Villain, Let Me Touch You! - Chapter 121
Startled, Priscilla sank into the water before scrambling to her feet. Water streamed down her well-groomed body like a waterfall.
âHey! What do you think youâre doing?â
She wiped the water from her face with her hands and shouted.
It was like lightning out of a clear skyâsomeone barging in and slapping her without warning!
No matter how high and mighty Demyr was as the queen, this was unforgivable.
Priscilla reached for her robe. But it was already in Demyrâs hands.
She ground her teeth in frustration. She had been about to call the guards, but even bold Priscilla couldnât do that while completely naked.
âWhat the hell is wrong with you?â
âThe consort dares to say you to the queen? You? Youâve lost your damn mind.â
Demyrâs outstretched hand narrowly missed Priscillaâs head. In dodging it, Priscilla lost her balance and toppled into the bath.
Splash! A great spray of water erupted.
Demyr casually brushed the droplets off her dress and looked down at Priscilla, who was flailing in the shallow water.
It was less than a meter deep, and yet she thrashed like she was drowning â what a ridiculous sight.
Soaked and sputtering, Priscilla clung to the edge of the tub, dry-heaving.
Demyr scowled in disgust.
âStand up straight before I yank you out by your hair.â
Priscilla glared at her.
âYour Majesty, have you lost your mind?â
For now, she backed down a step. Demyrâs eyes and energy were far from normal.
For her to drop all decorum and lash out this violentlyâsomething serious had happened.
But Priscilla couldnât figure out what it was.
I havenât touched anything related to Demyr in ages.
When Macaulay was young, she kept a tight leash on Demyrâs influence â just in case she ever bore a child and disrupted the line of succession.
Fortunately for Priscilla â and unfortunately for Demyr â no new blood was ever added to the imperial family.
A few years ago, Demyr was officially diagnosed as completely infertile by Chief Royal Physician Ebony.
Priscilla had sent her hollow condolences and gradually eased off her surveillance.
So Demyrâs current outburst? A lightning bolt out of a clear sky.
âAt least tell me why,â Priscilla said.
âYou went after my child,â Demyr spat.
âChild?â
Priscilla let out a derisive laugh. Had Demyr lost her mind in the early summer heat?
âA woman whoâs never even had a bump in her belly is crying about her child?â
Whenever the topic of children came up, Priscillaâs confidence swelled. She had gifted the imperial bloodline a precious heir.
She could very well become the next emperorâs mother.
That was a dream Demyr could never even entertain â one Priscilla had made her reality.
And that truth fed her sense of superiority.
“You’ve never heard of a child born of the heart? How ignorant.”
“Surely you’re not talking about Helios, Your Majesty?”
Priscillaâs eyes narrowed.
She knew Demyr had grown quite close to Helios latelyâbut it was also true their relationship had been rocky until not too long ago.
Demyr had even hated him.
She never hid it, either. When Helios collapsed from a terminal illness, Demyr hadnât so much as visited him.
And now sheâs claiming he’s her child?
“Why not? It is Helios. Heâs my child. And one more â Rienna.”
“Rienna? You mean that pink-haired physician?”
“That’s right. The crown princess-to-be. They announced their engagement, so sheâs practically family now. And you sent her such a lovely little gift.”
“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Priscilla feigned innocence with a cool, practiced expression.
“Don’t play dumb, you half-wit. Even His Majesty knows. Thereâs no way you donât. You even planted a spy in Heliosâs palace. That laundress, remember?”
Priscilla tightened the corners of her mouth to mask any sign of unease.
“I’m not the only one who planted a spy, Your Majesty. I know youâve got someone in the kitchens.”
“Thatâs right. We know each other too well, donât we? So donât bother lying. You sent that snake to Rienna, didnât you? Donât answerâI know youâll deny it anyway. So hereâs a warning. Donât touch my children again. Got it?”
Priscilla said nothing. She wanted to respond, maybe even force a counterattack, but she knew pushing any further might provoke a backlash.
The warning as it stood was enough. It matched the weight of what Rienna and Helios had suffered.
Talking about “her children” wasnât part of what Rienna had asked her to say.
It had slipped outâan instinctual jab to knock Priscilla off her high horse, flaunting her status as a mother.
Demyr didnât truly consider Helios her son. But Rienna⌠well…
She could take her in, like a foster for a stray.
The girl was clever and liked her, after all.
Demyrâs life rule had always been simple: repay everything in kind. Whether it was love or hatred.
