Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 80 - 77: The Goddess of Evil

Just like puppets on strings, the crowd on the dance floor moved to their own rhythms, but they were called puppets because their minds were not on merrymaking.

More like following an irresistible command, from the moment Beatrice emerged, she became the focus of all eyes and even of thoughts.

Though every heart was restless, no one took that step; their own thoughts held them back. No one dared break through that invisible barrier, bearing the blasphemy and sin surfacing within them.

So, they displayed their feathers like peacocks in heat, eagerly anticipating the Queen’s grace.

"Anna." Lady Rose approached the succubus, with nothing else in her eyes.

"Lady Beatrice, you are as beautiful as ever today." As Beatrice approached, the succubus began to cry with joy, just like an ardent fan meeting an idol, completely overwhelmed.

Beatrice reached out her hand, playing with the succubus’s hair, and as she looked at her excitingly close to fainting, her lips curled into a smile.

"To have someone beside my adorable Anna who is still lucid, now that is a surprise."

It was probably that Lyle had been saluting in his vicinity for too long that made the bar owner aware of another person.

The succubus cradled one of Beatrice’s palms with both hands, her cheek softly brushing against the black silk glove.

"That’s because Andrey is truly a tough nut to crack, a blockhead without a heart."

Seemingly recalling something amusing, Beatrice’s eyes curved into crescents, and she covered her mouth, chuckling, "Indeed, she is a blockhead too."

Collecting herself, she pinched the succubus’s horns, then caressed her head, "Little Anna is our star attraction, she just needs the knack. I believe it won’t be long before even the dead will come to life for your charm, keep it up."

Watching the two beautiful women teasing and playing with each other, Lyle feasted his eyes.

Then a scream interrupted them.

Following the direction of the sound, the crowd parted, and a skeleton had someone pinned underneath, their right arm still twisting unnaturally.

"Dreamy?"

"Lady Beatrice, this scum was making his move on Candy." Not far away, less than a meter, Candy stood blushing red, wearing... a flawless white dress and bows at the waist and in the hair. Given his constitution that left his cheeks perpetually rosy, along with his meek character and a temperament that invited bullying, he was quite suited to the cute aesthetic, provided no one knew he was a boy.

Clearly, with Beatrice’s entrance, agitated thoughts began to degrade, as Beatrice possessed a quality that made people succumb to their own instincts.

The man having his way with Candy showed no remorse.

"That was just normal physical contact! You stupid pile of bones."

"Touching others under their skirts is normal contact? You idiot, you treat others like idiots!"

"It was irresistible, who made that waitress dress so cutely? You from Bloody Rose, dressed so seductively, isn’t it just to profit from it? What’s wrong with me? My dad is a member of the Secret Pivot Council, I have plenty of money, but now, you’ve cut off your own revenue. I’m the real citizen of City of Wandering, Beatrice, if you still want your bar to operate as usual, heh, you’d better compensate me well." The man’s filthy gaze was lascivious, and his tongue licked his lips as if licking something else.

"Boss!"

"Let him go, Dreamy."

"Yes."

Beatrice’s face was grim, her hair partly covering her face, "I’m a businesswoman, there’s no need to make a big deal out of this, Anna, apologize to this customer and compensate him, as per the usual rules."

Upon hearing this, the man shakily stood up, eyeing Anna, who was approaching with a bottle of expensive liquor, "Heh, this little babe isn’t bad either. Looks like today I can really relax. But Beatrice, don’t think this will be the end of it, some things, you will have to do yourself."

Anna had already arrived in front of the man, holding a bottle of liquor that obviously had a sense of age, "Sir, this is from our boss’s collection, it dates back to the Roman era, as an apology..."

"Cut the crap, you can go with me now, babe." The man instinctively reached out his hand.

"As an apology, let me offer you a drink now." Anna inverted the bottle, and with the sound of breaking glass, the man was once again sprawled on the ground, shards of glass scattered everywhere, the aromatic liquor mixed with fresh blood splattered all over the floor.

Anna discarded the shards in her hand and, without disgust, grabbed the unconscious man’s head, "Nobody touches my Candy and gets away unharmed."

"Murder! The Bloody Rose has murdered someone!" Someone attempted to create chaos, only to find they were performing a solo act, the silent crowd moved to the sides, exposing the man to Beatrice’s view, her pupils reflecting red in the light.

"He’s just fainted, are you his friend?"

"What you’re doing is wrong, you can’t fight the power of the Secret Pivot Council, just wait and see how you’ll suffer, Rose Queen."

Beatrice crossed her left leg over her right and stretched lazily on the chair, "An ignorant councilor doesn’t represent the council. I assume the one lying down is just an unloved bastard enjoying power under the name of legitimacy; otherwise, his councilor father would have told him that there are people in City of Wandering you can’t mess with, and even bring trouble upon oneself."

Beatrice played with a delicate ring, its nightshade flower emblem clear even in the chaotic light, an Andrey ring, but the emblem was not the typical blue, it was pure black.

"I’m quite curious whether Andrey has the power to dislodge a worthless councilor. Whether this publicly recognized dark gang of City of Wandering will change the real ruler of the city, the power dynamics of the Secret Pivot Council. Would you like, to be the one thousand four hundred fifty-ninth accused?"

"Also, the style of Bloody Rose is my personal preference, running a bar is my pleasure. I love the feeling of being the center of attention, I’ve also given my staff the freedom to pursue beauty. Don’t presumptuously think their beauty is for you; they shine and glow, and then by the way, they nourish your eyeballs."

"I also quite enjoy watching you expose the filth within yourselves."

She was the goddess of malice, luring mortals to their downfall with beauty, sitting aloft, mocking the vulgar spectacle of life.