After changing from her cocktail dress to a more comfortable pair of white long-sleeved shirt and pants, she exited the premises. Leaving the dinner venue, their main family's residence in the middle of the city, Henrietta rode her V8 Fenriri and sped through the highway.

It was late at night already, so the roads were mostly empty. As such, she didn't have any problems flooring the pedal, shooting for speeds that made use of almost the full range of her speedometer.

Inside, her heart was restless. Her father's praise, her mother's disdain, her brother's humiliation—all of it swirled in her mind like a storm refusing to die down. Feeling it to be bothersome, she just blasted music, trying to chase away her random thoughts.

Just like that, before she realized it, she already arrived at her manor's parking lot. She couldn't recall how she drove until there, as she was in a semi-trance state.

"Welcome back, Lady Henrietta." The chauffeur greeted, extending a hand over to receive her keys.

Henrietta glanced at the man, "Hmm..." before passing her keys just like that.

She was too tired mentally and emotionally to even try and exchange words. Walking forward, she reached for the door. When it opened, Uriel was there, as always, dressed in her usual maid clothes, waiting like a quiet shadow.

"Ritta, you're home."

Henrietta nodded faintly, brushing past her with little more than a low hum.

She even failed to notice Uriel's concerned gaze. As one who's been with her since she was little, Uriel knew how she felt every time the Campbell family gathered for dinner. Her chest felt heavy, like a weight had settled there, concern swirling in her mind.

But still, she didn't dare to stop Henrietta.

Almost as if on autopilot, her steps led her toward her own room… yet when her hand touched the doorknob, she froze.

She was hesitating for some reason, whether to enter her room and sleep, or not. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of another room across from hers. A room that was just as large, and belonged to someone special to her.

"..."

As if making up her mind, she turned away from her room and walked further down the corridor. Her steps were unsteady until she reached the door of the room she'd been eyeing since earlier—the one that belonged to Xu Tao.

The door was left unlocked. After all, there was "nobody" staying there at the moment. But what was weirder was that Henrietta had actually ordered the maids to "not" clean the room. The reason? Well...

Inside was the premium VR Pod, its sleek surface still carrying faint traces of his scent. Henrietta's feet moved, guiding her toward it like a moth to a flame.

Her lips quivered.

With slow hands, she caressed the glass cover before gently popping it open. The cover slid without resistance, allowing her to reminisce on the scent of the person she respected the most at present.

"Master..."

She whispered, following her unstoppable urge.

She slipped inside the pod, lying on the soft cushion as if she was lying in a sea of clouds, while taking a deep breath. Xu Tao's unique scent filled her nose, making her mind and body relax.

Although what she was doing felt wrong, yet... this was what made her feel the safest.

Slowly, while wrapped in her master's residual scent, Henrietta's body felt hot. Her hands moved by themselves, releasing her pants' button, and sliding it off to the side. As if still feeling uncomfortable, she even unbuttoned the top two buttons of her white long-sleeved polo shirt, its lower edges brushing against her exposed thighs.

Right then, she wore nothing over her pair of black, adult underwear other than her white shirt.

She fully climbed into the pod, pulling the cover down while hugging her knees to her chest. Without hesitation, she buried her face into the cushion, taking a deep, long breath.

"Master…" she whispered softly, exhaling.

The faint masculine scent that lingered on the fabric made her heart ache. "I can't wait for you to return… Just a few more days, right…? I'll endure until then…"

The pod was silent, like a coffin keeping her secrets.

But then—her hand moved.

Her loneliness from after the dinner, and her longing for Xu Tao, mixed with his remaining scent, however faint it was... made her head go haywire.

"M...Mhm~!"

She started touching herself, trying to cope with her sadness through pleasure. Her mind started to blur, as her consciousness was overlaid with a thin veil of haze.

Her fingers moved as if they were looking for something, her voice barely kept from echoing loud.

Just as she was pleasuring herself...

Vrrrrmmm!

The machine trembled beneath her.

Henrietta's head shot up, eyes wide.

She couldn't forget this sensation. After all, other than the familiar booting up vibration of the machine, she also recalled one moment this happened in the past. The moment when she first met her master!

Lights flared across its surface.

The air hummed as electrical energy surged, filling the room with flickering crackles.

At that moment, Henrietta was already half sure. "C-Could this really be...?!"

Predicting what would happen next, she scrambled to climb out. But before she could, figures flashed into existence right before her eyes. One, two... five bodies, including herself, ended up squeezed into the small compartment of the VR Pod.

Unable to keep them all contained, the pod's glass hood hissed and popped open with a violent release of pressure. Thankfully, it wasn't cracked or damaged, simply forced open.

After suddenly getting released, the bodies fell to the sides, hitting the ground with thuds and cute wails of pain. However, Henrietta's eyes were locked onto the only gentleman within the group. She gasped, her eyes trembling as she recognized his familiar face.

"Master… Xu Tao…!"

"Mh? Huh?"

Indeed—it was him.

His expression was calm yet weary, his eyes already narrowing in annoyance.

Behind him was Yifa, struggling to rise to her feet, with her hair disheveled. Entangled with her were two strangers, squirming unsightly, trying to move away from their pile.

No, not strangers.

One was a stunning woman with noble poise, clad in black with gold imperial robes. Her long black hair tied elegantly, her eyes cold and imperious like a queen overlooking ants. The Black Phoenix that Mocked the Heavens—Wu Zetian!

The other was fairer, with young but sharp features, exuding the aura of someone who had lived through countless battles—Jehanne d'Arc!

Although, of course, Henrietta didn't know either of the two women's names.

"You two… Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Putting aside Henrietta for a moment, Xu Tao immediately frowned at the two.

His tone was sharper than Henrietta had ever heard it. "Leaving Alkryon without warning, hitching a ride on this fragile link between worlds… Do you both understand the risks you've borne without much thought?"

Jehanne shrugged, arms crossed, her lips twitching with defiance. "Danger? I laugh in the face of danger! What's another risk if it means staying by your side?"

Wu Zetian, on the other hand, merely smiled, her voice smooth like silk.

"Surely you wouldn't expect a ruler to sit idly while her most trusted man leaves for another domain. If danger exists, then it is my duty to take half your burden."

Xu Tao's jaw tightened.

"You don't get it. If anything went wrong, you wouldn't be able to return. You'd be trapped here—forever. And Alkryon would be left with their forces halved. Do you think that's acceptable?"

Jehanne, in her bunny form, technically was the strongest next to Zetian and Xu Tao. Thus, this situation was literally the top three powerhouses of the City leaving at the same time. Worse, they couldn't even return until the Lost System's cooldown was over!

The two women exchanged glances, each unyielding in their own way. Jehanne's pride wouldn't allow her to admit fault. Zetian's arrogance wouldn't let her bow her head.

But before the argument could escalate—

"Master…!"

Henrietta's voice cut through. Without warning, she moved.

Slipping past the others, she wrapped her arms around Xu Tao from behind. Her grip was firm, with hints of desperation, her face pressed tight against his back.

The sudden embrace silenced the entire room.

Xu Tao stiffened slightly, caught off guard. "Henrietta…?" He asked.

She didn't answer.

She didn't want them to see her face.

She wasn't crying—her eyes were dry—but her expression was twisted in a way she couldn't show anyone.

Her body trembled faintly. Not from fear, but from relief. From the storm of emotions she had been bottling up since dinner, since the suffocating weight of her family's words.

She buried it all into that single hug.

Xu Tao, confused, glanced over his shoulder. He opened his mouth to ask, but stopped. Although he wanted to pat her head to soothe her, there was no way he could reach it given their position. Slowly, almost awkwardly, he gently patted her arms wrapped around his chest instead.

"...It's alright. I'm here." His voice softened, steady and reassuring. "Don't worry."

Henrietta's grip tightened.

She didn't speak, but she didn't let go either.

Yifa watched silently, her brows furrowed in concern. Judging from Henrietta's state, she already figured out what happened.

Jehanne frowned, keeping her thoughts to herself. Zetian tilted her head slightly, her emotionless, calculating gaze lingering on Henrietta before shifting back to Xu Tao.

The moment stretched on, heavy but warm. For Henrietta, at that moment, the world outside of herself and Xu Tao no longer mattered.

Right now, there was only her Master.

And that was enough.

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