The Path of Hatred and Unexpected Entanglements

Nuoyou looked dimly at Mingqian who was putting the necklace into Ailei’s hand.

She clearly remembered that it was one of the gifts she gave to Mingqian not long ago.

Although that item held no importance to her, and he had merely bestowed it upon an insignificant servant.

Yet, what was this peculiar feeling stirring within her?

It was a mix of being deeply moved, a pang of sorrow, and a subtle ache.

This was precisely the sensation of her fervent affection for Mingqian, a feeling that made her chest ache with longing.

The man in her sight was gazing at another with eyes brimming with unparalleled tenderness.

Yet, he had never once looked at her with such an expression!

Noyu pinched her own cheek, willing the strange surge of emotion in her heart to recede.

After all, everyone made mistakes; there was always a first time, and a second.

“……Why is your tenderness not reserved solely for me?”

“No… this isn’t right, it’s utterly illogical.”

“You should only have eyes for me.”

“Heh, this is the second time.”

Noyu clenched her hands tightly, then turned her back.

****

[From that day forth, Aile lost every treasure she held dear.]

[You personally forced her onto the path of hatred.]

[She began to throw herself into her studies with reckless abandon.]

[She shed all her expressions, becoming utterly like a puppet.]

[You could still hear her weeping in the night.]

[The only problem was, your body was growing weaker by the day.]

[Perhaps you wouldn’t last another decade, so you decided to drastically accelerate your plans.]

[Splitting your magical core, while simple in theory, was indeed consuming your life force.]

[The extent of one’s life force was predetermined by fate.]

[If you didn’t save Aile, she was bound to die on the streets that year.]

[And the consequence of your forcefully altering the girl’s destiny might just be…]

[Chris and Eliza had exhausted every possible method, yet they couldn’t delay this outcome.]

[That night, Chris sobbed uncontrollably on your shoulder, “Five years,” she had said, “only five years.”]

[You swiftly revised your plan, resolving to raise Aile to adulthood within two years.]

[At the very least, she would become someone who would never be outmatched by anyone in terms of combat prowess.]

Objectively speaking, even though Mingqian was the object of her utter hatred, she had never once considered “harming” him; she merely wished to kill him.

At first glance, this might seem unproblematic; however, to survive in this world, merely learning “self-defense” was insufficient.

For the past seven years, she had hidden behind Mingqian even when encountering strangers, let alone actively harming others.

Mingqian had only managed to bring her to this point by continually fueling her desire for revenge, but what would come next?

Relying on external forces, she would ultimately not go far.

As she was now, integrating into this world was an absolute impossibility.

Not to mention, she was a witch.

In the Empire, even Noyu had to guard against her identity being exposed, let alone Aile.

Currently, it was only because Mingqian had protected her so thoroughly.

Mingqian shook his head, refocusing on the lesson before him.

Noyu and Chris, however, had been acting rather strangely recently.

Noyu would occasionally burst into the study, and upon seeing you teaching, she would hiss at Aile like an angry cat with its fur bristling.

Aile would simply lift her head, her emotionless eyes meeting Noyu’s gaze.

“Ugh…”

Noyu, instead, recoiled slightly, then dashed into Eliza’s waiting embrace, who had rushed in to assess the situation.

“There, there… Princess, don’t be cross with the little princess.”

“Little princess? What little princess? He has a child? And, and with whom!?”

“Which, which hussy? Just which hussy? I’ll * her! I’ll * her!”

Noyu, having seemingly lost her ability to speak coherently, was shouting as Eliza practically dragged her out.

This was the impotent wife, suffering from NTR (TL Note: A common internet slang abbreviation for ‘Netorare’, a Japanese term describing a sexual fetish involving one’s partner being seduced or having s*x with another person).

Next to make her appearance was Chris.

She walked into the study without a word, ignoring Mingqian’s questioning gaze, and went straight behind him.

Clinging to his body like a nested doll, she held him so tightly that he found it difficult to breathe.

“Don’t, don’t misunderstand! I’m not worried about my useless master at all; I merely came over on a whim to take a look!”

She met Aile’s gaze, raising an eyebrow triumphantly, but Aile only returned her a cold sneer.

Especially when Chris noticed the necklace hanging around Aile’s neck, her breath caught abruptly.

“You! You scoundrel…”

“Chris, go and see if Princess Noyu has returned home.”

Mingqian quickly stepped between the two, patting Chris’s head to send her away.

Lately, Chris would provoke Aile for various reasons, but Aile remained like a wooden doll, unresponsive to any of her insults.

“……Yes.”

“You, you just wait!”

This was the tsundere (TL Note: A Japanese term describing a character who is initially cold or hostile towards someone but gradually shows a warmer, softer side) “defeated dog” (TL Note: A slang term for someone who loses a competition, often in love, and is left behind).

For Aile, nothing else mattered anymore.

Her heart, enveloped in pitch-black hues, prevented her from discerning the scenery along the way.

Food lost its taste in her mouth; she needed to do nothing but simply absorb nutrients from the Duke, then digest them.

That night, she had an epiphany.

She bit her lip, a plan forming in her mind.

She cast aside her reserve, adopting a 200% obedience to your every command.

Before you drank, she would prepare your tea; when you were sleepy, she would tuck you into bed.

To earn the Duke’s trust, for revenge……

For this long-cherished wish, she was willing to do anything.

At this point, she glanced at the red beverage she had already consumed entirely.

It was something she had to drink every day since she began cultivating magic.

Initially, she had assumed it was some kind of psychoactive drug or poison.

As her power level continuously rose, she had even used her magic to investigate the origins of this beverage.

Yet, all evidence indicated it was merely ordinary magical essence; far from being harmful, she felt a refreshing invigoration throughout her body after drinking it.

If she could drink this twice a day……

“Alright, Aile, let’s disregard them for now and continue our lesson…..”

“……”

Seeing the girl staring blankly at his blood, Mingqian couldn’t help but offer a wry smile.

While that substance was indeed beneficial, it was, in truth, his very life force.

“Aile, after class, I will instruct Eliza to bring you another cup; for now, concentrate on the lesson.”

However, it was fine; if it was for the girl’s further growth, then so be it.

“Yes, Teacher.”

The girl lifted her head, her eyes devoid of any expression, and listened intently to Mingqian’s every word.

Only through relentless effort and increasing her power could she hope to reach the future she desired.

Observing her intense concentration, Mingqian nodded with satisfaction.

With Aile’s current strength, ordinary people were certainly no match for her; unless she engaged in battles beyond her level, her power as an all-elemental mage should render her invincible among her peers.

****

Mingqian tapped the sleeping Chris with a thick magic book.

“Wake up, Chris.”

“Mmm? I, I’m not a tsundere woof~”

Chris curled into herself, wrapped in Mingqian’s coat, which seemed to have appeared from nowhere, and rubbed her sleepy eyes.

Most notably, as if competing with someone unseen, she had changed into a pristine white maid outfit.

Normally, Chris wore silk garments specially made for her by Mingqian… yet he couldn’t recall ever buying her an outfit like this.

Frankly, her current attire was quite to Mingqian’s liking.

He couldn’t help but scrutinize the girl before him.

Clad in pure white, she appeared as if sunlight had just spilled upon fresh snow.

Her skirt was voluminous and light, its edges adorned with delicate lace, while the collar and cuffs were similarly trimmed with pristine white lace, clinging snugly to her slender neck and wrists, highlighting her refined features and skin flushed pink from sleep.

Her long golden hair usually cascaded freely, but now, perhaps due to her sleeping posture, it was somewhat disheveled, with a few playful strands curling upwards, adding to her charming innocence.

Except for… the faint smile she subtly hid at the corner of her lips.

This one was faking sleep.

Mingqian let out a wry chuckle:

“Hey, stop pretending to sleep, you silly maid.”

“Wuwu, shocking! Heartless master exploits maid, making her work 5 hours a day!”

“Give me a little heart! Give me a heart… wuwu, give me a heart.”