Inside the bakery, Eveline Whitehall sat perched on a stool, the picture of grace as she anticipated the arrival of her weekly indulgence — a slice of the bakery''s signature cheesecake.


    Julian, her assistant, stood by with an affectionate, wry smile. It was a well-known ritual in her otherwise tightly packed schedule; no matter how busy the week, Eveline made time for this simple pleasure.


    There was something disarmingly genuine about watching the usuallyposed Eveline savor her cheesecake with an expression of pure bliss.


    It was a sight that not only Julian but also every other staff member at the Whitehall estate found endearing.


    For Julian, and indeed for all who served in the vi, the thought of any man standing worthy by Eveline''s side was unimaginable.


    She held herself in a manner that suggestedpleteness, a solitary grace that needed noplement.


    At that moment, as Eveline enjoyed her dessert, the bakery''s door swung open.


    "!"


    Julian, ncing over out of habit, found himself momentarily immobilized.


    The woman who entered was a force unto herself, her white hair andmanding presence rivaling Eveline''s.


    Her piercing gaze found Eveline instantly.


    "Hm?" Eveline, taken aback by the sudden intrusion, found her attention captured by the striking figure of Aurora.


    Her brain struggled to process the unexpected encounter.


    A sh of recognition sparked in her eyes — the most intense reaction anyone had witnessed from her in years.


    "Hest—" Eveline began, her lips parting in a rush of uncharacteristic excitement.


    But the sensation was fleeting. A


    wave of drowsiness overwhelmed her, and as her world faded to ck.


    As she sumbed to the unexpected faint, thest thing she saw was the faint, sly smirk on Aurora''s face, a silent herald of the darkness that gently enveloped her consciousness.


    _______


    Thud!


    "Here, she is. Yours now," Aurora proimed with a touch of theatrics.


    Wang Xiao spun around just in time to see Eveline copsing into his arms, guided by Aurora''s unseen hand.


    Caught off guard, he instinctively tightened his grip, a fragrance of blossoms and something uniquely Eveline filling his senses as her silken hair brushed against his skin.


    "Is she drugged?" Wang Xiao inquired, adjusting his hold on the unconscious Eveline, ensuring her head rested gently against his chest.


    Aurora dismissed the concern with a shake of her head. "She''s merely fainted. Shall I arrange her return to Sylvergard?"


    Wang Xiao''s hesitated; the situation ufortably mirrored human trafficking.


    Yet, as his gaze settled on Eveline''s serene face, his fingertips unconciously grazed against the softness of her red lips.


    "You could proceed with her, even in this state, if you wished. I wouldn''t object," Aurora suggested, her lips twisting into a sly smile.


    Wang Xiao shot her a disapproving look. "Your consent is irrelevant. I have standards. I prefer them.... to be conscious."


    "And resisting?" Aurora quipped, the corner of her mouth twitching in amusement.


    "..."


    Wang Xiao''s expression soured; he had no clevereback.


    Last week in the pce, he wasn''t just having fun with the princesses but also with multiple new women who were asionally thrown to him.


    rater exined that those women were periodically sent by the country of Romania on Asmodeus''s instructions, which had yet to be cancelled.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om


    Most of those girls were unwilling and abducted from somewhere, so it got bloody at times.


    Aurora, having witnessed his previous indulgences, held no illusions about Wang Xiao''s capacity for conscience.


    In her eyes, his interest in Eveline was nothing more than a predator''s fascination with a particrly striking prey, a desire to savor her beauty in solitude.


    The greed in his eyes was unmistakable to Aurora, who felt a chill run down her spine.


    Ufortable with Wang Xiao''s stare, she took Eveline back and asked, "How should we transport her?"


    In that moment, Wang Xiao envisioned a dramatic scene from a movie, stuffing Eveline into a container and onto a vessel.


    "Tell your girlfriend to send the jet. We can put her inside and get her there first. We''ll use my dragon to return," Aurora suggested practically, breaking through Wang Xiao''s dramatic thoughts.


    He pondered as to —why they couldn''t use the dragon for the entire journey, but decided to raise the questionter that day as he nned to confront her in the sky, undressing her and pinning her down.


    _____


    21st October, 2pm!


    Poof!


    "Cough! Cough!" Anran, wielding her broom like a battle axe, valiantly battled the swirling clouds of ck charcoal and dust as she attempted to restore order to the once-grand Drottningholm Pce.


    Her face, resembling a chimney sweep''s after a particrly rough day, hinted at the chaos that surrounded her—a pce in shambles, as though it had been caught in a pstick version of a war zone.


    As she diligently scrubbed away, the evidence of a battle emerged—a smear of crimson here, a stter of blood there, all over the walls!


    Josephine already sessfully evacuated alongside others, as Luna soared above Lake Mren, her keen eyes fixed on the fleeing figure below, the perpetrator of this chaos desperately fleeing for her life.


    "Ah! How did my n fail so spectacrly!?" ra, once Gabriel''s right hand, with her flowing blonde locks and piercing violet gaze, raced through the chaos, each stride a bid for escape from Luna''s eyes.


    Luna initially reluctant to join the fight melted away in the face of Josephine and Anran''s danger of life, her resolve hardening as she took to the skies, her senses attuned to every subtle movement of ra, her hair flowing in the wind like a banner of determination.


    She could have easily crushed the woman below, but for now, she allowed her to escape, a sinister smile curling her lips as she reached out to Sakura back at base.


    "Get me Gabriel''s location," shemanded, her expression an unsettling mix of pristine calm and blood-spattered face.


    "Also, send over information about a woman. Keep tabs on her whereabouts," Luna added before her body disintegrated into particles, disappearing with the speed of a lightning bolt.


    Whoosh!


    In the blink of an eye, Luna reappeared at Drottningholm Pce, greeted by a scene of utter devastation.


    The once-majestic wallsy broken, bodies strewn across the ground like discarded dolls, and crimson blood adorned the walls like artwork.


    Amidst the chaos, she spotted seven months pregnant Anran, wielding a broom with determination.


    ??


    Luna''s lips twisted in a mix of disbelief and confusion. "What in the world are you doing!?" she demanded, unable toprehend the sight before her.


    At the unexpected sound of her voice, Anran looked up, her face breaking into a wide, charcoal-stained grin.


    "!"


    "Oh, it''s you!" she eximed cheerfully. "Wang Xiao called. He''s bringing guests!"