“If you want my hair, that’s fine, but in exchange—”
Sista gently gathered a lock of Su Ling’s silver hair, laying it softly across her palm,
“—I want something of yours, too.”
“Wait, that’s…”
That hand trailed from Su Ling’s hair all the way down to her shoulder, and before Su Ling could finish her protest, it was already caressing her lightly.
“Your skin is so dry. Stand still here. I’ll help you put on some lotion.”
Su Ling hesitated for a moment, then obediently stood in place.
At some point, a delicate beam-shaped glass bottle had appeared in Sista’s hand. Su Ling remembered this was a skincare product from the South, a Hebaijiang lotion, very popular among the Noble Faction’s women.
It was rare to see a woman so willing to use such an expensive skincare product on a maid. Perhaps, as Sista herself said, Su Ling was like a precious plaything, and thus deserved to be cared for with the finest things.
A small amount of creamy white ointment was squeezed onto Sista’s palm, then gently and precisely spread across Su Ling’s face. The Hebaijiang lotion carried a subtle orchid fragrance, a scent that lingered seductively in the air.
“Close your eyes.”
Her fingertips glided lightly over Su Ling’s cheeks, helping the lotion absorb better. Su Ling’s long lashes fluttered, the wind-chapped skin on her cheeks turning a bit rosy.
“Your arms are dry too, and your chest…yes, your stomach needs some as well.”
As her words faded, those slender, pale hands began gliding all over Su Ling’s body—starting with the smooth, moisturized shoulders and arms, then down her delicate collarbones, across her chest, finally resting lightly on her flat abdomen, caressing softly.
The skin on her slender stomach, under the nourishment of Hebaijiang lotion, became as clear and lustrous as jade, as if a single touch would send forth ripples of water.
Even the hollow of her belly button and the faint mermaid line on her lower abdomen shimmered with a subtle, watery sheen, giving off a slightly ambiguous allure.
Sista’s gaze couldn’t help lingering there, her thoughts beginning to wander.
Su Ling’s voice trembled, carrying a hint of panic and unease. Her chest rose and fell softly with each breath, her skin growing redder and slicker from the caresses.
“Heh, foolish little maid, weren’t you actually hoping I’d do this? Why did you pretend to avoid me before?”
A hand cupped her waist, lifting it gently. Su Ling’s body began to tremble under those hands, her slender belly involuntarily twitching.
“I… I wasn’t…”
“Looks like I need to punish you a little, or you won’t behave.”
Sista’s fingertips were coated with a semi-transparent sheen of lotion, almost pulling Su Ling into her arms. As she spoke, her breathing grew heavier.
“You want my hair and still won’t admit it? Tell me, how much have you secretly hidden of my things?”
The pressure on Su Ling’s waist grew greater and greater.
No, if this continues, the misunderstanding will only get worse. If I don’t clear things up soon, Sista is definitely going to take severe measures against me!
“I can’t keep quiet any longer, this was really something that Kuola Bai asked me to do!”
At last, Su Ling couldn’t hold back and interrupted, hoping to quell Sista’s dissatisfaction. But unexpectedly, the usually gentle Sista’s expression changed instantly at Su Ling’s words.
“…What?”
She stopped moving.
“Kuola Bai—that’s the new maid.”
“So you were doing this for someone else?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
A mix of emotions flickered across Sista’s face, including a hint of embarrassment. She jabbed Su Ling, as if the next moment she would really explode.
Oh no! I said the wrong thing!
Su Ling quickly tried to explain herself.
“Wait, please let me explain.” Her voice was tinged with a hint of pleading, but she tried to keep her tone steady.
“Kuola Bai… she admires you deeply, all her actions stem from her respect for you. I promise, I promise I won’t let her do anything like this again.”
At the same time, those slender hands pinched the soft flesh of Su Ling’s waist, giving a gentle tug.
“Ah! It hurts… please, don’t…”
Su Ling’s body shuddered, tears springing from her eyes, crystalline droplets swirling in her pink-rimmed pupils.
What did I do to make her so angry? She couldn’t understand at all, staring blankly at her. But the Blood Princess just stood there, saying nothing, head lowered so her expression couldn’t be seen.
“Wait… I’m sorry… ah, it hurts…”
“What are you crying for? I’m just applying lotion for you. Don’t move.”
The fingertips pressing into her waist stretched out, forcibly prying apart her hands, showing no hint of mercy. The rising and falling movements sent a series of not-too-severe but persistent tingling pain through her body.
Su Ling couldn’t help but cover her lower abdomen, her body tensing as Sista pinned her down, unable to move.
For some reason, it was at times like this that a certain phrase Sista once said came to mind.
“If I’m angry, shouldn’t you reflect on yourself?”
Reflect on myself!
Su Ling turned to face the wall in shame.
If Sista was angry about her hair, she should have shown it just now. But she only truly lost her temper after Su Ling mentioned Kuola Bai.
So that’s it—Sista thought I was keeping her hair for myself! Honestly, she didn’t really know why, but that seemed to be the case!
Su Ling turned back to look at Sista.
“Your Highness, if you knew, and you wanted me to collect your hair, I would definitely do it properly!”
Sista froze for a moment, then immediately turned away, glancing at her with a huff.
“You… I never said I wanted you to collect it!”
“I’m sorry!”
After that, the clear sound of her voice echoed in the Blood Princess’s room.
A long time passed before the storm calmed, and both of them had cooled down. Su Ling’s hair was tended as usual, and she happily did not mention Kuola Bai’s name again.
“Let’s leave it at that,” Sista sighed, putting away the small glass bottle, no longer intending to pursue the matter.
“I came here to find you for another reason.”
She paced to the window, gazing at the endless sky outside.
Clouds drifted across the heavens, sometimes gathering, sometimes dispersing, changing shapes like sheep wandering leisurely by. Sunlight filtered through the clouds, shining softly on her cheeks.
Su Ling also looked up, just as a flock of birds flew across the sky. Her gaze followed them, watching as they beat their wings and disappeared at the edge of her vision.
“Recently, things have been strange in Wang Xian, haven’t you noticed?” Sista asked.
“Yes… everyone has been whispering about it.”
“Someone has snuck into the Castle, and no one knows who it is. Even Mo’er is suspicious of everyone now.” Sista’s tone was solemn. “I want you to be extra careful about what you say and do, don’t let anyone with ulterior motives catch you off guard.”
“I understand, Your Highness.”
Su Ling swallowed a bit nervously. For Sista to discuss such serious matters showed how much importance was being placed on this mystery in the Castle. She needed to be even more cautious than usual.
“Not just about yourself—pay attention to others, too,” Sista added, “You really make me worry…”
She reached out and held Su Ling’s hand; the two stood side by side at the window.
Su Ling might seem a bit absentminded sometimes, but she’s not insensitive—Sista knew this well.
It was just that Su Ling had a fatal flaw—she was too innocent, too emotional.
Though this was what Sista found most endearing about her, in the world of An Muer, such flaws were simply not allowed.
“Whenever it comes to things involving others, you always let unnecessary feelings sway your judgment, making it impossible to make rational decisions,” Sista said calmly.
“From the first time you were framed at the ball to all the incidents that happened after, your softheartedness and unintentional kindness have often put you in danger.”
Su Ling opened her mouth, not knowing how to respond.
Maybe Sista was right. She really had always clung to her habits from her previous world, using that world’s morals to make choices. In the Castle at sea, such behavior simply didn’t fit in.
“This is an order. The world is not so simple. Do not trust others so easily.”
Su Ling’s grip on her own hands grew tighter.
“I don’t want to see you get hurt again. You belong to me. If you are harmed, that is also my responsibility.”
“So, protect yourself well.”
The Blood Princess was worried about her.
Su Ling gazed into those deep, crimson eyes, faintly sensing a trace of worry. Yet where that concern truly came from, she could not quite tell.
“Your Highness, I will be careful,” Su Ling nodded softly.
After Su Ling left the room, Sista was left alone in the elegantly decorated, solemn bedroom. She slowly picked up a grayish-yellow piece of paper from the table, her movements betraying a trace of subtle hesitation.
“Did my words really leave such a mark on her heart…”
She murmured to herself, looking again at the writing on the paper. It was Su Ling’s handwritten record of her application to go out, something Sista had specifically requested from Zhan Shan.
Sista’s gaze lingered on the grayish-yellow sheet, her brow tightly furrowed.
“Outing companion… Tii.”
That red-haired girl close to Su Ling—an ordinary guest among the royal visitors—always acted low-key, obedient, and was hardly noticed by anyone.
Yet sometimes, it was people like this who could become the most dangerous. Those who posed true threats would never expose themselves to the eyes of others. In the ever-scheming royal court, Sista understood this well.
Ever since the events in Marentia, Sista had vaguely sensed that something was hidden behind this girl’s gentle facade.