can see my real reaction, don’t you?” Wang Yue asked with a smile.
Suddenly, Lilith broke into a sweet grin, her white teeth looking like polished shells. Her voice became soft and melodic, making Wang Yue’s skin crawl with goosebumps.
“Oh my, how could I do such a perverted thing? I just want to write my name.”
“Oh.”
“What about you?” Lilith leaned closer, whispering into her ear. “What are you going to do with your Command Spell? I promise you, no matter what you do to me, I won’t blame you afterward… even if it’s something rough or painful…”
Lilith gripped Wang Yue’s thin shoulders, the back of her hands tensing slightly. Her eyes sparkled with an excited light, as if she were craving something.
Wang Yue reached up, gently holding the hand on her shoulder, and said softly:
“How could I ever use a Command Spell on you?”
Lilith’s heart skipped a beat. She didn’t speak for a long time.
After that, she remained unusually obedient for the rest of the day.
***
A total of eight first-year students received tea party invitations—the captain-level young witches from the Class Competition.
Out of those eight slots, Class Five claimed half.
The White Garden.
Wang Yue pushed open the door to this crystal-palace-like glass dome. The rising heat within almost seemed to lift her off her feet.
In the dim lighting, the flowers had tucked away their brilliant colors, but they released a mysterious, heavy fragrance unique to tropical plants. The marble floor, integrated with a central pool, shimmered with reflections.
Lilith ran over and linked arms with her. Together, they navigated through thicket after thicket of forest-like greenery.
“Humph, peeking at my legs again.”
“I am not. Don’t slander my reputation.”
“I’m not wearing black stockings today. You seem disappointed.”
“Ridiculous. Why wouldn’t I just wear them myself if I wanted to see them?”
“Hmm… true. I find that strange too.”
Lilith was genuinely puzzled.
At the tea party’s long table.
There was no need to wear school uniforms for the tea party.
Wang Yue had opted for a simple outfit: a white short-sleeved shirt and a pencil skirt, accented with a small bow tie.
She sat with her hands folded neatly in her lap, her posture upright and demure.
Her obedient appearance made Lilith’s heart itch. If not for the teachers being present, she would have already started getting her hands on her.
The tea party hadn’t officially started yet. The teachers who had arrived early brought fresh flowers and placed them into a large, exquisitely carved crystal vase on the long table—seemingly a customary tradition.
The students didn’t need to bring gifts. Aside from the eight new first-years, students from the other five grades had also come, totaling about a dozen people.
Their ages followed a linear distribution, perfectly illustrating the growth process from young girl to adolescent.
“This is so boring… I smell food. Are we eating? But I already ate.”
Lilith’s mealtime had been missed. Bored, she tugged at the crimson velvet tablecloth, her slender legs kicking aimlessly beneath the table.
Suddenly, she turned her head and asked Wang Yue in confusion:
“Why are you sitting so beautifully?”
“This is a lady’s posture. This one is called the ‘Duchess Slant,’ this is the ‘Cambridge Cross,’ and this is the ‘Sussex Slant’…” Wang Yue demonstrated them for her.
Lilith learned quickly. She pressed her legs together at an angle, tucked her stomach, and puffed out her chest.
Her natural grace was so great that even a simple imitation immediately radiated a stunning elegance.
However, Lilith only found it novel for a few minutes. She soon grew bored, finding it stiff and foolish, and returned to her usual chaotic slouching.
Just then, a senior witch dressed in a black riding habit—worn over a high-collared white shirt and a cravat adorned with a cameo brooch—began walking toward them.
