Wiping away the tears on her neck, Bohm reached out to Su Ling and stood up.
“Miss Su Ling, thank you… for helping me.” She whispered.
“No need to thank me, I’m just glad you’re alright.”
Su Ling gave her a relaxed smile.
Bohm still wanted to say something, but suddenly caught sight of a young girl’s figure stumbling in from the distance, hands clutched, snowflakes clinging to her, gentle red hair fluttering in the air.
“Tii, Miss Tii!”
The tears at the corners of her eyes had not yet dried, but Bohm’s heart was already racing.
Gentle and reliable Tii always appeared when the maids needed comfort, coming to reassure them.
Now, the incident of being wrongly accused had just passed not long ago, and Bohm’s heart still held unspoken grievances. She wanted to, just like before, rush into the arms of the one she trusted and act a little spoiled.
“Miss Tii, I…”
She didn’t finish her words, but saw Tii walk right past her, the faint fragrance drifting by.
The girl opened her arms and hurried over to Su Ling, who was standing behind Bohm. Her flowing, beautiful red hair draped over Su Ling’s shoulder, vivid and radiant against her white skin.
“Su Ling! Are you alright?” Tii’s anxious, trembling voice was full of concern. “Why did you run out by yourself again? What if you got hurt?”
“I’m fine, really,” Su Ling gently patted Tii’s back, “I know my limits.”
“I… I was so worried about you. If something had happened, I…”
Tii’s hand, which had reached out toward Su Ling, slowly fell.
The winter day felt exceptionally cold. Bohm stood in the distance, watching the embrace between the two, and felt like an outsider.
No matter how much she missed the gentle concern Tii used to give her, now, there was only a lingering sense of sadness left.
Ever since arriving at the castle, Bohm had often been bullied because of her gentle nature. When the maids gathered together, she was always the one quietly relegated to the sidelines.
Throwing cold water, mocking, framing, being forced to do the dirtiest and hardest tasks… Bohm had long since lost count of how many times she’d been through all this. The only thing she could do was silently endure, day after day.
Until the day a girl named Tii appeared in her life.
That was in the summer, two years ago.
The sound of cicadas buzzed noisily, the stifling hot air making people restless.
“Are you Bohm? I’m Tii, the new one.”
Hearing the voice, Bohm wiped the sweat from her forehead and raised her head in surprise.
In front of her, the unfamiliar red-haired girl was smiling.
The girl was of medium height, her skin was fair and flawless, the corners of her eyes slightly upturned. Her long hair was tied into a high ponytail, and her face, shaped like a melon seed, was adorned with dimples. When she smiled, it was so gentle it could melt a person’s heart.
“These, the head maid left all this for you to handle by yourself?” Looking around the messy room, Tii showed a concerned expression. “There’s no way you can finish alone. Let me help.”
The shabby room smelled strongly of mold, and the floor was littered with debris. The beautiful red-haired girl put her bag aside, squatted down, and helped Bohm pick up the rags that the other maids had deliberately thrown on the ground.
It was as if a ray of light shone through the thick wall, and Bohm’s dreary life was suddenly brightened.
“Th-thank you…” Bohm stammered, head bowed, “But… this work is really dirty…”
“I don’t mind,” Tii not only looked radiant, but her voice was pleasant too.
“If Bohm does all this alone and gets sick, that’d be bad. Don’t push yourself too hard.”
“Thank you…”
To Bohm, it felt like she had met an angel.
Even though they were both girls, and even though these feelings might not be easily understood by others, Bohm knew very early on that she was in love.
She had fallen for Tii, a girl just like her.
She wanted to spend more time by Tii’s side every day, wanted more of her gentleness. This behavior made the other maids who used to bully her feel uncomfortable, but Tii never seemed to mind, always staying by Bohm’s side.
She only had Tii, and with Tii by her side, it was as if there was no one else in the world.
A small hope quietly sprouted in her heart.
But that hope did not last long before it was extinguished.
The gates of Hailuosen opened, and at the end of summer, a silver-haired girl—Su Ling—entered the castle.
Not only did Su Ling take the position of close maid that Bohm had never dared hope for, she also took away Tii’s care and attention.
Tii seemed to genuinely like that girl. Unconsciously, the time the two of them spent together grew longer and longer.
They called each other by affectionate nicknames, and were always together while working. Bohm gradually became the extra, unneeded one.
Why did it turn out like this?
Why was it that the person she cherished most was taken by someone else?
Back then, Bohm simply didn’t understand. She was just constantly envious, sad, and quietly hoping Su Ling would leave soon, so that her Tii would return to the way she used to be.
But now, Bohm’s heart had changed.
She finally understood why Tii was so drawn to that girl.
Just now, when Bohm had nearly broken down, it was the petite silver-haired girl who stood up for her, shielding her before the steward, proving her innocence.
In the blood clan castle, full of cruelty and deceit, someone willing to speak up for others was incredibly precious—Bohm knew this all too well.
“Su Ling is just like Tii… Unlike someone as cowardly as me, those two are truly meant to be together.”
In her mind, a voice echoed from the dark corners.
“I was only relying on Tii’s gentleness, wanting more of her affection. But Su Ling has the same warmth and angelic heart as Tii.”
Her feelings of love had changed without her realizing it.
“Bohm, are you alright?”
After a long while, Tii finally noticed Bohm’s presence, and turned around a bit awkwardly, her gaze landing on Bohm.
“Ah… Miss Tii, I’m fine…” Bohm forced a smile, lowered her head, and blinked rapidly.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing, I just hope… that Miss Tii will always be happy.”
She said this softly, then gave Tii a sincere, heartfelt smile.
After that, the sun sank behind the mountains.
After a long, exhausting day, Su Ling’s whole body felt sore. During the break after dinner, she went to the washbasin to check herself.
The marks above her collarbone had faded by half. There were still traces, but at least they weren’t so obvious anymore.
“Whew, thank goodness.”
Su Ling finally felt a bit more at ease. So far, nothing bad had happened.
Even if the place on her chest needed to be covered for a while, as long as she was careful, no one else would notice.
Judging from this, the marks might completely disappear by tomorrow.
Once they’re gone, all will be well! Disaster averted!
Su Ling patted her chest in relief, pushed open the door, and walked out.
Work wasn’t finished yet. Tonight, Blood Princess had summoned her to the study again. But this time, not for service she wanted Su Ling to teach her how to read.
It was an easy task. Once finished, she could return to her cold room and rest, and this day would end perfectly.
Her steps became light and springy. Su Ling walked up the stairs and opened the double wooden doors to the study.
By the oil lamp, a stack of poetry collections lay scattered on the desk. Blood Princess sat by the window, not reading, but gazing out at the faint starlight in the distance.
Her slender fingers were intertwined. Blood Princess’s radiant long hair hung from her shoulders all the way down her back.
“Your Highness, I’m coming in.”
There was a soft reply.
Blood Princess responded quietly, not turning around, but her expression changed ever so slightly.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.