Claire suddenly realized that sneaking into Lin Luo’s bed might be the most regrettable decision of her life.
She hadn’t expected Lin Luo to be such a restless sleeper.
At the moment, Lin Luo was clinging to her like an octopus, making it hard for her to breathe.
Claire had tried several times to push her away, but each time Lin Luo would crawl right back and wrap around her with uncanny precision.
Still, there was one thing Claire found strangely satisfying—Lin Luo’s sleep-talking.
“…Mama…”
That soft, unconscious murmur tugged at something deep in Claire’s heart.
She stopped pushing Lin Luo away and instead let the girl cling to her freely.
From conversations with Lin Cheng, Claire had learned that Lin Luo had been picked up during one of his trips—originally meant to be a way to pass the time in his otherwise dull life.
But in the end, that idle pastime became something more.
Lin Cheng had wanted to send Lin Luo to the Magic Academy… and then he met Claire.
Claire’s hand, seemingly of its own volition, wandered over Lin Luo’s body.
But just as dawn approached, her touch ended up waking the girl.
“…Mama…”
Lin Luo blinked at the blurry figure in front of her and murmured again—but then froze.
Wait, wasn’t this supposed to be the standard setup for a protagonist?
Where did this come from…?
Hold on—she did have one of those…
“Claire!”
Lin Luo yelled, her voice filled with indignation.
Claire just grinned and pressed play on her phone’s voice recording.
In the silence of the room, the recording burst out like a bolt of thunder: the soft, delicate voice of a girl in the throes of slumber, laced with a trace of coyness—“…Mama…”
The words drilled straight into Lin Luo’s ears.
Instantly, a blush bloomed across her cheeks like a sunset, climbing all the way to the tips of her ears.
Her eyes grew flustered, but that quickly turned into fiery rage.
“Delete it right now! And how did you even get into my room?!”
She lunged at Claire, reaching for the clearly high-end phone—but Claire simply pulled her into a bear hug.
“Mmmph!”
Choking slightly, Lin Luo struggled furiously in Claire’s arms.
“There, there. Go back to sleep now. It’s way too early to be up.”
“Get out of here!”
Lin Luo’s speech was muffled and slurred, but ineffective.
Claire’s warmth seemed to sap her energy, and soon drowsiness crept back in.
Before long, Lin Luo was asleep again.
Claire chuckled to herself and leaned back, drifting off with her.
Lin Luo sat quietly in her nightgown, watching herself in the mirror as Claire combed her hair.
Soon, her silky silver locks were swept into two neat, adorable ponytails.
“And now this… and this…”
Claire chattered away nonstop, pulling out strange little gadgets Lin Luo had never seen before and fiddling with them on her head like she was nothing more than a helpless mannequin.
“Claire?”
“Hmm?”
Lin Luo, unable to contain her confusion any longer, finally asked, “Aren’t you a royal? Why don’t you act like one at all?”
From what she remembered, every member of the Lin family placed immense value on noble etiquette.
Their every gesture was poised, their movements graceful and dignified.
Well… all except one.
The one she’d thoroughly corrupted.
Yes.
That one exception was now the current Vampire Queen—Phyllis Lin.
“Hmm… What do you mean by that exactly?”
Claire asked, genuinely puzzled.
“Things like noble etiquette. Isn’t the Lin family supposed to be obsessed with that?”
“Correction: it’s our family. And if you want to learn, I can teach you.”
“No, no, no. I really don’t need any of that,” Lin Luo said quickly, shaking her head.
“Stop squirming!”
Claire held her still and resumed styling her hair.
“Etiquette is for the weak,” Lin Luo said calmly.
“If you’re strong enough, then everything you do becomes etiquette.”
Claire’s eyes gleamed at those words.
It sounded… very familiar.
Like something her daughter might say.
“All right, all right. We’ll do things your way,” Claire said with a smile.
But the look in her eyes held a glint of mischief.
In her memories, Phyllis had once been the model of noble decorum.
Every movement elegant, every word measured and gentle.
Her smiles were flawless, as if she’d been born under a halo of etiquette and grace.
But then, after one trip, everything changed.
Claire still remembered the shock she felt seeing her sister again.
Phyllis, who once wore perfectly tailored gowns and had not a strand of hair out of place, now had her hair down in a messy tumble, her dress littered with wild grass from who-knows-where.
She no longer walked with dignified, dainty steps—instead, she strode boldly, sometimes even skipped, like a joyful fawn bounding through the woods.
Her speech had lost its refined restraint.
She laughed freely, loud and clear, like a mountain stream cascading over rocks.
She looked like a wild girl fresh out of the forest, completely unrecognizable from the sister Claire once knew.
And…
“Etiquette is for the weak. If you’re strong enough, then everything you do becomes etiquette.”
Phyllis had said the exact same thing.
Claire had never had much patience for stiff, formal etiquette.
Phyllis, though occasionally lax, had at least known when to behave.
So Claire let it slide.
She figured familial love mattered more than rigid rules.
Their mother, the former Queen, had once tried to investigate what had caused Phyllis’ transformation.
Her investigation pointed to a certain notorious rogue mage from the Northern Continent.
That mage was infamous—villainous enough to stop babies from crying by fear alone.
His misdeeds included trading colored stones for children’s candy and shaving little girls’ heads.
He even had the shameless gall to call himself a “Legendary Mage.”
Eventually, Claire ran away, and the throne naturally fell to Phyllis.
Once Queen, Phyllis displayed staggering talent for governance.
Some of her policies were unheard of—so innovative they stunned even their mother.
Seeing this, their mother stopped interfering altogether and ran off to enjoy life again.
Claire suspected she had been planning her escape for a long time.
Claire could find her mother anywhere in the world—except within the borders of the Bloodlands.
Of that, she was certain.
Her thoughts returned to the present.
Recently, her intelligence network reported that the rogue mage of the Northern Continent had been quiet for many years now.
And now…
Claire glanced at the girl before her.
The very person who had caused their family’s collapse of etiquette…
Seemed to be standing right in front of her.
How fascinating—the legendary mage had landed right into her hands.