Hate Me, Witch!

The golden-hued sunlight of dusk lit up No. 32 Golden Osmanthus Street, but it couldn’t warm the chill that hung heavy in the living room.

“This may be a game,”

“But with stakes like this… it’s no joke.”

The Empress of the Empire crossed her legs, lounging lazily with them draped over the armrest of the nearby couch.

Her gaze swept over the few throw pillows on the couch beside her: “Which one do you usually lean against?”

Xia Ya pointed to the one he used the most: “That one.”

Isadella nodded and tucked the pillow behind her back.

Then, her pale hand formed a loose grip, and golden light particles coalesced faintly in midair.

“In the name of the Holy Sword and the Empress of the Fresta Empire, I will oversee the fairness of this game.”

As those resolute words left her lips, the curtains and the hems of the girls’ dresses fluttered despite no wind.

And in Xia Ya’s Astral Vision, an overwhelming presence loomed over the entire sky.

In that instant, a pale golden domain spread forth.

Countless illusory chains appeared from the void, glowing with a crimson-gold luster, sealing off the space around them.

This was the effect of imperial authority and the Holy Sword’s combined influence after Isadella ascended to the throne—within the Imperial Capital, her territory, her words could now manifest as Sovereign Law.

Xia Ya felt his vast sea-like spiritual energy instantly sealed.

The lock didn’t directly affect his Star-Spirit Body, but it did cut off his ability to scan externally with his spiritual power.

Of course, the seal wasn’t terribly strict. With his current strength, Xia Ya could easily break it by force.

But doing so would instantly alert the wielder of the law—meaning he’d be caught cheating red-handed.

Or more bluntly: caught stacking the deck.

The silver-haired Empress swept her crimson eyes across Sylvianna and Ailora. “Tower Master, Little Ai—if you don’t feel secure, you may use your own methods to supervise.”

Ailora’s snow-like expression didn’t waver. “No need. If the oath is sworn in the name of the Holy Sword and the Empire, then I believe in Her Majesty’s credibility.”

Sylvianna also shook her head in silence.

Why is it getting this serious? She’s even brought out imperial law speechcraft…

At this point, am I supposed to say ‘Now then, let the game begin,’ or ‘Swear to the Oath’?

Xia Ya grumbled silently in his heart, then carefully got up and shuffled toward his bedroom.

“I’ll let you ladies start first. I’m just going to take a quick nap to recharge a bit?”

Just from this oppressive atmosphere, Xia Ya could already foresee the brutal battle that awaited him tonight.

After all, as per Ailora’s proposal, what they were competing for tonight wasn’t “who” would win—

But the order of priority and duration.

Yeah… basically, no sleep tonight.

We’re talking Throne-tier Beastmasters here. Two of them even have the Holy Lance and Holy Sword to bless their physical stats.

Who knows if his body could handle it.

But just as Xia Ya took his first step—

He heard Her Majesty’s amused voice again, right by his ear.

“By the way, my Black Knight—Xia Ya.”

“If you had the final say in this game’s outcome, who would you want to win?”

Where the h**l did this death question come from.

Your Majesty, you might as well ask me who I’d save first if all three of you fell into a river.

Although if it really came to that, I’d probably save Xi Bao first. I mean, based on what I saw back in the Historical Echo when we first met… she probably really can’t swim.

Xia Ya’s steps froze.

To be honest, the pressure he felt now surpassed even that of facing Lord Norton or Guderian of the Borgia Family.

At least with those encounters, he had fallback plans. Worst case scenario, flip the table and run.

But right now… he was absolutely in the wrong.

No matter what he said—it would be wrong.

He could only obediently accept the interrogation.

Xia Ya cast a pleading look toward his summoned beasts, hoping they could help him bluff his way out.

But all he saw was the Little Snow Ferret already cuddled up beside the golden-haired girl, happily spinning in circles trying to catch her own fluffy tail.

Flashflash seemed to be shadow-boxing with its own silhouette.

Chihong had already turned into its Star-Spirit Body form—a small fiery blob—being held in Sylvianna’s hands, utterly blank-faced as she toyed with it.

As a guardian beast of the Branstat Family, Chihong naturally felt an affinity with Sylvianna.

Nice. All of you… I feed you, clothe you, allocate your stat points—and the moment I need your loyalty, you all ditch me?

Only Yui remained, still perched loyally on his shoulder.

But when Xia Ya looked her way, he saw her mechanical fairy eyes glowing red.

Through the Fifth Soul Pact, Xia Ya could sense that Yui was operating at full computational capacity—processing massive data streams in real time—

Constructing intricate probability trees, with green and red lines branching out like neural webs.

While running calculations, she muttered:

“Limit-up… Limit-down… Leverage… Ai-stock… Xi-stock… Empress-stock…”

Welp. She’s lost it too. Can’t count on her either.

Just then, Ailora’s crisp voice gently rang out.

“Your Majesty, you seem awfully invested in the outcome of this game.”

That’s my Little Ai!

When it counts, she always has my back.

Knew you’d save your hubby. All that pampering paid off.

But just as Xia Ya let out a sigh of relief—

He heard the next cold line from Ailora.

“After all, the prize and the things Your Majesty cares so much about…”

“Over those ten years in the Imaginary Zone, I already experienced them with Xia Ya countless times.”

“To us, it’s merely the most mundane, everyday routine.”

Xia Ya drew in a sharp breath.

Since when did Little Ai’s “taunt” skill reach “Transcendent Mastery” level too?

Who would’ve thought this soft-spoken, emotionless Three-No girl could talk such savage smack?

And hearing that calm yet confident statement, the Empress’s crimson eyes narrowed slightly.

“You’re right, Little Ai.”

“These missing ten years—I have indeed fallen behind you.”

Threads of crimson-gold imperial power flickered like ethereal chains of Sovereign Law, curling around Isadella’s fingertips as she played with them.

Her voice slowly grew cold, laced with that unique authority only an Empress could possess.

“But it’s just a temporary lead.”

“A Throne-tier powerhouse can live for centuries. Life is a long road…”

“And who gets the last laugh—still remains to be seen.”

In an instant, the air in the living room froze solid.

………………