Chapter 12: He breathed on it, then got his comeuppance.

“My turn.”

These two words landed in Ella’s ears like the first footstep after a death sentence.

“Wait! Wait wait wait wait wait!”

Her voice instantly shot up eight octaves, sharp enough to nearly crack. Her hands waved frantically in front of her.

The severed piece of tentacle was still floating on the water’s surface. Its blackened end swayed gently with the ripples, as if reminding her that her greatest and only weapon was gone.

I’m going to die! I’m going to die!

Without the tentacle, what could she use to fight her?

Ella activated her top-tier Insect Mother intelligence. Her gaze swept frantically across every corner of the bathroom. The window was too small to squeeze through. The door was blocked by Yiwen. The bathtub was ceramic and couldn’t be smashed. The faucet? Use it as a weapon? Don’t be ridiculous. The opponent was covered in poison.

Her gaze finally landed on Butterfly Wing’s face.

That unnaturally beautiful face was now looking at her with an expression that said “Let’s see what tricks you can come up with.”

In the end, she could only reach one conclusion.

The only way to avoid dying at Butterfly Wing’s hands right now was…

To bite her tongue and commit suicide immediately.

That way she could successfully avoid being beaten to death by Butterfly Wing!

Hahaha… She laughed dryly twice in her heart. There was no joy in that laughter.

“I’ve neutralized the toxin. Come here.”

Butterfly Wing reached out and grabbed Ella’s arm.

“Let go!”

Ella’s body instinctively shrank backward. Her hands clung desperately to the edge of the bathtub, her nails scraping against the tiles and making harsh sounds. Her legs kicked wildly in the water, splashing droplets that wet Butterfly Wing’s hair and shoulders.

But the strength of this body — this slender, fragile girl’s body that couldn’t even break free from chains — was nowhere near what it used to be.

In front of Butterfly Wing, she could only be toyed with like a doll.

Butterfly Wing’s fingers gripped her upper arm. The force wasn’t strong, but Ella could feel the warmth of that hand.

Her body stiffened.

“To be honest, I really hate you.”

Ella’s heartbeat skipped a beat.

“You performed so many experiments on me. The pain you brought me… even after all these years,”

Her thumb gently stroked Ella’s arm. The action looked almost gentle at first glance.

“I still can’t forget it.”

The steam in the bathroom seemed to freeze for a moment.

After a brief blank in her brain, Ella activated a coping mechanism that even she found ridiculous.

“Quick, forget it! Forget it all!”

Her voice suddenly became light and fast, like she was reciting from memory.

“Forget about them and start a new life! You know what I mean! People can’t always be blinded by hatred and the past! You must learn to look forward!”

She even forced a smile onto her face. Though that smile was so stiff it looked like it had been nailed on, and the curve of her lips was so unnatural that even she felt it was fake.

Butterfly Wing looked at her.

She stared for a long time.

“Heh.”

Then she laughed. This time the smile was not mocking.

“Not bad at all, Your Majesty the Insect Mother.”

Her gaze rested on Ella’s face. Her red pupils looked at her through the steam, calm yet sharp.

“Then, can you also forget the fact that we blew up your insect nest?”

Ella’s smile shattered.

“This! This is completely different!”

Her voice rose sharply. Her fingers unconsciously tightened on the edge of the bathtub.

“The insect nest was everything to me! My everything!”

Her eye sockets turned red, not only from sadness but from anger — an uncontrollable rage burning up from the depths of her bone marrow.

“I will definitely make you pay for this! I’ll transform all of you into eternally unsatisfied ! Then I’ll throw you into the nest of mucus insects! Let them breed several generations of soccer teams on your bodies!”

Her sharp voice echoed in the bathroom.

Butterfly Wing did not get angry. She did not even frown.

She simply tilted her head and looked at Ella with an almost appraising gaze.

“Hoh, you’re still as eloquent as ever, Your Majesty.”

Her voice was slow and unhurried.

“Do you understand that right now, you are the mosquito caught in the spider’s web?”

Ella’s voice got stuck in her throat.

A mosquito on the spider’s web.

In her mind flashed Zhuluo’s eight eyes, the four spider legs that had clamped her tentacle, and the transparent fluid that had come out when the barbs sank into soft tissue.

She suddenly realized one thing.

On this ship, every single person was stronger than her.

Every single one.

She didn’t even have the qualifications to run away.

Tch…

She cursed inwardly.

I will definitely take revenge.

I definitely will.

I definitely will.

After making this resolution, Ella raised her head.

Her gaze had changed. The previous ferocity and madness were gone. Those scarlet pupils had become soft and obedient.

She did not realize how un-calculating and how un-“Insect Mother” it was to choose revenge instead of immediately escaping to rebuild the swarm somewhere else.

The real Insect Mother would calculate gains and losses at every possible moment, weighing the pros and cons. If the nest was destroyed, she would simply start over somewhere else. If the enemy was too strong, she would retreat first and return later.

But she didn’t think about any of that.

All she thought about was:

Revenge.

Right here on this ship. On these people. Right now. She would find an opportunity.

“What do you want?”

Her voice became very soft, carrying a delicate and pitiful quality. Her eyelashes lowered slightly, trembling gently in the steam.

Butterfly Wing raised an eyebrow slightly.

“Face me.”

Ella hesitated for a moment, then turned around.

Her body and face were now directed toward Butterfly Wing. The distance between them was so close that Ella could clearly see the fine scales on Butterfly Wing’s collarbones and smell the scent on her body — a mix of floral fragrance and hot steam.

“Good.”

Butterfly Wing’s gaze lingered on Ella’s face for a moment, then moved downward.

“Next,”

“Eh?! You?!”

Ella felt two forces appear at her hips. It was Butterfly Wing’s hands.

Those two forces pushed forward. Her body slid uncontrollably toward Butterfly Wing.

The water surface rippled. Waves lapped against the edge of the bathtub, making soft sounds. Her knees touched Butterfly Wing’s legs underwater. Her waist met Butterfly Wing’s hands. Her…

Her chest pressed tightly against Butterfly Wing’s chest.

She could feel Butterfly Wing’s heartbeat. Steady, calm, about sixty beats per minute. She could feel Butterfly Wing’s body temperature, slightly higher than hers. She could feel Butterfly Wing’s breathing. With every rise and fall, their chests gently squeezed together.

Ella’s face instantly flushed red from the base of her neck all the way to her ears.

“I’ve waited for this moment for soooo long, Your Majesty. As your servant, I’ve really waited for a very long time~”