“May I ask you something?”
The two of them continued to walk slowly along the lakeside, Sista’s gaze drifting across the frozen surface, before finally landing on Su Ling’s face, as if searching for something in her expression.
At last, she stopped walking, turned around, and looked Su Ling directly in the eyes, her expression more serious than ever before.
“The other night, I heard you didn’t feel well after coming back from the Blood Altar,” Sista’s voice was soft but each word rang clear. “Why?”
Su Ling hesitated for a moment after hearing this, her fingers unconsciously tugging at the edge of her clothes, anxiety churning in her heart.
“I… I suppose I was afraid.”
“Sorry, I just… that Ritual scene that day… It was too much for me to take in.”
Su Ling’s voice trembled a little. She lowered her head, not daring to meet Sista’s eyes, afraid her fear would be misinterpreted as something else.
Sista fell silent for a while, then quietly let out a breath.
“You really are different from the other Blood Clan I’ve met. You don’t believe in the Divine Abyss Goddess, do you?”
Those words struck Su Ling like a sudden clap of thunder, echoing through her mind. She raised her head, startled and uneasy.
Was this Sista’s way of testing her?
However, when Su Ling met Sista’s gaze again, all she saw was calm, not the slightest trace of blame or reproach.
“Sorry, I… I can’t understand that kind of faith, let alone accept a Blood Ritual that costs lives.”
Summoning her courage, Su Ling spoke her heart.
She knew Sista was already suspicious, and there was no point in hiding any longer.
The Blood Princess still held her hand, as if she had already anticipated such an answer.
“To humans, such Rituals are indeed terrifying. But for centuries, the Blood Clan has relied on human Bloodlines for strength, maintaining the prosperity of our Race.”
As she spoke, Sista’s expression grew distant, as if her mind traveled through the long river of time, back to those faraway years.
“So, since you don’t believe in the Goddess, and now know the Blood Clan’s true nature… are you afraid of me now?”
“There’s no such thing,” Su Ling replied without hesitation.
Sista let out a short laugh, her breath forming a faint haze in the cold air.
They continued to walk side by side, their footsteps crunching in the snowy ground, the sound standing out sharply against the stillness around them.
They walked in silence for a long time, eventually climbing a small hill where a relatively dry patch of ground seemed as though nature had prepared a resting place just for travelers.
Su Ling took out a checkered blanket from her pack and carefully spread it out. The two of them sat down together, breathing in the crisp, cold air.
“Sista, you’re really not like any other Blood Clan member I’ve met.”
Sista didn’t reply immediately. Her gaze wandered to the distant sky, pausing at the snow-white mountains.
Su Ling sensed the pause, but still gathered her courage to continue: “Ever since I saw you petting that little dog in the Garden, I’ve felt that way.”
“…Huh?”
She repeated the word softly.
“Why do you like dogs, Your Highness?” Su Ling asked again.
Sista didn’t answer at once. She frowned and countered, “Aren’t you paying a bit too much attention to me?”
“Uh…”
Su Ling didn’t know how to respond.
“Let’s go back to the main topic,” Sista continued, “You asked me because you saw me in the Garden before.”
She paused for a moment, taking a deep breath, as if pulling all her memories from the past into the present.
“That was just a habit from childhood. Back then, in the Palace, other than women, the only companions I had were dogs. I grew fond of them, so I’d pet them.”
“So Your Highness is special, and you also have a gentle side,” Su Ling observed Sista, “You’re able to form equal relationships, without any sense of dominance…”
“Don’t describe me with that word,” Sista’s voice suddenly turned cold, cutting her off.
“The things I long for are not what a Princess of the Kingdom of Ansels should pursue. Cold-blooded, ruthless, cunning—these are the methods the Blood Clan has used to survive until today. If I stray from this path even a little, I’ll be devoured by even more merciless forces.”
“I am no gentle Princess. Since these are the rules, I will walk this path as I must.”
The wind lifted Sista’s long hair, casting a shadow over her eyes as she looked away.
After a while, Su Ling spoke softly:
“But even if the world doesn’t accept it, I don’t think Your Highness’s way of thinking is wrong.”
Long ago, through the ages, the Human Race changed again and again, pushing progress, building a world closer to the ideal in the hearts of those like you.
Even if all of that is still out of reach, even if true equality is just a dream, how could a Princess who holds such ideals ever be ugly?
“You really are a strange one,” Sista remarked, half-laughing as she tapped Su Ling’s head.
“And Your Highness is quite the unusual Blood Clan too, isn’t she?” Su Ling said, “But maybe that’s why we can sit here and talk like this.”
Before they knew it, their shoulders brushed, then leaned together.
The sky was an endless blue, the wind had stilled, all was silent; they could hear each other’s quiet breaths blending, as light and gentle as the clouds drifting above.
“With you this close, aren’t you afraid I’ll suck your blood?”
“Ah… At first I was afraid, but now, it doesn’t seem so scary anymore.”
Sista unexpectedly laughed, turning to look at Su Ling. She tucked her long hair behind her ear, and Su Ling was momentarily dazed.
So she could smile like this too.
Usually so cold and untouchable, at this moment, the Blood Princess’s gentle smile was even more moving, her beauty so perfect it was almost unreal.
“You really think you’re not scared?”
Su Ling was a little confused by Sista’s words.
“All this time during the rituals, I’ve always held back with you, but you never noticed. Looks like I should properly teach a slow-witted maid her lesson.”
By the time Su Ling came back to herself, her collar and ribbon had already been loosened by Sista’s fingers, leaving her smooth skin exposed to the cold air.
Su Ling took a quick, shaky breath.
Wait, is she really going to bite me now?
She really let her guard down! As expected, nothing good comes from the Blood Princess’s smile.
“Y-Your Highness, we’re outside!”
Even if there’s no one else around, isn’t this a bit too much? Su Ling panicked, not a trace of logical thought left in her head.
“Tell the truth.”
Sista let out a soft sound, pressing her face to Su Ling’s neck, her sharp fangs sliding gently across her skin.
Su Ling’s cheeks were tinged pink, like petals touched by evening dew. Her breath came quicker and quicker, her body involuntarily leaning back.
Ah…
Her body was already completely pinned beneath Sista, who wrapped her arms around Su Ling’s waist, her fingers trailing across Su Ling’s neck, settling into the hollow of her collarbone, sending a sweet, aching sensation through her.
The voice was low and intimate, and Su Ling’s heartbeat sped up under the light caress.
Why, why does something as simple as blood-sucking… this woman has to make it feel like this…
Suddenly, Sista changed positions, and a soft, tingling sensation spread through Su Ling’s body.
“No… Your Highness, not like this…” Su Ling bit her lip, afraid her voice would be too loud, “If we keep going here… uh…”
Her arms were already too weak to resist, she could only let herself be held, realizing just how serious Sista had been.
Su Ling’s hands clutched the blanket, gasping as she squeezed her eyes shut.
“I… I’m sorry, I… I won’t say anything stupid again…”
But it was too late to beg for mercy.
Seeing the Blood Princess’s satisfied expression, Su Ling understood this very well.