The next morning didn’t come well for Cece… she was already awake, but she didn’t open her eyes.
Her body felt like it didn’t belong to her anymore.
Every small movement sent a dull ache through her limbs, her waist, her back… even her fingers felt sore from how tightly she had held onto that stone!
Memories from the night before replayed whether she wanted them to or not.
The fact that he didn’t show her mercy despite it being her first time annoyed her a lot, especially the rough room.
The cold stone.
His voice when he called her his slave… it annoyed her so much.
She clenched her teeth slightly.
“Disgusting,” she whispered weakly to herself.
Not just him, but the situation.
The way she had been treated… like she was nothing more than something to be used and discarded.
Her fingers curled slightly against the thin furs beneath her.
That’s not the treatment she deserves as a hero…
‘I will never let that happen again…’
It took her a while before she finally forced her eyes open.
Then she sighed.
That was when she noticed her room had numerous diamonds and rubies that could make her the richest woman in the world.
To them, these things were just ordinary stones with different colours… no wonder they attracted the vampires who were very close to humans.
They could negotiate and understand humans more than the tribe members.
She pushed herself up slowly.
“…Ah damn!…”
A sharp ache shot through her body and she froze immediately.
“I really suffered…” she gritted her teeth.
Not long after, someone knocked on the wooden door and pushed it open.
Then the beautiful root flowers that served as the curtain were pushed aside, and a maid stepped in.
And the moment her eyes landed on Elena, she gasped in surprise.
Cece slowly turned her head to look at her.
‘Err… what’s with her?’
The maid immediately froze, then lowered her gaze quickly, her cheeks turning red as if she had seen her crush.
“Ahhh… Y-your Highness?” she stammered, seeming not too sure if it was truly her or not.
Cece looked at her weird expression in confusion.
The maid shifted awkwardly, still avoiding eye contact with her.
“Y-your father… Lord…” she said, trying to compose herself.
“Your second… mate… the war lord… has won the war again… and he is on his way home.”
Cece raised a brow and turned her head away from her.
Her gaze drifted toward the small holes in the wall that barely passed as windows.
“I don’t care,” she said flatly before the maid could continue.
The maid immediately shut her mouth and nodded.
No one would dare to talk back to the demon who fed on beast blood.
Cece couldn’t help but keep thinking about the previous night.
Then she placed her hand on her tummy…
She already had all the real Cece’s memories, but she didn’t see where Cece had offended Damon except for the fact that she wanted him as her mate.
Why so much hatred?
The way she had been handled.
The way he had looked at her… There was so much hatred in his gaze.
Her fingers tightened against her dress.
“Cheap,” she muttered bitterly.
‘If not for the cubs, I would have rejected you!’
Not her.
A familiar voice suddenly echoed in her head.
[Congratulations, Host.]
Elena froze.
She almost forgot about the system.
“You again.”
[Mission 1 completed successfully.]
Elena rolled her eyes.
“Successfully?” she repeated.
“Of course it’s successful?” she was about to argue, but remembered her own plan… ‘Damn, I almost forgot.’
[Objective: Establish connection with Alpha Damon – Completed.]
She rolled her eyes, leaning her head back against the wall.
“Yeah yeah, you’re welcome.”
[Reward already granted.]
Cece frowned immediately.
“Granted?” she echoed, sitting up a little straighter despite the lingering discomfort in her body.
“Where is it?” she frowned as she looked around.
Then the system spoke again, like it was stating the most obvious thing in the world…
[Cece’s old face restored. Check the mirror.]
Cece blinked.
“Old face restored?” Then she remembered how the maid reacted earlier.
“Don’t tell me the poison suddenly disappeared instead of fading gradually?”
[I thought you were in a hurry to look beautiful]
“What will I tell them happened to me overnight? With them knowing what’s on my face is poison?” she sneered.
After some seconds without any answer, she sneered.
“Now look! You can’t even answer that!”
She took a deep breath and looked at the mirror.
“Wow… more delicate than I saw it in my memory…” Her eyes widened as she touched her face.
The most shocking thing was that the face was exactly like her face!!
“How is that even possible?” she whispered.
She had already guessed it, but seeing it hit differently…
She touched her face again… Her skin looked soft and flawless, her features sharper, more defined, her lips naturally tinted, her eyes clearer and more alive.
Even her lashes looked longer like they were showing off.
“Could it be… she got this from eating raw meat?”
She turned her face to the side.
Then the other side.
Then she leaned back… leaned in again like she didn’t trust it.
“No way…” The more she looked at it, the more surprised she felt.
She grabbed her own cheeks lightly.
Her eyes sparkled.
“This is illegal. I can be a villain and a hero at the same time.”
[Host should rest assured. You will find answers to your questions yourself.]
She spun around once, then rushed back to the mirror again like it might disappear if she looked away too long.
Cece was still staring at her reflection, admiring her face as if she had just discovered treasure, when something behind her moved.
She paused and frowned in confusion.
“What is that?” she whispered and turned her head.
Then froze.
There was a long… sleek… black tail swaying lazily behind her.
Cece blinked several times, then quickly turned to her side and looked at the mirror, her eyes locking onto it as it had personally offended her.
She had noticed it the previous night, but she wasn’t herself.
“Excuse me?”
The tail flicked again, as if it had its own life.
Cece reached out slowly, then grabbed it.
“You…”
The moment her fingers wrapped around it, her whole body jolted.
“AH!” She immediately let go, jumping back like she had been electrocuted.
“IT’S CONNECTED?!”