Chapter 78: Here It Comes Again?

Movira, citing the need to discuss follow-up details, took the various ministers away, leaving only Seraphina and Lina behind.

Seraphina’s fingers traced the table, countless questions swirling in her mind—about Lina’s past, about her concealments, about those few days in Asma… She wanted to know everything!

The two remained silent for a long time.

It was Lina who spoke first.

She seemed a little afraid, having shown an image so utterly different from her usual self. “Seraphina?”

She called softly.

When no outsiders were present, she always addressed Seraphina directly by her full name.

Those same four syllables no longer carried the hatred from the very beginning, nor the deliberate flattery of pretense.

Seraphina wanted to know—wanted to know far too much.

She wanted to ask, and she had made up her mind.

So…

“I trust you.” Seraphina met Lina’s gaze. “More than the past and the future combined—I trust you even more!”

The last trace of apprehension in Lina vanished, replaced by a smile.

She hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping herself.

“Go ahead and say it. Whatever you want to say is fine.” Seraphina saw through Lina’s hesitation and encouraged her to speak freely.

“Then I’ll say it?” Lina asked once more for confirmation.

“Say it!”

But when Seraphina looked up again, the mischievous grin on Lina’s face made her instantly regret it.

As expected, the words that followed were shocking.

“Ahem. Since Your Highness now has family matters, it is naturally improper to be alone with a subject.”

“You! You! You!”

Seraphina’s eyes widened in an instant.

She had never imagined that one day Lina would actually say something so…

So utterly cheeky!

After three stunned “you”s, Seraphina completely lost it.

“Get out! Right now, immediately!!”

Lina’s words left her heart in turmoil.

It also made her realize that she had probably gotten… a little too close to Movira.

Close enough to cause misunderstandings.

But then, a wave of pain from within her body made her even more irritated.

“Bad stomach?”

That was Seraphina’s initial judgment.

She even thought back to what she had eaten earlier.

“It was all normal food…”

Mostly things Seraphina loved to eat.

No matter how bold the maids in the kitchen were, they wouldn’t dare serve spoiled ingredients.

She planned to return to the bedroom and rest.

After all, this afternoon—and perhaps from now on—she might have nothing much to do.

However, just as she stepped down from her seat and took her first step, a warm and surging flow suddenly gushed out without warning.

Seraphina froze rigidly in place, her face draining of color in a whoosh.

“No way…”

Her heart sank.

Calculating the days… an ominous premonition enveloped her.

That warm flow was spreading rapidly, even carrying a slight pulsing sensation.

The sticky feeling clung tightly to her skin, and the inside of her skirt was probably already…

She didn’t dare look down, nor did she dare move.

An overwhelming sense of shame instantly flooded her.

This wasn’t the private bedroom—it was the hall where the banquet had just ended.

Maids could come in to clean up at any moment!

How could she let anyone know about something like this!

A trace of fear gripped her heart.

She could only hold her breath, moving her feet carefully and slowly.

She remembered that this morning, Movira had told her to wear that thing.

Out of embarrassment, she had refused—and now…

With every step, she felt that warm flow threatening to break free.

She clamped her legs tightly together, cold sweat even breaking out on her back.

Finally, she shuffled to the side door.

After checking that there was indeed no one outside, she quickly slipped out in an awkward posture.

But the sensation below continued relentlessly, as if urging her to hurry back to the bedroom and deal with it.

…

Really… here it comes again… Why is it so irregular…

She bit her lower lip tightly, her face growing paler, all color drained.

Her body and mind were starting to feel faint and dizzy.

However, just as she turned a corner in the corridor, a light figure approached head-on.

It was Ailinuo.

She seemed to be heading to the study, holding several scrolls in her arms.

“Your Highness!”

Seeing Seraphina, Ailinuo immediately stopped, her face blooming with a joyful smile.

But when her gaze met Seraphina’s pale face and unnatural posture, panic instantly flashed across her own.

Seraphina inwardly cursed her bad luck.

She wanted to straighten her back and hide her abnormality, but her current physical state simply wouldn’t allow it.

“Your Highness, you… what’s wrong?!”

Ailinuo quickly dropped what she was holding and hurried forward, her voice deliberately lowered.

“You look like you need help. Is it… your monthly time?”

Ailinuo’s words pierced Seraphina’s nerves like a needle.

“No, it’s not!”

Seraphina blurted out almost involuntarily, a faint pink blush spreading across her cheeks.

She even tried to quicken her pace to bypass Ailinuo.

“I just ate a bit too much and want to go back and rest.”

“Is that so?”

Ailinuo noticed Seraphina’s deliberately pressed-together legs as she walked, and… a barely noticeable dark stain on the back of her skirt.

As a Bloodborn, her sensitivity to blood was sharper than any other race’s.

Even a single drop would not escape her notice.

“Your Highness, please don’t push yourself.”

Ailinuo’s tone carried insistence.

She stepped forward, gently supporting Seraphina’s arm.

Her voice was soft, afraid that too much emotion might make Seraphina think she had ulterior motives.

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s something every girl goes through. Let me help you back. Walking like this is too hard on you, and it’s not good for your body.”

The cramping pain from within her body made Seraphina give up resisting.

She deflated.

Finally, she surrendered, lowering her head, her voice very small.

“Thank you for the trouble…”

Ailinuo smiled faintly, saying nothing more.

She simply steadied Seraphina, using her slender frame as support while doing her best to shield her from any possible prying eyes.

Along the way, Seraphina remained silent.

She was thinking how, with her and Ailinuo so close, Movira hadn’t appeared immediately.

At the same time, being cared for like this by the younger Ailinuo filled her with shame.

Yet the girl’s sincere concern left her no outlet for that “irritation.”

Finally back in the bedroom, after settling Seraphina, Ailinuo hurried off without pause to prepare hot water.

“Your Highness, do you need me to help you…”

“No need!”

Seraphina immediately cut her off, her tone rather harsh, carrying a slight note of rejection.

Ailinuo sensed Seraphina’s emotional instability and obediently nodded, saying no more.

“Then please be careful. If you need any help, call me anytime.”

After that, she quietly withdrew from the bedroom and gently closed the door.