“Hey, Master, do you like flowers?”
“Flowers? Things like that don’t matter. In the end, they all rot into useless muck.”
“But Lian found a really pretty one. It felt like it suits Master… hehe, look, look.”
“This flower… where did you find it?”
“In the forest. But Lian only found white ones, so I used a bit of my blood to add some color, hehe.”
“Don’t do that again.”
“Master… doesn’t like it?”
“No, I like it very much. But I don’t like seeing you hurt yourself like that.”
“It’s okay, really. As long as Master is happy, Lian doesn’t mind at all. Oh, do you know what this flower is called? Lian looked through so many books but couldn’t find it.”
“…Spider Lily.”
***
Bai slowly opened her eyes.
The familiar ceiling came into view.
She pushed herself up and sat at the edge of the bed.
A dull pain throbbed in her forehead, and she couldn’t help but press her hand against it, muttering softly, “A dream…? That felt so familiar.”
Fragments flashed through her mind, the mocking smile of her master, Yalbera’s furious expression, and then… blankness.
“So… Bai passed out again after being fed on?”
She gave a bitter smile and shook her head.
She’d already lost count of how many times she’d fainted recently.
In the past, she only had to prepare blood two or three times a week.
But lately, in less than a week, she had already drawn blood five or six times.
This frail body couldn’t take that kind of drain.
Maybe… maybe this was her body’s final warning.
Bai climbed out of bed, dragging her exhausted steps once again to the door of Yare’s bedchamber.
She gave a light knock and spoke softly, “Master, it’s Bai.”
There was no response from inside, but the door silently opened on its own.
Inside, Yare sat quietly in a chair, a book held in her hands, her expression deeply focused.
Bai stood silently to the side, waiting for the moment she closed the book.
“Did Lady Yalbera… go back?”
Bai asked cautiously.
Yare looked up, a teasing smile playing on her lips.
“Oh? Missing your old master already?”
Bai quickly waved her hands, panicking.
“No, no, Bai was just asking…”
Yare crossed her legs, resting her head on one hand, a flicker of amusement flashing in her eyes.
“Hehehe, of course she left. That pitiful look on her face, like a stray dog, I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life. And it’s all thanks to you that I got to witness such a delightful scene.”
Bai lowered her head, saying nothing.
It was over now.
She would probably never cross paths with Yalbera again in this lifetime.
Still… a part of her missed Lady Aiersha.
Though, she probably wouldn’t get to see her again.
“May Bai ask a question?” she asked softly, mustering her courage.
Yare gave a faint smile, her tone lazy and indulgent.
“As a reward for the pleasure you brought me, of course.”
Since arriving here, Bai had always carried a question in her heart.
And when Yalbera revealed Yare’s true nature, that question had only grown heavier.
She took a deep breath and finally spoke.
“How… did Lian die?”
The moment the words left her lips, Yare’s smile vanished, dissolving like mist swept away by a cold wind.
Her expression turned frigid, and the temperature in the room seemed to plummet.
A biting chill swept over everything.
Her eyes remained calm, yet they now felt bottomless, like an abyss that stared straight into Bai’s soul.
A wave of invisible pressure crashed down on her.
Bai’s spine turned cold, her breathing grew careful, shallow.
Even the three red moons hanging outside the window seemed to respond to the suffocating tension, their dim light growing darker still, as if afraid to provoke the presence within the room.
The air itself felt frozen, a silence so deep even sound dared not stir.
“Bai… might’ve asked something she shouldn’t have…” she thought in regret, throat tight, barely daring to breathe.
This was the first time she’d ever seen such an expression on Yare’s face, and the coldness radiating from her was unlike anything she’d known. It terrified her.
After a long, heavy pause, Yare finally spoke, flatly.
“I killed her.”
“Eh?”
Bai froze, thinking she’d misheard.
“Anything else?”
Yare’s voice was cold as ice.
“N-No… thank you, Master, for clearing Bai’s doubts.”
Bai lowered her head, not daring to meet her eyes.
“Leave. And don’t disturb me again today,” Yare said coldly.
“…Yes, Master.”
Bai replied respectfully, then quickly turned and left the room, afraid Yare might change her mind and decide to keep her there.
***
Outside the room, Bai leaned against the wall and let out a long, shaky breath.
Only then did she realize she was soaked in cold sweat, her heart still pounding wildly.
“She said… ‘I killed her.'”
Yare’s answer was short and cold, but the eerie atmosphere told Bai that things were far from that simple.
Her instincts screamed that a deeper truth was hidden beneath the surface, but those same instincts warned her that it wasn’t something she should ever touch.
Even if everything Lady Yalbera said was true, even if Yare’s elegance and nobility were nothing more than a mask, what could Bai do?
There was nowhere to run, and resisting would be pointless.
Maybe… maybe submission really was the only path forward.
“Ugh… staying alive is more important,” Bai muttered to herself.
She glanced at the wall clock and realized she’d been unconscious for two hours.
If she didn’t return soon, there was no telling what Aurelia might do if she found out.
Time to sneak out~
She pulled out the flower.
For some reason, it looked even more vividly red than before, though she didn’t give it much thought.
After letting a drop of blood fall onto it, she stepped through the door without hesitation.
***
The vast room was now empty, save for Yare.
She wasn’t reading anymore.
She sat in long silence, the hand that had been propping her head now clenched tightly, fingernails digging deep into her palm.
Blood slowly seeped out, but she didn’t seem to feel the pain.
“Hey, why did Master lie?”
A girl’s voice spoke beside her, no one knew when she had appeared.
She crouched in front of Yare, both hands holding up her face, head tilted with innocent curiosity.
Yare didn’t respond.
She only lowered her head further, remaining silent.
But the nails dug even deeper into her flesh.
“Why won’t you look at Lian? Master… you look like you’re hurting.”
Lian stepped closer, kneeling to peer up into the face hidden behind silver hair.
“Please… don’t appear again…”
Yare’s voice trembled as she spoke, as if uttering just those few words had drained all her strength.
Lian lowered her gaze.
Her voice lost its playful tone, softening into quiet disappointment.
“…Does Master hate Lian?”
“No! I just….”
Yare’s head shot up, desperate to see that figure again.
But there was no Lian, only an empty room, and the reflection in the mirror of herself, crying in disarray.
The entire mansion fell silent once more.