Finally given the chance to leave the castle… should I try to sneak away?
Su Ling hesitated.
The world outside might not be safe either. With her small frame, if anything unexpected happened, she’d be as helpless as a bird with broken wings.
On the other hand, staying in the castle wasn’t exactly safe either — but at least she had a roof over her head.
Shaking her head, Su Ling kept walking, turning into a corner corridor and then quickly returning to her room to change clothes.
No matter what — today, she could finally see the outside world.
Her footsteps echoed softly through the empty hallway, each step rippling through the unease in her chest. The corridor lights flickered in a pale amber hue, stretching her shadow long and thin behind her.
At last, she stood before her bedroom door. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself mentally for the “adventure” ahead. She opened the wardrobe, and a familiar musty scent mixed with faint camphor wafted out.
The wardrobe was half-open, filled with various maid uniforms — all pristine and orderly, yet each one a symbol of restriction and regulation. Her fingers lightly skimmed across the fabrics, and a faint bitterness rose in her heart.
None of these are suitable for going outside.
In Ansels, the attire of maids and servants carried clear markers of status and class.
As a human, a servant’s social standing was roughly equivalent to that of commoners. To prevent them from flaunting their closeness to royalty, they were usually required to wear modest, inconspicuous clothing when leaving the castle alone.
Just as she was lost in thought, a splash of white caught her eye.
It was the tattered white dress she wore when she first arrived at the castle as a blood servant. It lay quietly in the corner of the wardrobe like a forgotten pearl — unremarkable, yet faintly fragrant with soap.
This will do. It’s worn out, but at least it won’t draw attention…
She fumbled a bit while changing — it had been a long time since she’d worn something like this.
Once dressed, Su Ling lightly neatened her slightly messy hair, making sure every detail looked as presentable as possible.
With a deep breath, she pushed open the door and stepped across the threshold — out from under the weight of its suffocating rules.
Outside the castle, the day felt especially quiet. Only the occasional birdsong broke the silence. Su Ling followed the stone path with quick steps.
“Hey, Su Ling!”
A short-haired girl in a bright yellow dress with perky cat ears perched on her head was standing not far away, arms crossed at her waist, calling out.
“Took you long enough! So slow!” the girl huffed — it was Phil. “Why is it just you? Where are the others?”
Su Ling paused, then inhaled deeply and replied in a calm tone, “Seban said this year’s errands will be handled by just the two of us—”
Before she could finish, Phil cut her off.
“Figures. That old geezer probably dumped a pile of nonsense on us again. Not enough staff, so we’re stuck doing everything.”
She snatched the shopping list from Su Ling’s hands.
“Let’s see… Huh, there’s more stuff this year than usual. You better not screw anything up again, got it?”
“I won’t,” Su Ling said, biting her lip. “I’m a lot more experienced now.”
“You’d better be.”
After showing the guards the princess’s token (a sigil-wood, typically made of wood or other materials, split into two and held by two parties — joined together to verify identity or fulfill agreements), the two finally reached the castle’s outer walls.
Their destination was the city where Hailuosen Castle was located — the royal capital, Villew. Devastated by earthquakes and war centuries ago, this was the city’s third major reconstruction.
Su Ling had once looked out over this city from a tower.
Villew’s layout was square and structured, with Hailuosen Castle at its center. From there, the city spread out in all four directions, laid out in a grid-like road system.
Back in the days of the Borecansel Kingdom, symmetry and geometry were considered ideals of beauty, and that philosophy deeply influenced urban planning. Ansels inherited that tradition and preserved it.
“Hmm… If we head east from here, we’ll reach the market.” Phil walked while studying a map. “Then we—Su Ling, are you listening?”
“Huh?”
“Huh my foot.” Phil shot her a glare.
But Su Ling wasn’t fazed by her mood. Her eyes were wide, roaming in wonder. The moment she stepped out the side gate of the castle, her entire world changed.
Descending the hill where the castle sat, the two girls made their way down. Phil moved with ease, chatting as they walked, making the trip feel almost pleasant.
At the foot of the slope, the first thing that came into view was an enormous plaza, paved with neatly arranged stone tiles. All around the square, buildings stood in deliberate, harmonious placement.
To the north, in the central zone, were magnificent structures — the residences of noble vampire families. Grand towers rose straight into the sky, their spires piercing the clouds.
In contrast, the southern residential district had a completely different look. Low wooden homes and stone cottages clustered close together, forming winding alleyways. There, locals bustled with chores, chatted leisurely at their doorsteps, and children laughed and chased one another through the narrow lanes.
“It’s so big,” Su Ling blurted out in awe. “I never imagined the world outside the castle would be like this… ah!”
Suddenly, a large shadow loomed in front of her. Before she could dodge, it slammed into her like a wall.
She stumbled backward, and the coin pouch in her hands slipped from her fingers — tumbling to the ground.
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