Chapter 123: The White Silk Princess Gets Her Comeuppance – Punishment in the Little Black Room (1)

In her heart, Aph was desperately praying: 'Please cooperate with me!'

'We agreed in the contract—don’t let Her Highness suspect anything!'

Violet cast a suspicious glance at Shia.

Shia simply nodded with a confident, easygoing air.

“Exactly, that’s how it is.”

However, Violet still felt a sense of unease, especially when she noticed Aph looking tense and fidgety. Though skeptical, she nodded hesitantly, her gaze still darting between Aph and Shia.

But soon, Violet had no time to dwell on this small matter.

“Clap, clap, clap!”

Shia clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention. Naturally, all eyes turned to him.

“This machine in front of you is called a distiller,” Shia began, his voice brimming with authority. “During the brewing process, you need to add a certain amount of water to complete fermentation. However, after brewing is complete, the water can affect the taste, making the wine’s flavor too light.

“But now, with this machine, everything changes.”

He gestured toward the contraption like it was a treasure.

“This distiller can separate the wine from the water, leaving only the purest, richest essence. Distillation enhances the wine’s flavor and creates the effect of aging for years, all within a short time.”

As Shia explained, he began assigning tasks to everyone. Managing the temperature was crucial to prevent water and alcohol from evaporating together. Cooling and separating the pure liquid, then storing it in clean containers, were equally important.

The principle was simple, but the operation required precision and meticulous care. That’s why he needed everyone’s help. Handling so many details was impossible with just one person.

Once Shia finished explaining, Violet finally understood what “help” meant. Essentially, it was maintaining the machine's operation.

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“You’re making 'me' do this?!”

Violet was aghast.

Wasn’t this the kind of job for servants? She was a princess, noble and dignified! How could she stoop to such menial labor? It was utterly degrading and humiliating.

“I refuse!” Violet declared with a frosty expression, turning her head aside.

Shia shrugged nonchalantly.

“Well, there’s no helping it. The distillation process is a bit complicated and requires extra hands. Besides, this is groundbreaking technology—it’s important to keep it confidential.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know many people, and you’re the only ones I trust.”

In other words, free labor was hard to come by, so he specifically roped in acquaintances.

Violet wasn’t buying it. Making her do servant work? 'Dream on!'

Shia gave Violet a long, assessing look.

“You did agree to help earlier, didn’t you? Surely the esteemed princess wouldn’t go back on her word?”

His expression was laced with mock surprise, even a hint of disdain, as if silently questioning how someone claiming to be a princess could break her promises.

It was blatant reverse psychology, but it worked like a charm.

Violet gritted her teeth in frustration, resisting the urge to lunge at him and take a bite out of his smug face. She had agreed to help, and backing out now would look bad.

'Never trust a scoundrel’s words!'

What seemed like an appeal to her unique capabilities was just a ploy to trick her into doing grunt work—menial, mindless labor with no skill involved.

Though seething with anger, Violet had no choice but to stay. She had given her word, after all.

But the more she thought about it, the more stifled and indignant she felt.

'Fine, I agreed to help, but I never said I’d do a good job!'

If she couldn’t escape, she could at least slack off, right?

And so, Violet began her half-hearted sabotage, dragging her feet at every turn. Her goal was clear: make the work unbearable until Shia himself gave up and released her from her promise.

Unfortunately, her little scheme fell flat.

A certain innocent-looking loli senior watched her sluggish movements with a judgmental glare.

“Why are you so slow?”

That look was pure disdain, as if Violet were a complete fool who couldn’t handle even the simplest of tasks. A princess who wanted to claim the top spot among freshmen, yet couldn’t manage this?

Though Nia said nothing, Violet could read all of this from her gaze.

Being judged by such a pure and angelic senior left Violet feeling deeply ashamed and guilty.

'That’s right. I promised to do this, and here I am, half-assing it. How embarrassing!'

Violet had always aspired to shine like the brightest star. She couldn’t let her senior look down on her. No matter the circumstances, she had to be the best.

Guilt turned into determination, and Violet’s attitude underwent a drastic change.

Even if it was just menial labor, she would be number one!

Distillation? Complicated tasks? 'Bring it on!'

As the dignified Silver Moon Princess, Violet prided herself on being capable of anything.

When Violet got serious, she was a force to be reckoned with. Not only did she complete her tasks with speed and precision, but she even started helping others. Her enthusiasm was infectious, and the overall pace of work improved significantly.

Seeing her achievements only fueled Violet’s motivation.

'Look at me! I’m amazing!'

Standing tall with a proud smirk, Violet glanced at the others. 'None of you are as fast as me!'

She was now fully immersed in her role as a diligent worker, completely oblivious to how much she had been duped.

Rong watched this transformation with a mix of pity and amusement.

Though they were of similar age and status—one a Silver Moon Princess, the other a succubus princess—their vastly different upbringings made Rong far more mature.

Shia’s reverse psychology and Nia’s subtle reinforcement? Rong saw through it all instantly.

Violet, however, remained blissfully unaware. She was genuinely proud of her accomplishments, forgetting that she was just free labor. No matter how well she performed, it ultimately benefited others, not herself.

'Sold out and still counting money for them… Poor girl!'

Rong cast a knowing glance at Shia, then at Nia. Their eyes met briefly, sharing a quiet, mischievous understanding.

Even Aph couldn’t help but shake her head.

'She really needs more life experience.'

Watching the princess pour her heart into the work with such passion and determination, even the knightess, Aph, couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt.

Sure, her princess was exceptional—perfect even—but there were times when her naivety shone through too brightly.

Aph’s mind replayed Shia’s earlier words.

“I’m tempering your princess,” he had said.