See how I deal with you when I get home!

Grandma Monet lifted the tortoiseshell again, and a blue flame sprang from her palm.

The flame was hotter than last time, and the cracks on the tortoiseshell grew more pronounced.

Monet glanced at the cracks and immediately showed a terrified expression.

As the cracks multiplied, her face grew even more grave.

Lily swallowed nervously and stared at Grandma Monet with trepidation.

The blue flame died out, and the tortoiseshell emitted an eerie red glow.

Monet sprang up, threw the tortoiseshell aside, and flicked her fingers to cast a barrier spell.

A pale-blue square barrier wrapped the tortoiseshell suspended in midair.

The shell trembled violently and then exploded fiercely, the entire barrier filled with red fire.

“W-what’s happening?” Karina asked anxiously.

“Last time when we divined, none of this occurred!”

“Great misfortune… this is a sign of great misfortune…”

Monet flicked her fingers again; the blue barrier contracted rapidly and vanished.

She sat behind the table and looked meaningfully at Letitia and Lily.

Letitia and Lily swallowed and waited for Grandma Monet to continue.

Monet seemed to recall something and used a barrier technique to encircle the area around the table.

Inside the barrier were Monet herself, Letitia, and Lily; Karina and Amy remained outside.

Lily looked around in surprise and felt a little uneasy, but Monet smiled gently—her expression quite kind—which eased Lily’s guard.

“I will speak to you two alone from now on.”

Letitia and Lily nodded, uncertain what to do.

“Your relationship has been troubled; it won’t settle until one of you is willing to unconditionally accept the other, until the other opens her heart…”

“Huh?” Lily voiced in surprise.

“Ah, sorry… Grandma Monet, I didn’t mean to be rude to you…”

“Exactly,” Letitia laid her cards on the table.

“Me tolerate Lily? Impossible!”

“Uh,” Lily stared at Letitia in astonishment.

“You’ve already confessed?”

“Since Grandma has already seen through it, there’s no point pretending, right?”

“Hmph, that’s better!” Lily snapped at Letitia in exasperation.

“I’ve had enough of you; why should I hold your hand and exchange sweet looks with you!”

“Same here!” Letitia burst out.

“I couldn’t say it in front of Mother, but I can’t stand you either!”

“Eh hey? Who can’t stand whom!” Lily shouted angrily.

“If you hadn’t seduced me, I wouldn’t have any involvement with you!”

“Oh ho? You’ve got the nerve to say that?” Letitia sneered.

“If it weren’t for the silver markings on your body, I wouldn’t have fallen for you!”

“Heh heh, I did want to seduce you, to make you lose your mind!”

“See, you admitted it!” — “Come, let Grandma Monet judge who wronged whom here!”

“Yes, Grandma Monet will surely scold you soundly!”

The two of them glared at each other with clenched fists, while Grandma Monet chuckled behind the table.

Her smile was composed, as if untouched by worldly affairs.

Only then did Lily realize she had been disrespectful—after all, Grandma Monet was of the great-grandmother generation, and throwing a tantrum at her in front of Letitia was terribly embarrassing.

“S-sorry, Great-Grandma Monet…”

“No need for formalities; call me Grandma,” Monet said with a smile.

“Your relationship is truly tangled beyond cutting; discover the truth yourselves—I won’t say much more.”

“Hmm… Grandma Monet… you’re bullying us…”

Lily felt a bit glum, but she also thought Monet made sense.

If Monet declared Letitia in the wrong, Letitia wouldn’t accept it and would accuse Monet of abusing her authority to pass judgment.

As for Monet’s remark that ‘one side must yield to the other,’ that would definitely be Letitia!

Lily felt a flicker of hope—she looked forward to Letitia bowing to her, at which point Lily would mercilessly say, “I won’t!” and make Letitia cling to her!

Letitia, on the other hand, believed that the one who would have to bow would definitely be Lily.

Lily surely already knew: dragons may have only one child; if Lily became pregnant first, she could rise in status through her child and no one would dare take anything from her!

The key was that Lily was infuriating!

Letitia valued her pride above all; Lily kept poking at Letitia’s sore spots, trampling Letitia’s dignity at every turn—how could Letitia stand it?

That said, if Lily cried and apologized, Letitia might be willing to forgive—with conditions.

Lily would have to dance in shameful garments and serve Letitia every day.

Letitia found the thought appealing—she imagined Lily in humiliating clothes, obediently serving her; that would be immensely satisfying.

Only Monet smiled without speaking, as if seeing through everything as she watched the two.

“All right, stop this lovey-dovey bickering.”

“We’re not lovey-dovey bickering!” Letitia and Lily said in unison.

They then glanced at each other and turned away with a “hmph.”

“Remember what I’m about to tell you.”

Monet’s expression turned serious; Letitia and Lily settled down.

They sat obediently across from the table, hearts racing as they stared at Monet’s golden eyes.

“You two will move toward stability, but what follows will be destruction.”

“What…” Lily tilted her head in confusion.

“The divination shows: the closer your relationship becomes, the more likely unimaginable calamity will erupt.”

“The better the relationship, the more likely disaster will break out?”

“Heh, Grandma Monet, you worry too much,” Letitia said with an indifferent look.

“Me get along with Lily? Hah, what nonsense!”

“Your ‘disaster’ won’t happen—sooner or later I’ll kick Lily away and make her fend for herself!”

“You don’t need to say that; I’ll leave you soon enough!” Lily retorted angrily.

“When my daughter can stand on her own, I’ll run away from home!”

“That would be splendid—then Mother wouldn’t blame me, would she?”

“Don’t worry, Grandma Monet, I won’t be friends with her!” Lily spat.

“Even if she admits her mistake and apologizes, I won’t forgive her in this life!”

“I apologize to you? Haha, you must be daydreaming,” Letitia mocked.

“Just now Grandma Monet said one person would bow first—I think that person is you.”

“I will bow to you? Hmph!”

“You! Just wait until I get home and see how I deal with you!”

“Deal with me all you want; I won’t bow to you—who’s afraid of whom!”