“That girl named Tii… seems quite gentle…” Su Ling murmured to herself as she lay on her small bed.
Although there had been some distance when they first met, Tii’s friendly attitude that morning had really eased some of the tension coiled up in Su Ling’s heart.
According to Tii, since she had ‘served’ Her Highness last night, she was allowed a day of rest today.
Officially, her duties would only begin tomorrow.
And being new to the castle, Su Ling didn’t dare wander around.
So, all afternoon she stayed holed up in her little room, doing nothing but letting her thoughts wander.
In the novel, it was mentioned that Sista didn’t like using blood slaves much.
Even in this world, vampires didn’t necessarily live off of blood, but blood could give them pleasure and strength.
Among humans, there were “blood slaves” and “blood livestock.”
Blood slaves were usually humans with an appealing appearance or lineage who were chosen to be directly fed upon.
Blood livestock, on the other hand, were drained of blood with tools and discarded as corpses.
Becoming a blood slave instead of livestock was probably the one small mercy of her transmigration.
Grrrrrr…
Her stomach growled.
Only then did Su Ling realize she hadn’t eaten since breakfast—and after all the exhaustion yesterday, she was starving by afternoon.
I wish I had something to eat…
The thought of her college cafeteria, which she used to grumble endlessly about, now felt like a paradise.
If only she could go back, she’d gladly withdraw all those complaints and eat properly…
No point regretting it now, though.
Just as she was on the verge of fainting from hunger, Tii finally returned.
“Phew… finally done for the day!”
Tii pushed the door open, balancing a plate with slices of bread and a cup of coffee.
Wiping her hands on her apron, she came to Su Ling’s bedside.
“Sorry I’m bringing this so late. Being the princess’s personal maid keeps me busy, so I only just got a free moment.”
“No worries. Thank you, Tii,” Su Ling replied quickly.
“Living conditions might be rough at first,” Tii added as she set the food down, “but if you work hard and rise up in the ranks, you can eventually move into better quarters. Anyway, the head maid told me to show you around the castle. Eat up, then we’ll go!”
“Mm!” Su Ling nodded eagerly, already nibbling at the bread.
After quickly finishing her meal, Su Ling changed into her maid uniform and followed Tii out of the tiny room.
“There are strict rules in the castle,” Tii explained as they walked.
“You can only wear your maid uniform outside your room. Remember to put it on when you come up to the main floors.”
“Main floors?” Su Ling repeated.
“Yes. This underground area is where most servants live. Only those with higher status get to live upstairs.”
With that, Tii led Su Ling down a narrow corridor.
Both sides were lined with closed doors, and the occasional murmur or sound of footsteps could be heard.
“This is the servants’ quarters,” Tii explained.
“Your room is at the far end. Make sure to keep it quiet and tidy. The head maid will do regular inspections too.”
Su Ling followed her nervously as they wound through the halls.
After they’d covered the lower floors, Tii paused and nodded in satisfaction.
“Remember, this isn’t a normal place. Be careful at all times and don’t do anything that might upset the nobility. Alright, come with me upstairs.”
Su Ling took a deep breath and followed Tii up a staircase.
A shaft of light illuminated the middle section of the stairs as they ascended, revealing a world vastly different from the damp and dim basement.
As they stepped into the main hall of the castle, Su Ling was struck by the soaring ceilings, painted with intricate murals, and the rich tapestries adorning the walls.
Her eyes were filled with amazement as she took in every detail.
She ran her fingers over a silken curtain adorned with silver trimmings.
Vampires were said to fear silver, but the silver used in Ansels Castle was of poor quality—mixed with copper and lead—and thus had little effect on them.
Even so, the castle still displayed silver ornaments everywhere as a sign of status and nobility.
“Upstairs and downstairs really are two different worlds…” Su Ling murmured.
Seeing Su Ling’s reaction, Tii couldn’t help but chuckle.
“You really do seem new to this world,” she said, a hint of amusement in her voice.
“Eh?”
Su Ling glanced back, sensing a deeper meaning in Tii’s words—as if she’d been watching her closely all along.
“It’s no wonder Her Highness took an interest in you,” Tii continued in a casual tone.
An interest?
Why would Tii say that all of a sudden?
Did she say something strange without realizing it?
Su Ling’s heart skipped a beat.
Ever since she’d come to this world, she’d known she was an outsider.
If she slipped up and acted too strangely, she might draw unwanted attention—or worse.
As she struggled to hide her nerves, Tii gave her shoulder a friendly pat and flashed a playful smile.
“Because you’re so cute!”
“W-what?”
“Mm-hm. You looked so adorable just now,” Tii teased.
“Your expression when you first saw this place was priceless. It’s like you’d never seen anything outside Ansels.”
“Ah, that must be it…” Su Ling thought hastily.
Tii continued chattering as they walked, “North of here are beast-people tribes. South of Ansels is Valivadane, where humans hold political power. Both those places are outside vampire territory, so of course they’d look strange to someone who’s never left home.”
“R-right…” Su Ling nodded, pretending to understand.
That was new worldbuilding she’d never read about in the novel.
She listened carefully to Tii as they continued their tour, making sure not to say anything careless.
Although Tii seemed kind and trustworthy enough, it was better to be cautious in a world she still didn’t fully understand.
After they’d explored the main hall, they made their way back downstairs to the servants’ quarters.
The walls of the staircase were steeped in history, bearing signs of long use.
“Hairusen Castle is huge,” Tii explained breezily as she walked.
“There’s no way to show you everything in one afternoon. Don’t worry—we’ll take it slowly over time.”
When they reached Su Ling’s door, Tii paused and gave her a warm smile.
“Tomorrow is your first real day of work. If you have any questions, you can always come to me, okay?”
“Thank you, Tii,” Su Ling replied gratefully.
“You can just call me Tii,” she chided, giving Su Ling’s forehead a light flick before turning to leave.
“See you tomorrow!”
“See you,” Su Ling echoed, waving goodbye.
Once the door was shut, Su Ling’s nerves returned.
Tomorrow would be her first real day on the job.
And that meant facing the princess.
Su Ling took a deep breath.
No matter what was coming, she had no choice but to face it.
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