Chapter 10: Personal Supervision
The sun was high in the sky.
The triumphant convoy rolled back into [Eisenburg].
Sunlight filtered through the specialized glass dome, casting dappled shadows across the palace’s side hall.
Mili curled up in the corner of the soft bed, her sleep restless.
Even in her dreams, she couldn’t escape the pervasive sense of oppression…
Her long lashes trembled like startled butterfly wings, her delicate nose twitched, and her brows furrowed lightly.
The heavy metal door was pushed open silently, and Seraphina stepped inside.
She hadn’t even bothered to clean the bloodstains from her combat suit; the dark, crusted spots on the charcoal-black fabric stood out starkly in the bright light…
Seraphina took a deep breath, savoring the faint scent of soap and the girl’s subtle fragrance in the room, her sharp brows softening slightly.
—This was how it should be.
She nodded to herself with a hint of satisfaction.
A faint smell of blood and gunpowder trailed her, spreading quietly through the room as she moved…
She approached the bed, looming over the sleeping Mili.
The view here was far clearer than from the observation room.
The girl’s dark hair spilled across the snow-white pillow, making her small, pale face appear even more ghostly.
Perhaps from unease, her body was curled tightly, wrapped in the blankets like a frightened animal trying to hide, only her tousled head peeking out.
Her breathing was light and even, her sleeping face serene and innocent, long lashes casting fan-shaped shadows over her eyelids.
Seraphina’s gaze lingered on Mili’s face for a long time.
Almost on impulse, she kicked off her boots, strode onto the bed, and crouched beside the girl’s makeshift fortress…
Then she reached out, her slender fingers gently brushing through Mili’s soft hair.
Her fingertips still bore traces of blood from the earlier battle.
As her fingers glided through the dark strands, they left faint red streaks on the once-clean hair…
The unfamiliar sensation startled Mili awake, her misty blue eyes slowly opening.
Blinking sleepily, she turned her head and met Seraphina’s heterochromatic eyes, inches away…
“Ah—?!”
Mili gasped, jolting upright like a cat with its tail stepped on, scrambling backward with hands and feet…
She stopped only when her back slammed against the cold wall, staring in terror.
“You… you, you…!!!”
Her eyes widened.
The woman before her looked like a demon crawled from hell—
Especially the vivid bloodstains smeared across her cheeks and forehead, which sent Mili’s soul fleeing in panic, leaving her unable to form a coherent sentence.
Did she just come back from a slaughterhouse?!
“Awake?” Seraphina’s eyelids lowered as she spoke coolly, as if the girl’s panicked reaction was beneath notice.
“Looks like you rested well last night.”
Mili: “…”
Did she look like she rested well?
She was scared half to death!
Mili frantically grabbed the blanket, clutching it to her chest, her body trembling uncontrollably, her blue eyes filled with fear and wariness.
Seraphina seemed to relish the girl’s frightened, deer-like demeanor, her lips curving…
But her expression held no warmth, only a chilling menace, like a devil’s grin…
“Why didn’t you eat properly yesterday?” Seraphina sat casually atop the pile of pillows, crossing her legs, and flicked a crusted blood flake from her brow with her nail.
“I… I ate…”
“Not hungry?”
“…”
The woman gave a cold snort, her left arm crossed over her chest, her right hand propping her chin: “Now, let’s test what you learned last night.”
Mili swallowed hard, a chill running down her spine.
Why…
Why did she have to study this stuff?
It wasn’t even her field.
She wasn’t trying to make a living off it.
“I… I read… some…” the girl stammered, trying not to look at the shocking bloodstains on Seraphina’s body.
“Some?” Seraphina raised an eyebrow, gazing down at her imperiously. “I gave you seven books. How many did you read?”
“I… just…”
“Answer my question.” Her icy rebuke cut like a knife.
Mili shrank back, clutching the blanket’s folds, her voice barely a whisper:
“Just… just a little… of one…”
Seraphina fell silent for a few seconds.
Then she yanked the blanket away, and a book slipped out from its folds.
She picked up Fundamentals of Old-Era Botany and flipped it open.
“What are the main characteristics of Solanaceae plants?”
“I… I don’t know…”
“What are the effects of soil pH on crop growth?”
“I… don’t… don’t know…”
“The three basic conditions for seed germination?”
“…” Mili’s thin lips pressed tight, her face paling further.
Seraphina snapped the book shut.
Mili’s peripheral vision caught something…
—She was smiling.
No… wait…
Was that… a smile?
The woman turned her head, her piercing gaze fixed on Mili, her curved lips exuding a stiff, eerie menace:
“What were you doing last night?”
“I… I really was… reading…” Mili’s voice grew smaller, almost inaudible.
Seraphina looked at the girl’s pitiful state and suddenly found it amusing.
This little thing couldn’t even lie properly—she was so clueless it was almost laughable.
“Hmph…” She let out a long breath through her nose, standing up from the pillow pile:
“Seems I treated you too well last night, and you forgot your place.”
Mili lowered her head, her bangs hiding most of her face, her eyes red, her cracked lips trembling faintly.
She’d been kidnapped to begin with…
But she dared not voice her anger, choosing silence instead.
Seraphina now stood before her, looking down at the tiny figure barely reaching her knees, her sharp gaze silently appraising.
The scrutiny made Mili squirm, as if she’d been stripped bare and put on display…
“Since that’s the case…” After a pause, Seraphina’s lips curled into a darker, colder smirk:
“You’ll need… closer supervision.”
“Starting today, I’ll personally oversee your studies.”
“…?” Mili’s eyes widened.
“Don’t understand? From now on, every move you make will be under my watch.” Seraphina leaned down, forcibly pulling Mili’s face out from the blankets.
“Eating, studying, sleeping—even using the bathroom, I’ll be there.”
“That… that’s not okay…!” Mili blurted, stunned.
“It’s to ensure you don’t waste the opportunities I give you…” The woman’s tone softened slightly, but the underlying threat sent chills down Mili’s spine.
“You’re mine, and I decide how to use you.”
Mili trembled uncontrollably, clutching the blanket so tightly her knuckles whitened.
A life with no privacy…
It was worse than death.
Seraphina watched Mili’s terrified expression, a glint of inexplicable satisfaction in her eyes.
The feeling of complete control over another’s fate…
It was utterly exhilarating.
“Now, get up, wash up, and eat breakfast,” she commanded:
“I’ll be waiting here.”