‘So this is… fate?’
Sista knelt, her black hair spilling onto the ground, her eyes wet.
She had never felt the cruelty of fate so clearly before.
Moria had meticulously designed a dead end for her.
No matter which side she chose, she was destined to lose the most precious thing in her life.
The so-called Blood Curse was the stagnation of life.
The Blood Curse twisted the endless “life” force of humans into a curse, thus bringing endless torment.
The only way to undo it was to use another force of “life.”
That was the source power hidden deep within the bloodline of the Blood Clan—the Holy Seal.
Sista suddenly felt an unprecedented weight, crushing her until she could barely breathe.
She slowly raised her arm.
The markings of the Holy Seal appeared on her arm.
If she dissolved these Holy Seals, the curse on Su Ling would be lifted.
But what that meant, Sista understood better than anyone.
The Blood Clan would forever lose the ability to gain power through blood.
The Moon Eclipse Rite, which had lasted for a hundred years, would also become dust of history.
But the problem was, once the Blood Clan lost their source of power, they would eventually be replaced by the growing human and beastfolk races.
Once the balance of power was broken, the fall of the kingdom was only a matter of time.
Thinking of this, the images that had flowed through her life—the girlhood spent whiling away entire years in the Palace Library, the heavy crown at her coming-of-age ceremony, and tonight, the gradually cooling warmth in her arms—all suddenly seemed so fragile.
Time slipped away silently.
Sista knew she had to make a choice as soon as possible.
But at this moment, her mind frantically rewound, like the life flashing before a dying person’s eyes.
She remembered that autumn when the leaves were falling.
The first time Su Ling stepped into Hailuosen Castle.
A small, thin figure hiding behind the Butler, head lowered, silver hair hanging by her ears, yet her gaze at Sista was completely different from anyone else’s.
She remembered Su Ling clumsily knocking over a cup of black tea, then frantically wiping the carpet.
She remembered her secretly kissing her in the kitchen, bringing her joy.
Every image was as vivid as yesterday, yet as distant as a dream from a past life.
Sista’s nails dug deep into her palms, blood seeping through her fingers.
Only now did she suddenly realize that she had long since taken Su Ling’s presence for granted.
Like breathing, like a heartbeat, like life itself.
And now, fate was forcing her to extinguish this light with her own hands.
It was as if she was being forced to choose.
The Holy Seal bloomed with blinding light on her arm, as if responding to the call from her heart.
She could feel that power boiling within her bloodline.
Sista gently stroked Su Ling’s cheek.
Suddenly, she smiled.
A smile filled with determined tenderness.
The light from the Holy Seal on her arm grew brighter and brighter, spreading through the ancient castle.
The heat wave was almost upon her.
But Sista’s gaze no longer wavered.
‘So that’s it…’
She murmured softly, her voice almost swallowed by the crackling of flames.
‘I should have understood long ago.’
‘I betrayed the Blood Clan, betrayed the kingdom’s future…’
Her voice grew quieter.
‘But Su Ling, I will not betray you.’
Flames had already climbed to the dome of the garden.
Shards of glass fell like falling stars.
Sista leaned down, holding Su Ling tightly in her arms.
The power of the Holy Seal began to strip away from her body, turning into countless specks of light that merged into Su Ling’s body.
‘Thank you for loving me, Su Ling.’
She kissed her lover’s forehead, tears silently falling.
‘There were so many roads I wanted to walk with you.’
That destined great fire consumed everything.
The magnificent Hailuosen Castle was reduced to ruins.
And with it, the era of the Blood Clan’s supremacy came to an end.
In the midst of the blazing fire, Sista put on the crown and ascended as the new Queen.
She reestablished systems, issued decrees, granting humans and beastfolk more rights to participate in politics and governance.
She also restructured the organizational structure of the Church and the Knight Order, thereby easing conflicts between different races.
As for the Blood Clan, Sista redistributed large amounts of noble lands seized during the war, awarding them to meritorious human and beastfolk heroes.
In doing so, she dismantled the power of the old Blood Clan nobles and solidified her rule.
Some veteran Blood Clan ministers were dissatisfied.
But their power had already waned after the war, and they could no longer act as willfully as before, so they could only suppress their complaints.
Everything was running in order.
Ansels gradually flourished under the new Queen’s rule.
But there was one thing that puzzled the ministers greatly.
After the new Queen ascended the throne, she actually abolished the most important Moon Eclipse Rite of the Blood Clan and also banned the trade of blood livestock and blood slaves within the market.
The Blood Clan could purchase blood from humans, but raising humans for the purpose of feeding was prohibited.
This decree greatly changed the status and relationships between the three races.
Many blood clans believed that this was a sign of Sista’s weakness toward humans and beastfolk.
But in truth, only Sista herself knew.
The Holy Seal, symbol of royal authority, had dissolved.
To stabilize her rule, she could no longer allow the Blood Clan to form a dominant force.
Morning sunlight streamed through the window lattice, casting mottled shadows on the wide marble floor.
Sista opened her eyes, her lashes trembling slightly in the dawn light.
She instinctively tightened her arm, feeling the warm breath of the person in her arms brushing against her collarbone.
Su Ling’s small body curled up against her chest.
Silver hair spread across the pillow.
“Still want to sleep in?”
A cool yet gentle voice, characteristic of Sista, sounded from within the brocade curtains.
“Still want to sleep in?”
“Your Majesty…”
Su Ling murmured drowsily, burying her face deeper into Sista’s neck.
“Mmm… don’t move, I haven’t slept enough yet.”
Sista leaned down and lightly bit the tip of the human girl’s ear.
Satisfied, she watched as the jade-like skin flushed pink.
Her hand also reached for the girl’s slender waist.
Ever since she rescued Su Ling, the once restrained and courteous Queen seemed to have broken some taboo.
She always loved to tease her lover in private.
After breakfast, the two went for a walk in the garden.
Court gossip spread faster than the wind.
The maids whispered among themselves about how the Queen personally combed the silver-haired girl’s hair.
How she embraced her from behind in front of the council hall’s floor-to-ceiling windows.
And how she kissed her in the Moonlight Courtyard.
“I heard this morning that the royal chef prepared honey rose tarts.”
“It must be for that one!”
“Shh! The Queen’s guards are listening!”
The whispers stopped abruptly.
The next moment, Sista’s blood-red eyes glinted faintly in the shade of the trees.
The maids almost dropped their trays in fright.
“Hurry, hurry! Her Majesty is going to be angry—”
The maids didn’t dare to breathe loudly, lowering their heads and scurrying away.
Sista had no mood to pay them any attention.
When her gaze fell back on Su Ling, the ice in her eyes instantly melted into spring water.
“Your Majesty?”
Su Ling suddenly turned around.
The next second, she was hugged from behind by Sista.
“It’s because of you that I’m spoiled, always wanting to be pampered early in the morning.”
Sista pinched her cheek.
“Your Majesty, don’t say nonsense…”
Su Ling’s face instantly turned red, even her ears flushed.
Seeing her cute and flustered appearance, a smile tugged at the corner of Sista’s lips.
Under those loving eyes, Su Ling’s heartbeat lost its rhythm.
How exactly had Sista saved her?
Even now, Su Ling still couldn’t figure it out.
She only knew that after that near-death winter night, she had miraculously regained her breath.
Her body slowly regained its warmth.
