Chapter 8: A Good Master

Liliya felt as if she had just had a terrifying nightmare.

She dreamed she was placed on a dining table, being sliced bit by bit into tiny pieces, all the while fully conscious as someone ate her away.

Only when there was nothing left but her head did that person seem to grow gentle. Yet even so, her mouth was sealed, leaving her no way to make a sound.

She desperately wanted to escape, but with no body left, she couldn’t move at all. All she could do was watch helplessly as that indistinct figure cradled her head, ceaselessly seeking kisses.

Those kisses were soft, almost tender, but she could sense a twisted, sickly greed in them, as if the other party never intended to let her go, determined to hold her in that moment until she suffocated.

And, indeed, it was that kiss that made her finally lose consciousness.

When her awareness returned, she instinctively reached for something, clutching tightly in her hand. But the sensation in her palm told her that what she was holding wasn’t quite right.

What she should be gripping was something much colder, much harder, with a guard at the web of her thumb, and the Star Mark carved upon it—the most important mark of a sword.

A sword?

Her head ached for less than a second, but the metallic sweetness in her blood overwhelmed the pain, making her forget whatever it was she had just been thinking.

And then… she began to notice what she was holding.

Cool, yet still warm, soft and smooth like silk…

Suddenly, she realized exactly what it was in her grasp and snapped awake from her daze. When she opened her eyes, what she saw was Rosalia’s face.

Those bewitching crimson eyes held the same doting fondness as when she first awoke, and her rosy lips parted slightly.

Seeing that Liliya had woken, she sighed, her voice full of concern: “Liliya, did you dream about what happened in the human world?”

“Human world?”

When Liliya heard those words, she reflexively tried to recall related memories, but the metallic sweetness in her blood stopped her thoughts before the pain could arrive. She couldn’t remember a thing.

And the one responsible for all this—Rosalia—still looked so full of pity, gently brushing aside Liliya’s bangs to reveal her sweat-damp forehead, softly massaging her:

“Mm. Didn’t I say it before? Before you lost your memory, you went to the human world, and something bad happened there. Your brain chose to forget everything in order to protect you.”

Is that so?

Liliya truly didn’t know. But seeing the pity and gentle affection in Rosalia’s gaze, Liliya felt she wasn’t being lied to. Besides, why would Rosalia need to lie to her?

Would a master have any reason to deceive her own pet?

A master could decide a pet’s fate at will—so why bother with such pretense?

“So…Master, I was… by humans…”

Just thinking about her recent dream made Liliya’s stomach seize painfully. Everything she’d eaten yesterday seemed to rush from her stomach up to her throat, almost about to come up again.

Stomach acid scorched her throat, making it burn fiercely.

She covered her mouth, her gaze beginning to blur.

Was she eaten by humans? Eaten until only her head was left?

The hand she had been clenching suddenly tightened again, her nails this time digging deep into something soft.

At last, Liliya realized what was happening. She turned her head toward her arm and saw that her hand was gripping Rosalia’s arm, her nails embedded in the other woman’s flesh.

Forgetting her nausea, she hurriedly let go, looking at her now bloodstained nails, her heart filling with dread.

She could still recall what had happened when she woke up yesterday—the suffocating restraints, and the way she’d been distracted by looking at Wendy during the meal, forgetting to answer when spoken to.

She didn’t know what would happen if she were really punished like that, but whatever it was, it would surely be unbearable.

Fear spread from her heart, and Liliya’s body trembled uncontrollably.

Rosalia showed no hint of blame toward Liliya. Instead, she tenderly wiped the sweat from Liliya’s forehead and gathered her in her arms, speaking softly:

“Didn’t I tell you before? As long as Liliya doesn’t make a mistake, I won’t punish you. For little pets seeking their master’s comfort like this, how could I ever punish you?”

There wasn’t the slightest trace of last night’s sickly obsession. Instead, Rosalia truly looked, just as she claimed, like a good master who could tolerate her pet hurting her out of fear.

“Besides, I’m actually quite pleased. The most important thing a pet can do is provide emotional value to their master. And right now, Liliya is dutifully fulfilling her role.”

A pet… Was she, by acting this way, providing emotional value to Rosalia?

Liliya couldn’t tell the difference.

But perhaps now she understood why she had been so willing to become Rosalia’s pet in the first place.

If her past self had experienced something similar and been saved by Rosalia, she, too, would have chosen to become Rosalia’s pet.

Rosalia’s embrace was so comforting.

“In order to reward our little pet, I have to give you a little treat.”

Suddenly, Rosalia pulled Liliya into her arms, sitting her on the floor, then elegantly crossed her long, snow-white legs, her toes tapping the ground…

She drew her right index finger across her nail, slicing open a cut. Blood quickly welled up from the wound, gathering into a bead that carried a sweet, enticing fragrance.

The bead was just about to fall, but Rosalia used Magic to hold it suspended in the air, keeping it perfectly round—a temptation for the little Blood Princess who had only just become a bloodkin.

“Drink.”

There was a note of command, and also of pleasure. Rosalia stretched out her index finger to just the right distance in front of Liliya.

She controlled it perfectly—if Liliya leaned forward and craned her neck, she could just reach it.

Fresh from her nightmare, Liliya’s mind was still tangled in fear, but when she saw that blood bead, and caught the faint sweetness wafting through the air—remembering that alluring metallic tang—her mind went blank.

Her body instinctively leaned forward, and just as she was about to take Rosalia’s finger into her mouth, Rosalia pulled back slightly.

Not wanting to miss out on the deliciousness in her mind, Liliya stretched out her soft pink tongue, finally tasting the exact same flavor as she had yesterday.

So, it really is…Delicious.

Her mind hadn’t fully returned, but her body continued licking Rosalia’s finger by instinct, just like…

A little puppy.

Rosalia looked on with satisfaction.

Her little pet was already becoming accustomed to this feeling.

If that’s the case, then it must be remembered forever, until…

She can never leave her again.