“Put me down!”
Seraphina felt a wave of burning shame, but even more than that, raw fear.
In that instant, the words Movira had whispered in the Bloodborn ancient castle last night came rushing back…
“Continuation”… absolutely not…
To be completely out of control, cradled horizontally in a warm, soft embrace, filled her with mortification and fury.
She struggled instinctively, legs kicking uselessly, fists pounding against Movira’s shoulders.
Yet such feeble resistance was nothing to fear.
Movira only tightened her arms slightly, pressing the little person in her embrace even closer.
She lowered her head. Her cool, smooth cheek brushed against Seraphina’s burning one, clinging like it had been glued there.
“Shh… don’t squirm, my love,” Movira’s voice was low and magnetic, sending tingling shivers down Seraphina’s spine.
“If you fall and hurt yourself, I’ll be heartbroken.”
The overwhelming closeness made Seraphina freeze on the spot; every struggle ceased in an instant.
She could clearly feel the strong, steady thump-thump of Movira’s heart and smell the cold fragrance of her hair.
Movira seemed to thoroughly enjoy Seraphina’s helpless embarrassment; she even gently nuzzled her cheek.
Just as Seraphina’s mind blanked from the motion…
Movira shifted her face ever so slightly. The cheek-to-cheek contact changed in a heartbeat.
She captured Seraphina’s parted, astonished lips with deadly precision and kissed her deeply, possessively, allowing no refusal.
“Mmph—?!”
Seraphina’s pupils shrank. Every thought shattered under the sudden assault.
This couldn’t be happening!
She stared at Movira in disbelief, yet the sensation on her lips was achingly real…
All attempts to dodge were futile; the hand cradling the back of her head pinned her firmly in place.
Seraphina pressed her palms against Movira’s chest, trying to push her away, but she couldn’t budge her an inch. Instead, it only excited Movira further, deepening the kiss.
Of course, it didn’t last long, short compared to previous times.
Yet it was more than enough to completely shatter Seraphina’s resistance and every last pretense of icy indifference.
Movira finally drew back a fraction. A thin silver thread broke between their lips as she admired Seraphina’s dazed, flushed, breathless mess.
“There. Now we can go to sleep.”
…
Seraphina had no idea how she fell asleep. Her mind had been pure chaos, and even upon waking, the chaos remained.
The moment she recalled last night, her body curled into itself, burying her burning face into the pillow that still carried Movira’s scent.
Speaking of which… where was Movira?
Why do I even care?!
“You… absolute jerk!”
A muffled, embarrassed curse leaked from beneath the pillow.
She thought she would be furious, but what filled her heart now was mostly bewilderment… and self-loathing.
Why hadn’t she fought with everything she had? Why, in that final moment, had she failed to mount even the slightest effective resistance?!
Worse, her body had softened before her will, almost submitting to that overwhelming invasion.
She got up in a daze, washed, and changed into her everyday clothes.
The girl in the mirror had panic flickering deep in her eyes, a slightly pale face, and that constant, inescapable soft beauty… something she herself despised.
…
Inside the study, Ailinuo had arrived early and was already tidying the slightly messy desk.
She… had come even earlier than Lina?
“Good morning, Your Highness!” Ailinuo greeted her with a healing smile the moment she appeared. “I’ve already sorted today’s documents by priority!”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
But when Seraphina glanced at Lina quietly wiping the bookshelves in the corner, the other girl only managed a stiff smile and a nod.
Lina’s movements looked calm, yet Seraphina could sense countless emotions churning beneath that unnatural serenity.
She just couldn’t read them.
Ever since the banquet at the Bloodborn castle, Lina had grown quieter, and the feeling she gave Seraphina had turned colder.
The Lina who had first arrived versus the Lina now… only half a month had passed, yet they were worlds apart.
A former human slave girl, probably lacking proper guidance; if this seemingly harmless state was allowed to continue, a massive rift would surely form between them!
With that thought, Seraphina’s eyes flickered, and she quickly devised a plan.
Of course, priority documents still had to be handled first. Time flew by.
Before lunch, everything was finished. Seraphina rubbed her temples to relax her mind.
“Ailinuo, you haven’t properly toured the Demon King’s Castle yet, have you? Why don’t you let the maids show you around?”
“I haven’t, but…” Ailinuo started to refuse; she still had finishing work to do and planned to explore afterward.
Yet when she accidentally caught the sweet smile on Seraphina’s face, one that hid an unmistakable command, she changed her tune.
“But… that works too. Thank you for arranging it, Your Highness.”
Seraphina was genuinely surprised at how quickly the young vampire picked up on social cues despite only just reaching adulthood.
She had prepared a backup excuse in case this one failed.
But this way was safer; girls that age overthought everything. If she’d waited until Ailinuo left on her own, she would have needed to explain later.
Ugh… what a hassle…
In the end, the maids led Ailinuo away. She even thoughtfully closed the study door behind her.
Only the two of them remained. The air itself seemed to fall silent, broken only by occasional gusts outside the window.
Seraphina didn’t speak immediately. Instead, she gestured for Lina to follow her to the window and gaze at the sky.
Lina noticed the unusual behavior and understood that whatever came next was important.
At the very least, it concerned her.
After a long silence, Seraphina finally spoke softly.
“Lina, there’s no one else here now. It’s time we spoke plainly.”
She let the words out slowly, fingers brushing the spotless windowsill before turning fully toward Lina.
“Tell me… do you hate me? Hate that I sit in the Demon Race’s highest seat yet can’t make any real change, can’t stop even a single massacre of humans by demons?”
The question struck like a stone dropped into still water.
Lina’s body trembled faintly. She raised her head, emerald eyes flashing with complicated light.
Her lips parted, yet she couldn’t force out even half a “no.”
The word stuck painfully in her throat, impossible to voice.