Morning.
On the bed, Leon slowly opened his heavy eyelids as the morning sunlight streamed through the window, casting a gentle glow upon his face.
"Huh? Is it morning already?" Leon whispered softly, gazing up at the ceiling with a lingering sense of sleepiness.
Then, with a quick effort, he forced himself to fully wake up and attempt to sit upright.
However, the sudden pain in his waist and back jolted him to full awareness.
"Hiss!" Leon let out a sharp hiss of pain and drew in a deep breath as the agony radiated from his waist and back, coursing through his entire body.
The pain left him feeling as though he had been crushed by a powerful force!
"Damn! Liliana, that woman is truly ruthless!" Leon cursed inwardly, feeling utterly helpless.
Last night, after he had been honest about his power recovery and everything he had hidden from Liliana, despite her claim not to be too angry, she still punished him mercilessly!
She drained him completely, leaving his kidneys waving a white flag in surrender!
In fact, previously, he had possessed formidable stamina, easily overpowering even Liliana.
However, the moment she entered punishment mode, her strength inexplicably surged, and he, the handsomest sword hero, was mercilessly defeated!
His pride, his little brother, was ultimately overwhelmed.
The thought of Liliana, typically indifferent and cold, wearing a lewd expression while draining him dry like a succubus sent shivers down Leon's spine.
"Sure enough, that woman lives up to her title as the Demon Emperor..." Leon grumbled inwardly, shaking his head slightly with a small, unhidden smile.
Despite Liliana's rather cruel punishment, he had to admit that last night was indeed a precious one for the two of them.
After all, following the events of last night, it was undeniable that the relationship between them had reached a new, elevated level.
"By the way, where's Liliana?" Leon was taken aback when he realized that Liliana was neither to his right nor left.
Then he scanned the rest of the bedroom, but Liliana was nowhere to be seen.
"It seems she's gone back first," Leon whispered with a slight nod of acknowledgment. m|vlempyr your story source
Given her status as the Demon Emperor, she undoubtedly had numerous responsibilities to attend to; it was only natural that she left first.
Moreover, last night Liliana also mentioned the heightened preparations of the Holy Empire of Elysium for an imminent attack, likely to occur either today or tomorrow, which undoubtedly necessitated her early departure.
"War, huh?" Leon narrowed his eyes, his hands clenched slightly in annoyance. S~eaʀᴄh the nôᴠel Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.
The Holy Empire of Elysium citing his death as a reason to attack the Demon race infuriated him, and he found it impossible to accept.
Yet he quickly composed himself, realizing there was nothing he could do to prevent it.
"That's truly disheartening..." Leon sighed softly, a wry smile on his lips.
He quickly pushed the thought away and shifted his gaze to the bed, which appeared messy and damp on several sides—clear evidence of his battle with Liliana last night.
"Alright, I need to get things in order before my daughters arrive," Leon declared, casting a quick glance at the clock, which already read 9 a.m.
Although he felt a twinge of confusion as to why Fiona or Charlotte, who typically arrive by 8 a.m., hadn't shown up yet, he didn't dwell on it.
Without further delay, Leon swiftly rose from bed and opened the window first, as the scent from the bed fight between him and Liliana still lingered throughout the room.
Subsequently, he cleaned the bed sheets and tidied up all the other disarray in his room.
While Leon could have tasked Lyra with cleaning the entire room, he felt somewhat uneasy about having her do so.
Moreover, considering how untidy his entire room had become, Leon imagined Lyra giving him meaningful looks every time she saw him, which would likely prove embarrassing.
Twenty minutes later...
"Phew~" Leon sighed with relief as he beheld his now-pristine room, devoid of any traces of last night's skirmish.
Having also cleansed his entire body, which had been tainted by the sweaty activities with Liliana the previous night, he felt refreshed.
"Everything is in order, and the last thing left is..." Before Leon could finish his sentence, a sudden rumbling emanated from his stomach.
*KRRRR*
Feeling a sudden pang of hunger, Leon was momentarily stunned and rubbed his rumbling stomach.
"Well, it's time to eat," Leon muttered, smiling as he turned his gaze toward the table near the sofa.
However, to his surprise, he found not a single plate of food, which Lyra usually had prepared before she woke up.
"Strange... Normally, by 7 or 8 a.m., Lyra has the morning meal ready," Leon mused, scratching his head in confusion.
It was unusual for Lyra to be late in preparing food for him.
Just as he was debating whether to seek out Lyra or another maid to prepare a meal, there came a sudden knock on the door.
*Knock!*
Leon was slightly startled but greeted the interruption with a small smile, muttering, "She finally arrived. Ck! Doesn't she realize how hungry I am?"
Chuckling lightly, Leon strolled leisurely toward the door and turned the knob.
*Clack*
As the door swung open, Leon was taken aback to find that it wasn't Lyra standing behind it but rather a woman he didn't recognize, dressed in attire similar to Lyra's maid uniform.
"Um... who are you?" Leon inquired curiously, scrutinizing the woman with a careful gaze.
Suffice it to say, the woman couldn't be described as beautiful like Lyra; instead, she appeared rather plain, lacking any particularly striking features.
Her appearance resembled the typical maids he was accustomed to seeing in this palace.
Upon hearing Leon's question, the woman bowed respectfully and addressed him, "Sorry to disturb you, Your Majesty Leon."
"I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Celine, and I will be attending to Your Majesty's needs for the time being as your maid."
Leon was surprised by her words and regarded her with a strange expression.
"All my needs?" Leon inquired, seeking clarification.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I will attend to all your needs from now on, as commanded by Her Majesty the Demon Emperor," Celine replied respectfully.
Leon was utterly speechless this time; he hadn't expected Liliana to arrange for a new maid to attend to him.
Why would she appoint another maid to handle the job when he already had Lyra to attend to all his needs?
He wasn't someone who required a retinue of maids to tend to his life, like the nobles or the Emperor, for that matter.
Leon sighed, perplexed by Liliana's decision and the reasoning behind it.
Immediately, he turned his attention back to the woman before him, and his curiosity piqued even further.
"You mentioned that Liliana instructed you to attend to all my needs, correct? But isn't that already Lyra's responsibility? Is there something I'm missing?" Leon questioned, crossing his arms and leaning back in confusion.
In response to Leon's inquiry, Celine hesitated for a moment, appearing somewhat undecided.
However, under Leon's scrutinizing gaze, she couldn't avoid answering.
"Um... Actually, the reason I was instructed by Her Majesty the Demon Emperor to attend to your needs, Your Majesty Leon, is because Lady Lyra is currently undergoing punishment," Celine replied in a subdued and slightly hesitant tone.
Upon hearing her explanation, Leon's eyes widened in disbelief.
"What? Punished!?"