“That maid named Phil, she’s one that Su Ling values greatly, isn’t she?” Sista Anderson walked alone on the way back to the study, gazing out at the pouring rain.
Had said she lost consciousness does that mean her life hangs in the balance?
Although she wanted to ask Had for details, Moria was right there watching her, so Heather hesitated to speak.
She wasn’t sure if Su Ling would be too upset, so she decided not to tell her for now.
Heather sighed deeply.
She began to recall the meeting in the royal faction earlier that day.
Moria’s ambitions had become increasingly obvious; she had even proposed replacing the Guard Corps Leader, which truly surprised Heather.
“The Defence Minister and the Justice Department have been receiving complaints about the Guard Corps not just for a day or two but no one ever paid attention before. Why have those ministers suddenly changed their attitude today…” she murmured discontentedly.
Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks as a suspicion slowly took shape in her mind.
“The token of the Eastern tribe… the attacked maid… so that’s the fuse.”
Most previous incidents only involved humans and had little impact on the Blood Clan. The ministers’ high level of concern this time was because the security issue truly threatened the Blood Clan from within.
Putting aside the maid from the Blood Clan Palace for the moment, the matter of the token was indeed significant; it made the ministers realize there might be hidden threats from enemy nations close at hand.
But inside the castle, was there really a spy lurking?
This thought was like a shadow that refused to lift, hanging heavily over Heather’s heart.
Yet that button was ingeniously designed, with subtle markings invisible to ordinary eyes but, to Sista, Steyat Anderson, and the high-ranking ministers, it was a glaring emblem, instantly awakening warnings deep in their memories.
It had been one of the secrets leaked years ago from the Valivadan kingdom. Its information as a specific token was no longer a secret.
Time passed and years changed; such important intelligence could never be forgotten so easily.
If there truly was a spy hidden, they would have long since replaced the token to avoid exposure. Yet the button still stood prominently inside the castle.
All of this seemed deliberately arranged, meant for those who recognized the button to find it.
Heather felt the situation was beginning to take shape.
The real culprit behind it all might not be some foreign spy but someone inside the castle itself.
If the button matter was a setup like this, then the attack on the maid named Phil…
Just as Heather was immersed in deep thought, a soft voice came from behind her, breaking her train of thought.
“Sista Heather.” The voice was gentle and calm; without turning around, Heather immediately knew it was Su Ling.
She adjusted her emotions and turned to face Su Ling.
“I have something I want to ask you.”
Heather’s voice was low and serious. She stepped forward until almost face-to-face with Su Ling, the close distance making Su Ling feel a strange tension.
“That day, Moria said you spoke in the garden, right?” Heather asked directly, her tone pressing.
Su Ling’s heart skipped a beat. Could Sista still be bothered by what happened that day?
She nodded.
“What exactly did you say? Tell me every word.”
Su Ling then recounted the conversation with Moria that day in detail—from the legend of the goddess statue to their respective interpretations, leaving nothing out.
“Hmm…” Heather rested her chin on her hand, her long lashes lowering. “Do you know why she approached you?”
“No, I hadn’t met her before,” Su Ling tilted her head, confused as she looked at Heather. “But during that talk, Princess Moria seemed to understand me very well.”
Heather’s frown eased somewhat. Standing by the castle window, she gazed at the gloomy sky outside.
Indeed, that woman had investigated her long ago.
Su Ling had only been at the castle a short time but was already understood so deeply by Moria, who accurately grasped her position in Su Ling’s heart. Behind this was surely someone extremely familiar with Su Ling who had easy access to her.
The most likely candidate was someone who had recently gone out Phil.
“Sigh…” Heather looked at Su Ling, her expression complex.
“What’s wrong?”
“If you hadn’t appeared before me, I might have felt a lot more at ease.”
“Why are you saying that all of a sudden?” Su Ling felt uneasy. Had she done something to anger Sista?
“Come, to the room.” Heather suddenly grabbed Su Ling’s arm.
“Your Highness, what’s wrong?”
“To serve,” Heather said in a somewhat helpless tone, “You haven’t done it for a long time, right? I’m in a bad mood now and need your blood.”
Whether it was that Valivadan button or Phil’s grievous injury, it was likely all orchestrated by Moria, whose goal was to seize control in today’s royal faction meeting.
The timing and people all aligned. Moria held the intelligence on Su Ling—this was the best evidence.
Moria placed the token inside the castle, then used some means to capture Phil. Having finally obtained a maid close to Sista, she naturally wanted to extract useful information from Phil.
Everything was told through Phil.
So frustrating, so frustrating… Why hadn’t she noticed before?
She didn’t want to think about these anymore, only wanting to quickly dispel her agitated mood—blood, she wanted fresh blood.
Whenever her mood was restless, the instinct within her body would awaken, making her difficult to control herself.
Thud!
The door to the room was locked heavily.
“I’ve already taken a bath,” Su Ling stood opposite Heather, hands folded carefully in front of her, “But I haven’t changed clothes yet.”
“No need, just like this.”
Step by step, Heather approached Su Ling, her gaze fixed on Su Ling’s pale violet eyes. Her heartbeat gradually quickened.
The girl wore a maid’s uniform, her light frame easily toppled by the slightest push. The unease and fragility in her eyes carried a vague sense of brokenness.
Without any strength to resist, Su Ling would silently endure whatever Heather did.
This stirred in Heather a desire to destroy.
She grabbed Su Ling’s shoulders with both hands and forcefully pushed her down onto the bed; the pristine bedding sank beneath her.
“This is just self-satisfying torment…” she told herself inside.
Her fingers covered Su Ling’s slender neck; that warm and soft touch made Heather feel somewhat dazed.
Human body temperature was completely different from that of the Blood Clan.
She skillfully undid the buttons on Su Ling’s upper garment, greedily extending her crimson tongue to lick the skin on Su Ling’s lower abdomen.
The first time Su Ling served was also the first time Heather had approached a human body so closely.
Before then, human life had only existed in the form of blood flowing into her cup, nothing more than food.
But now, every breath of the girl in front of her, every slight pulse beneath her palm, was stimulating Heather’s senses.
Just like this, stripping her of everything would be fine.
Like a true member of the Blood Clan, drinking her fresh blood, imprinting every sensation and flavor firmly in her mind.
Heather silently chanted this in her heart.