Ode – One
As soon as she realized it had nothing to do with her, Princess Marentia immediately made an excuse to slip away, leaving Su Ling alone in front of Princess Nori.
Only the two of them were left in the empty courtyard.
The biting cold wind blew fiercely. Su Ling widened her eyes, facing the ostentatiously dressed blonde Little Princess, not knowing what to do.
Her figure was already considered petite in the Palace, but compared to Princess Nori, she still stood a head taller. Right now, as the two stood face-to-face, Su Ling had to look down slightly to meet her gaze.
“Princess Nori,” Su Ling took the initiative to speak, “weren’t you going to look for Princess Moria? Why are you wasting your time on me…”
Princess Nori smiled knowingly, placing both hands behind her back and tilting her head as she observed Su Ling, as if she were inspecting some interesting object.
“Hmph, even though Princess Moria is fun, you’re pretty interesting too,” the Little Princess grinned, “Right now, I think I want to find a little more amusement from you!”
Well, so she’s here for entertainment.
Su Ling let out a barely audible sigh, sensing faintly that trouble was on the way, so she adopted her most respectful Maid’s demeanor.
“If you have any requests, please feel free to say so.”
“That’s exactly what I want! Nori just wants this kind of attitude!” The blonde girl clapped her hands happily. “Then I’ll get straight to the point, alright? Answer my questions properly!”
Su Ling swallowed, feeling tense.
“I understand.”
“You seem pretty close with Sista,” Princess Nori narrowed her eyes, “I don’t leave my room much, but I’ve still heard some gossip from the other Maids—”
So it’s another round of probing, just like last time with Princess Moria.
Su Ling immediately grew wary. She knew that every word from here on out needed to be chosen carefully.
“I’m just Maid to Her Highness Sista.” She replied calmly.
“Is it really that simple? I don’t believe it,” the Little Princess’s eyes shone with curiosity, “But it seems she treats you differently from the others. What are you two usually like together? I really want to know!”
“There’s nothing special. I just take care of Her Highness Sista’s daily life and do what a close Maid should.”
“Guhaha, what a ‘close Maid’! So you’re saying…”
Suddenly, Nori lowered her voice, scampering a few steps closer to Su Ling. She jumped up slightly, as if to whisper a secret, pressing her lips near Su Ling’s ear.
“In front of everyone, you act as a proper Maid, but where no one can see, you secretly do much more exciting things.”
Su Ling tried her best to keep her composure, hiding her unease behind a calm expression.
“Your Highness Nori, I have always abided by my duties. On this point, I have a clear conscience.”
“Not willing to tell me? Hmph, you saying it like that isn’t very interesting,” Nori clearly did not believe Su Ling’s answer.
“The unspoken secrets between Princess and Maid~ are only fun if Nori uncovers them personally!”
After that, Nori’s laughter echoed throughout the courtyard, sharp enough to make one uncomfortable. Su Ling had the urge to cover her ears.
“Guhaha! To earn the favor of royalty is great, but you know, Sista she isn’t favored by the Palace at all!”
“Tell you what, I have a suggestion, little Maid. Why not come serve me instead? Nori is a bit short-handed these days, and the pay is excellent! Look at how much reward Tia got from me—if you come to my side, I’ll treat you just as well!”
It sounded like an attempt to poach Sista’s loyal Maid, but Su Ling knew Nori wasn’t truly interested in that.
That delighted expression already revealed Nori’s real intention—she wanted to watch Sista’s reaction if Su Ling betrayed her, to enjoy some malicious amusement.
“Thank you for your recognition, Your Highness Nori,” Su Ling calmly raised her head and looked into those watery, bright red eyes. “But I am just an ordinary Maid. I am not fit to serve such an important position, so I must refuse your offer.”
“Hmph, how boring, Nori…”
Nori’s expression suddenly turned cold. She opened her mouth as if about to say something else, but the next second, her voice seemed to catch in her throat, unable to come out.
Her gaze drifted past Su Ling’s head, looking up at the second-floor balcony.
There, a girl with long black hair, dressed in a robe of the same deep color, stood above, overlooking everything below.
The Blood Princess was standing there, silent, but a chill flashed in her crimson eyes as she fixed her gaze on Princess Nori.
“Blood… Princess Sista, when did you get here…”
Nori mumbled as if talking to herself, frowning, and took a step back. She glared back at Sista with equal hostility.
Then, she crossed her arms and let out a loud huff.
“Boring! So boring! I’m going to find Princess Moria and have some fun!”
She stomped off in another direction, her footsteps deliberately loud, and soon disappeared among the fluttering bedsheets.
Su Ling also noticed Sista. That Blood Princess had been standing there for some time without making a sound.
“Um… Your Highness Sista.”
Su Ling felt she ought to say something in this situation.
“Come up.”
She received only a brief command, as cold as ever.
Su Ling straightened her clothes, walked up the spiral staircase, and arrived at the room where Sista stood—right above the courtyard, which happened to be the Palace’s public library.
The smell of oil ink greeted her, mingling with the solid scent of the wooden shelves that stretched to the ceiling. The Blood Princess stood in the narrow aisle, half-hidden among the towering bookshelves.
Hearing footsteps, Sista turned her body slightly, her gaze fixed on the slowly approaching Su Ling. The wind outside the window stirred Sista’s long hair and robe.
“Just now, I heard your entire conversation,” Blood Princess Sista interrupted Su Ling, “You were about to agree to her, weren’t you?”
Su Ling immediately shook her head, almost in a panic.
“No, that’s not true. I only want to stay by your side.”
“You swear it?”
“I’m not lying to you. Please believe me.”
A soft sigh drifted into her ears.
“Will you really always stay by my side?”
When she asked this, Blood Princess Sista lowered her long eyelashes. For some reason, she looked deeply troubled. Su Ling could hear a faint sadness in her voice.
The Blood Princess in front of her was worried that she might leave.
Unlike her usual self, Sista seemed to make no effort now to hide her true feelings.
“I will,” Su Ling answered softly.
After all, in this world, Su Ling really had nowhere else to go.
“But what if, in this Palace, everyone else sides against me? Would your answer still be the same?” As if not quite convinced, Sista asked once more.
“No matter what happens, I will not leave your side easily.”
“Why?”
“Because you are my Master, and I am your personal Maid.”
Blood Princess Sista fell silent. After a long while, she gave a tiny nod, her movements very slow.
“Alright, I understand,” she turned her head to look out the window, “You may go.”
Su Ling responded, but did not immediately turn to leave. She gazed at Sista’s unmoving profile.
The Blood Princess was very beautiful, so perfect she was almost without flaw, her eyebrows slightly downturned, the lines of her body delicate and refined, exuding a cold grace untouched by the mundane world.
For some reason, that expression made Su Ling feel a little distant, as if Sista was standing somewhere far away from her.
Just as she was about to leave, Su Ling suddenly stopped in her tracks.
“Your Highness, about my answer just now, I’d like to revise it a bit,” she said softly. “I won’t leave your side easily, but it has nothing to do with my status.”
“The reason I do this is for only one thing… I want to stay by your side.”