Su Ling stared blankly at the bloodstain beneath her legs, her heart pounding with unease.
For a moment, she couldn’t quite process what was happening.
“I… when did I get hurt?”
She murmured to herself, dipping a finger into the fresh blood. The warmth was unmistakably real.
“Could you really be that clueless?” Sista Anderson rolled her eyes at her, a look of disbelief etched across her face.
Wait, could this be…?
Long-unused common sense suddenly flooded Su Ling’s mind. Only then did she realize the blood wasn’t from an injury at all it was simply her natural menstruation as a girl.
Though she had been in this world for over a month, the maids here were accustomed to handling cold water year-round, and with the autumn chill in the air, Su Ling’s delicate health wasn’t the best. Irregular periods were probably a common occurrence. That explained why she hadn’t paid much attention before to the fact that she had monthly cycles.
The sudden, inexplicable abdominal pain just now was that menstrual cramps? Su Ling’s face went pale as she thought it over.
“How old are you this year?”
The cool, clear voice of Sista pulled Su Ling back from her thoughts. She realized someone was standing nearby—the Blood Princess she served.
“Ah, I’m fifteen! Soon to be about sixteen.”
In truth, she didn’t know her exact birthday. After all, the original story didn’t detail such specifics about side characters, so she was just guessing.
“Fifteen? By that age, you should have had your first period long ago. Still so clueless,” Sista Anderson squinted, studying the fresh crimson stain on the floor thoughtfully.
Su Ling didn’t dare say a word. Following Sista’s gaze down, she saw exactly where the blood was flowing and suddenly felt her heart tighten.
Wait a minute this was the very Blood Princess who treated her as a blood slave! That look in her eyes, that tone… and her attention fixed under Su Ling’s skirts. Was she intending to…?
“Th-that blood is really filthy, so don’t—”
“Clear out all those wild thoughts in your head,” Sista Anderson cut her off coldly before she could finish. The Blood Princess’s eyes gleamed with impatience.
“I’m Blood Clan, but that doesn’t mean I eat any kind of blood.”
Oh, that was a relief! Su Ling exhaled deeply, the weight hanging over her heart finally lifting.
“Human females experience physiological bleeding every month due to the shedding of the uterine lining. It’s not exactly fresh, and the blood contains many impurities. Unless someone has a very particular interest, it’s generally not consumed.”
Sista explained as her gaze never left beneath Su Ling’s skirt.
“I-I see.”
Then why have you been staring at my legs all this time… Su Ling felt a bit embarrassed. Sista’s past strange behaviors towards her made it difficult to ignore such intense gazes.
“By the way, you’ve dirtied the carpet in my room,” Sista Anderson said, frowning like a crescent moon. “Get up and clean it.”
Su Ling looked down and realized the once-deep purple plush carpet was stained dark black by the blood, like spilled ink.
Embarrassed, she struggled to push herself up using her elbows, but the sharp pain that stabbed through her abdomen made her falter as if a sword pierced her heart.
“Ah!”
She loosened her grip and collapsed back onto the cold floor, suppressing a painful cry.
Heavens, no one ever told me being a girl was this painful!
Tears welled up unbidden in Su Ling’s eyes. Now that she was a girl, both her emotions and body felt far more fragile. Though she tried hard to remain composed, the tears blurred her vision.
“Does it hurt that much?” Sista Anderson observed her expression with genuine confusion.
“It’s just…” Su Ling found it difficult to speak.
“Forget it, sit still and don’t move.”
Sista’s tone was firm as she stood. Su Ling’s eyes involuntarily followed her as she quietly stepped out, using the dim light to guide her.
What was she going to do?
Su Ling had expected Sista to be upset about the carpet, but from her tone just now, she didn’t seem particularly displeased. Still, Su Ling’s heart remained unsettled.
Before long, Sista Anderson returned.
She knelt down beside Su Ling, her usual cold gaze softened into something gentler. Rolling up Su Ling’s skirt, she carefully wiped the blood away with a towel.
“Ah…”
Seeing those pale, slender hands between her legs, Su Ling was somewhat surprised. Sista Anderson, the Blood Princess, was actually taking care of her?
“What’s there to be surprised about? Didn’t I say you’re my plaything?” Sista said, still wiping the blood. “If your own things get damaged, you fix them yourself. Isn’t that reasonable?”
Su Ling said nothing but mentally lowered her guard. Her limbs still felt weak, so she sat quietly on the floor, allowing Sista to tend to her.
A noble princess, so cold and distant by nature, was wiping blood from her personal maid’s body.
If anyone heard this, they probably wouldn’t believe it.
It was the first time Su Ling had seen this delicate side of Sista Anderson.
The flickering candlelight stretched their shadows across the floor. Outside the window, the world seemed to have been muted, everything bathed in peaceful stillness no wind even whispered.
Between the two of them, an unspoken understanding formed, eyes meeting briefly before quietly parting, neither breaking the rare silence.
“You’re not injured. It’s just that catching a chill causes such pain, and you have to endure bleeding every month.”
After wiping away the blood, Sista folded the towel and neatly adjusted Su Ling’s skirt again.
“I still can’t understand such fragile creatures,” she whispered faintly. “Humans are hard to comprehend.”
“Her Highness, you don’t have a biological period?” Su Ling asked, curious.
“No,” she replied briefly. “Blood, sweat—Blood Clan don’t have either. Our physiology is completely different from humans.”
Su Ling nodded thoughtfully.
“You really are interested in the Blood Clan.”
“Oh, no, not really…” Su Ling felt a bit embarrassed.
In truth, she had many, many questions about the Blood Clan. If she could, she would ask Sista everything, wanting to understand every facet of this world. But as a mere maid, she knew it was better to keep her curiosity in check.
The rest of this world’s knowledge would have to wait until later.
“Are you feeling better?” Sista Anderson reached out her hand.
Was she going to help me up? Su Ling hesitated before timidly taking it. With a gentle tug, Sista pulled her to her feet.
“Much better. But what about the carpet?” Su Ling stood steadily, still worried about the stain.
“I’ll have someone else clean it later. Of course, there’s no need to tell anyone,” Sista answered.
“Royalty never likes crude ways of eating. It was just a moment of carelessness to get blood on the floor. With an excuse like that, no one in the Palace would dare question it.”
“Sorry to trouble you again.” Su Ling lowered her head.
“Tch, just don’t be so clueless next time.” Sista turned and walked toward her bed. “Go on, get back to your place. Are you going to stand there all day?”
Su Ling hurriedly shook her head, bowed, and awkwardly retreated.
At dawn’s first light, Tii came as usual to the princess’s chamber, carrying her cleaning tools, ready to begin her daily duties.
Since Su Ling was ill, Tii was filling in to take care of Sista Anderson’s daily needs. Ever since Su Ling had been dismissed from her position as personal maid, she hadn’t set foot in this luxurious room for quite some time.
Pushing open the door, a faint floral fragrance greeted her. The room’s warm orange glow was just as always.
But when her gaze swept the floor, a discordant sight caught her attention—a few dried bloodstains stood out starkly on the carpet.
Tii’s heart tightened sharply, almost dropping her broom.
She quickly looked around, trying to find the source of the blood, but everything else in the room was orderly. Aside from those abrupt red spots, there was nothing unusual.
A wave of unease rippled through her chest—an ominous premonition quietly rising.
“Could it be… Su Ling?”
Tii speculated, recalling Su Ling’s weak state during her illness.
The thought made her heart grow heavier. She couldn’t imagine the always-smiling, often scatterbrained little Su Ling enduring what inside the Blood Princess’s chamber. Was it an accident? Or something worse…?
She dared not think further, a chill creeping from her feet up to her heart.
As Sista Anderson’s blood slave, Su Ling sometimes had to offer her own blood. These stains on the carpet were likely from an accidental spill during one of those times.
Suppressing her anxiety, Tii began carefully cleaning the blood. Each swipe felt like touching a raw nerve, making her nervous and heartbroken at once.
She swept and wiped silently, praying that Su Ling would be safe and unharmed.