"Pfft!!"

The hot milk she had just drunk sprayed out completely. Hilary stared blankly at the scene before her, her eyes glazed over. Milk still clung to her lips, and she didn't even wipe it away, letting it drip down her chin and onto her thighs.

"No..."

"Octaville!!"

This time, she didn't use a term of endearment; she called her lover by her full name.

Hilary's scream echoed throughout the entire magic tower. Octaville, who was looking for a book in the study, jumped, slipped, and almost knocked over the tall ladder, falling to the ground.

"What happened? What happened? What happened?"

Octaville quickly climbed down the ladder and rushed to the bedroom. As soon as she entered, she saw her lover with milk on her lips, her eyes extremely strange, pointing at the magic crystal ball.

“Octaville, explain to me what that is?”

Octaville hadn’t even seen the magic crystal ball yet. She muttered to herself, “What is it? What could it be that scared you like that?”

When she got closer to the magic crystal ball,

“Pfft!”

She hadn’t drunk the milk, but she had choked on her own saliva.

"Cough cough cough!!"

"Tentacle? Little tentacles?"

Octaville patted her chest, staring incredulously at the image in the magic crystal sphere.

"Didn't she say she had an abortion? Why... damn it!"

Octaville slapped her forehead, annoyed. "I thought she'd take the abortion pill right away! I didn't tell her that the gestation period for a tentacle baby is four months!"

"....."

"Octaville, you, damn it...!"

This was Hilary's first loss of composure. She finally couldn't hold back and cursed, grabbing her lover's collar.

"You can forget something like this? What's wrong with your brain?! Look, look, that, that! That's what she gave birth to, right? That tentacle is what she gave birth to!"

Hilary was on the verge of a breakdown.

She had seen her sister as a young girl for a moment, and now she was a mother.

Octaville was also filled with regret, wishing she could slap herself right now.

"No... no, never mind, it's my fault."

It's pointless to say whose fault it is now, but Hilary and Octaville were completely clueless and didn't know what to do next.

"Phew~ Why isn't there any telepathic magic?!"

Hilary was on the verge of a breakdown, still clutching Octaville's collar.

Octaville was also flustered. "Then, what should we do now? Should we tell Liang Di?"

"If we tell Liang Di now, won't she immediately go to see Liang Lin? Knowing my sister's temper, do you think she'd want to see Liang Di? If they meet, their already bad relationship will probably get even worse, which won't benefit any of us!"

Hilary ruffled her hair, turning her long, golden hair into a bird's nest.

"Then, what do we do?"

"You ask me, but I don't know either. I'm really devastated... That's my sister! Her child was born under duress. Will she suffer any psychological trauma...? I have no idea!"

Hilary was seriously devastated.

Her sister had been forced into a relationship, and the perpetrator was another child she loved, her lover's adopted daughter, and a comrade-in-arms who had helped overthrow the Soteland Empire. She couldn't bring herself to punish her. She felt she had let Liang Lin down, unable to punish the perpetrator.

"Then, how about we go to the border now?" Octaville said.

"Liang Lin isn't at the border right now. We can tell by looking at the surroundings."

Hilary kept pointing at the magic crystal ball, her hand never lowering.

"Besides, it would take more than three days to get there. You've been spending so much energy drawing teleportation arrays every day, and we still don't know Liang Lin's exact location."

"..."

This matter seemed unsolvable.

Inside the magic crystal sphere.

"Little guy, I'll get my revenge soon! Aren't you happy? Aren't you happy for me?"

With no one else around to confide in, Liang Lin could only talk to the little tentacle to relieve her boredom. While feeding the little creature, she chattered incessantly, "Hey~ When I cut Irene's throat with one stroke, I can't even imagine how satisfying that scene will be!"

But Hilary and Octaville, watching the magic crystal sphere, couldn't hear any of this. They could only see Liang Lin feeding the little tentacle, her movements so practiced, like a truly qualified mother. After feeding, Liang Lin patted the little tentacle's head, coaxing it to sleep.

"Good girl, you go to sleep first. We'll take a nap, then go out and inquire. You'll come with me, okay?" Liang Lin's tone towards the little creature grew increasingly gentle, without even realizing it herself.

Liang Lin gently patted the little creature's back, her movements incredibly soft, as if afraid of hurting it. As she patted, her own eyelids grew heavy.

"Hmm... I'm going to sleep now, you should sleep too..."

Saying this, Liang Lin herself drifted off to sleep.

However, the little creature didn't seem sleepy at all. Seeing Liang Lin asleep, it wriggled and climbed onto her arm, wrapping its tentacles around her neck, as if trying to play some kind of suffocation game. Of course, it wasn't anything so perverted—it just wanted to press its face against Liang Lin's. Liang Lin felt an itch on her neck and scratched it casually, but the little creature's suckers held on tightly, and she couldn't pull it off.

Finally, the little creature became sleepy, nestled against Liang Lin's face, and fell asleep as well.

Witnessing this scene of "motherly love and filial piety," Hilary and Octaville, who had witnessed the entire process from outside the magic crystal sphere, were dumbfounded.

"You saw it just now, didn't you? My sister's face, it seemed, it seemed like she had a smile on her face."

Hilary couldn't believe her eyes, and for a moment doubted whether she had seen it wrong.

"I didn't see it wrong, did I? You saw it clearly too, right?"

"Yes... she was definitely smiling, I can confirm it. And, and, I think her smile was quite kind, very much like... uh, a mother's smile."

"..."

"..."

The two of them were in mixed feelings, and for a moment they didn't know what to do.

Back to Liang Lin's side.

After waking up, she felt a warm sensation on her neck, because she had been wearing a scarf, and her head was sweating. Her neck was a little uncomfortable, and she felt a little short of breath, so she reached out and finally grabbed the little tentacle that had been unsuspecting while she was asleep.

The little creature was shaken awake mid-air and began wriggling its tentacles again.

"You can't even sleep properly! Why are you clinging to my neck? Aren't you afraid you'll suffocate me?" Liang Lin said, turning around with a hint of displeasure and pinching the little creature's chubby cheek as a punishment.

Glancing at the clock, she realized it was already two in the afternoon. Startled, Liang Lin jumped out of bed. This time, without even greeting the little tentacles, she simply tucked her into her clothes, giving her a light pat to signal her to hurry up and cling to her.

"Ouch, how did I sleep so long? I'm in a bit of a rush, aren't I?"

She needed to hurry and find out Irene's exact location.

Once on the street, Liang Lin couldn't help but marvel at the prosperity of Sassoon City. The streets were bustling with people, all dressed neatly and cleanly. Adults stood tall with their backs straight, and children were chubby and healthy. Everyone's face radiated happiness, a stark contrast to the residents of the Soteland Empire's border region.

Thinking of this, Liang Lin couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow. The two cities were so close, yet the situations inside were worlds apart, like heaven and earth.

Thinking of the ragged clothes of the commoners in her city, and the pain and sorrow on everyone's faces, Liang Lin's heart ached even more.

Walking further out, onto the even more crowded streets, Liang Lin was stunned. The prosperity here rivaled that of the capital of the Soteland Empire. Every shop was lavishly decorated, clearly not intended for commoners. However, most of the customers inside were commoners; only a few, adorned with gold and silver, appeared to be wealthy merchants or minor nobles.

She couldn't help but call out to a passerby, "Ma'am, I'm from the next city. This Sassoon City... Is it always this bustling?"

The woman, with a vegetable basket slung over her arm, overflowing with fresh vegetables, smiled and answered, "Oh, miss, you must be new to Sassoon City! It's always been like this in Sassoon City. This is what you call bustling? The next city is much more bustling! If you want to explore, head towards the capital of our Heraze Empire. Tsk tsk—that's real bustling! I went once and didn't want to leave!"

The woman was very enthusiastic. Seeing Liang Lin was from out of city, she took two tomatoes from her basket and insisted on putting them in Liang Lin's hands. Liang Lin refused, but the woman wouldn't let her. After a brief tug-of-war in the street, Liang Lin finally gave in and stuffed the two tomatoes into her pocket.

This was truly hospitable...

Liang Lin really enjoyed this atmosphere.

She thought to herself, if only her city, her empire, could have this kind of atmosphere.

"Hey, big sister, do you know someone named Irene?" Liang Lin asked. "She's not from Sassoon City either; she came later. But her husband is from Sassoon City."

Liang Lin hadn't held out much hope.

This woman looked like an ordinary commoner; how could she possibly know who Irene was?

But, upon hearing the question, the woman's expression froze.

“Irene?”

“You mean… Duchess Irene?”

Duchess Irene? Ah, that must be it.

Sure enough, after her lover killed “Eli,” he performed a great service and is now a duke.

Liang Lin nodded with a forced smile. “Yes, that’s her, Duchess Irene. I knew her before. She’s from the Soteland Empire, right? We were good friends. We met when she visited the Lancelot Empire.”

Liang Lin didn’t mention that she was from the Soteland Empire.

The Sotland Empire and the Heraze Empire were currently at war. If she accidentally mentioned the empire’s name and said she was from it, she was afraid this older sister would become unfriendly and wouldn’t tell her Irene’s exact location.

"Oh! You and the Duchess are friends?"

The older woman's expression seemed a little strange.

"The Duchess lives in the Duke's mansion, of course, not far from here, less than a half-hour walk."

At this point, the older woman seemed to hesitate, then sighed, "Alas, Lady Irene, she..."

She stopped there, not continuing. Liang Lin vaguely felt there was something else going on, but she didn't ask.

She had already said she knew Irene and was good friends, so the older woman wouldn't tell her anything else.

"Thank you, big sister. I'll go back to the inn now. I'll spend a couple of days in Sassoon City to adjust, then I'll go see my friend."

Liang Lin said goodbye to the enthusiastic older woman, turned a corner, and went to find other seemingly reliable people to inquire about Irene.

For this kind of thing, of course, you should go to the underground tavern; only the people there are gossipy.

Moreover, she knew a lot of information, although its credibility wasn't particularly high. However, after asking around and finding out the most prevalent version, it was basically the truth.

Liang Lin found an underground tavern in a alleyway. The tavern's exterior was quite nicely decorated, and the door was a very subtle color, blending in with the walls. It was also a very small door; even an extremely large person couldn't get in.

Overall, it was extremely difficult to be discovered.

Creak~

Liang Lin pushed open the door of the underground tavern. It was afternoon, and there weren't many people yet, but there were a few drunkards, slumped over the tables, unconscious, beer bubbles escaping their lips—a rather comical sight.

On the floor were some empty bottles and shards of broken bottles. A man was silently cleaning up nearby, while the owner sat behind the counter, pouring beer for others. Seeing Liang Lin arrive, the owner was surprised. In any empire, it was rare for women to frequent underground taverns.

"Miss, what would you like to order?"

Liang Lin ordered two large glasses of barley wine. After the barley wine was brought over, Liang Lin sat down at the counter and began to chat with the owner, seemingly casually.

"Sir, I heard from others that the duke and duchess have a rather romantic story?"

The owner was taken aback, then gave an awkward smile and asked, "Miss, are you referring to the current duchess or the previous one?"

Oh~?

So he really dumped the previous duchess.

Well, Irene has sacrificed so much for him, even risking her life for him; she certainly deserves a duchess's seat.

"Huh?" Liang Lin feigned shock, exaggeratedly covering her mouth to stop herself. Her acting was as over-the-top as ever.

"So there's a difference between the former wife and the current wife? I just learned that. And the current wife? I heard from others that she's a very beautiful woman, and she and His Excellency the Duke had many romantic stories. Can you tell me about them? I really love hearing stories about beautiful love~"

However, no matter how hard Liang Lin tried, she couldn't convincingly portray the longing of a young girl for love.

What she conveyed was a desire to kill love; her eyes seemed to be trying to keep others away.

"Uh… well…"

The tavern owner stammered.

Seeing this, Liang Lin took out two silver coins, pushed them in front of the shopkeeper, smiled, and whispered, "Sir, I don't have many redeeming qualities, except I have a lot of money and I'm quite extravagant. I love listening to stories, so if you tell me one... consider these two silver coins a tip."

Money makes the world go round.

The moment the tavern owner saw the silver coins, his face lit up with joy. He stopped stuttering and straightened his back.

"Alright, alright, Miss, you should have said so earlier! You just want to hear a story, right? I'll tell you about it, about this matter..."

"Wait," Liang Lin raised her hand, interrupting her, "I want to hear the original version, without any cuts or alterations~"

After saying that, she took a silver coin from her pocket and placed it in the owner's hand, "If you can guarantee the story's authenticity, then accept this coin; if you can't... I'll take it back."

The owner immediately closed his hand, stuffed the silver coin into his pocket, and said with a fawning expression, "Oh dear, I'm the tavern owner! Whatever news people here have, I don't know if they're bragging or just telling me when they're drunk. I've heard so many versions, of course I know which one is the truth!"

"Okay, thank you then, owner."

Liang Lin said, "Owner, please continue."

The owner cleared his throat.

“Your Excellency, the Duke is ten years apart than the current Duchess, and only two years apart than the former Duchess. Well… the former Duchess was two years older than him, and the current Duchess is ten years youngerb than him.”

Oh, still an old cow eating young grass.

“I heard that the Duke and the former Duchess were quite loving, and they even had a four-year-old daughter. But after he defeated the enemy general on the battlefield, he brought back a woman, declaring he wanted to marry her and make her a Duchess.”

“Of course, the former Duchess couldn't agree. She cried and made a scene, playing the emotional card. Finally, seeing the Duke's unwavering attitude, she used her family's influence to intimidate him. But it didn't work. Oh right, there's something I didn't mention: the Duke was originally just a minor earl, and only later became a duke. After becoming a duke, he was no longer afraid of the former Duchess's family's power.”

Liang Lin nodded. She could probably guess this plot.

"And then, they successfully separated?"

"Yes, I don't know either. I only heard about the new woman's abilities from others. Well, there are two versions of the story that I think are relatively reliable."

"Tell me both," Liang Lin asked with interest.

"The first one is that the woman possessed extraordinary skills and helped the Duke defeat the enemy's war god, making the Duke famous overnight. The Duke admired her talent and fell in love with her, so he changed his mind and insisted on marrying her."

"Pfft~"

Liang Lin laughed immediately, forgetting all about her drink. "Go on, let me hear what other outrageous versions there are."

"The second version... says that this woman was actually the enemy war god's lover, but the Duke used all his charm to seduce her and then poisoned the war god, causing him to die at home before even going to the battlefield."

How to put it... this second version feels more like the real story.

"Alright, then continue."

Before speaking, the tavern owner cautiously glanced around, noticing everyone was drinking, eating, and chatting amongst themselves. He then calmed down, leaned closer to Liang Lin, and unconsciously lowered his voice.

"Actually, none of us in Sassoon City really like the current Duchess. She's just... too domineering and unreasonable. Unlike the previous Duchess, who was gentle, she... she doesn't treat us like human beings at all!"

"How so?"

"What I remember most clearly is, uh, not something I heard, but something I saw with my own eyes. Anyway, a commoner girl accidentally dirtied her dress, and she had someone scratch her face, saying she did it on purpose to attract the Duke's attention, that she had a vixen's face, and to prevent her from seducing other married men, she scratched her face."

"What?!"

Liang Lin was shocked. She slammed her hand on the table and stood up abruptly.

Although Irene had indeed been somewhat arrogant when she was around him before, she hadn't reached such a ruthless level.

Good, good, this Irene has really grown bold. She uses her status to bully others at will; if word gets out, it's a disgrace to our family.

"Our Duke doesn't even care about her behavior. In fact, some people in the Duke's mansion say that the Duke praised the current Duchess for doing something very well..."

Hearing this, Liang Lin became even more determined to kill Irene.

"Alright, I got it, thank you."

Liang Lin waved to the tavern owner. "Go on with your business, don't worry about me. I'll leave after I finish my drink. Oh, by the way, don't tell anyone about what I asked you today~"

"Hmm?"

Seeing the tavern owner's slightly questioning expression, Liang Lin made a "shh" gesture.

"Owner, you'll find out later."

The owner didn't think much of it and went back to his work.

Liang Lin drank extremely fast, and during that time, some clueless men came up to chat her up. However, either they were intimidated by Liang Lin's terrifying gaze, or they received two good punches from her, finding half their arms numb, and slunk away.

"Ha~"

That felt great!

Liang Lin wiped her mouth, stood up, and gently patted the little one on her belly. "Let's go, little one. Tonight, you'll see your mom kill someone for the first time! You'll get used to it!"

"There will be plenty of food later, you'll get used to it."

She said it as casually as if she were going to a banquet.

Night.

Liang Lin changed into a black bodysuit that blended into the night. She didn't take her prized longsword, but instead took several short knives from her pocket and tucked them into her waistband.

For assassinations, a longsword was too inconvenient; knives were much more convenient and agile. Killing a useless cousin didn't warrant the elaborate preparation of her longsword.

"Dear cousin, we're finally going to meet again..."

Liang Lin was afraid the little tentacle might accidentally slip off her stomach, so to be safe, she wrapped it with rope several times. The little tentacle, probably uncomfortable from the friction, protested with "squeak, squeak, squeak," but Liang Lin ignored it and simply covered it with her clothes.

"It's all for your own good, okay? I can't leave you alone in the hotel. What if you run into bad people?"

After saying that, Liang Lin didn't care whether the little tentacle liked it or not. She was in a hurry to get revenge, so she took an unconventional route, opened the window, and jumped from the second floor. The moment she landed on the grass, she struck what she thought was a very cool pose.

Alas, there was no way around it; her figure was just that handsome and agile. Liang Lin ran through the dark night, dressed in black, like a terrifying ghost hidden in the darkness.

Ahead lay the Duke's mansion.

Truly luxurious… it rivals the Langwendi family's residence, though its exterior looks far too ostentatious, unlike the Langwendi family's understated elegance. This mansion seemed intent on displaying all its finest possessions, using only the most expensive materials, even the fountains outside were inlaid with gold.

"Cousin, you've had so many good days, shouldn't it be over by now?" Liang Lin muttered to herself, taking a few steps back, then a running start and a leap, she scaled the wall.

"OK~"

For her, it was effortless, but for the little tentacle within her clothes, it was like a thrilling rollercoaster ride, its cries echoing wildly. Luckily, her voice was soft enough to confuse everyone except Liang Lin.

Liang Lin tiptoed through the courtyard. It was late at night, and not a single light was on in the Duke's mansion, which suited Liang Lin perfectly.

Having spent so many days as a noblewoman in the Langwendi household, she had a general understanding: the first floor was never inhabited; the second floor might be, but it was mostly used as a study and guest room. Some households would have the head maid and a few favored maids live on the second floor for easy access if they were unwell in the middle of the night. Generally, the master bedroom was located on the third floor, where dukes, duchesses, young ladies, and young masters resided.

Therefore, Liang Lin decided to start searching from the third floor. If she couldn't find it there, she would check the second floor.

As for how to get in…

Liang Lin took out a grappling hook from her backpack.

Liang Lin took a few steps back and began to turn the rope in her hand. She was somewhat worried because the sound of the grappling hook grabbing the windowsill would be quite loud, and she didn't know if it would wake someone.

Clang!

In the quiet of the night, it was a rather loud noise. Liang Lin's heart jumped into her throat. She didn't dare to take the next step and listened intently.

Time ticked by, and there was no sound from within the Duke's mansion. Liang Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Phew~"

Liang Lin moved with incredible speed, like a monkey. Once she climbed up and stood on the windowsill, her back pressed tightly against the window, the curtains drawn, preventing her from seeing inside.

It seemed her only option was to open the window and go in.

Without much hesitation, Liang Lin carefully opened the window, afraid to make even the slightest noise.

Could it be that this first room is my dear cousin Irene's?

Liang Lin's heart pounded wildly, not with fear or tension, but with a surge of intense excitement—the excitement of immediately slaying her enemy.

The window was now fully open. Liang Lin crouched low and leaped into the room. Her landing was incredibly soft, like a feather gently touching the floor.

On the bed, someone was sleeping.

Liang Lin tiptoed to the bedside.

By the moonlight, she saw two familiar faces on the bed. One was the person she had grown up with; the other was the one who had killed her.

Liang Lin smiled, a smile that even carried a hint of relief.

"I couldn't let you die so happily in your sleep..."

Liang Lin murmured to herself.

Then, she grabbed Irene's neck with one hand, while her other hand, holding a knife, pressed the blade against the Duke's neck.

Irene's eyes snapped open.

What met her gaze was Liang Lin's ferocious face and bloodshot eyes.

"Hey~ my dear cousin, long time no see~"