Chapter 15: Choosing Sides

Aiwei’s breath halted in an instant, and her calmly beating heart seemed to be injected with a dose of adrenaline, suddenly pounding wildly in her chest.

At the same time, a wave of lingering fear washed over Aiwei.

Fortunately, she hadn’t been tempted by Emilia—sure enough, the other’s words were just testing her.

She had almost fallen for Fuluoxi’s trick.

But Aiwei kept her composure, silently following behind Liya, heading toward Fuluoxi’s room inside the Vampire Castle.

On the way, Liya glanced at Aiwei and, seeing there were no other members of the Vampire Clan nearby, whispered:

“Her Highness the Prince is a bit angry. You’d better tell the Prince everything you’ve done, or else the Prince might…”

Liya didn’t finish her sentence, because up ahead, Vampire Clan guards were patrolling.

But Aiwei already understood what Liya had left unsaid.

These days, she had managed to soften Liya’s heart by playing the victim and acting cute.

Because of this, every time Aiwei came to Fuluoxi’s room, Liya would quietly remind her, telling her about Fuluoxi’s mood that day and what business she might have with Aiwei.

This helped Aiwei decide how best to present herself before Fuluoxi, so things would go more smoothly for her.

It was a good thing she’d prepared herself in advance; otherwise, if she tried to play dumb, Fuluoxi might have taken her down on the spot.

Who knows, she might have been sucked dry and left a husk.

Thinking of that outcome, Aiwei shrank her neck, but quickly puffed up her tiny chest again.

She hadn’t betrayed Fuluoxi, so what was there to be afraid of?

Besides, when a Prince like Emilia wanted to take her away, she had no way to resist at all, so she was the victim!

She hadn’t agreed to Emilia’s demands—she was innocent, she was loyal!

Aiwei began rehearsing her explanation to Fuluoxi in her mind, drafting it silently.

Very soon, they arrived at Fuluoxi’s room.

But this time, before Liya could open the door, the once tightly shut door swung open by itself.

Fuluoxi was still seated in her chair, magical runes flickering on her hands.

In an instant, a force pushed Aiwei from behind, shoving her into the room.

Bang—

The door slammed shut.

Aiwei looked at Fuluoxi. She could clearly see the anger flickering in Fuluoxi’s crimson eyes, along with a barely perceptible murderous intent.

Crap…

That thought popped up in Aiwei’s mind, and she instinctively wanted to kneel.

Though she hadn’t knelt for nearly a week now, in this situation, kneeling first seemed like the safest bet.

Show humility—can’t go wrong.

Aiwei had more or less figured out the temperament of this temperamental Blood Clan Prince.

She hated being defied, was domineering and overbearing.

But if you obeyed her and didn’t make any noisy disturbances to irritate her ears, Fuluoxi generally wouldn’t do anything scary.

Yet just as Aiwei was about to kneel, a gust of wind supported her.

It stopped Aiwei from kneeling any further.

“Stand up.” Fuluoxi’s voice was calm, but within that calm was a hidden, stormy undercurrent.

Aiwei couldn’t tell what Fuluoxi was thinking, but she obediently stood up straight.

At times like this, obedience was the best shield.

Aiwei secretly observed Fuluoxi’s expression, but was surprised to find that the other seemed to be suppressing her temper.

Fuluoxi pointed at the table.

“For you to eat.”

Following Fuluoxi’s gesture, Aiwei looked toward the table at the things placed on a plate.

Several small cakes.

Aiwei instantly recognized that these small cakes were made by the same person as the two she’d eaten when she first arrived in this world.

At first, she assumed these were the same two cakes that had been left out since the first day, but upon closer inspection, she realized they were clearly freshly made.

“These… for me to eat?”

“I really can eat them?”

Aiwei pointed at the little cakes, then at herself.

Fuluoxi looked at Aiwei as if she were an idiot, wanting to say something, but quickly shut her mouth.

It was as if arguing with Aiwei over this would lower Fuluoxi’s own intelligence.

Being regarded as a fool left Aiwei greatly shocked.

She’d thought she was here for a lecture or even an interrogation.

In the worst-case scenario, she figured she’d lose something important.

But what was this development?

Is this right?

No, it’s not.

Could the cakes be poisoned…

Or is this the last meal?

Aiwei’s mind whirled with wild thoughts, strange ideas flashing through her head.

But these thoughts only made her hesitate for three seconds. Very soon, she walked to the table, picked up a small cake, and started eating.

Whatever, it’s not like I can run. If there’s poison, so be it. Even if it’s some weird drug, I’ll just accept it.

After all, her only choices here were to eat, or be force-fed by Fuluoxi—and she’d probably get beaten up, too.

The sweet aroma of the cake awakened Aiwei’s long-dormant taste buds, and the joy brought by the sweetness rose up in her heart.

She couldn’t help but look incredibly happy, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster’s. Even though her mouth was already full, she still wanted to stuff in more cake.

Seeing Aiwei finally lose her restraint and show a happy expression, Fuluoxi’s own expression softened as well.

It seemed those books from the Elders were actually useful.

Fuluoxi recalled one of the entries from the Handbook for Raising Human Pets that the Elders had given her.

“If you want your human pet to open their heart to you, try starting with their favorite food or item. Appropriate rewards can deepen their affection for you.”

Looks like what was written in this book really does work.

Fuluoxi thought to herself.

And watching this little one eat somehow made her feel happy, too. Even Fuluoxi, who rarely ate human food, couldn’t help but want to try the cake.

So Fuluoxi simply sat and watched as Aiwei devoured the little cakes.

It was her first time realizing that, for someone who looked so small, Aiwei could actually eat so many cakes.

Aiwei’s eyes sparkled, her face full of satisfaction.

As expected, she had zero resistance to delicious things.

After Aiwei finished eating, Fuluoxi stood up and looked at her.

“Alright, now that you’ve eaten, tell me what Emilia wanted when she called you over just now.”

Fuluoxi spoke in her usual flat tone, her expression the same familiar emotionless mask.

Hearing Fuluoxi’s question, Aiwei was about to blurt out her prepared explanation, but paused for a moment.

A new thought surfaced in her mind.

If Fuluoxi and Emilia were truly enemies, should she reveal Emilia’s true intentions?

Aiwei weighed the pros and cons. If she kept it secret and ended up working with Emilia, she’d be pushing her relationship with Fuluoxi to the edge of a cliff.

If Fuluoxi discovered her little maneuver, death would be her only fate.

But if she told Fuluoxi everything, then on Emilia’s side…

Right now, Aiwei had to make a choice: to side with Emilia, or with Fuluoxi.