Chapter 45

This peony-like pattern, there’s no mistaking it.

At this moment, Vanessa felt that what she was holding in her arms was not a cute, fluffy little fox, but a hot potato, to the point that her entire body stiffened.

“Foxy~” The little fox in her arms seemed unaware of Vanessa’s rigid movements, enjoying the soft, jade-like embrace of the girl.

It nuzzled coquettishly against the pair of plump breasts, causing a ripple of waves.

The little white fox was soft and smooth, its fur feeling like the finest quality satin.

It blinked its mischievous yet enchanting eyes, the kind of cuteness no girl could resist.

However, Vanessa was not one of those naive little girls.

Outwardly, she remained calm, but deep down, she knew that the fluffy bundle in her arms was a ticking time bomb.

If mishandled, it could explode at any moment, potentially leveling several cities in the process.

Vanessa remembered that in Carillian Citrus, one of the top-tier powerhouses, Julianna Vaughn, the future Demon Queen, possessed terrifying combat abilities.

A mere flick of her tail could flatten an entire town in an instant.

She was bloodthirsty, sadistic, unpredictable, and trusted no one, a true mad queen with a penchant for domination.

Vanessa recalled that even in the later stages of the original story, when Aesphyra officially brought Julianna into her harem, their daily flirtations were still fraught with tension.

One moment they would be sweet and affectionate, and the next, Julianna’s sharp claws would be inches away from Aesphyra’s neck.

It was impossible to tell whether she was playing a dangerous game of seduction or simply joking without boundaries, or perhaps both.

To describe her, Julianna was like a piece of candy laced with arsenic, sweet and alluring, yet deadly.

As the saying goes, “To die under the peony, even as a ghost, is to be romantic.”

Being with her, one might lose their soul in an unguarded moment, and perhaps even their heart.

Literally.

Julianna was a mad beauty. You could never guess what was going on in her mind or understand her motives for doing certain things.

If Vanessa were to rank the danger levels of the female leads, Julianna would score four and a half stars, second only to Aesphyra.

Interacting with such a madwoman was far too unpredictable, and it clearly exceeded the level of risk Vanessa was willing to take.

Why?

She couldn’t understand why Julianna would appear here at this time.

Could it be?

In the original story, those crimson demon minions searching the forest were actually looking for Julianna.

Such a major event would undoubtedly involve high-ranking demon generals.

After much thought, the only variable was her own early arrival.

Thus, Vanessa formed a hypothesis.

Perhaps it was precisely because she arrived too early, during the peak of the crimson demons’ search of the forest, that she encountered a demon general.

In the original story, Aesphyra arrived later, and the demons, not daring to linger too long in human territory, left behind only a few stragglers.

This would explain everything.

As for why Julianna was being chased so frantically by a few red demon minions?

Vanessa found the corresponding explanation in the setting.

If she remembered correctly, Julianna was the offspring of the Myriad Demon Fox King and the Succubus Queen.

She carried the bloodlines of two Demon King candidate families, making her talent and comprehension top-tier.

At a young age, she had carved out her own place in the demon world, where strength ruled supreme.

However, due to her mixed heritage, the conflict between the two powerful bloodlines caused her to suffer from a rare and strange illness from a young age.

When the illness flared up, she would lose all her strength, becoming as powerless as a chicken.

The crimson demons probably wanted to capture her while she was at her weakest.

But the original story never mentioned her being captured by the crimson demons.

Which meant that even without her intervention, this little white fox had a way to escape??

If that was the case, then everything made sense.

Why did Julianna later guide Winnie to absorb the Dark Soul Armament?

Perhaps it was because, after escaping the pursuit, she remained in human territory for some reason instead of returning to the demon realm, and by chance, she encountered Winnie.

With this thought, Vanessa looked down at the jade-white fox in her arms, paired with its deliberately adorable gaze.

It was hard to believe that such a creature could be so cunning.

Great acting skills.

Vanessa observed the little jade fox’s expression, which resembled that of a drowned cat finally finding safe harbor after being rescued from the water.

This was the first time she had ever praised someone’s acting skills, and perhaps the last.

So, the question arises again: Julianna’s strange illness is her only weakness, her only fatal flaw, and she keeps it absolutely secret.

Any living being who knows this secret must die, even her closest confidants are no exception.

This was clearly a targeted, premeditated operation against Julianna.

How did the other demons find out?

Forget it. The internal affairs of the demon race had nothing to do with her, and now was clearly not the time to dwell on such matters.

In the span of a few breaths, countless thoughts flashed through Vanessa’s mind, yet her expression remained calm and composed.

Her gaze toward the little fox in her arms was as gentle as ever, betraying no hint of her inner turmoil.

Life was full of ups and downs.

Before she could even consolidate her gains and bask in the joy of victory, she was already exhausted from figuring out how to survive.

Yes, Vanessa had already guessed that the mad fox in her arms had set her sights on her life.

The way the fox was acting all dependent and affectionate, as if it wanted to repay her kindness, was entirely an act.

Why the act?

Naturally, it was to make her let her guard down.

At this very moment, the fox was probably already plotting a hundred different ways to turn her into sashimi.

Why was she so sure?

Dealing with those crimson demon minions and the little chieftain had left her breathless, but to the demon race, they were nothing more than insignificant weaklings who couldn’t even sit at the adult table during meals.

They were ignorant and didn’t even know how they died, but Julianna, who had witnessed everything, surely knew.

As the heir to a Demon Queen candidate family, how could Julianna not recognize the holy flame that had slain countless Demon Queens?

Julianna wasn’t the type to bother with just anyone.

Did Vanessa know why, in the original story, after accidentally encountering Winnie, Julianna deliberately guided him to absorb the Dark Soul Armament?

The reason was that she had overheard Winnie’s surname: Varelis.

This had greatly amused her.

Before her transmigration, Vanessa hadn’t fully understood Julianna’s way of thinking.

Now, she was starting to get it.

She also recalled a detail from the original story that had been mentioned in passing: Julianna’s father, the Myriad Demon Fox King, had been killed by the last Varelis Saintess—Vanessa’s great-grandmother.

Guiding the descendant of her father’s killer to slowly fall into corruption, even tainting him with the dark Soul armament that his family despised the most, and watching the heir of the Varelis lineage, who carried the legacy of generations of saintesses, descend into the path of evil—was there any more thrilling spectacle for a Demon Queen?

Vanessa’s smile was as warm as the sun, blooming across an endless field of flowers as she gently stroked the little fox’s forehead.

The little fox purred contentedly, nuzzling coquettishly against Vanessa’s soft palm.

A beautiful young girl holding a cute little white fox in her arms, it was a picture of harmony and tranquility.

However, neither the girl nor the fox was what they appeared to be.

The inner drama between them was probably more intense than a suspenseful movie.

But there was one thing they had in common: both were thinking about how to trip the other up.

It was simple, really. Vanessa held the key to the plot, knew Julianna’s identity, and was fully aware of her weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

Julianna was currently powerless, making this her most vulnerable moment.

Vanessa only needed to exert a little more force with her fingers to strangle her.

So, should she let Miss Julianna make an unceremonious exit?

After a brief moment of consideration, Vanessa dismissed the idea.

If Julianna had managed to escape the crimson demons’ encirclement, it proved that she must also have a way to escape unscathed if Vanessa tried to kill her.

Vanessa was neither a saintess nor a hero, just a minor NPC.

She couldn’t bear the consequences of killing a future Demon Queen.

On the other hand, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

Before being taken in by Aesphyra, Julianna would remain a major adversary, diverting much of Aesphyra’s attention and leaving her with little energy to deal with Vanessa, her old enemy.

Most importantly, the demon race was not a monolithic entity.

The conflicts between demon lords were even more intense than the struggles between human nations.

With Julianna, an unstable element who thrived on chaos, the demon race’s internal power struggles would intensify, keeping them too busy with infighting to covet human territories.

In other words, keeping Julianna alive was actually beneficial to humans.

If Julianna were to exit the stage early, the demon race’s internal conflicts wouldn’t be as fierce, allowing them to preserve more strength to wreak havoc on humanity.

With Julianna as a thorn in their side, the demons would remain in chaos for longer.

Moreover, Julianna had no interest in the traditional demon pastimes of slaughter and plunder.

She only enjoyed tormenting strong enemies and foes, showing no interest in weak, defenseless civilians.

This was the biggest difference between her and other demon lords.

Additionally, Julianna had many important plot points in the future.

Vanessa didn’t know how the story would change if Julianna were removed.

In summary, Julianna couldn’t die, at least not now.

Besides, such fresh “greens”—how could she not harvest them?

Sometimes, breaking someone’s spirit was far more effective than killing them.

Vanessa had already come up with a brilliant idea, one that would humiliate Julianna to the core, avenge past grievances, and allow her to harvest Julianna like fresh greens. It was a triple win.

Alright then, future Demon Queen. You like acting, don’t you? Then I’ll play along with you to the fullest~