Indirect

Inside the wardrobe, Diya was curled up and shivering, like a pitiful little squirrel that had crossed paths with a cat. She had never been particularly brave. It was only because Yaxiu had lost his strength and couldn't resist that she had dared to reveal her mischievous, demonic side before the person she loved—a classic case of acting fierce only at home. In truth, not even Diya herself had expected tonight's harvest to be so bountiful. Not only had she gotten to taste warm "ice cream," but her relationship with Yaxiu had taken a massive leap forward. That was why she had dared to push her luck and propose practicing technique—after all, Yaxiu wouldn't dare fight back anyway. Yet if one examined the Witch's true feelings at that moment, aside from genuinely wanting to merge completely and become one with Yaxiu, a much bigger factor was likely her desire to take revenge on the Sword Princess. With Yaxiu favoring the Sword Princess so blatantly, it would be a miracle if the Witch didn't feel jealous. She had clearly been the first to meet Yaxiu in reality, and she had clearly been the one who traversed life and death with him in the Gospel, yet Yaxiu just had to love the Sword Princess far away in the Stars, even promising to save his very best for her... How could the Witch not be envious? The Sword Princess had always perched on the moral high ground playing the aggrieved party with her "I was here first" routine. But as far as the Witch was concerned, her own feelings for Yaxiu held the highest priority—I was the first to fall in love with Yaxiu in the real world! What right does someone doing long-distance online dating have to compare with me? The only reason Diya had avoided arguing or fighting was not out of kindness, but simply because Yaxiu favored the Sword Princess and she didn't want to make things difficult for him... In her eyes, the Sword Princess's willful tantrums were purely spoiled into existence by Yaxiu, and the only reason the Sword Princess felt so secure and fearless was because she knew Yaxiu would always dote on her. And because Yaxiu indulged her, the entire team had to follow suit and humor her. The so-called Abstinence Plan—wasn't it just that the Sword Princess didn't want the others touching Yaxiu, so she simply flipped the table and forbade everyone from contacting him, adopting an out-of-sight, out-of-mind approach? Without the Sword Princess, even if the Witch and the Silver Lantern would still be annoyed by Yaxiu's intimacy with others, as long as they could participate, they would be content enough to preserve the team's harmony and at least not put Yaxiu in a tough spot. As for how to kick the others out of the game, taking time to plot that out later wouldn't be an issue; even in the worst-case scenario, they were mentally prepared for a multiplayer game. Yet even that was unacceptable to the Sword Princess. To her, the pain of not having him exclusively far outweighed the joy of having him at all. It would be one thing if Yaxiu had deceived her, but Yaxiu had come clean with her right from the start! She knew full well what a scumbag, trash-can of a person Yaxiu was, yet she refused to let go, had no stomach for a multiplayer game, and stubbornly tormented both herself and Yaxiu, as if waiting for some sort of miracle to happen. When it came to the Sword Princess, Diya truly liked her, but she truly hated her just as much. So the moment she realized she had a chance to plunder what rightfully belonged to the Sword Princess, Diya felt her entire body burn, as though she were about to melt into Yaxiu's embrace. That's right—Yaxiu loves you most, Yaxiu wants to save everything for you, and the entire team has to yield to you, but the sorceress who gets Yaxiu is me, Lisdia Yisu! Taking things further with Yaxiu and getting revenge on the Sword Princess—the union of these two wonderful things brought Diya a soul-piercing pleasure just thinking about it. Thus, no matter how Yaxiu tried to talk her out of it, Diya was dead set on staying. Tonight, she was going to use Yaxiu to exact ruthless vengeance on the Sword Princess. When she dove into the wardrobe, Diya could almost envision the Sword Princess's resentful, impotent fury. Having successfully tasted the forbidden fruit, Diya was no longer afraid of a mere Sword Princess—that was the confidence revenge gave her. After tonight, the unbearable dry spell of the Throne of Heaven was coming to an end. Chase all you want, Sword Princess, but the humiliation I've handed you tonight will definitively establish the hierarchy between you and me! All that arrogance, confidence, and defiance vanished into thin air the instant Diya shut the wardrobe door. Because she was not the wardrobe's first guest. The firm, supple thighs beneath her, the soft fullness filling out the thin coat, and the fresh bodily fragrance mingling with Yaxiu's scent all made Diya painfully aware of whose lap she was sitting on. The guest in the wardrobe wrapped Diya in a tight hold, her fingers tracing a path down Diya's lower abdomen. Diya tried to resist, but a light pinch on the back of her neck froze her completely stiff, leaving her no choice but to obediently submit to this humiliating physical inspection. After a moment, the Sword Princess lifted her wet fingers and lightly patted the Witch's cheek. Her voice was faint and low, seeming to echo right inside the Witch's heart: "Was it fun, threatening Yaxiu into submission?" "Pleasing him with your Witch Domain—amusing, wasn't it?" "I'm willful and unreasonable, aren't I?" "It's all my fault for not unlocking Yaxiu's functions, so should I apologize?" "Didn't you say you didn't want to lose me as your best friend? Or did I hear wrong?" "Then why were you so eager to help your best friend's lover practice his technique, hmm?" With every phrase, she lightly slapped Diya's cheek. It didn't hurt at all, but it was utterly humiliating. Diya hung her head low, enduring the Sword Princess's humiliation in sullen grievance, and offered a pitiful apology: "I'm sorry..." "Wait," she suddenly raised her head. "Why are you in Yaxiu's wardrobe wearing only a coat? And..." A thread radiating a faint white light pierced the darkness of the wardrobe, illuminating Sonia's and Diya's faces. Sonia watched as Diya reached out a finger and pulled a short, curly black hair from the corner of Sonia's lips. The Sword Princess's heart skipped a beat. The Witch leaned in close to Sonia's lips and sniffed carefully, then tilted her head, the corners of her mouth curving up as playful teasing nearly spilled from her eyes: "Sword Princess, does this count as an indirect kiss?" Before, the Witch had indeed been timid and cowardly, but that was because Yaxiu had always been reluctant to respond to her, never giving her a sense of security. Conversely, once she received strong enough validation and unlocked a high enough achievement from Yaxiu, her mindset evolved in an instant. Although she was still afraid when facing the Sword Princess, she now at least dared to launch a small counterattack. After all, she had caught up with the Sword Princess's progress—she had almost surpassed her, even. Sonia tried hard to maintain her dignity, but involuntarily licked her lips. Even though the Witch had done the exact same thing, having it pointed out like this still made her face burn with shame. The Sword Princess pinched the Witch's bottom, holding her tight so she couldn't escape, and whispered a vicious threat into her ear: "I'll deal with you once the Silver Lantern leaves." "Will the Silver Lantern actually leave?" Diya asked, somewhat worried. "Yaxiu's already served right up to her mouth..." "She will." Sonia shook her head. "She's not like me, and she's not like you." "She won't refuse any request from Yaxiu."