The words from Na-ya, who was helping Tii, stirred a faint wave of agitation in Su Ling’s heart.
What exactly the Blood Clan was like, Su Ling could no longer clearly grasp. After all, when she first came to this world, she nearly died at the hands of the Blood Clan; she had long witnessed their cruelty.
But, Sista was different.
She didn’t oppress humans in the castle halls as other Blood Clan members did, nor did she take pleasure in tormenting humans. She even secretly maintained forbidden records related to the history of the human kingdom.
She was… special, to say the least.
Sista was unwilling to let the world see one side of her, and only Su Ling knew this. Yet, there was no way for Su Ling to tell Tii.
The chest of that red-haired girl bore a clear emblem, and she would never accept any Blood Clan.
The fragrant aroma of food lingered in the air as the two girls walked forward unhurriedly, maintaining a respectful distance from each other.
Sunlight streamed through the slender windows, casting broken patches of light across the floor.
“Su Ling! Wait up, Lady Sista wants you to come over now!”
A voice interrupted the sound of footsteps, an old maid in the hall called out urgently. Su Ling barely responded before glancing anxiously at Tii.
“I’ll go ahead,” Tii said as she glanced at the container in her hands, raising an eyebrow. “Leave the task of distributing food to me.”
“Ti-i, sorry!” Su Ling handed over the items in her hands to Ti-i.
“It’s no trouble at all,” Tii smiled faintly.
Watching the silver-haired girl leave determinedly with the maid, Su Ling stood still for a moment, her heart tinged with unease.
“Well… that’s for the best. This way, Su Ling doesn’t have to go to that place with me,” she muttered to herself.
She walked alone deeper into the castle, arriving at a stairwell corner and pulling a few pieces of clothing from some stored supplies.
She took a deep breath, adjusting the fiery red hair under a wide-brimmed hat, and lightly draped a veil over her face.
When interacting with the sacrifices, a female servant was not allowed to reveal her face, so she had to cover it with a hood and veil.
She was going back to that place again.
Silently, she pushed open the iron door in front of her.
Descending the stairs, the light grew dim and shadows deepened; the air turned cold and damp, as if even time was trapped here.
The dungeon entrance was sealed by a heavy iron door, the air thick and suffocating.
In the gloom, a few faint oil lamps flickered in corners, barely illuminating the dead silence of the place.
“Just you again today? Hard work,” came a low voice from the shadows.
It was the dungeon’s chief guard, his tone tinged with reluctant weariness.
“This is my duty, sir,” Su Ling replied softly, stopping to bow slightly as a sign of respect.
“Alright, no delays. Distribute today’s rations,” the guard said.
After a few brief orders, Su Ling pushed open the heavy dungeon door and stepped into the gloomy space.
Rows of prison cells lined the hall, their iron bars reflecting the flickering torchlight with a chilling gleam.
Inside each cell were humans, their faces pale and bruised, their eyes vacant.
They slouched or paced restlessly, staring at her like lifeless creatures.
Tii was already accustomed to such gazes.
The flickering torches, the cold space, the gaunt bodies, these sights had marked her since birth, leaving her numb to any fear or pity.
But she didn’t want Su Ling to see these. That girl still held on to compassion, unlike herself, who had been born and raised in this mire.
Therefore, Su Ling didn’t want her to witness the pitiful scenes of the dungeon.
“Su Ling, I will protect you,” she whispered to the frail bodies she passed, her heart heavy.
Since birth, her elders had repeatedly reminded her:
The horrors witnessed, the endless pain of people all were disasters brought by the Blood Clan.
Ansels was a beautiful land steeped in the blood of humanity.
Su Ling unlocked the small bars on the cell doors one by one, handing food to the weary faces inside.
At the smell of the food, the sacrifices showed flickers of life on their faces, eagerly accepting the offerings.
“Here, this is the grace granted by the lords today. It will continue for the next few days,” Tii said expressionlessly to the prisoners.
“You are the chosen, the holy sacrifices blessed by the goddess. The moon festival is coming, and the sacrifices will bring you eternal life. Therefore, please always remember the blessing of the Blood Clan and Ansels,” she spoke carefully.
While saying this, she tried to keep calm and not let her emotions overflow.
But her fingers involuntarily trembled, her nails digging deeply into her palm.
The sacrifices took the food, showing grateful expressions, clutching the snacks and swallowing them, their faces like dried wood — a sight that made Tii’s heart ache.
She no longer wanted to stay in this place.
After quickly distributing the snacks, she hurried away.
****
“Ashan, this is really delicious!”
From the far end of the dungeon came a bright voice. A red-haired man was grinning as he devoured his bread. He nudged the silver-haired youth beside him.
“Well, then take my share too,” the red-haired man said with a smile.
Separated only by iron bars and flickering torchlight, their voices were muffled.
“Thank you, I won’t refuse,” the red-haired man said as he resumed eating with relish. “I love this flavor. It reminds me of my adorable little sister…”
“Sister? I’ve never heard you mention her,” Ashan frowned slightly, glancing at the red-haired man.
“Yes, I have a distant little sister. We parted ways when we were young. Her name’s Tii. I haven’t seen her for many years…” The red-haired man finished the snack, patted his stomach contentedly. “I really miss those days before the war, when we were all together.”
“Hmm,” Ashan withdrew his gaze indifferently. It was indeed a fortunate thing.
“But now, things are different. We’re about to receive the goddess’s blessing. The past hardships will be over. It’s time to live better lives.”
The red-haired man smiled, slapping the silver-haired youth’s shoulder a bit too hard, making Ashan’s slender frame shudder.
“Do you really think this blessing is a good thing?” Ashan asked hesitantly.
“How could it not be? I didn’t understand before, until I met the Holy Father who taught me everything. The Blood Clan lords are kind-hearted and will soon lead us to paradise.”
“Really?”
Ashan’s eyes darkened with complex emotions before letting out a long sigh.
“Forget it, you’re right. This is a blessing.”
He pushed the red-haired man’s hand away and stood up, pity flashing in his eyes.
He suppressed the emotions rising within him.
“I know. Every single person here thinks the same way. I can’t convince anyone otherwise. Even if that’s the case, I won’t let you all walk to your deaths with me.
“I will take revenge on them.”
Ignoring the confused look on the red-haired man’s face, he turned and disappeared into the shadows.
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