A soft chuckle came from the depths of Adele’s mind.

It belonged to Li Lige, not mocking, but a kind of sigh.

It sounded like she was quite pleased with Adele’s answer.

“Then I’ll wait and see.”

“Just watch quietly, why do you have to suddenly pop up in my head and scare me!”

“Oh, you’re getting feisty, huh?”

Li Lige snorted coldly.

 

Adele’s arrogance was immediately extinguished.

“…N-no.”

After all, their strength difference was clear. Adele was already racking her brains and having a headache trying to deal with one Edith.

Let alone dealing with the even more powerful Li Lige.

Li Lige was very satisfied with Adele’s timely surrender, and she also took Adele’s words to heart, trying her best not to suddenly pop up and scare Adele again.

The world simulated in the Vengeance Domain was once again left with only Adele and Edith.

The two looked at each other, the atmosphere a bit strange.

 

“Little minx…”

Adele murmured, half helpless, half venting her anger. After all, in this situation, even looking at Edith made her feel ashamed.

Who would have thought that Edith would take off her black robe at every turn, revealing her perfect body underneath.

Neither too plump nor too thin, her skin was as bright as jade under the moonlight, glowing with a healthy radiance.

If she didn’t look at her face, well… it would be very tempting!

Even if she looked at her face… it was still tempting!

Edith probably couldn’t understand Adele’s words.

 

Or rather, her subconscious would twist Adele’s words into another meaning.

It was like cross-channel communication.

Upon hearing Adele’s words, Edith suddenly wasn’t so afraid anymore. She showed a pleased expression, looking at her “mother” with a smile and devotion.

“Okay, Mother.”

Was this the reaction to being called a “little minx”??

“What do you mean okay! Okay what?!”

Adele’s dumbfounded look made Li Lige, who was outside the core domain, watch with great interest.

 

It was worth mentioning that Adele only had about an hour to resolve the conflict and trouble with Edith.

Any longer, and Edith’s subordinates would definitely notice the president’s abnormality.

At first, those scheming vampire elites would probably think – “The president has been in the conference room for over an hour, she’s so fierce, or is that girl really as pure and seductive as the rumors say, making people want more? I’m so envious.”

But after a while, they would probably start to suspect that something might have happened to the president.

By that time, Li Lige would have to retreat.

Or, before that, her actions might be sensed by the remaining strong individuals in the academy.

Like some teachers and professors, like the principal.

 

Like… the principal’s Cat-Bird?

Speaking of the Cat-Bird named First Snow, when Li Lige was the student council president, she often brought dried fish and canned tuna for First Snow to enjoy.

But until she graduated, Li Lige hadn’t petted her many times.

A few times, she tried to secretly touch First Snow’s fur while she was sleeping, but First Snow discovered it and immediately licked and groomed her fur with disgust.

In this aspect, Cat-Birds and cats had the same habits, they used licking to keep themselves clean.

If you petted a cat and it immediately turned around to lick the spot where you touched it, there was no doubt, it was disgusted with you!

Li Lige still remembered the time she angrily wanted to teach this ungrateful cat a lesson, but First Snow nimbly flicked her tail and easily tore open space to teleport away.

 

At that time, Li Lige was dumbfounded and shocked.

From then on, she became more respectful towards First Snow, and never missed a single offering of dried fish and canned food.

The current First Snow should still be a carefree and free kitten in the academy.

Occasionally helping students in need.

But she probably still wouldn’t let anyone pet her if she didn’t want to.

Sometimes Li Lige would also fantasize, would First Snow choose someone else like she chose the principal?

There was a legend about Cat-Birds.

 

If unicorns favored pure virgins, then Cat-Birds favored future strong individuals.

Their judgment was always good.

Because they were cats, and cats needed to find a strong backer to rely on.

Let the strong ones do the fighting and killing, they were only responsible for being cute and acting spoiled, meow~

Although Cat-Birds themselves were already considered top-tier among magical creatures, and they could become very strong with little effort in magic, Cat-Birds themselves didn’t seem to realize this, they still spent their days acting cute, rolling around, and begging for dried fish and food.

Even when facing beings countless times weaker than themselves.

Disqualified as strong individuals, meow…

 

………………

Adele’s mentality was crumbling.

After she called Edith a “little minx,” Edith’s response was actually “Okay, Mother.”

She looked pleased, as if she had received her mother’s forgiveness, or even some kind of reward.

Who knew what “Mother” had said to her in her illusion?

But then she slowly walked towards Adele.

Before Adele could blush and push her away, Edith stopped with perfect measure, about an arm’s length away from Adele.

 

Then, Edith bent her knees, slightly tilted her face up, and knelt in front of Adele, her hands resting flat on her thighs.

The look in her eyes above the veil was no longer sinister and deep, but filled with fervent purity and submission.

From her eyes, you could see how much she longed for her mother.

Even though she should be the object of her hatred and revenge, she was completely devoted to her.

It had to be said that Edith’s mother had completely turned Edith into someone just like her.

Adele didn’t know what happened to Edith’s mother.

But she must have paid the price for her madness…

 

Otherwise, with her strong possessiveness towards Edith, towards her own daughter, Edith shouldn’t have been freed from the shackles on her ankles, shouldn’t have been released from that castle.

She shouldn’t have entered Cromwell Academy and become a student.

And she shouldn’t have been reborn – or rather, she wasn’t reborn – as the president of the Black Feather Society.

Her past self was still deeply rooted in Edith’s heart, and would suddenly pop up at certain moments, influencing Edith’s every action and thought.

Some people believed that because they had been caught in the rain, they wanted to hold an umbrella for others.

But reality was far from being that beautiful and natural.

Sometimes, reality was illogical, or rather, the lack of logic was the biggest logic.

 

From many studies, it could be concluded that most criminals and murderers had a tragic childhood or had been subjected to terrible treatment.

They were easily angered, easily turning from victims into perpetrators, venting everything they had experienced onto others.

Edith was… violated by her mother.

The result was that she couldn’t hate the person she should hate, and was cruel to innocent people.

She had been molded into the image of her “mother.”

When Edith violated girls in the conference room, in the office, she actually imagined herself as her mother, and the girl in front of her as herself.

She would even wonder, why was her daughter crying? Why would her daughter reject her…

 

She was so disobedient, even though her mother loved her so much, even though “Mother” loved her so much.

She didn’t think there was anything wrong with her actions. A logical loop had already formed in her mind, a mother should be like this, a daughter should be like that.

No one told her what a real mother should be like.

No one told her that as a daughter, she could also have a different childhood and different experiences.

No one helped her find her original self…

Saying this wasn’t to whitewash Edith, black was black, a murderer who cried about their tragic childhood, no matter how pitiful they pretended to be, should still pay for their crimes with their life!

This was just an analysis of the causes of her behavior, providing a possible line of thought.

 

Once she had a line of thought, Adele could prescribe the right medicine.

She had realized that no matter what she said, it would definitely be misinterpreted by Edith in front of her.

So she simply stopped talking.

At this time, she had to use actions to awaken this “mother-obsessed, rebellious daughter”!

No, wait… it seemed that Edith’s mother was the bigger problem, it wasn’t Edith who was “mother-obsessed”…

Anyway, the problem child correction operation, start now!

Adele wouldn’t respond to Edith’s expectations.

 

Edith knelt down and looked up at her with pleading eyes, clearly hoping that Adele would do something to her.

Preferably supermarket sweep this little minx.

Are you kidding me, Adele felt that even touching her would dirty her fingers!

But to be honest, the real Edith was a complete criminal.

But this one in the Vengeance Witch’s domain… seemed to have no memories of her outside self.

Instead, she had returned to the past, facing Adele with the image and memories of the past Edith.

Essentially, they were the same person, but on a conscious level, they were two completely different people.

 

At least the Edith kneeling in front of Adele now was still the pitiful victim, not the criminal suspect Edith.

So…

Adele couldn’t treat this “victim Edith” the way she would treat the real Black Feather Society president Edith.

She remained silent, acting aloof.

Then she brushed past Edith.

Edith didn’t know what her “mother” was going to do, but as a daughter, she had no right to refuse whatever her “mother” wanted to do to her.

Adele realized this and, abandoning her hesitation, acted decisively.

 

If it were the Black Feather Society president Edith in front of her, would Adele dare to touch her?

No, she wouldn’t dare!

Adele went to the spiral staircase of the old castle, holding the handrail and going upstairs.

Edith silently gazed at her mother’s back until she disappeared completely, a faint, almost imperceptible light flashing in her dazed eyes.

On the second floor of the castle, Adele began to recall the memories she had witnessed of Edith’s past.

That is, Edith’s tragic past.

The root of all the tragedy should be that day.

 

The day her mother went mad.

Actually, it was hard not to suspect that Edith, to a certain extent, had also gone mad.

The blow from her mother’s failure might be far greater than the physical pain.

Adele tried to enter Edith’s mother’s room, but a force seemed to be resisting her entry.

“…”

Was she still protecting her mother at this time?

Refusing to let others see her mother’s madness?

That fall from grace, that ugly madness…

No wonder when Adele was watching Edith’s memories, Edith’s mother’s face was always covered in a layer of mist, she couldn’t see anything except her crazed eyes.

Even with the power of Li Lige, the Vengeance Witch, she still couldn’t break through Edith’s inner defenses and see her mother’s true face.

Fine, Adele respected Edith’s subconscious and withdrew her steps.

It was truly sad to see Lady Chen Xi’s descendant become like that.

The overly perfect Lady Chen Xi probably never thought that she would become the object of mad love for a descendant she had raised.

It was precisely because of Edith’s mother’s crazy love for her grandmother, Lady Chen Xi, that led to the second generation’s tragedy.

Adele shook her head and turned to go elsewhere.

Edith’s room was right next to her mother’s. Adele tried to push the door, and found it surprisingly easy, it wasn’t even locked.

She didn’t reject her “mother,” even though this “mother” might destroy all the good things in her memory.

And the moment Adele saw the whole room, she couldn’t help but hold her breath.

It wasn’t because the scene inside was bizarre or scary, on the contrary, it was ordinary and warm, a normal princess room for a little girl.

Pink decorations, dresses, a princess bed, dreamlike pony and pumpkin lamps on the wall emitting a soft glow, a music box in the corner playing a beautiful nursery rhyme.

But in such a world, having such a normal place was the most abnormal thing.

Edith hid all the good things she had experienced in the past in this small room.

It was the sanctuary of her soul.

Adele took a deep breath, composed herself, and slowly stepped inside.

She came to Edith’s wardrobe and reached out to open it.

With a “creak,” the entire wardrobe was revealed before Adele’s eyes.

Inside, there was only one dress hanging lonely.

It was the dress that was torn to shreds by her mother in Edith’s memories.

Now, it was completely intact here, and its size had even grown with Edith’s age.

Adele’s expression turned serious.

But this was actually within her expectations.

Actually… Edith had always been longing for it, right?

Longing for this dress that was torn, that was taken off by her mother, to be put on her again by her mother.

As if all the pain had never existed.

It wouldn’t be torn, it was still complete and beautiful.

Just like her daughter’s heart.

As if her mother was still the same mother who would gently braid her hair, buy her clothes, hold her hand and walk through the garden paths, and sing lullabies to her when she couldn’t sleep at night.

As if she could go back to before anything happened.

She could still enjoy her mother’s love in a normal way.

She could still love her mother in a normal way.

The moment Adele touched the fabric of the dress and took it off the hanger, Edith, kneeling in the hall of the castle, seemed to sense something.

Tears instantly streamed down her face.

The black veil slipped off.

The scar on her lips healed inch by inch, returning to its original purity.