The heavy carved wooden door creaked open, revealing a room far more spacious and inviting than Seraphina had expected. Elegant yet warm in its décor, the fireplace crackled and popped with leaping sparks.
A faint, soothing fragrance lingered in the air, calming the spirit.
Lina’s room was right next door, furnished with no less care despite her status.
Finally alone, Seraphina let out a long breath. She slipped out of the cumbersome formal gown and into the nightdress Lina had thoughtfully packed.
Lina really was remarkably foresightful.
She walked to the bedside. The moonlight over the Bloodborn domain felt especially cold and desolate, spilling across the castle spires and the hazy peaks in the distance, sketching a tranquil scene.
The hectic day had briefly let her forget the changes in her body.
But now, in the solitude of the deep night…
Her hand drifted, almost unconsciously, to her lower abdomen.
“…Never mind. Thinking about it won’t help.”
Just as she reached to blow out the candle and sink into what looked like an incredibly soft bed, the air in the room rippled ever so slightly.
A pressure she would never forget in her lifetime, one that made her heart pound in dread, spread silently through the space.
Seraphina’s body stiffened. She whipped around.
As expected, Movira was leaning against the window frame she had only just stepped away from, who knew how long she had been standing there.
“Well, well… it seems my beloved Princess Regent Seraphina has had quite an enjoyable evening.”
Her voice was languid and teasing, yet her gaze was like a master engraver’s blade, sweeping over Seraphina’s slightly parted lips from surprise and the graceful, slender figure beneath the nightdress.
“You! How are you here?!” Seraphina’s heart sank instantly as she clutched the collar of her nightdress.
“Me? Why wouldn’t I be here?” Movira strolled forward slowly, her heels striking the wooden floor with steady thud-thud sounds.
“The entire Demon Realm is my domain. I can appear wherever I please, whenever I please.”
She stopped right in front of Seraphina and lifted a strand of her hair. “Besides… you’re staying overnight outside alone. Of course I have to come check on your safety. To make sure… no naive little girl has spirited you away.”
Her fingertips deliberately brushed the tip of Seraphina’s ear, sending a shiver through her.
Seraphina tried to step back, only to find the edge of the bed already against her legs, leaving her nowhere to retreat.
“I… I was only trying to win over the Bloodborn.” Seraphina turned her face away, refusing to meet that burning gaze.
“Win over?” Movira leaned closer, warm breath grazing Seraphina’s neck. “By letting her live long-term on my territory while you personally teach her? Hmm? My dear, when did you become… so very patient?”
The next moment, Movira pressed even nearer. Seraphina could feel the faint movement of lips against the skin of her throat as Movira spoke.
“All this patience… why have you never shown it to me? I need Her Highness Seraphina’s care too, you know.”
The heat on her skin was swiftly replaced by coolness. Movira was inhaling her scent…
Like a diner savoring the aroma before the meal.
Putting everything else aside, how on earth did Movira know everything so clearly?!
Was the entire ancient castle full of her spies?!
Or…
“You’re spying on me?!”
“It’s called concern,” Movira corrected instantly, her fingertips, as always, tracing slowly down Seraphina’s collarbone toward her abdomen…
This time, though, she showed no sign of stopping!
“Wait!” Just as that hand was about to venture lower, Seraphina hurriedly swatted it away.
“Aww, does Her Highness still reject me so much? This is merely necessary concern. After all, you’re still very… ‘fragile’ right now.”
The insinuation in those words made Seraphina’s cheeks burn. Humiliation surged through her.
Movira seemed immensely pleased by the reaction and finally drew back a little.
Her gaze swept around the room. “The Bloodborn certainly know how to treat guests. This bed… looks extremely comfortable.”
Alarm bells rang in Seraphina’s mind once more. The moment Movira mentioned the bed, nothing good ever followed.
“W-what are you planning?! Lina is right next door!”
“Oh?” Movira raised an eyebrow delicately. Even she had to admit she hadn’t considered that.
But the brief surprise was quickly replaced by a meaningful smile. “And? Are you afraid Lina might hear something… or are you secretly hoping she does?”
“You…!”
“Only you would think such a thing!”
Seraphina was so furious her tongue tangled, and it took her ages to spit out that weak retort.
“Fine, fine.” Movira dropped the teasing smile, gently brushing beneath Seraphina’s eyes with her fingers.
“I won’t tease you anymore. Go to sleep. Look at you, dark circles are practically showing.”
The tenderness of the gesture, such a stark contrast to moments ago, left Seraphina stunned.
“Tomorrow… remember to come home early. I’ll be waiting to have lunch with you.”
With that, she actually turned around and walked toward the bedroom door.
“You…”
For a split second, Seraphina felt an impulse to ask her to stay, but before the words could leave her mouth, and while she still hesitated, Movira interrupted.
Her hand was already on the doorknob, Movira paused as though recalling something. She tilted her head slightly, speaking half to herself.
“That little Bloodborn girl named Ailinuo…”
Her voice dropped lower, laced with an indescribable nuance. “Her eyes are so clear, so pure. Seeing a junior like that… it even makes me think about continuing the bloodline.”
Feeling that increasingly aggressive gaze, Seraphina’s chest tightened painfully. She clenched her sleeves and said nothing.
Movira didn’t expect a reply anyway. She merely sighed softly. “Sometimes I wonder… if there were a child who carried both our traits…”
“Don’t… don’t say it!”
Seraphina’s face was as red as an overripe apple as she glared at Movira. Of course she understood what those words implied.
She had no idea how… how two women could… but if Movira brought it up, she definitely had a way!
And as for who would carry the child… did she even need to guess?!
She couldn’t even imagine what that day would look like!
Maybe… she should escape before that day ever came?
“Still, there’s no rush.” The corner of Movira’s mouth curved upward again. She wasn’t angry at being interrupted.
On the contrary, she found Seraphina most… adorable at moments like this.
“Right now, your most important task is to take good care of your body. I noticed you barely ate tonight, that won’t do. The road ahead is still long, and you’ll need far more… hmm, ‘nourishment’.”
She deliberately chose a milder word, yet the suggestion between the lines was even more blatant than any crude phrase could be.