The Blood Princess now let down all her defenses before her, revealing her softest side.
“Your Highness…” Su Ling’s voice trembled. She wanted to respond but didn’t know how. Her mind was a mess, countless thoughts intertwining without a single clear thread.
Sista’s embrace was warm and firm. Her arms wrapped tightly around Su Ling’s waist, as if trying to merge her into her own body. Her breath brushed softly against Su Ling’s ear.
“I don’t need you to answer.” Sista’s voice was low and carried a hint of dominance. “You were always mine. Whether or not you return my feelings, I won’t let you leave me.”
A thin layer of moisture formed in Su Ling’s eyes. She nodded gently and buried her face in the hollow of Sista’s shoulder.
An indescribable emotion welled up inside her, as if something was quietly melting and turning into a warm current, flowing through her entire body.
“Mm, I understand,” she murmured. “Since I belong to Your Highness, please cherish me from now on.”
The corner of Sista’s mouth lifted slightly, revealing a rare smile. She released Su Ling and gently cupped her face, her gaze tender and focused.
Her crimson eyes reflected Su Ling’s figure, as if she were the only one left in the entire world.
“How could I not cherish my most important thing?”
Not long after, the two gathered their belongings and set off on the road to Escon City.
After passing through a dense forest, they finally arrived at a small town. The town’s streets were narrow, flanked by low, quaint houses. Pedestrians were scarce, and only a few horse-drawn carts ambled by, stirring up clouds of dust.
Sista put on a wide-brimmed hat to hide her distinctive crimson eyes. Her coarse cloth dress made her look like an ordinary traveler.
Su Ling followed behind her, cautiously observing their surroundings.
“We need a horse,” Sista said in a low voice. “Go to the marketplace over there and see if there’s a suitable horse for sale. Remember, don’t draw any attention.”
Su Ling nodded and hurried toward the marketplace. The market was bustling with noise, vendors’ cries rising and falling.
She pushed through the crowd and arrived at a horse stall. The owner, a middle-aged man with a thick beard, was enthusiastically pitching his horses to passersby.
“How much for this horse?” Su Ling pointed at a sturdy-looking black steed.
The owner sized her up and grinned. “Little lady, this horse isn’t cheap—fifty silver coins.”
Su Ling frowned. She didn’t have that much money on her. Just as she hesitated, Sista walked over, pulled out a gold coin from her pocket, and handed it to the stall owner.
“We’ll take this horse.” Sista’s voice was cold and commanding.
The owner froze for a moment, then immediately beamed and took the coin, handing the reins to Su Ling.
“You two ladies have excellent taste! This is the best horse we’ve got!” the owner said cheerfully.
Sista ignored him, took Su Ling’s hand, and left the marketplace.
At noon, sunlight spilled over the town’s streets, and the air carried a faint aroma of food.
Su Ling’s stomach growled embarrassingly. She shot Sista an awkward look and whispered a suggestion:
“Your Highness, how about we find a place to eat something…”
“Humans really do get hungry easily.” Sista shrugged. “Fine, let’s take a break.”
They entered a small tavern.
The tavern was sparsely populated. A few wooden tables sat scattered in the corners, and the air smelled faintly of ale.
Su Ling ordered a simple meal of cheese and bread, plus a glass of milk. Sista only asked for a glass of water. She sat by the window, her gaze alertly scanning the surroundings, as if ready to respond to any emergency.
“Your Highness, please eat something too.” Su Ling offered her a piece of bread, worry flickering in her eyes.
Sista shook her head. “I’m not hungry. You eat.”
Su Ling sighed helplessly and lowered her head to eat the bread. After a moment, she looked up again.
“Please eat a little. I know blood kin don’t need much energy from food, but we still have a long road ahead.”
“No.”
“This cheese is really good when you put it in the bread.”
“I said no… Mmm…”
Before she could finish, Su Ling had already pushed the bread to her lips. With no other choice, Sista opened her mouth and took a bite.
The bread was indeed fragrant—full of wheat flavor and rich milk taste.
Even though it was just common folk food, Sista felt it was no worse than the royal chef’s dishes she had once eaten in the palace.
“How is it? Not bad, right?”
Su Ling’s gaze inadvertently swept across Sista’s face and noticed the tips of her ears turning slightly red, as if she were a bit embarrassed.
“It’s not bad…” Sista turned her head away. “But Su Ling, aren’t you getting a little too bold?”
“Huh?”
“You wouldn’t have done this to me before, would you?” Sista lowered her head, subtly hiding her face with her hand to cover her expression. “Before, you were always afraid of me. You never disobeyed any order I gave you.”
Su Ling tilted her head and thought for a moment.
“That’s true, but now my feelings toward you have changed a lot.”
“Hmph! If you start acting recklessly just because I’ve temporarily lost my identity as a princess, then when we get back to the city, I’ll have to properly discipline this disobedient maid of mine.”
“Discipline…”
She repeated the word.
Based on her long experience, Su Ling’s mind instantly filled with all sorts of strange images.
No, better not?
Wait, why was she a little looking forward to it?
No—she shouldn’t look forward to this kind of thing!
“Sorry, Your Highness, I spoke out of turn.” Su Ling quickly bowed her head and scraped. “But I only made you eat bread for the sake of your energy. Please at least eat a little something.”
“Don’t think that’s enough to—”
Sista grabbed Su Ling’s outstretched hand.
Su Ling froze. The bread rolled onto the table, but luckily didn’t fall off.
Just then, the tavern owner’s wife came over with a tray carrying two roasted chicken legs. She wiped her headscarf and grinned at Su Ling and Sista, whose hands were still clasped together.
“You two girls have such a good relationship, holding hands even while you eat.”
Sista quickly let go of Su Ling and shot her a glare, her voice tinged with irritation.
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Su Ling couldn’t help but laugh.
After lunch, they resumed their journey.
Sista sat on the horse, and Su Ling sat in front of her. Sista’s hands gently circled Su Ling’s waist.
The horse’s hooves echoed through the empty streets, accompanied by a breeze that brought a hint of coolness.
“Your Highness, how much farther to Escon City?” Su Ling asked.
“Not far. Half a day’s ride and we’ll be there.” Sista’s voice came from behind, tinged with a faint weariness.
The scenery gradually shifted from a lively marketplace to quiet country roads. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the trees and sprinkled on the ground. A gentle breeze blew by, bringing a touch of coolness.
Su Ling leaned her head gently against Sista’s chest, feeling the warmth radiating from her.
She looked up at Sista and noticed that her gaze was still vigilantly scanning the surroundings, as if ready for any situation.
“Your Highness, you don’t have to be so tense…” Su Ling said softly, a hint of teasing in her tone. “We’ve come this far. The pursuers shouldn’t find us so quickly.”
Sista looked down at her, a helpless glint flashing in her crimson eyes.
“You’re too naive. The Queen’s pursuers aren’t so easy to shake off. We must stay alert at all times.”
Su Ling stuck out her tongue and muttered quietly:
“But if you stay this wound up all the time, your body will give out.”
The corner of Sista’s mouth lifted slightly, revealing a faint smile.
“I’m not that fragile. You’re the human running around with me—can your body handle it?”
Su Ling blinked.
“I may be weak, but I’m Your Highness’s maid. I won’t fall so easily.”
“Smooth talker.” Sista gave a light snort, her tone laced with tsundere.
Su Ling smiled, feeling that the Sista in front of her was much cuter than the lofty Blood Princess back in the palace.
However, the silver-haired girl’s smile only made Sista even more flustered.
Even though Su Ling like this was adorable too, Sista preferred the way she used to act like a well-behaved puppy. That satisfied her absolute need for control and possession, making her feel that Su Ling was firmly in her grasp.
Because once she lost that sense of control, she would be afraid every day that Su Ling would leave her, even unable to sleep from worry.
“Su Ling, do you think you can push me around now?”
Sista’s voice suddenly turned a degree colder.
Su Ling hastily waved her hands, putting on an innocent expression.
“No, Your Highness! I just think you’re more real now, more like an ordinary person… not that lofty Blood Princess.”
Sista was silent for a moment, then let out a soft sigh.
“Maybe… but no matter what, I am still the Blood Princess. That will never change.”
She added after a pause:
“Su Ling, you really are a strange maid.”
“Because Your Highness… is also a strange master, right?”
“Hah, so the change in status has made this stupid maid even more audacious. You’re starting to forget your place!”
Sista gritted her teeth.
“You’ll be punished when we get back!”
When Su Ling heard the word “punished,” she immediately shrank her neck, a look of panic appearing on her face.
She stole a glance at Sista and saw a dangerous glint flashing in her crimson eyes, as if she had already concocted countless methods of “punishment” in her mind.
“Your Highness, I was wrong…” Su Ling mumbled, trying to use a pitiful gaze to move Sista. “Can you just pretend I was talking nonsense?”
“Too late to admit it now.”
Sista lowered her head, suddenly opened her mouth, and gently bit Su Ling’s ear.
“Eep!”
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