Unexpected

Time approached early morning as the sun slowly rose from the horizon. People who had not slept all night were still looking at the other side of the sky with lingering fear, trying to find the moon's remains within the gloomy layers of clouds.

The anomaly that night had certainly been noticed by many magic users above the rank of Great Mage: a crescent moon had slowly sunk, its orientation rotating from facing the horizon to facing the sky like a wide, grinning smile. Two starlights, one blue and one red, flickered upon it, resembling the smile of a Joker in a circus.

It was hair-raising, yet it felt as if it had always been part of this world—or rather, He was attempting to distort the fundamental existence of the world. The sun was too dazzling, watched by too many, but the moon was different.

Unfortunately, Li Yue had been pierced through that night. In her final moments, she glanced at the moonlight she knew best and felt the connection between her heart and the blood moon grow significantly thinner. At that exact moment, Jormungandr, who had been hiding in the Death Abyss, swung a sword directly at the moon, shattering that heretical orb.

“The sun rose after all...” Li Yue blocked the sunlight with one hand. She let out a yawn, hooked her scattered slippers to her feet with her toes, and walked to the wardrobe to pick out her clothes. She looked at the somewhat messy room and sighed inwardly.

She would probably have to change rooms. She wondered if the pitch-black castle had any high-spec guest rooms left today, or rather... would a few become vacant today?

She tucked the blanket around Clo, whose breathing was steady and rhythmic, so that she wouldn't catch a cold from exposing too much of her body to the air. Yawning, Li Yue used magic to dry the damp spots on the bed. She moved leisurely, looking at her newly grown fingernails, and pulled out a blood crystal to slowly file them.

Clo didn't seem to have brought her own clothes when she came over last night. My current clothes might not fit her very well...

Li Yue looked at Clo's shredded clothes by the bed, feeling a bit of regret for her impulsive actions when she was swept away by lust last night. However, now was not the time for regret, because Clo was currently out cold.

She yawned again. It seemed that after a night of passion, she too felt a long-absent, irrepressible wave of exhaustion. But she was a demigod after all, possessing a body that was the closest thing to a deity in this world. To her, this fatigue couldn't even compare to the Hematomania that constantly plagued her, though she had grown indifferent to that hunger.

Firstly, she was used to it; secondly, a far more unbearable pain had begun to trouble her. Those maddening consciousnesses were like giant naval mines buried in the deep sea of consciousness. If she accidentally triggered even one, they could cause a terrifying chain reaction, turning her mind upside down.

She held a small slice of ham in her mouth, left on the bedside table from last night. She preferred fresh meat, but her mouth felt tasteless and uncomfortable right now, so she chewed on the small slice slowly. The servant last night must have seen her collapsed on the bed like she was dead but still delivered some tea and snacks; Li Yue was quite satisfied with that.

Eating breakfast was a good habit, though Li Yue didn't care much for it now. Usually, Clo was the one who dragged her to eat. Clo likely wouldn't wake up before noon. Although Li Yue didn't know exactly when Clo had fallen asleep—or rather, fainted—last night, judging by her appearance, she was probably beyond exhausted.

She casually picked out a few simple items of clothing, threw the messy divine raiment by the bed into the Death Abyss, and changed into a fresh outfit. Although it was autumn and these clothes might be a bit chilly, it didn't matter to her.

Clo's room was on the floor below hers, closer to the noise and the secular world. However, Li Yue didn't believe that living higher meant being closer to the gods. Those powerful nobles obsessed with the mundane world lived on levels even higher than hers; it was just a boring architectural design.

Li Yue grumbled internally as she stepped down the stairs. She recalled the way her serpentine form moved last night. Strangely, she felt that the serpent god's way of walking was easier; at least the upper body didn't have to shake as much. This allowed her to better enjoy the feeling of her dazed weariness being dispelled during a boring walk.

“I heard from Helen... there seems to be some ceremony or event today... to celebrate the autumn harvest and... pray to the gods or something. So everyone has to wear specific attire...” Li Yue tried to remember. Thinking of all the tedious formalities, she let out a loathing sigh. She had already wasted enough effort just learning the etiquette and the dances.

“Right, the color. There's a fixed color. This is bad... I can't remember. I'll go to Helen's bedroom and ask her later. First, I'll just grab any outfit for Clo.” Li Yue walked to the door and gave the handle a turn, but a resistance prevented her from pushing the guest bedroom door open. “Did she lock the door when she came to find me? I don't recall seeing a key when I stripped her...”

Li Yue raised an eyebrow. For some reason, she had a bad premonition. A drop of blood crystal slowly condensed at her fingertip. This was a lock-picking technique she used to use; her blood could neutralize most magic runes, and the protective barrier guarding the guest room was no exception.

With a click, the sound of the lock being picked echoed. Li Yue's nose twitched, and she raised her eyebrows in surprise. She hesitated for a few seconds before gently pushing the door open.

“Well... now I don't have to worry about how to wear the celebration clothes.” Li Yue stared at the floor stained red with blood. Following the trail of blood, she gradually found the corpse leaning against the wall. Her eyes slowly narrowed. “It looks like we’re holding a funeral in the middle of a celebration?”

Li Yue pushed the door fully open and casually picked a few clothes from the wardrobe. Then, she lifted her foot, stepped over Dmitry's corpse, and locked the door for him, giving him his final bit of decency.

A pity... an ambitious prince, yet he met such a simple, violent end. Truly... baffling.