"It seemed she cared quite a bit about her image." Ang spoke in a flippant tone, the smile on his face carrying a chilling hint of malice.
He looked at the silent Candice, the corner of his mouth curling upward. "I'll give you one last chance. Otherwise, I'll pull off the blanket covering you. You know what your body looks like underneath right now. I don't think you want Leon to see it, do you?"
Candice's tightly shut eyes finally lost control, and a few tears slipped from their corners.
She clenched her teeth hard, but the slight trembling of her shoulders betrayed her emotions.
"Leon," Ang suddenly turned his head, "do you want to see?"
"I... I don't." Leon lowered his head, his voice subdued.
"That won't do." Ang shook his head, his tone teasing. "Even if you don't want to see, you have to. Of course... you only get to see if Candice refuses to cooperate."
He looked back at Candice, and his tone abruptly turned cold. "Three seconds to think. Three... two..."
The air seemed to freeze in an instant.
The blanket rose and fell faintly as Candice's body trembled slightly.
Just as Ang was about to count "one," a choked voice came from beneath the blanket. "I'll talk..."
"That's more like it." Ang straightened up and lightly patted the Flame Armament on his body. The metal rang out with a clang, carrying an indescribable pressure.
"You cooperate with me, and I save myself some trouble. You'll have an easier time too. Don't worry. There are only the three of us in the Magic-Sealing Room. No one in the entire empire will know what happened here."
Candice's face was hidden in the blanket's shadow, but tears had already soaked her cheeks.
She slowly opened her mouth, her