A few hours earlier.
After successfully sneaking into Northport, Tulia didn’t immediately begin her “special operation.” She first took Lisbeth into the busiest part of the port district—Commercial Street.
“Little Liz, see if there’s anything you need?” Tulia’s tone carried a barely noticeable hint of indulgence.
Lisbeth quietly followed at her mother’s side, those serene blue eyes calmly scanning the bustling market. She paused for a moment before a bouquet of Blue Roses sustained by magic, ever-blooming and unfading; she lingered briefly at the Bread Stall, which exuded a warm, fragrant aroma and was carved with Elf Runes.
She didn’t voice any requests, only occasionally lifting her gaze, looking at Tulia with that unruffled, calm expression.
Tulia immediately understood her.
“Wrap it up.”
“And this one too.”
She paid swiftly and cleanly, tallying the expense in the little notebook in her mind, adding another charge to a certain “fat sheep” yet to be fleeced.
Watching her daughter’s still-expressionless face, but noting the slight, cherishing motion of her fingers as she held the bouquet of deep blue roses, Tulia felt the money was well spent—someone else would be reimbursing her soon enough, after all.
After the shopping, Tulia took her into an Inn that looked clean and tidy.
“One room, somewhere quiet.” Tulia placed a few silver coins on the counter.
Once in the room, Tulia set down the purchases and turned to look at Lisbeth, who was quietly standing in the center of the room.
“Little Liz,” she walked up to her daughter, voice softening, “we’ve walked a lot today, so let’s get some rest early.”
Lisbeth lifted her eyes, and in those blue depths as tranquil as a still lake, there was a hint of questioning, but she said nothing.
“Mama has some things to take care of.”
Tulia explained, gently tucking away a stray lock of Lisbeth’s silver hair from her forehead.
“You stay here and sleep, no matter what you hear, don’t leave the room, and don’t open the door for anyone. Understand?”
Lisbeth looked at her in silence, and after a few seconds, nodded gently, making a barely audible sound:
“Mm.”
She didn’t ask anything else, simply hugged the bouquet of blue roses and her new Plush Bear, walked to the bed and sat down, showing her obedience through her actions.
Tulia, seeing her daughter so quiet and easy to care for, felt both comforted and a little conflicted inside. She bent down and placed a gentle kiss on Lisbeth’s smooth forehead.
“Goodnight, Little Liz.”
“Goodnight, Mama.” Lisbeth’s voice was soft, like the whisper of the night wind.
Tulia checked the doors and windows one last time to ensure everything was secure before slipping out of the room and quietly closing the door behind her.
Once the warmth of the lights inside was shut out by the door, all the gentleness faded from Tulia’s face, and her gaze grew as cold and deep as Northport’s night sea.
She pulled up her hood, her figure melting into the shadows, blending silently into the darkness of the street.
Three hours later
Lisbeth lay on the bed, her long silver eyelashes fluttering as she stared at the ceiling, seemingly unable to fall asleep.
Just then, a soft knock sounded at the door, accompanied by Tulia’s deliberately slowed, slightly self-congratulatory, familiar voice:
“Darling, I’m home~.”
Hearing her mother’s voice, Lisbeth sat up at once, hurried barefoot to the door, and opened it without any hesitation.
The door swung slowly open.
Yet the Tulia standing outside made Lisbeth freeze in place, as if she’d been hit with a petrification spell, her breath catching, body stiff.
“Darling, Mama just made a fortune!” Tulia’s face was relaxed and a little proud, her tone cheerful, as if she’d just finished an easy task.
But the sight before Lisbeth was utterly terrifying—
Tulia’s signature long silver-white hair, several strands of which were stuck to her cheeks and neck by dark red blood; her once-pristine face now spattered with half-dried flecks of blood; her dark dress soaked through with broad stains, reeking of fresh blood. She looked as if she’d just been hauled from a pool of gore.
That warm, sunny smile, paired with her blood-soaked appearance, created a chilling, unspeakably eerie scene.
Lisbeth’s eyes, blue as a lake, widened in shock, pupils contracting in fear.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came, as though an invisible hand had gripped her throat. Her tall, slender body began to tremble uncontrollably.
The next instant, the fear that had been building inside her burst its dam, shattering the calm she wore like armor.
“Uuu…waa—!!!!”
Huge tears rolled from her beautiful blue eyes, without warning. She was no longer the quiet, taciturn girl, but a frightened child overwhelmed by terror, her cries shaking the room.
The easy pride on Tulia’s face from completing her “mission” froze and shattered the instant her daughter began to wail.
She stared at Lisbeth’s tear-streaked, terrified face—so like her own, and yet now twisted in pure fear—then glanced down at her blood-stained hands and the gore splattered across her body…
“Uh…”
For the first time, an emotion called “guilt” and another called “regret” struck this Vampire Elder, fresh from a bloody reckoning.
Crap! She’d been so caught up in the thrill of “harvest” and wiping out those pests, she’d completely forgotten that, though her daughter looked grown, she was still the kind of little one who’d dive under the covers at a scary story!
This look—straight off a slaughterhouse floor—was way too much for a child! She’d messed up, really messed up!
“Ah, ah! Little Liz! Don’t—don’t cry!” Tulia panicked, wanting to rush over, but realizing she was filthy, her outstretched hands froze midair.
Lisbeth only cried harder, tears like broken pearls, a mix of fear and grievance, her tall figure curling up pitifully.
“Mama…Mama…so much blood…you’re scary…” She sobbed, words coming in hiccups, but each one hit Tulia’s heart like a hammer.
“Not scary! Not scary at all!” Tulia quickly denied, forcing a gentler, harmless smile—but forgot her face was still smeared with blood, only making herself more ghastly. She hastily used the cleaner part of her hand to wipe her face, only smearing the blood further.
“See! It’s…it’s tomato sauce! Yes! Mama just helped a restaurant deal with a batch of very fresh tomatoes! That’s all, really!” She started spouting the most ridiculous lies, trying her best to muddle through.
Lisbeth’s sobs paused a moment; she lifted her tear-blurred eyes and looked at Tulia’s face, now smeared with even more colors, and the air heavy with the smell of blood. Her lips trembled, and it looked like another wave of tears was about to burst forth.
“Uuu…”
“No, no, no! Mama’s sorry! Mama shouldn’t have come back so late and so dirty!” Tulia surrendered at once, no longer making feeble excuses. She took a deep breath, trying to make her voice softer, laden with guilt. “I scared you, Little Liz, it’s Mama’s fault.”
“Don’t be scared, Mama’s here.” Tulia gently patted her daughter’s back, just like when she used to lull her to sleep as a child, her voice tender as never before. “It’s all bad people’s blood. Mama chased them all away. Mama promises, next time… I’ll do my best not to let you see me like this again, alright?”
Feeling the sobs in her arms gradually subside, Tulia finally let herself relax a little. Sigh, raising a child really was harder than fighting, especially one whose outside and inside were so very different.
“Look, Mama brought back lots and lots of Coins for you.” She tried a sweet bribe to change the subject, coaxing, “Tomorrow we can buy more pretty flowers, eat more delicious cake, and fill a whole room with Plush Bears this big. How about it?”
Lisbeth shifted slightly in her arms, letting out a soft, nasal reply:
“…Mm.”
Her voice was still tinged with tears, but at least she wasn’t crying anymore.
Tulia let out a long sigh of relief in her heart.
It seemed that, next time she finished some “dirty work,” she’d have to find a place to clean up before coming home—surely the most valuable “parenting experience” she’d gained tonight, bought with blood.
But Tulia could never have guessed—there would never be a next time.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.