Frantic with fear, Lily lunged forward and shouted at Lyra, "Do you even know who my mistress is? Stop right now, or you'll deeply regret the price you have to pay!"

Lyra only smiled. With a flick of her wrist, she cast a spell and severed Lily's tongue in one clean move. She mocked, "How dare a petty little fish with a mere hundred years of cultivation like you bark at me? Don't you know how to address an imperial consort?

"Your mistress is an adulteress. Why should I fear her?"

I stared at Lily as blood poured from her mouth. My body lurched forward instinctively. At that moment, I couldn't care about the High Priest's orders to keep the baby's identity a secret until it was born.

"Stop!" I shouted, my voice sharp. "I have not been unfaithful! This child belongs to—"

But Lyra never let me finish. She shifted forms and raked her claws across my face. Warm blood spilled down my cheek.

The searing pain made my vision blur. As I looked down at the red staining on my hand, I nearly fainted.

She sneered. "Pathetic little carp, you have weak cultivation and no manners. How dare you talk back to me?

"I only meant to drag you before His Majesty for a small reward. But since you refuse to confess, you'll learn what happens when you defy me."

She pulled a bone whistle from her clothes and blew on it.

In less than a breath, four catfolk attendants—each with 500 years of cultivation—appeared, kneeling reverently before her.

"Your Ladyship," they said in unison.

She gestured lazily. "Get up and beat this wretch until she learns her place. No one threatens me. Not ever. I didn't expect to wander into the Forsaken Wing and stumble upon a little surprise…"

The catfolk attendants grinned wickedly as they approached.

Carps were born with a fear of cats, and I was no different. Terror coiled in my chest as I shielded my belly with trembling hands. "Stay back! I'm the daughter of the Carp Clan's chief! The child in my womb belongs to His Majesty! Lay a hand on me and he'll make sure you suffer for it!"

The catfolk attendants faltered, hesitation flickering in their eyes. Their steps slowed as they glanced back at Lyra, awaiting her command.

She crossed her arms, a mocking smile curling her lips. "You don't actually believe her, do you? His Majesty bathed in blood to seize the throne, surviving a brutal struggle among nine heirs. Even the High Priest declared he would never father children.

"Yet this lonely little carp dares claim her illegitimate child belongs to him? If His Majesty had an heir, he would shout it to the world. Do you see any such proclamation? Tell me, is that not the funniest thing you've ever heard?"

The catfolk attendants chuckled darkly, emboldened, and closed in again.

"You almost fooled us," one jeered. "You think just saying it makes it true?"

"You expect us to be that stupid?"

Their rough claws tore at my clothes. One cat attendant, unsatisfied, sank its teeth into my arm and gnawed with relish.

"Mmm… Tender. Just as I thought—a carp's flesh is exquisite!"

I shrieked in agony, thrashing against their grip, but they were too strong. I couldn't break free.

Lyra clapped with delight at the sight, her laughter ringing cruelly. With a flick of magic, she forced Lily back into her true form and tossed her like a morsel to the cat attendants that were tearing into me.

"Well done," she praised.

The attendant beamed, fawning, "If not for Your Ladyship, when would I have ever tasted carp in my lifetime?

"Your beauty is unmatched, and now that you've caught this woman carrying an illegitimate, surely the title of Beast Queen is yours!"

His flattery lit her face with glee.

I could only stare, horrified, as he swallowed Lily whole, then belched with satisfaction.

"No! Don't!" I let out a piercing scream.

Lily had been at my side for decades, a constant presence with her chatter and her loyalty. I had long grown used to her being there.

And now, she was gone.

Numb with grief, I broke free of the cat attendants for one desperate instant and hurled myself at Lyra, sinking my teeth into her.

"I belong to His Majesty! The child I carry is his! He will never forgive you for this! Nor will the Carp Clan!"

She yelped at the sting, then kicked me hard, sending me sprawling. Her laughter rang out, wild and merciless.

"You think I fear a wanton slut like you? You dare insist this illegitimate child is His Majesty's? What are you besides a pretty face?

"Countless consorts with lucky fates have warmed his bed for decades, yet none conceived. And you expect me to believe it's you who succeeded? How ridiculous!"

Lyra's words cut through me, and I shut my eyes in despair.

She took my silence as proof she had uncovered the truth. With a wave of her hand, she forced me back into my true form and dragged me to her chambers.

…

"Hey, wake up. You didn't really think it was over, did you? That little scene earlier was just an appetizer."

I blinked groggily awake to see Lyra standing over me. Her chin was tilted high, and she was brimming with excitement.

A shiver ran through me. My lips parted, but no sound came out.

Sweat beaded along my forehead as I realized the truth—I wasn't just bound, but silenced by a spell.

Lyra smirked at my futile struggle, clearly entertained. She lifted a pale, elegant hand and gestured. "I need two guards here. Since this carp has such a reputation for craving men, I'll let her enjoy herself one last time before she dies. Call it mercy."

The catfolk attendants who had just been rewarded chuckled, flattering her endlessly. "Thank you for the generosity, Your Ladyship!"

An elderly maidservant, watching from the side, couldn't bear it. She stepped forward and said in a trembling voice, "Your Ladyship, she's still His Majesty's consort. This isn't right. You may have his favor, but doing such a thing would be dangerous."

My head was heavy, and my vision blurred. Yet, I turned toward her, gratitude filling my eyes.

Lyra paused and considered, then laughed lightly. "You're right, Mary. Two isn't enough. Make it four. His Majesty won't punish me. Just the other day, he promised me a luminous pearl from the Sea of Dusk as a gift."

Her tone brooked no argument.

My body went cold, and all strength drained out of me.

The four chosen guards stepped forward. Their eyes were gleaming, and their tongues were sliding across their lips as they stared at me like prey.

I could do nothing but clutch my stomach with both hands.

One sneered. "Forgive us. But don't worry, we'll treat you well."

They closed in and then forced themselves on me, crushing me under their weight.

A single tear slipped from the corner of my eye.

I forced myself to block out what they were doing, clinging to one thought over and over—nothing mattered but protecting the child.

With the last scrap of my power, I sealed my womb in a protective spell, holding the life inside steady.

Meanwhile, the whispers of the other maids around me kept seeping into my ears.

"The High Priest said His Majesty would never have an heir. How dare she claim her illegitimate child belongs to him? No wonder Your Ladyship is so furious."

"Exactly. She deserves this."

I didn't know how long it went on, but just when I thought I was about to die, they finally stopped.

Lyra stepped closer, her disdain plain on her face. "Tsk! How filthy. This is the price of infidelity. Do you understand?"

I bit down on my lip, refusing to say a word.

"What's the matter? Still defiant?"

She sneered and slapped me hard across the face, then forced me back into my true form. "Bring me a blade!"

At Lyra's command, someone quickly handed over a gleaming kitchen knife.

She clutched me tight, dragging the blade slowly across my body. My protective scales peeled away one by one under the steel. Blood soaked my skin as she smiled with pride, slicing until my flesh was raw and mangled.

"Next comes the oil, right?" she mused, casting me a sidelong glance.

The catfolk attendants obeyed without hesitation, rushing to heat a cauldron of oil until it hissed and sent up waves of scalding steam.

Weakness consumed me, as though I were tumbling into a bottomless pit. I couldn't protect the child anymore.

I lay in a pool of blood, barely clinging to life as I stared at the boiling oil set before me.

Mary gasped and grabbed at Lyra's arm. "My Lady, please, enough!"

Two catfolk attendants dragged her back, while Lyra brushed off the plea with a careless wave.

"Don't fret, Mary. She won't die. I just can't stand that pitiful look on her face, as though the whole world has wronged her. It's just a little scarring, nothing more. His Majesty won't blame me. After all, the Vixen Clan is my shield, isn't it?"

Mary sighed and said nothing more.

Lyra seized the pot and flung the oil across my face.

A hoarse, guttural scream tore from my throat.

Drops of scalding oil splattered onto Lyra, making her curse as she stepped back. Then, she started to savor the sight of me writhing in agony.

The pain burned straight through my chest; it felt as if my face were melting away. My eyes were swollen shut, and the searing heat was unbearable.

The catfolk attendants licked their lips, drool glistening as the rich scent of carp flesh filled the chamber.

"How hideous," Lyra drawled, sticking out her tongue with a playful smile.

"Well then… It's time we deal with the illegitimate child in your belly. You've guarded it so fiercely that I almost hate to ruin the fun."

She laughed as she leaned over my nearly lifeless body. One swipe of her claw tore my abdomen open.

"Oh? You even placed a protective spell? But that's such a flimsy trick. How pathetic!"

The ripping pain jolted me back to awareness. I watched through tears as she yanked a lifeless, fully formed fetus from my womb.

"Wow! What a heavy little thing!" she said with a mocking laugh.

"Your lover would be thrilled to see this."

Her shrill laughter echoed until a figure cloaked in imperial yellow stepped through the doorway.

"Lyra, what are you so amused about?"