What exactly happened last night? Su Ling desperately searched her mind.
Right, she drank a lot of wine and her face flushed with the alcohol.
The last thing she remembered was Sista hugging her tightly, and then she drifted into a deep sleep.
But she never expected to wake up in the Princess’s room. Looking down, she saw Sista’s fair arm draped over her belly—clearly, it was Sista who had made her stay.
A bit moved at heart, but the memories of the night Sista had forced her returned with a surge of anxiety, making Su Ling instinctively want to escape.
She cautiously shifted a little, reaching her hand toward the edge of the bed. The next moment, Sista suddenly pulled her tightly into her embrace.
“…Is this your way of waking me up?” Though her eyes were still closed, the Blood Princess didn’t seem drowsy at all. “Unqualified Maid, don’t move.”
“…I can’t…”
“And don’t speak.”
Su Ling lay stiffly, her whole body tense.
This Sista, is she going to do something to her again?
Her heart was filled with worry.
But the thing she feared didn’t happen. On this chilly winter morning, the black-haired girl simply held her quietly, embracing her as if holding onto a pillow.
Sista’s skin was cool, and when their bodies pressed together, it felt a bit cold, but after a while, Su Ling began to feel warmth.
“…Su Ling.”
A cool voice softly called her name.
“I’m here.”
“Your complexion is terrible. You’re not feeling well?”
“Eh? Not really, I just don’t hold my liquor well…”
“Then why are you so far from me?”
She was momentarily stunned, feeling rather surprised.
Sista usually only gave her orders or found random reasons to reprimand her. She rarely asked Su Ling about her feelings.
“Don’t misunderstand. You can’t escape me. Ever since that day, your body has changed in strange ways.” Sista looked at her stubbornly, her dissatisfied expression carrying a hint of cuteness.
“What on earth happened to you?”
Her guarded actions had still been noticed. Knowing she couldn’t fool Sista, Su Ling sighed quietly, paused for a moment, and then slowly spoke.
“Your Highness, you are the Blood Clan’s Princess, and I am but a humble Maid.”
“I have overstepped my status several times before and committed offenses, yet you have repeatedly reminded me of the honor of our stations. These were all my faults.”
“I understand now. You are a noble Blood Princess, standing far above me. I won’t do anything improper again.”
Her tone was calm, as if stating a simple truth. But once these words reached Sista’s ears, they became all the more piercing.
Why?
Why was her heart so heavy?
In the past, afraid of being seen as weak for sympathizing with Humans, Sista had always distanced herself from Su Ling and constantly reminded her of their respective places, using it to prove her own resolve.
Yet, the wall between them had grown thinner and thinner as time went on, until she had fallen deeply, like being dragged into a whirlpool of emotion, unable to free herself.
Now, no matter how strong she pretended to be, Sista knew she couldn’t let go of the Maid before her. Even a single day apart left her restless and uneasy, her thoughts always circling back to her Maid.
But at this very moment, Su Ling chose to pull away and return things to how they once were.
Sista felt as if something was lodged in her heart, making her uncomfortable beyond words.
“Unreasonable.”
She released her, not wanting to say anything more, and got up to walk toward the vanity. Su Ling quickly got up as well to help her dress.
The two of them stood before the bronze mirror, as usual—one the master, the other the Maid.
But somehow, something had changed.
“Blood Clan are beings incapable of understanding human emotions.”
A long, long time ago, Marentia once said these words to another.
“You may respect them, you may appreciate them, but to fall in love with a Blood Clan is the most tragic thing of all. Because they can never truly understand the feelings of Humans.”
Even now, Marentia could no longer remember the face of the one who said this to her, but that piece of advice remained vivid in her mind.
She had always known there was a difference between the Blood Clan and the Human Race, and she understood that Nori’s love for her was tinged with a hint of calculation.
But Marentia no longer cared. She loved Nori, whether it was her little schemes or her grand, reckless gestures—she loved everything about Nori.
Even now, she could still recall the afternoon she was chosen to be the Little Princess’s personal Maid.
[Marentia’s Memories]
Under the endless sky, the sunlight was perfect. The usually grumpy and reclusive Little Princess Nori had just lost one Maid after another, and Marentia had become her next one.
At first, Marentia was unwilling, but Maids never had the right to refuse. With no choice, she braced herself and walked into the overly luxurious bedroom of the Little Princess, preparing herself for difficult times ahead.
“Your Highness Nori, I am…”
She had just started to speak when she was abruptly interrupted.
“Leave.”
Back then, Nori had long golden hair tied into sharp twin tails. She didn’t even glance at Marentia, lying on the bed and playing with her fingers.
“Your Highness, please don’t drive me away,” Marentia knelt at Nori’s feet, “I was ordered to serve you.”
“Nori doesn’t need such a personal Maid. You lot can’t do anything right.” She sneered, pressing her foot on Marentia’s head.
“No… I can do it.” Marentia was unwilling to accept defeat. “Please give me a chance. No matter what it is, I will do it well.”
The Little Princess’s bright eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
Marentia nodded determinedly.
Becoming Nori’s personal Maid was an order she could not defy. If she left this position, she would face even harsher punishment from Butler Ban.
So, no matter what, she had to stay.
Nori chuckled softly, got out of bed, and with her twin tails swinging, pointed her little finger at the window on the fourth floor.
“Then, jump out from there.”
Marentia’s heart thudded.
Outside, there was nothing but dense salt fields—yet Nori, with that arrogant look, insisted that she could do anything. Nori really wanted to see if she was telling the truth.
It was like a new game to the Little Princess.
Marentia began to tremble.
Her instincts told her that Nori was trying to get rid of her so that the King would no longer send personal Maids.
If that was the case, begging was pointless. Her fate was right before her eyes.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Marentia took a deep breath, climbed onto the windowsill, and gazed out at the vast Heaven.
“My life… for you, Princess.”
Then, she leaped.
At the very moment her body left the windowsill, Nori suddenly rushed forward and caught Marentia in her arms.
Holding her tightly, Marentia’s heart pounded wildly as she stared at the twin-tailed little girl who clung to her, slowly dragging her back into the room.
She didn’t die. Nori had brought her back.
“Your… Your Highness…”
She collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath, looking up at Nori in total confusion.