She knew perfectly well that if Wang Yue woke up, it would be the end. She wouldn’t be able to explain this behavior at all. Without limbs, she couldn’t even cover her face and run away; she would just have to lie there and wait for death… But those lips, inches away, were an unspeakable temptation that made her heart sway beyond her control.
No! Prima!
You can’t do this!
It’s too despicable!
But…
Even if it kills me, I want to kiss her…
There was only a fraction of an inch left. Her heart was a battlefield of agony and desire. Her lips trembled violently, and her neck felt stiff and aching, yet she didn’t quite dare to make contact.
In the midst of her hesitation, Wang Yue’s eyes fluttered open. Her nap was over.
She blinked, startled at first, but then her eyes narrowed into thin slits. The corners of her mouth curled up into a playful, teasing smile.
Like a mischievous cat pouncing on a ball of yarn, she used both hands and feet to pull the disabled girl back into her chest, whispering into her ear:
“No stealing snacks, you know.”
Prima gave a violent start. Her heart slammed against her ribs so hard she thought she might actually die of fright. The sheer panic of having her illicit intentions exposed made her want to bolt.
Unfortunately, she had no limbs and was being held tightly. She could only brace herself and tremble, waiting for the end like a convict awaiting sentencing in court.
“I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”
Prima pulled her neck in as if accepting her fate, sobbing out apologies. She waited for Wang Yue’s judgment; no matter the punishment, she would accept it with sweetness in her heart.
“I didn’t expect Prima to be such a naughty girl, trying to sneak a taste.”
“I’m sorry… I just like you so much… I was wrong… I won’t do it again… waaaah…”
Prima wanted to die of shame. At the same time, she was terrified that Wang Yue would hate her forever. Her lips quivered as she apologized desperately, her tears soaking the bedsheets.
Wang Yue, of course, wasn’t going to get angry over something like this. She flicked Prima’s nose, said “Don’t do it again,” and went back to weaving the liver.
Though her mental focus was on the work, Wang Yue still kept a wary eye on Dorothy via a controlled crow.
Dorothy was in the room next door, sitting on the balcony in a foul mood. Dina brought over some pudding, but Dorothy took one look and shook her head in refusal.
“Are you sure you don’t want any?” Dina asked casually.
Dorothy’s gaze drifted back to the plate. The pudding wobbled enticingly, its layer of brown caramel looking like it was speaking to her—Please, come taste my smooth, tender body.
“Then…” Dorothy swallowed hard, speaking hesitantly. “Then I’ll just have one pudding for dinner. I won’t eat anything else.”
“Enjoy,” Dina said, setting the plate down before leaving.
Dorothy picked up the spoon, slowly scooping up a bit and slowly bringing it to her mouth. The process was one of absolute agony and torture. But when the sweet nectar touched her tongue and the pudding’s texture melted between her teeth, a massive surge of pleasure rose to her brain, as if she had ascended from hell straight to heaven.
With every bite of the smooth pudding, her small body gave a little shudder, her heart a tangled mess of pleasure and guilt.
When she finished, she stared at the empty plate with a sense of profound loss.
It would have been better if she hadn’t eaten it at all. Now that she had, her body’s craving for sugar had been stirred into a frenzy. Withdrawal symptoms began to manifest. She paced back and forth like a hungry, restless beast.
Her eyes scanned the room, naturally falling upon a few stray pieces of hawthorn cake left on the table. she immediately snatched them up and devoured them.
That doesn’t count as dessert, she told herself.
She sat down, staring blankly into space. When she snapped out of it, she suddenly realized that a stack of candy wrappers had been folded neatly by her hand! She had even smoothed out the wrinkles and clipped them together with a small binder clip…
Eh?
Was I sleepwalking?
But I wasn’t even asleep!
Guh—!
Dorothy stomped her foot in frustration. Her sense of shame surged back to the forefront. She covered her face, thinking, What am I doing?! If I can’t even quit sugar, how can I face Master again?!
She rushed to the bathroom and shoved her fingers down her throat, forcing herself to vomit everything she had eaten until she was retching up stomach acid.
She carefully rinsed her mouth and washed her face at the sink. Taking a deep breath, she felt as if she had been reborn. She held her head high and began to walk back.
At the top of the stairs, she ran into someone.
Dorothy flinched. She looked away, pretending she hadn’t seen the other person, and tried to skirt around them.
But the moment the other girl pulled out a chocolate truffle wrapped in tinfoil, Dorothy’s eyes were glued to it.
Pandora crooked her pinky finger. The pink-haired girl began to walk toward her as stiffly as a marionette on strings. Dorothy swallowed hard, her mind screaming in rejection, but her body refused to obey.
Pandora wore a devilish smile. She held the chocolate between two fingers, swaying it gently, while her other hand was held out flat.
“Give me your paw.”
Dorothy let out a whimpering sob. She tried to turn and run in her agony, yet in the midst of the struggle, she turned back around. She obediently held out her plump little hand and placed it in the palm of the black-haired girl, letting her heft it with utter humiliation…
“Caw!“
At the window, a large black crow let out a harsh cry. It tilted its head, staring at the two of them with a look of sheer disbelief.
Dorothy jumped, pulling her hand back as if she’d been electrocuted. Her face turned a blood-red.
Pandora tilted her chin up, meeting the crow’s gaze with a smile, like a burglar mockingly staring directly into a security camera.
