The moment Nikita heard the Queen's voice, her heart nearly stopped. Appearing in front of the Queen with a fresh love bite on her neck and soaked clothes would mean certain death. She began struggling desperately to free herself from the King's grasp.
With wide terrified eyes, Nikita whispered urgently,
"Your Majesty, the Queen has come. If she sees me, she will eat me alive. Please, you must go now. Please go outside and handle her."
King Kairen, however, looked completely unbothered. Narrowing his catlike eyes, he seemed even more amused by Nikita's fear. Calmly he said,
"She is just my sister. What is there to be afraid of"
Nikita almost burst into tears and stomped her feet like a child.
"No, you do not understand. She is terrifying. Look at the state you have left me in. If she sees this mark on my neck, she will drown me in this very water. Please go."
She practically shoved the King, trying to push him out of the bath. Laughing, King Kairen rose from the water. Streams ran down his muscular body, and the scar on his face glowed with a strange satisfaction. Wrapping a towel around himself, he walked toward the door, then glanced back at Nikita.
"Fine, I am going. But remember, the moment I leave, that tailed demon cat might come back inside."
At the mention of the cat, Nikita quickly sank deeper into the water, leaving only her head above the surface. Muttering, she said,
"Hurry up and go. Once you leave, I will call my serpent and handle everything."
The King opened the door and stepped outside. The Queen was standing there, fuming. Seeing his wet appearance, she narrowed her eyes and tried to peer past him into the room.
As King Kairen stepped out and partially closed the door, the Queen froze, staring at him from head to toe. Her sharp gaze tried to cut through the darkness behind him.
Raising an eyebrow suspiciously, she said,
"What took you so long And were you bathing alone, or is someone else inside I swear I heard laughter."
King Kairen calmly blocked the doorway with his body and gave her a crooked smile. Water dripped from his scarred face as he replied in a serious tone,
"Nothing happened. I slipped and fell into the bath and laughed at myself. Why are you here"
Inside the bath, Nikita was submerged up to her neck, trembling with fear. She thought,
"If the King gets caught lying, the Queen will bury me alive."
At that exact moment, chaos struck again.
The large white cat suddenly ran past the Queen's feet and slipped straight through the narrow gap in the door.
Seeing it, Nikita cried out faintly from under the water,
"Oh no, the demon is back."
The Queen stiffened the instant she heard Nikita's voice. She shoved the King and said sharply,
"Brother, there is definitely someone inside. I just heard a girl's voice. Let me see who it is."
Under the water, Nikita desperately waved her hands, trying to summon her invisible blue serpent, but the serpent had hidden itself somewhere in fear of the cat.
When the Queen forcefully pushed past the King and entered the bath chamber, a mysterious smile appeared on King Kairen's face. The Queen scanned the room sharply.
But to her shock, the bath chamber was completely empty. The massive tub of rose water lay calm and still. She pulled aside curtains and searched behind large vessels, but there was no one.
Confused, she muttered,
"I clearly heard a voice. Where did that witch girl go"
What had actually happened was this.
In the second before the Queen entered, Nikita had desperately forced her magic to return. In moments of extreme danger, human strength doubles. With the help of her blue serpent, Nikita turned both herself and the cat completely invisible under the water.
In reality, Nikita was holding her breath beneath the surface, while the cat's massive tail floated just above the water. But the Queen could see nothing.
Leaning against the door, King Kairen watched his sister's confusion with amusement and said,
"Well Sister You see no one. Perhaps it is time to check your eyesight."
Annoyed, the Queen brushed off her royal clothes and said,
"Strange. My ears never lie. Fine, you are spared this time. But remember, if that girl tries any magic, I will not forgive her."
Grumbling, the Queen left the room. King Kairen locked the door from inside. Immediately, Nikita burst out of the water, gasping for air. As she became visible again, her sky blue hair and the love bite on her neck reappeared.
Panting, she said,
"I was almost dead. Your sister is a complete detective."
Laughing, the King stepped closer to her.
Once the room fell silent, Nikita noticed the white cat floating beside her. The creature she had been calling a demon now looked unbelievably soft and cute with its wet fur.
Her eyes widened as she exclaimed,
"Oh my goodness, it is actually so cute."
She reached out and began petting it, squishing its cheeks like a child.
"Why are you so cute"
"Your tail is so big and fluffy, like a pillow"
"I am sorry for calling you a demon. You are just a tiny baby cat."
She lifted the cat onto her lap and rubbed her wet cheek against it. The cat obediently purred and meowed.
Watching from the door, King Kairen was stunned. He thought,
"To understand this girl's moods, I will need a doctorate. She was about to faint in fear moments ago, and now she is pampering a cat."
Laughing, he said,
"Nikita, you change faster than the wind. Is this cat your new boyfriend now"
Nikita made a face at him, hugged the cat, and replied,
"Yes. He is cuter than you. At least he does not bite."
She touched the mark on her neck shyly and looked down. Her blue serpent now hung from the chandelier above, wagging its tail happily, thinking it had finally found a playmate.
Suddenly Nikita stared closely into the cat's eyes. Her sky blue eyes widened in shock. She looked at the cat, then at the King, and realized something terrifying.
The cat's eyes were exactly like the King's cat eyes. The same golden glow and sharp gaze. It felt as if a hidden part of the King lived inside the cat.
Pulling the cat's cheeks, she said to the King,
"Your Majesty, look. This cat's eyes are just like yours. It is giving me the same creepy stare."
The King laughed awkwardly and stroked the cat's head.
"Perhaps it is a magical cat from my bloodline, sent to guard you."
Nikita leaned close to the cat and whispered childishly,
"Hey cutie, are you naughty like your King too Would you bite my neck if you got the chance Can you talk"
The cat answered with a long mysterious meow, as if saying it knew far more than it let on.
Nikita grew serious and told the King,
"This cat is not ordinary. When it looks at me, I feel like it knows all my magical secrets."
The King brushed her wet hair aside and asked softly,
"Then what shall we name it"
As the King stepped closer, his eyes burned with intensity and his hand moved toward the mark on her neck. But Nikita dodged him, leaping out of the water. Her wet clothes clung to her body, making her look otherworldly.
Backing away, she pouted like a child.
"No. Enough. Do not come closer. You are awful. I am leaving."
Laughing, the King said,
"Leaving where If you go out like that, the Queen will throw you out today."
Nikita declared boldly,
"I will dry myself with magic. And this cat is coming with me as my bodyguard."
Wrapping a large towel around herself, she pointed at the cat.
"Come on cutie. Let us leave this naughty King."
King Kairen watched her go with a calm smile. He knew that no matter how much she pretended to flee, her heart was already bound to him.
Nikita glanced back at the door, stuck out her tongue at him, and ran off, her blue serpent flapping after her.
But fate was cruel. In the corridor, the Queen stood like a statue. Seeing Nikita drenched, disheveled, and marked with the love bite, the Queen's eyes burned with rage.
Blocking her path, the Queen shouted,
"Stop. Have you no shame Turning the palace into an inn Walking around like this with that filthy mark You are nothing but a shameless woman."
The insult shattered Nikita's fear instantly. Her powerful sorceress side awakened. Her eyes darkened to deep blue as she roared,
"Watch your mouth, Queen. I am here by the King's invitation. And what you call a filthy mark is your brother's sign of love. Ask him if you dare."
Her blue serpent appeared, wings flaring like a dragon. The white cat hissed with the same terrifying gaze as the King.
The Queen stumbled back in fear.
"You threaten me I will tell Kairen everything."
Nikita smiled coldly and pointed to her neck.
"Go tell him. But remember who he is obsessed with."
She stormed away, leaving the Queen shaking with rage.
The Queen ran to the old King, lied and cried, accusing Nikita of using dark magic. Enraged, the old King summoned Kairen and ordered Nikita brought to court.
When Nikita arrived, she stood tall, unafraid. The old King shouted,
"Shameless girl. Do you think you can rule this kingdom by enchanting my son"
Nikita looked at Kairen and said innocently,
"Why is your father scolding me I was just playing with a cat. And your sister called me names."
As tension filled the court, King Kairen stepped forward. Without speaking, he locked eyes with his father. His golden gaze glowed with hypnotic power.
The old King's anger melted instantly. The entire hall fell silent.
In a deep voice, King Kairen declared,
"Father, Nikita is not my guest. She is my soul. To touch her is to wound my existence."
The old King lowered his voice, calm and subdued.
"Perhaps I misunderstood. Do as you see fit."
Nikita stared in disbelief and whispered,
"Did your father just fall asleep"
The King smiled and squeezed her hand as the Queen fled in humiliation.
Behind the throne, the blue serpent wagged its tail in victory.