“Hey, little one, I often think… If one day I could truly possess you, how wonderful that would be. Don’t you think… so too?”
Sylvie stared at her in a daze, gazing at Utia’s beautiful face—that face which had once filled her with unease—now smiling with curved eyes fixed on her, emotions swirling in those crimson depths that felt alien yet profound.
But why… did she somehow feel a trace of familiarity?
In the end, her long-honed instincts of wariness prevailed.
Sylvie snapped back to reality and abruptly raised her hand, brushing away Utia’s touch from her cheek. Her body recoiled like a startled rabbit, quickly putting distance between them.
Her still-weak frame made the movement unsteady, but those gray eyes had rebuilt their defensive walls, vigilance and confusion clashing fiercely within them.
“Lady Utia, please stop making such malicious jokes.”
As always, she instinctively tried to maintain her composed expression.
Utia’s hand paused mid-air. Watching Sylvie grow wary once more, the fleeting emotion in her crimson eyes quickly vanished.
She slowly withdrew her hand. When she looked up again, her gaze had returned to the familiar teasing and playfulness Sylvie knew so well, the corner of her mouth curling into a lazy, dangerous arc.
“Ara ara, you’re so heartless, little one~” Her voice regained that cloying, flirtatious lilt.
“Even if it’s big sister, seeing that expression from you makes me very sad.” She let out an exaggerated, saddened sigh.
Sylvie pressed her lips tightly together, working to calm the strange ripple of familiarity stirring in her heart. Her demeanor reverted to its previous respectful tone.
“If Lady Utia has no further business, then Sylvie will take her leave.”
…She had been unconscious for so long. She had no idea how the children were doing, and Lady Cassia hadn’t fed in just as much time.
She had to hurry back…
Lowering her head, she prepared to flee from this woman who was making her increasingly uncomfortable, but Utia’s voice reached her first.
“Don’t you want to know why the Queen was so angry?”
Sylvie’s movement froze.
“Nn…”
She hesitated, pondering for a long while before reluctantly turning her head back, ever so slowly.
“If Lady Utia is willing to tell Sylvie…”
“Heh heh…” Utia sat up straight on the bed, smiling, though her expression carried a few shades more seriousness.
“Just three days ago, at midday, humans suddenly launched a large-scale attack on the northern vampire penned districts without any warning. In less than half a day, they captured three penned cities. That’s why your master was so furious.”
Sylvie’s face filled with shock upon hearing this. She couldn’t help but press further.
“Humans… The humans from the survivor zones—aren’t they all just barely surviving, hiding from vampire hunts? How could they have such powerful strength?”
Doubt and astonishment filled Sylvie’s gray eyes. In her understanding, ever since the “Great Purge,” human survivors had always been on the passive defensive. Even though humans had built survivor zone after survivor zone over the years and seemed to have found ways to counter vampires, they remained a weak force overall. How could they possibly launch an offensive against vampire penned districts?
Utia chuckled lightly at that, her laughter laced with sarcasm.
“That’s just the story we tell to keep the blood livestock in the penned districts obedient.” She lazily toyed with her silver hair, her crimson eyes narrowing gradually.
“You shouldn’t underestimate human cunning and resilience. Neither should we… Long ago, they had already formed a force not to be taken lightly.”
“It’s just that between us and them… we’ve maintained a delicate balance.”
“Though we share a blood-deep enmity, the killing has never exceeded certain limits. Vampires continue penning their food, while humans develop steadily in their survivor zones. That’s been the unspoken rule for many years.”
Sylvie was stunned.
This was the first time she had heard that the outside world was like this. The truth completely overturned everything she had believed.
“Why maintain such a balance?” she couldn’t help asking.
The corners of Utia’s mouth curved into a mysterious smile.
“Because both sides know that true all-out war would only lead to mutual destruction.”
In the dimly lit room, the faint candlelight danced across Utia’s face, making her expression seem somewhat sinister and eerie.
“But now, that balance has been broken. Humans have actively attacked the penned districts—this means they’ve gained the confidence to shatter the rules.” As she spoke, Utia’s gaze fell on Sylvie’s face.
After a moment’s thought, an inexplicably strong sense of unease surged through her. Sylvie asked warily once more.
“Why are you telling me all this…”
“Actually, what big sister just said isn’t the main point… The important part is, do you know, little one? Some humans have already entered this Eternal Night City.”
“…Huh?”
Sylvie’s pupils contracted sharply.
Eternal Night City—the vampires’ core territory, the Queen’s capital—had humans infiltrated it?
“Are they… here to assassinate the Queen?”
Utia savored Sylvie’s shocked expression and continued in that lazy yet dangerous tone.
“Of course… not. The Vampire Queen is very powerful. A mere few humans don’t even have the ability to get close to her, let alone assassinate her.”
“Apparently… they’re here to retrieve a certain ‘thing.'” Utia deliberately lowered her voice.
“A thing?”
“Yes, a special, ‘living container.'”
As she said this, undecipherable dark glints flickered in her crimson eyes as she stared unblinkingly at the bewildered and uneasy Sylvie.
The room fell into dead silence. Sylvie frowned in confusion, still not understanding the true intent behind Utia’s words.
Watching her puzzled expression, Utia suddenly reverted to her frivolous demeanor.
“Anyway, if you happen to encounter any suspicious humans in the city, make absolutely sure not to follow them.” Her crimson eyes flashed with cunning light.
“Those bad people are very dangerous. They’ll snatch cute little ones like you and subject you to all sorts of terrifying experiments. And if you disappeared, big sister would be so very, very sad~”
Sylvie was thrown off by this abrupt shift, the serious atmosphere from moments ago instantly dissipating, replaced by the familiar teasing and ambiguity.
“…Sylvie understands. If there’s nothing else, I really must go now.”
This time, Utia didn’t stop her, merely smiling as she added one more sentence.
“Go ahead. Remember big sister’s words.” Her voice carried a faint, underlying profundity.
“The nights in Eternal Night City… are very long, after all…”
Sylvie left the room, the door closing softly behind her.
In the now-empty space, the vampire girl caressed her dangling empty sleeve and murmured to herself.
“Did I… say a bit too much?”
…
On the cold, damp streets, Sylvie—having donned her cloak once more—hurried toward a certain direction, her mind a complete mess.
Unreasonable…
She never imagined that Utia, of all people, had saved her. The woman could have revealed the truth—told about her unauthorized overstep of feeding a strange vampire—but she didn’t!
She had actually… chosen to lose an arm just to keep it hidden from the Queen, and all for the sake of using this leverage to “continue toying with me”?
And that detestable woman! She knew full well the Queen had forbidden her from laying a hand on Sylvie again! Had even torn off an arm as a warning!
Yet she acted as if she didn’t care at all, touching her freely! Even worse than before!
Simply… unreasonable!
She quickened her pace, weaving rapidly through the streets to escape those persistent thoughts.
But no matter the situation, she had to return to Lady Cassia’s side and offer her blood as soon as possible.
If a vampire went too long without feeding, the consequences would be severe!
And she had no idea how Nia and the others were faring. Their food supplies almost entirely depended on what she provided.
…The children must be starving by now, right?
At that thought, Sylvie shook her head, banishing the irritating ideas along with them. She sped up a little more, heading along her intended route.
If she weren’t still so weak from just waking, she probably would have sprinted the whole way…
The streets this night seemed quieter than usual.
In her haste, Sylvie completely failed to notice that not far behind her, a black figure blended perfectly into the shadows of the buildings, silently following her footsteps as she entered the building where Cassia was hidden.
…
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