Chapter 61: Increasing the Dose

“What did I add to the cake?” Leah was taken aback.

She hadn’t added anything unusual. She had simply followed the head chef’s advice; to balance the sweetness of the cream so it wouldn’t be too cloying, she had added a little wine as a supplementary ingredient.

Looking at Lin Shu’s flushed face, Leah suddenly realized: was Lin Shu bad with alcohol?

How did she not know?

Oh, Lin Shu never had the chance to come into contact with alcohol before. She was either assisting in battle or lacked the status to drink at banquets.

But could just this much wine make her drunk?

Right, to make all the ingredients rare enough, she had taken a prestigious vintage from her father’s wine rack. She hadn’t checked the alcohol content…

Since Lin Shu had such a low tolerance for alcohol, maybe this was a good opportunity to shake her trust in Seraphina?

“Listen to me, Lin Shu.” Leah cupped Lin Shu’s face, forcing her to look directly at her. “I’m not talking nonsense.”

Lin Shu strained to keep her eyes wide, trying to fight the grogginess.

“Think back. During the time you assisted me, Seraphina got to know you.”

“She saw your excellent abilities, and more importantly, you look like a human maid she once had.”

Lin Shu frowned, dazed, trying to find the corresponding fragments in her memory.

‘When was the first time I met Seraphina?’

‘Right, it seemed to be at a certain banquet. Seraphina had appeared as the representative of the Drago family and entered into a partnership with Leah.’

‘Did I have close contact with her then? My memory is a bit fuzzy.’

‘It seems like I did… but then again, maybe I didn’t.’

Leah’s words continued to drift into Lin Shu’s ears.

“Because of that, she designed a way to get close to you, using a facade of gentleness to trick you into following her.”

“The Drago family went from being isolated and helpless to regaining their footing. I know your hard work must have played a role in that, but she was just using you to help her family.”

“Because you know the Tepes family best. You stayed by my side for so long that you knew our resources and style of doing things — you were perfectly capable of helping her target the Tepes family.”

No, that wasn’t right.

Lin Shu shook her head and argued, “No, it wasn’t like that. I was the one who took the initiative to help Seraphina because she truly cared about me.”

“That was an act!” Leah shouted. “She’s only good to you because you look like the human maid she used to love!”

“That’s not affection for you; it’s affection for someone else. You’re just a replacement to fill the void in her heart!”

“Why don’t you think about why she never took you out or brought you to important occasions after she became the head of the family?”

“…” Lin Shu’s lips moved, wanting to say something, but Leah beat her to it.

“Because it’s simply not necessary anymore. She used you to target the Tepes family recently, and her goal has been achieved.”

“Everything next involves internal vampire family matters. A human simply has no right to appear on those occasions.”

“And she will eventually realize that you are just a replacement, incomparable to a real person.”

A sharp pain shot through Lin Shu’s heart.

Lin Shu spoke, “No…”

Just as she was about to retort, another mouthful of cake was stuffed into her mouth.

“Be good. You need your strength.”

“I won’t eat — *gulp!* *Cough, cough, cough!!*”

Leah forced her to swallow just like before.

How much of what Leah said was true? Was what Seraphina did… really like that?

Seraphina had never explained why she left her in the manor instead of taking her out.

She hadn’t explained the room belonging to that old human maid, either.

She recalled the scene before Seraphina left.

Was that goodbye kiss, that tenderness, real?

But she had clearly said that after she returned, she would be able to stay by her side.

Was she not only a replacement to her, but also… a tool?

Dizziness surged into her brain, making it impossible to think further.

Leah leaned close to Lin Shu’s ear and whispered, “Lin Shu, my side is your only home. Only I truly love you.”

This time, Leah used a fork to scoop up a proper piece of cake and brought it to her lips.

“Come, have a little more.”

Lin Shu was confused and pained, turning her head to refuse the forced feeding. The exhaustion from the alcohol and emotional drain overwhelmed her.

***

Leah sat by the bed, staring as Lin Shu gradually closed her eyes.

Only one lamp was lit in the room, and the light was dim.

The food on the cart behind Leah remained untouched and had long since gone cold; only the cake she had made herself was more than half gone.

While Lin Shu’s consciousness was hazy, she had fed her quite a bit.

‘Is this really okay?’

Leah pursed her lips. She hesitated for only a moment before her resolve quickly hardened again.

No, this was necessary. A woman like Seraphina was not worthy of Lin Shu’s loyalty and love.

Only she could pull Lin Shu out of that hypocrisy, even if the process was painful.

But it wasn’t enough.

Even with the alcohol numbing her brain, Lin Shu’s subconscious was still resisting those words. However, she could see that Lin Shu was shaken, merely struggling with what the truth was.

To possess Lin Shu completely, she had to shake her to the core and make her give up on Seraphina.

At least that way, she could feel safe unbinding Lin Shu without worrying about her running away.

Keeping her trapped in her bed for a lifetime was not a solution.

She didn’t know if Seraphina had received the news yet.

But the Drago family had just been through a battle and needed time to rest. Even if Seraphina came knocking on the door, the strength of the Tepes family could definitely stop her.

But if she brought that monster in the wheelchair, the situation might be uncertain…

She had to hurry.

Leah walked out of the room, gently closing the door behind her.

The maid guarding the hallway hurried forward. “Eldest Miss, do you have any other orders?”

Leah didn’t look at her. “Keep watch at the door. If Lin Shu needs anything, report to me immediately.”

“Yes.”

Leah turned and walked toward her mother’s room.

Relying on her words alone wasn’t effective enough for Lin Shu.

She had personally imprisoned Lin Shu and even put a suppression collar on her, so Lin Shu naturally felt repelled and resistant.

She needed more convincing “evidence” for Lin Shu to experience personally.

Seeing the light on in the room, Leah pushed the door open.

A magnificent chandelier illuminated the interior. In the center of the room stood a carved wooden table, and Leah’s mother was humming a song while fiddling with materials on it.

Hearing footsteps, she turned sideways.

“Leah, what’s wrong? Is your little bird still behaving?”

Leah stepped forward, glanced at the magical materials on the table, and looked up to ask:

“Mother, I remember you know morphing magic, right?”

“Mm-hmm.” Leah’s mother grabbed a stone with a bumpy surface from the table and played with it in her hand. “It’s just that I haven’t used it in a long time.”

“The materials required for that magic are precious, and it doesn’t last long.”

Seeming to realize Leah was up to something big, a flash of anticipation and excitement crossed her mother’s dark red eyes.

“Does my dear daughter have something she wants to do?”

“I would like you to help me tonight, Mother.”