When Daimon finally begged for her to stay, clinging desperately to her elaborate gown, Agrona didn't just walk away. She delivered a stunning, open-handed slap across Daimon's face.
She used the chaos to seize key financial and military assets right under his nose.
While he was recovering from the shock, she had her loyalists simultaneously strip the treasury's liquid funds and secure the allegiance of a major border regiment.
The climax involved Agrona smashing the Imperial Seal used for the divorce in front of him, symbolizing her irreversible break and complete disdain for his authority.
That explained the exhaustion.
Agrona was currently submerged in the bath, worn out not by emotion, but by the sheer, brutal effort of executing it.
And it clarified Lilithia's sudden haste at the library: the heroine had needed to meet her husband to comfort him.
║[SYSTEM] +10 Positive EXP — Analytical reasoning successful.║
║[SYSTEM UPDATE] — Level Advancement Detected.║
║Congratulations! Cressida Blackthorne has leveled up.║
╔════════════════════════════════════╗
║ USER PROFILE UPDATE — STATUS REPORT ║╠════════════════════════════════════╣
║ User: Cressida Blackthorne ║
║ Background: Former businesswoman, ║
║ Reborn into a minor villainess body. ║╠════════════════════════════════════╣
║ Level / Rank: 2 – Cunning Negotiator ║
║ Capital (Points): 209 Positive / 119 Negative ║
║ Moral Ledger: Unstable Neutral (+↔–) ║╚════════════════════════════════════╝
║[SYSTEM STORE UPDATE] — New Items Unlocked!║
║[SYSTEM STORE UPDATE] — All Items From Low Levels Have Been Bought Automatically.║
║[SYSTEM UPDATE] — You Can Now Freely Roam Your Inventory. It Has Limited Capacity And Grows If You Upgrade It.║
"What are you waiting for?" Agrona repeated, letting out an impatient sigh. "Rub my back."
Ugh. This bitch still sees me as nothing more than a minion, a rat trained to follow orders.
"Y-Yes, Your Imperial Highness!" she chirped, forcing the most obedient, dazzling smile she could muster.
She approached the prepared station, a deep basin filled with steaming water and a crisp linen towel resting beside it.
'This is supposed to be done by a maid, not a consort,' she noted, suppressing her annoyance that this was not the casual flirtation she'd suggested.
She took the linen, saturated it, and squeezed it until it was perfectly damp. As she drew the warm, moist cloth across Agrona's skin, the older woman reacted instantly, letting out a deep, satisfied sigh.
"I can definitely do better than this," Cressida scoffed under her breath.
"You certainly can. Massage me." Agrona's voice held the easy command of someone used to immediate obedience.
Cressida had no choice but to comply, working to loosen the tense muscles in the villainess's shoulders. She had to oblige every demand Agrona made. She truly had no idea why she'd agreed to marry this woman while drunk, but she wasn't planning on staying. She was willing to play a long, careful game until she secured a safe exit.
"Hey," Agrona suddenly cut through Cressida's frantic thoughts. "Get in the tub."
"Uh..." Cressida stammered, her face turning pink.
Even with her initial audacity, this level of unsolicited intimacy made her blush. Regardless, she stepped into the water.
She was instantly pulled back against the woman, her smaller body fitting perfectly into the curve of Agrona's embrace.
"I lied earlier," Agrona stated, her voice a low vibration against the water. "I could also smell Genevieve's saliva on your wrist."
Oh fuck.
"D-Don't blame her," Cressida panicked, trying to twist around. "She was complaining about having to babysit me, so I offered her my blood as payment."
"I might have overlooked the mark on your neck, but being bitten twice? That is unforgivable."
"It's not like you love me."
"I don't. But you make me undeniably angry, little mouse, for reasons I don't understand, especially since you're just a pathetic crawler like Daimon."
"P-Pardon me?! Do not compare me to that coward!"
"Then behave," Agrona said, her tone suddenly firm and absolute.
She brought a hand up to Cressida's neck, gently cupping the nape, and pulled her closer until her own lips reached the skin. Her tongue brushed across the hickey Lilithia left, tasting the spot.
"Even though you're going to be my wife on paper," Agrona whispered against the wound, "you are still my blood slave."