Chapter 358

Chapter 358: Showdown

When the castle came into view through the twilight haze, the sun already hung low on the horizon. Lin Yu spotted her daughters clustered at the entrance, their vigil finally rewarded.

The white-haired woman had barely dismounted from the Iron Armored Ant when her daughters swarmed around her like eager fireflies. “Mom!” “You’re finally home!” “We’ve missed you so much this past month – where have you been wandering?” “And where’s Little Shadow? Didn’t she return with you?”

A green-haired figure pressed closest, her voice taking on a theatrical whine. “Hmph! Little Shadow’s probably hiding from guilt! Not fair…sniff…I wanted to have Mom all to myself for a month too! Every single day – no, every waking minute – I’d first do this…” Her fingers twitched suggestively, “…then that…hehe…and then maybe…”

“Enough!” Lin Yu’s cheeks burned as she silenced the chorus. “We’ll continue this inside.” Her hand automatically flicked the green-haired pest’s forehead, the familiar punishment belying her affection.

“Yowch!” Lvzi rubbed the reddening spot, pouting dramatically. “You let Little Shadow monopolize you for weeks but won’t even hug me?” Her emerald eyes narrowed mischievously. “Wait – I can smell it on you! Don’t tell me nothing happened this whole month!”

The white-haired woman froze mid-step. Before realizing the implication, she’d already lifted her sleeve for a surreptitious sniff. The telltale motion made several daughters gasp while others exchanged knowing glances.

Lin Yu’s pale complexion flushed crimson as fragmented memories surfaced – tangled limbs in dim chambers, whispered promises against chitinous walls. She opened her mouth to refute, but Lvzi’s triumphant crow cut through the twilight.

“Aha! I knew it!” The green-haired troublemaker stamped her foot. “Should’ve made my move first!” Around them, other daughters shifted restlessly, gazes turning calculating.

An alarm bell clanged in Lin Yu’s mind. She stood paralyzed as her children’s stares intensified – part accusation, part hunger, wholly unsettling. The castle’s shadow stretched toward them like a living thing, swallowing the last golden slivers of daylight.

The scene abruptly fell into silence, the atmosphere turning oddly tense and awkward…

No wonder Little Shadow sought refuge within her own shadow.

This current mood… felt unbearably stifling…

The silver-haired maiden averted her gaze involuntarily, delicate fingers twisting fabric edges while toes curled self-consciously within her slippers.

“Mother,” came a mellifluous interruption, “perhaps we should continue this conversation inside. Little Liquor has nearly prepared dinner, and there are matters we wish to discuss with you as well.”

Red Pupil approached with composed grace, slipping her arm through Lin Yu’s in fluid motion before guiding the group into the stone-clad fortress.

The dining hall witnessed an unusual supper – not a single ant broke the porcelain silence between clinking utensils. Each seemed absorbed in private contemplations until…

“Little Pupil…”

Lin Yu’s gaze lingered on the petite figure beside the mahogany table, words dissolving before utterance. This daughter remained her steadfast counsel through countless quandaries.

“Regarding your recent… interactions with Little Shadow,” the childlike figure smiled knowingly, “no explanations are necessary.”

Her pearly teeth glimmered in candlelight. “Our sisters aren’t dullards. Most harbor suspicions, though none voiced them as boldly as Lvzi.”

“Ehehe~”

The emerald-tressed girl scratched her head, mirth bubbling forth until Red Pupil’s sidelong glance froze the laughter.

“Not praise,” the crimson-eyed one clarified before dropping her bombshell: “Yet Lvzi’s courtyard declaration… mirrors our collective yearning.”

“To claim Mother’s undivided attention – every dawn, every twilight moment…”

Her trailing words hung pregnant with implication. Weak Sound’s cheeks blossomed crimson, mirroring the discomfort rippling through the gathering. Darkling Stalker’s assertive courtship had indeed stirred unease beneath carapaces.

Rising from her gilded chair, the diminutive figure approached the table’s sovereign seat. “Thus we observe irony – though Little Shadow shares least temporal bonds with Mother, she forges ahead most decisively.”

Pale hands, luminous as moonflowers, framed the pale-haired beauty’s countenance with ceremonial tenderness.

Lin Yu wasn’t sure what her daughter intended, but under the collective gaze of her daughters, such an intimate gesture made her cheeks flush.

“Mom is our precious treasure.”

“I must admit much of what I’ve done until now has been to earn my sisters’ favor—and to monopolize Mom.”

“But monopolizing Mom is impossible. Little Shadow must realize this too.”

The young girl cast a fleeting glance toward Lin Yu’s shadow.

“At this point, there’s no need for pretense. Mom has surely understood her daughters’ feelings by now.”

“Besides, we’re family—bound tighter than kin or lovers. There’s truly no need for secrecy.”

“We all share the same desire: to receive more of Mom’s affection.”

Red Pupil withdrew her hand from Lin Yu’s cheek and nestled closer, settling onto her mother’s lap. Her crimson eyes swept across the table.

“‘Unique Skill – Queen Ant’—this is the ability Mom possesses as a reincarnator. As offspring of the Queen Ant, we exist as Mom’s daughters, her anchors in this world… her rightful possessions.”

“However…” Her soft voice sharpened. “While we belong to Mom, Mom doesn’t belong to the ants! Hoarding her is unacceptable!”

Crossing her tiny arms, the child’s words carried a petulant charm that suited her youthful form. Seeming self-conscious about this display, Red Pupil quickly composed herself.

“What say my sisters?”

“Agreed! No monopolizing! Unless it’s me, ehehe…” Lvzi sprang up, her trailing giggle met with practiced indifference from the others.

A stunning white-haired woman rose next, lips parting like blooming roses. “Elder Sister speaks truth. Should any claim Mom exclusively, it would wound both our sisterhood and Mom herself.”

Magic Rainbow’s gaze drifted to Lin Yu at the head of the table. “Though we shan’t pry into recent matters between Mom and Little Shadow…” Her eyes locked onto the white-haired girl. “…this daughter wishes to know—has Little Shadow caused Mom distress during this time?”