Her head was still a bit fuzzy, as if she’d just woken from a dream that had lasted centuries.
Xuefei hurriedly shook her head, but she still had no idea what had gone wrong.
Was there something wrong with the way she’d activated it?
No matter how she looked at the thing on her belly, it was clearly that! She’d heard about it before—only pitiful girls who had been thoroughly enslaved would get one carved onto their skin! Once it was there, they were doomed to become playthings, existing solely for others’ amusement!
Now that something like this had appeared on her own body, Xuefei could no longer stay calm.
“Waaah! Leia, is this a Demon Mark?!”
But Leia wasn’t anywhere nearby and couldn’t hear her outburst.
On top of that, the situation with her neck was identical to her belly, and it itched a little too!
“”Mirror.””
Sensing that something was off, Xuefei summoned a mirror to check her neck. In the reflection, a stunning, otherworldly beauty stared back—a tragic maiden untouched by mortal smoke and fire. But around her neck was a pink collar pattern that completely twisted the allure of her perfect figure.
At the center of the pink collar sat a flawless heart shape, like a curse of love, emitting a faint glow that mocked Xuefei in the cruelest way.
“Leia!!”
Xuefei unleashed her Dragon Howl, but a sudden wave of weakness washed over her belly, forcing her to collapse exhausted onto the ground. Had Leia siphoned away her power while carving that Demon Mark onto her?
Damn it!
Why had she ever agreed to let it be carved on her?!
Xuefei was full of regret.
At the time, she’d only been thinking about quickly resolving the troublesome situation and hadn’t considered the consequences at all. Now she was in a state of utter remorse!
If only she’d found a way to carve the Demon Mark on that girl instead. If only she’d used Alres’s mirror to check ahead of time and prevent this!
And what the hell was on her neck?!
Had Leia carved two of them on her at once?
She’d heard that Demon Marks could be erased before they sprouted wings!
Xuefei made up her mind!
She had to get rid of them!
How could the Evil Dragon possibly be shackled by something like this? It was an unprecedented humiliation—there was no way she’d tolerate it quietly!
“Huff… huff…”
Xuefei let out a sigh.
For now, she needed to find Leia as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, she noticed a white satin ribbon not far from where she’d been sleeping, like the kind of decoration you’d see on an extravagant gift.
Beside it was a note:
“Dear Xuefei, how does it feel to have just gotten your Demon Mark? …”
Fantastic. Her whole body felt all warm and toasty…
Yeah, right!
Who knew how many times her body had been toyed with? And what about Tilly? Was this how she was supposed to set an example for her daughter?!
Xuefei suspected that Tilly would end up just as wicked as Leia someday—turning into an even stranger little pervert, maybe even opening up a harem in the Demon Realm.
Xuefei kept reading the note.
“I know you love it~, but a freshly carved Demon Mark can’t be hidden…”
So Demon Marks could be hidden?
That meant only Leia would be able to see it? Well, that wasn’t so bad…
Yeah, right!
In the end, she’d still been the one marked. Before long, she’d probably turn into an obedient little Vassal, ripe for bullying.
With those thoughts swirling in her head, Xuefei felt a mix of shame and fury. She snapped out of her defeated mindset, scooped up the Dragon Egg, tied the ribbon around her neck, and bolted out the door.
~~~
Xuefei shoved open the door to the Restaurant in a rage, bristling like a cat with its fur standing on end.
“Leia, explain this! What the hell is it?!”
Leia, who had been enjoying lunch with Tilly, jumped in surprise. Tilly lifted her curious little head to peer at her mom bursting through the door, but neither of them seemed fazed by Xuefei’s anger.
“Xuefei’s here~”
“Here, my ass!”
“Do you like my gift?”
Leia tucked Tilly into her arms, the two of them looking perfectly cozy together. Xuefei was a bit taken aback.
Tilly had always liked Leia, but since when had she become this obedient?
And why was Tilly eyeing her now with that probing look?
Leia set Tilly down and stood up, inviting Xuefei to take a seat at the table. But when Leia tried to step away, Xuefei grabbed her tail and yanked, following it up by seizing Leia’s hand. Seeing Xuefei’s anxious expression, Leia didn’t resist and simply sat down beside her.
“I actually left a ton of food right by your side, you know. Didn’t you notice, Xuefei?”
“How could I have noticed? Hurry up and explain what this thing is!” Xuefei lowered her voice and cautiously glanced at Tilly across the table. The girl was wagging her tail, completely absorbed in the fresh meat in her bowl—she definitely wouldn’t catch sight of her mom’s embarrassing state. With that confirmed, Xuefei gently tugged at the ribbon and undid the bow around her neck.
Leia sighed in admiration.
“So beautiful…”
“Beauty my ass! Leia, what’s this thing on my neck?!”
“It’s a Demon Mark~”
“And the one on my stomach?”
“That’s a Demon Mark too~”
“Damn it…”
Leia’s brazen lack of remorse only made Xuefei bristle even more.
Panting heavily, Xuefei quickly regained her composure. She enunciated each word deliberately:
“I know there’s no getting rid of it, but at least make it less conspicuous! At least keep it hidden from everyone else, okay?!”
“It’ll fade in a little while,” Leia said, patting Xuefei’s head.
“Besides, don’t worry. It hasn’t reached the complete form of the Demon Mark yet. Right now, you have full control over it. I have no authority to strip your power away. Any forced actions require mutual consent… Ahem. Of course, I can still use it to track your location, teleport right to your side, or even make wishes come true.”
“So, isn’t this all upside and no downside?”
Far from apologetic, Leia grew even more excited. She licked Xuefei’s earlobe and whispered:
“If you want the complete Demon Mark, I can make that happen for you~”
“As if I do!”
Fuming, Xuefei crossed her arms and turned her head away, refusing to acknowledge Leia any longer.
Leia released her hold, deciding not to tease the poor little thing she had marked any further.
“Well, my real intention was to keep you safer, Xuefei. If you won’t accept it…”
Xuefei looked up, catching a glimmer of hope.
“Then don’t. Truth is, I don’t even know how to erase a Demon Mark right now~”
When Leia showed no sign of removing it for her, Xuefei’s hopes crumbled. She turned away once more.
Some time later, Xuefei finally calmed down. She realized that as long as she didn’t give in to Leia’s temptations any further, nothing that infuriating would happen afterward. With tears welling in her eyes, she turned back and said:
“At least don’t tell the kids, you idiot! You absolutely can’t upgrade the Demon Mark behind my back!”
“Hehe, so you’re saying you agree?”
“I… didn’t agree! Just don’t tell the kids. Don’t tell Laer, and don’t tell the maids either.”
“Okay~”
Leia put on a coquettish air. With a light touch of her fingertip to Xuefei’s neck, the Demon Mark vanished.
She murmured offhandedly:
“I’ll make you agree eventually.”
“What?”
“Nothing…”
