***
"CRESSIDA!"
"Huh—?!"
The vampire woman slammed into the chamber, her eyes immediately fixing on Cressida.
The girl sat perfectly still on the bed, looking utterly unmoved, as if she hadn't shifted an inch.
It was deeply suspicious; the vampire had expected her little mouse to be burrowing frantically in a corner.
"You!" She stabbed a finger toward the girl. "You've done something, haven't you?"
"…What could I possibly do, being stuck here?"
Cressida couldn't possibly mention the strange feeling she'd just experienced. To admit such a thing would be humiliating for a woman of her standing.
"Did you drink something?" The vampire advanced slowly, deliberately, making each step echo. "A potion?" Her voice was a low, dangerous growl.
"No. Where would I even find one?"
Stopping directly before Cressida, she bent her head, drawing in a deep, sharp breath.
The vampire's eyes snapped open. She instantly recognized the familiar note in the air, a scent she was, unbelievably, also detecting from herself as well at this moment.
"Why do you smell of arousal?"
"Well, I don't know. Why do you also smell like it?"
It was working. The goal was to push Agrona, and the effect was clear: the little trick she'd played on herself had been successfully transmitted to Agrona like a stinging, personal message.
"How could you—" Agrona staggered back, her expression a map of utter bewilderment.
"So," Cressida pressed, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "You've been thinking about me too?"
║[SYSTEM] -15 Negative EXP — Inducing Emotional Confusion in a Dominant Entity.║║Status: The Empress is unsure if she wants to kill you or kiss you.║
From a past life, Cressida knew this truth well that even the most austere people harbor cravings.
The body is imperfect, a lesson she learned in a philosophy class about the perfect soul tethered to a demanding, needy form.
You didn't need to be centuries old like Agrona to crave a sexual thrill.
"What do you want?" Agrona's voice turned flinty, her hand snapping around the younger girl's neck. "First, you speak in contradictions that both confuse and resonate."
"Maybe we're just more connected than you thought," Cressida replied, and with a swift move, locked her legs around the older woman's hips.
The girl's audacity was suddenly magnified, but it felt entirely alien when compared to the old, timid Cressida that had absolutely no charm in her evil wit.
╔════════════════════════════════════╗
║ [SYSTEM UPDATE] — "Interview Results Recorded" ║
╠════════════════════════════════════╣
║ The Empress's assessment has concluded.
║ Verdict: Candidate Approved.
║ • Pathway Opened: Marriage Compatibility Route
║ Proceed with caution — emotional instability detected.
╚════════════════════════════════════╝
From her memories, Cressida knew this was the critical pivot that Agrona was about to announce her divorce from Daimon.
She would relinquish the title of Empress and revert to her powerful role as Duchess, a shift driven by the simple fact that she never truly loved him.
Her singular objective was the throne, and she was willing to commit any atrocity to claim it, even systematically eliminating innocent people who merely stood in her path.
Once established as Duchess, she would infiltrate the Imperial Palace, planting agents to deceive the heroine.
This was timed perfectly, as the heroine was already grappling with her own existential crisis upon realizing she was not real.
To gain the heroine's trust, Cressida required palace access and the most direct route was by remaining Agrona's wife. It seemed like being accidentally married was a blessing in disguise afterall.
"So, are you going to commit to me, or not?" Cressida pressed.
"Who exactly are you?" Agrona demanded.
"Let's just say I know your secrets as well as you know your own," Cressida countered smoothly.
"What do you want?"
"Give me a kiss first."