novelhk Chapter 60 : Hug Me
Chapter 60 : Hug Me
Chapter 60: Hug Me
The threat about “cutting her legs off and making specimens out of them” had not yet fully dissipated in the air when Lilia’s knees had already gone soft like two strands of freshly boiled noodles.
This was what they called serving a ruler being like serving a tiger. One second she had been flirting with you, playing some “real game,” and the next second she was ready to bring out knives and saws for some human body art.
“I—I understand!” Lilia nodded frantically, as if she wished she could nod her head right off and offer it to Hera as a ball to kick. “As soon as I step out of this door, I’ll wrap myself tighter than a mummy! I won’t expose anything except my eyes!”
Although Lilia exaggerated, Hera seemed fairly satisfied with this answer.
The crisis was resolved.
Lilia let out a long breath. The cold sweat on her back was chilled by the breeze, sending a shiver through her. She lowered her head to glance at the white stockings on her legs, then at the skirt hem that was a bit too short.
This damn System.
At that moment, the blue panel that had been playing dead suddenly popped up like it had come back to life, accompanied by an irritating “ding.”
【The System has detected that the host is facing a risk of “limb mutilation” and has prepared an alternative solution for you.】
【Item Name: Iron-Blood Rose · Type Zero (Combat Type)】
【Description: Woven from Abyss Demon Spider Silk and a small amount of refined gold. Physical Defense +30, Magic Resistance +15. Comes with a passive effect: the skirt will not flip up while running. Note: This is what a proper maid should wear. The previous set was an erotic plugin. Host, please conduct yourself properly.】
Lilia gave the System the middle finger in her mind. You’re the erotic plugin. Your whole family is an erotic plugin. But this thing really was the lifesaving straw she urgently needed right now.
“System, come out.” Lilia gritted her teeth in her mind. “Let’s talk.”
The panel flickered once. No response.
“Stop playing dead. That outfit earlier was intentional, wasn’t it? You clearly had other options but didn’t give them to me, and instead forced me into that white stockings and short skirt set. Did you already know Hera likes that kind of thing?”
The more Lilia thought about it, the more something felt off.
From the very beginning—the mission issuance, the reward mechanisms, and even this bizarre dress-up play.
This System not only had a thorough understanding of Hera’s preferences, it was even pushing her into Hera’s arms at every possible trap.
Faced with Lilia’s questioning, the System chose the safest response—playing dead. The light screen flickered twice and went completely black, not even leaving behind that mocking “Loading” icon.
“Fine. You win.”
Arguing with an artificial idiot would only make her look like the one lacking intelligence.
Right now, the top priority was to leave this place of trouble as quickly as possible.
Hera’s gaze was far too dangerous, like a snake that had been starving for half a month staring at a plump hamster, ready to pounce and take a bite at any moment.
“Um… Your Majesty.”
Lilia spoke cautiously, pointing toward the door.
“If there are no other orders, I’ll take my leave first? This outfit… really isn’t appropriate. I’ll go change into something else.”
Even tearing the bedsheet and wrapping it around herself would be better than facing the risk of sudden amputation.
Hera sat in the high-backed chair. Upon hearing Lilia’s words, her golden eyes appeared somewhat dim and unreadable in the backlit shadows.
“Stop.”
What now?!
Those golden eyes stared at Lilia, the gaze sliding from her flustered face, past her collarbone, and finally stopping at her hands clasped in front of her.
Hera stood up.
The hem of her black nightgown flowed like rippling water as she moved, step by step toward Lilia.
The sound of her high heels tapping against the floor—once, twice.
What is she doing now?
Lilia instinctively wanted to step back, but reason told her that even half a step backward right now would be a capital offense.
She could only stiffen her scalp and stand in place, watching that tall figure approach, until that familiar scent—tinged with a trace of cold floral fragrance—completely enveloped her.
Hera stopped half a meter away from her.
“Just now,” Hera’s voice was slightly low, “you said you were afraid of me.”
Lilia’s heart skipped a beat.
Wasn’t that already over? Why bring it up again? This woman held grudges way too much!
“I—I was… a little.” Lilia shrank her neck, deciding to stick to the “real” policy. “With your presence… it’s normal for a small maid like me to be afraid, right?”
Hera didn’t get angry.
She simply looked at Lilia. There was none of her usual sharpness in her eyes; instead, there was a trace of… hesitation that Lilia couldn’t understand.
About half a minute passed. To Lilia, that half-minute felt like half a century.
Finally, Hera spoke.
“Hug me.”
Huh?
Lilia suspected her auditory system had malfunctioned, or that the damned System in her head had implanted some kind of auditory hallucination again.
“W-what?” she asked blankly.
Hera’s brows furrowed slightly, as if repeating those words caused her extreme discomfort and embarrassment.
She turned her head to the side, avoiding Lilia’s gaze. A rare blush actually appeared at the tips of her ears.
“I said.”
“Hug me.”
This time, Lilia heard it clearly.
Every single word, crystal clear.
And precisely because she heard it clearly, she became even more stunned.
This shift in tone was way too drastic!
It was as absurd as seeing Voldemort suddenly pull out a fairy wand and declare he would punish you in the name of the moon.
Lilia’s mouth hung open, completely at a loss for how to react.
The air fell into a deathly silence.
“If you’re unwilling.”
Hera’s voice sounded again, colder than before, carrying a stiff note of anger born from embarrassment.
She turned her head back, her golden eyes returning to that distant, icy indifference that kept others a thousand miles away.
“Then say it directly.”
“I permit you to refuse.”
“After all,” Hera curled her lips in self-mockery, “this is ‘real,’ isn’t it?”
Refuse?
Lilia looked at Hera.
Her gaze was cold, her posture proud, like a cat with its fur standing on end, ready to scratch someone to cover up her embarrassment.
But Lilia clearly saw, deep within her eyes, a crack that was on the verge of shattering.
That was self-protection after failed expectations, a cowardice born from fearing rejection—so she chose to push others away first.
The gears in Lilia’s mind began spinning wildly.
Where’s the System?
Earlier when I questioned you, you malfunctioned—I let that go. But why are you malfunctioning now too?!
At times like this, shouldn’t that damned System pop up and issue a mission?
Something like 【Hug the Queen, reward: god-tier equipment】 or 【Refuse the Queen, immediate execution】?
Nothing.
Her mind was completely silent.
The System had entirely handed the choice over to her.