Amora wasn't sure how long she had been unconscious, but she suddenly felt a heavy weight pressing down on her, as if something was pinning her in place.
"Am! My darling!" someone exclaimed, wriggling under her blanket. "I finally get to see you again!"
Amora raised her hand and threw off the blanket, opening her eyes to see Lian's bright blue ones staring back at her. "… Get out."
Her throat felt sore, her whole body was freezing, and her fingertips were as cold as ice. She shouldn't have provoked Mongel yesterday. If she had been more polite, maybe she could have even gotten a hot bath.
"Am, are you feeling cold?" Lian whispered, leaning close to her ear before tightly clasping Amora's hand, just like she used to do when they were younger. Lian was always fiercely protective of her, so much so that if she were older, Amora might have considered her as a mother figure.
"No," Amora quickly denied.
Lian pulled her up from the bed, fussing over her as she helped her into her outerwear, grumbling all the while. "Oh, I don't know what your father is thinking. A sweet girl like Amora should be wearing pretty, fancy dresses, not this dull, gray leather coat."
It was dull and gray, but the leather came from beastmen and had excellent insulation and magic-resistant properties. It allowed her to survive in the high-energy, highly radioactive environment of the third floor. Amora was somewhat grateful that Mongel never neglected her in this regard—otherwise, she'd probably have turned into a mutant by now.
"I don't recall you ever wearing dresses," Amora said as she climbed out of bed, her hands and feet trembling from the cold. Of course not—Lian had spent her entire childhood roughhousing with the neighborhood kids, and her pride as their leader wouldn't have allowed her to wear a floral dress.
Lian burst out laughing, getting up from the bed herself and pulling open Amora's curtains in one swift motion. "I mean girls as sweet as you, Amora. I don't count. And besides, to protect a darling like you, I can't be bothered with dresses."
Recalling Mongel's cruelty, Amora couldn't help but think Lian's protection was utterly meaningless.
Standing by the window, Lian looked every bit like the Sun Goddess. She was dressed in white light armor emblazoned with the church's insignia. Her soft golden curls were tied back, her features sharp and striking like a sculpture, and her vibrant blue eyes sparkled with life, bringing an inexplicable sense of joy to anyone who saw them. Her tall, slender figure, long legs, and ample chest gave her a flawless physique brimming with raw power.
"Come on, let's head downstairs, darling," Lian said, winking at her.
Amora covered her eyes. "Close the curtains."
Lian shrugged. "You need some sunlight. I've only been away for a year, and you're already as pale as your father."
Amora felt irritated every time she heard Lian use the word "father." She frowned and silently walked to the window to close the curtains again. Lian looked at her with some surprise but didn't stop her. "Alright, if you insist."
"How is Mr. Mongel's health lately?" Lian asked as she followed Amora down the stairs, her hand resting on Amora's shoulder. "Honestly, I know you're still young, but as his daughter, you should take better care of him."
Amora wanted to stay silent but eventually replied in as neutral a tone as possible. "Alright, I will."
"That's wonderful." Lian seemed genuinely pleased. To her, Mongel was the man who had rescued her from human traffickers, raised her, and even sent her to school. And Amora was the only daughter of his late wife. Lian felt deeply indebted to both and was determined to repay them in every way she could.
But to Amora, Mongel was the embodiment of nightmares—far from anything resembling a "father."
When they reached the ground floor, the long dining table in the living room was set with clean and tidy tableware. At the center were about ten black loaves of bread, accompanied by a jar of sticky honey. Amora couldn't help but glance at Mongel, who was standing near the table. If she wasn't mistaken, this kind of orderly breakfast setup could only have come from him.
Mongel looked up and met her gaze with a cold, indifferent expression. "Come here."
Amora sat down in the seat next to Mongel, close to him, while Lian remained standing by the table without any intention of sitting.
"Sit down, Lian," Mongel said politely.
Lian smiled and took a seat on the opposite side of the long table. "Thank you, Mr. Mongel."
Although Lian was technically a slave bought by Mongel, she had never been oppressed in this household. In fact, she was treated almost like a co-head of the house. Mongel had even secured her admission to a prestigious academy in the imperial capital, which filled her with gratitude and a deep desire to serve this family.
Amora shifted her chair slightly and asked in a low voice, "What did you inject me with yesterday?"
Mongel glanced sidelong at the child sitting beside him—her complexion was pale, her breathing weak, and her hands trembled slightly as she held her cup. He sneered, "Oh, still feeling the aftereffects?"
Lian, sitting farther away, was happily eating and hadn't noticed the conversation between Mongel and Amora.
"Yes," Amora replied, suppressing her irritation and trying to sound as docile as possible. She repeated to herself in her mind, "It's not the time to resist yet," in an effort to quell the urge to punch him.
"It will pass after a while," Mongel said nonchalantly.
Amora tore into the black bread, shredding it to bits, and mumbled through a mouthful, "What exactly was it?"
Mongel raised an eyebrow, swallowing a sip of honeyed water. "Just a little alcohol. It might have contained frost dragon saliva."
Amora was too furious to speak. Dragon fluids were highly antagonistic and could pose a life-threatening danger once introduced into human bloodstreams. Even without the dragon component, injecting her with such a high concentration of alcohol could have easily killed her.
She kept her head down, not looking at Mongel once, and remained silent until she finished her meal and left the table.
Mongel watched her go upstairs, then calmly set down his cup. Turning to Lian, who was happily devouring her meal, he said, "Am mentioned she felt a bit unwell. I'll check on her."
Without waiting for Lian's reply, he followed Amora to her room, closing the door behind him.
Standing near the doorway, Mongel suddenly said, "I originally intended for you to drink it."
Amora buried herself under the blankets, her whole body freezing. She muttered dully, "Oh, I see."
Mongel continued, "I only picked up the syringe out of habit, and after you passed out, I already took care of it."
Amora abruptly threw off the blanket, yanked off her coat, and rolled up her sleeves. Sure enough, there were several fresh needle marks on her arm. Losing control, she yelled at him, "Enough! Stop acting like you're innocent!"
Yesterday, Mongel had smugly said, "You claimed I wouldn't store contaminating potions in the nutrient cabinet; now you know you were wrong." He had deliberately injected her with those awful substances just to knock her out and test stronger drugs on her.
"You're upset about what I said last night?" Mongel clearly knew what she meant. He spread his hands, the black jade ring on his finger reflecting dim light. "It was just a casual comment. That cabinet doesn't contain any contaminating potions."
Amora rolled her sleeve back down and crawled shivering under the blanket. "Fine. I get it."
Mongel, oblivious to social cues, nodded naturally. "Good. I'll need your help with today's experiment."
Amora buried herself deeper under the covers, saying nothing. She would rather balance a hundred apples on her head for Lian to shoot at than participate in any of Mongel's experiments.
Mongel stepped closer and tried to pull the blanket off her, but she held on tightly and refused to come out. "How are you feeling now?" he asked.
Gripping the corner of the blanket, Amora replied dryly, "You can check with the monitoring crystal."
"You seem cold. Could the firethorn grass not fully neutralize the frost dragon saliva? Or maybe I miscalculated the dosage…" Mongel mused, reaching under the blanket. His hand found the back of her neck, making her jump in surprise.
His ring brushed against the collar, drawing a steady stream of data from Amora's body. After a while, he said, "Your pulse is very weak. The frost's power is slowing your blood flow. Yesterday's potion reaction consumed a large amount of your body's energy, and the reaction couldn't fully neutralize the frost aura. That's why you feel cold."
Amora's voice betrayed little emotion as she responded simply, "Got it."
She always answered Mongel this way, hiding her defiance or disgust behind those words.
Mongel didn't remove his hand. Instead, he gently caressed Amora, his fingers lingering on her collar. The touch made her skin crawl, and she shuddered even more violently.
"Get up and come to the lab with me," he said in a low, coaxing tone. "Progress has been rapid recently. The thing on your neck might soon be removable."
Amora lay there stiffly. Each time Mongel's black jade ring brushed against the mithril collar, it sent searing electrical currents through her, leaving her in unbearable pain. She didn't believe Mongel's words. He was the most wicked demon on earth, unworthy of being called human.
"I'll replace it with something new, something better, nearly perfect…" Mongel's voice dropped lower until it was almost a whisper in her ear. For Amora, the physical agony was secondary; it was his very presence that tormented her most.
Amora had never fully understood the collar's purpose. Its functions went far beyond monitoring her physical condition, harboring secrets she couldn't fathom. Mongel's black jade ring was the collar's control hub, and because the magical conduits inside the collar were linked to her nervous system, that ring could end her life in an instant.
"Don't move…" Amora finally couldn't endure it any longer. She nearly screamed, "Let go!"
Mongel's voice sounded different from usual, softer, almost laughing, as he gleefully used the ring to manipulate Amora's senses.
"You're insane! Did you take hallucinogens again?" Amora tried to get away from him, but the black jade ring wouldn't let her. The collar activated under his mental command, glowing blue, and Amora found herself unable to move.
Mongel's hand tightened on her neck as he lowered his head, licking her earlobe. "It's not hallucinogens. It's the guidance of the gods. Come into my hell, and I'll devote all my wisdom to you… my darling… my goddess…"
What kind of madness was this?!
This guy must have taken something with hallucinogenic properties—it wouldn't be the first time. From the moment Mongel began apologizing softly, Amora knew something was wrong. That wasn't his style. Mongel was usually all about commands and coercion. This wasn't the first time Amora had dealt with such a situation, but she had always been able to resist. Usually, leaving Mongel alone for a while was enough for the drug's effects to wear off naturally.
But this time, he had used the black jade ring to restrain her first!
Mongel's grip was shockingly strong. His hand clamped down on the spot just above her collar, and soon he was using both hands, the force almost enough to strangle Amora under the blanket. His expression was one of sickening delight as he repeated those sticky, vile phrases over and over again.
This was a nightmare.
It wasn't real.
Amora tried to convince herself, just as she had in countless nightmares before, that these terrible things weren't happening. But the indescribable pain and the near-fatal suffocation told her otherwise—this was real. Mongel was losing his mind, and Mongel wanted to kill her.
Just as Amora began to lose hope, the bedroom door burst open with a loud bang.
Lian stormed in.