A Villain's Way of Taming Heroines

"... Hmph."

The woman chuckled lowly, withdrawing her hand from the vivid flame and then inexplicably licking her palm, which appeared somewhat bizarre.

"Never mind, your fondness for this little dog isn't surprising," she remarked, glancing at Seraphina, who remained on guard, "Loyal and full of potential... I might consider having one myself."

"Though I'm not surprised by her; however, the other one..."

Evora looked down at Ravenna, "Isn't she the plaything you grew tired of three years ago? How come you've picked her up again?"

The capricious Elder Princess never considered the venom in her words, or perhaps, she never thought her words to be venomous at all. A person who could utter morality and ethics should bow to me' is naturally beyond reproach in terms of character.

"Why bring her along? And to call her in such a... revolting manner?"

A distinct look of disgust crossed Evora's face, "Venna... Ah, enough. Ansel, have you resumed the make-believe game you put aside three years ago?"

"Because in this hunting event, Seraphina needs an assistant. Is that so hard to understand?"

"An assistant? It seems you're not as confident in your little dog as you claim."

"You underestimate Venna's worth, Evora."

"Her worth? Am I not more aware of it than you? Don't forget, during the three years you abandoned that little plaything, it was I who toyed with her."

"That's precisely why," Ansel said with a light laugh, "You've never seen Venna's true capabilities. She was wasted under your care for three whole years... What a pity."

Ansel, unexpectedly, sided with Ravenna... or perhaps, it wasn't so unexpected?

In Ravenna's eyes, she saw through this clearly. It was nothing more than a tactic Ansel used to win her favor — tormenting her with an attitude and methods that were harsh to the point of cruelty, while also providing support at crucial moments. Hadn't Ansel been doing this since their reunion? In the end... it was merely a method of taming.

Just that... merely that.

Ravenna tried to convince herself of this. The past her could always persuade herself with logic, with the conclusions she deduced that were invariably correct. But now, she was failing again and again.

Yes, taming... What Ansel wanted was taming. So, from the very beginning, he had made his stance clear. From the moment of their reunion, had he... abandoned me?

A wave of panic and fear surged in Ravenna's heart. She wanted to dispel it, but the ensuing chaos of emotions made her thoughts... increasingly difficult to navigate.

The truth...

The utterly bewildered scholar clenched her fists.

To resolve the current predicament, she must know the truth.

Whether Ansel truly had secrets, or whether that sentence was a trap Ansel had Marlina relay to her, no matter what, she needed a definitive answer.

Otherwise, if this continues, if this continues...

"Alright, you two, go in."

Unbeknownst to them, they had arrived at a closed, massive palace. In front of the palace gate stood two armored giants about four to five meters tall. Evora, with her hands behind her back, casually said, "So... you're really lucky, Seraphina. Thanks to my bloody damn sister, you get to play for more than just an afternoon."

"...What?" Seraphina was taken aback, "What does that mean?"

"You'll know when the time comes. Hurry up and go in, don't waste my time."

Evora waved her hand impatiently, and two doors made of flames appeared in front of the massive palace gate.

"...Ansel."

Seraphina turned to look at Ansel, "Aren't you coming with us?"

"I'm not good at this." Ansel shook his head with a smile, "Just have fun."

"But I want to—"

Seraphina subconsciously said this, but upon seeing Evora's arrogant and beautiful face, she swallowed the words she originally wanted to say.

She didn't know when it started, but Seraphina had also learned to restrain the capricious rights that Ansel had given her.

"Let's go, Ravenna." She turned her head to look at the silent petite sorceress.

Ravenna nodded slightly and followed Seraphina into the doors made of flames.

And when the two of them disappeared, the aloof expression on Evora's face vanished in an instant.

She impatiently grabbed Ansel's hand, and without waiting for Ansel to speak, she let the flames envelop the two of them. The next second, they appeared on a sofa in a viewing room.

"Enough already..."

The woman exhaled deeply, lifting the hem of her opulent robe, revealing the expensive, vibrant fabric up to her thighs. She lazily reclined on the sofa, placing her feet, encased in high heels, onto Ansel's lap.

"Do you have any idea how you're going to compensate me for playing along with your little dog and puppet?"

Evora propped her cheek on one hand, her usually fierce and intimidating eyes becoming incredibly seductive. A smile curled at the corner of her mouth as she drew a circle in the air with her index finger, igniting a flame.

"Or, shall we start with what we haven't begun yet?"

With that, she seemed ready to lean her mouth into the ring of fire.

"Evora."

Ansel sighed, his deep, dark gaze silently extinguishing the flame under Evora's dissatisfied stare.

"You seem to be in heat quite frequently lately. Why is it that every time we meet, you're thinking about that sort of thing?"

"Do you think it's easy for me to remain a virgin?"

Evora, clearly displeased, pressed her foot onto Ansel's thigh, her heel gently squeezing. "You're not the only one with desires, Ansel. And besides... why do you look so annoyed? Are you at a disadvantage?"

"I believe, as the future of the Empire," the young Hydral sighed again, "our relationship should be more normal."

"It's perfectly normal now, and I'm quite satisfied,"

The woman said nonchalantly. The straps on her high heels burned away automatically. She moved her foot slightly, creating a gap between her soft heel and the shoe. She then lifted her leg, seemingly aiming for a certain spot, ready to put it down.

Ansel caught Evora's ankle, turning to look at her. "I'm not interested in this kind of game."

"You just hate being stepped on, don't you?" Evora laughed heartily. "Then you take it and use it. From passive to active, that should be fine, right?"

With that, she wiggled the high heel she was holding with her toes.

In matters of this nature, Ansel was always proactive, and Evora was one of the few people he couldn't take the initiative with.

Hydrals only produce offspring at the end of their lives, but if they were to mate with another divine species, no one knows if this rule would be broken. And Ansel would never accept such an unexpected event that he couldn't control.

Evora's "desire" is less about that and more about... her longing for a twisted and terrifying offspring that combines the power of two divine beings.

After all, as human beings, Flamefeast wouldn't be corrupted by the world's information until they reach the late sixth stage. Pure physical desire is nothing to Evora, let alone restraint, even complete annihilation is easy.

The young Hydral didn't mind enjoying the charms of the Elder Princess, but at least, not now.

Seeing that Ansel had no intention of "using" it, Evora slightly furrowed her brows, clicked her tongue lightly, kicked off her high heels, crossed her feet on Ansel's lap, and didn't do anything else.

"It seems your little dog is well-fed every night," she said in a rather sarcastic tone. "And the little puppet? According to your size, without some preparation, her organs will be punctured, won't they?"

"I had hoped, Evora, that following your surrender, we might engage in more serious discourse," Ansel remarked, his gaze piercing through the vast expanse of the floor-to-ceiling glass, absorbing the distant vista.

Before him lay an endless verdant jungle, its rolling hills blanketed in lush vegetation.

Indeed, this was Evora's hunting ground... seemingly situated within a palace, yet in reality, it was as if a corner of the continent had been transplanted directly inside, forming an immense ecological zone.

"Serious discourse... I have no desire to speak of those two bitches."

Evora's eyes darkened with malice: "To think that they would dare to introduce the eggs of a lesser Tidecallers into my hunting grounds, with the intent of destroying what I have nurtured for years. Ah, such cruelty is indeed worthy of my beloved mother, who, despite her senility and foolishness, still retains the malice of her youth."

The so-called "mission" from the empress, as conveyed by Suellen, involved placing an egg of a lesser Tidecallers within her hunting grounds.

Why undertake such an action? Because the empress sought to study the Tidecallers's resistance to world erosion, requiring a suitable environment for nurturing such beings, and Evora's long-managed hunting ground was deemed... appropriate.

Regardless of the empress's true intentions, the idea of destroying this hunting ground was undeniably real.

"Were it not for you, Ansel... I cannot fathom the extent of the trouble I would face."

Evora smiled pleasantly: "It's an excellent opportunity to employ your hound to dispose of that accursed thing, and in the process, allow my presumptuous sister to witness the cruelty with which that woman deals with failures. Truly... a delightful prospect!"

She lifted her delicate toes to touch Ansel's cheek, her nails blazing like flames: "So, Ansel, are you truly indifferent to my reward?"

"I shall allocate this reward where it is most fitting."

Ansel, grasping Evora's snowy foot, responded indifferently: "Your favor is too precious to be squandered in such a manner."

"How tedious," Evora retorted, withdrawing her foot in annoyance.

With a wave of her hand, a massive screen materialized in the room, displaying Suellen, clad in a pristine white dress, holding a deep blue luminescent egg, making her way to the source of a jungle river.

Evora mused to herself: "I wonder where that woman acquired the egg of a lower-tier Tidecaller. She never conceals such orders; it's impossible for me not to be aware."

"Indeed."

Ansel, supporting his chin with one hand, watched as Suellen submerged the egg into the river, a slight smile playing on his lips:

"Who, after all, suddenly presented Her Majesty with this thing?"

*