“Oh… this is a bit of a problem, isn’t it?”
Lin Luo muttered, sizing herself up against the height marker on the wall.
By the standards of her life two incarnations ago, she barely scraped past four foot nine.
“When is your royal bloodline going to do something about this height issue?”
She grumbled, casting a sidelong glance at Claire, who stood just a tad over ten centimeters taller.
“All these years, and you’re still stuck like this. What’s with your genes, anyway?”
Her complaints echoed in the room as she stretched toward the mirror, only to realize she couldn’t even reach the comb she’d once bought for her vain preening.
Claire’s lips curled into a faint, amused smile.
“You seem to know quite a bit, don’t you?”
Her curiosity about this peculiar daughter of hers deepened, especially regarding the ties Lin Luo seemed to have with their vampire clan—and with her sister, Phyllis Lynn, in particular.
“Alright, I’m taking a bath. Out you go!”
Lin Luo shoved Claire toward the door, then froze, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
Gulp.
“It’s fine… this is my body now,” she reassured herself, peeling off the white thigh-high stockings.
The moment they slipped off, a wave of liberation washed over her.
Who in the world invented such torturous clothing?
A short while later, a petite figure stood silently before the mirror.
Bare as the day she was born, her skin glowed like polished alabaster, soft and luminous under the interplay of light and shadow, so delicate it seemed it might shimmer with dew.
Her silver-white hair cascaded like a galaxy spilling from the heavens, draping smoothly over her shoulders and down her back.
Each strand gleamed as if sculpted, catching the light in a dance of subtle sparkles.
Her face was a masterpiece of precision—small, upturned nose, lips as pink and tempting as ripe cherries, slightly pursed in a blend of innocence and mischief.
A faint blush warmed her alabaster cheeks, but it was her eyes that stole the breath: twin pools of crimson, vivid and arresting.
And yet… her chest was flat as a board.
Lin Luo gazed at her reflection, her expression a mix of bewilderment and an innate, stubborn pride.
“Ugh…”
She sighed softly.
A girl stood naked before her, and under normal circumstances, she’d be delighted to take in the view.
But why did that girl have to be her?
And why did she have to be a loli barely scraping four foot nine?
Glancing at the bathtub, now brimming with water, she climbed in with a quiet resolve, sinking into the warmth as her thoughts drifted to the future.
Claire’s sudden appearance had thrown her carefully laid plans into disarray.
And then there was Phyllis—she’d have to tread carefully to keep her true identity hidden.
If Phyllis found out, the hard-earned dignity from her past life would crumble to dust.
Claire’s entirely to blame for this mess!
The pint-sized vampire fumed, conveniently ignoring the fact that none of this would’ve happened if she hadn’t stabbed Claire twice in the first place.
“Claire! Grab my clothes from the wardrobe in my room!”
Lin Luo’s voice rang out from the bathroom.
“And what should you be calling me?”
Claire teased, her tone dripping with mischief.
Lin Luo’s head poked out, her expression freezing mid-shout.
Stay calm, stay calm. I’m the most adaptable being in the universe.
“Mother dearest!”
She called out, forcing the words through gritted teeth.
“There we go!”
Claire, thoroughly pleased, sauntered to Lin Luo’s room.
Under Lin Luo’s expectant gaze, she returned brandishing… a nightdress adorned with little bear patterns.
Lin Luo stared, speechless.
“I want pants!”
Her face twisted in defiance, brows knotting like tangled rope, fists clenched as she protested with all the stubbornness her small frame could muster.
Claire, unfazed, marched over and flung the nightdress at her.
It arced through the air, landing lightly across Lin Luo’s face.
“My daughter should dress like the lovely girl she is,” Claire declared.
“Wearing men’s clothes all the time? Honestly, what’s gotten into you?”
Lin Luo faltered, her mind racing.
Her current height—barely four foot seven—compared to her former near-five-foot-seven stature?
She snatched the nightdress with a reluctant huff and stormed back into the bathroom.
Emerging pale-faced, she launched herself at Claire without a second thought, modesty be damned.
Her teeth sank into Claire’s arm, drawing blood to sate her hunger.
After all, in her past life—and the one before that—she’d been a hot-blooded young man.
A little blood loss after a bath was only natural, right?
“Gently…”
Claire chided, though her voice held no real reproach.
Her free hand wove softly through Lin Luo’s silver hair, stroking her head with slow, tender motions.
Her eyes, warm with affection, lingered on the girl before her.
Satisfied at last, Lin Luo released Claire’s arm, wiped her mouth, and scampered back to her room without a backward glance.
Claire watched her go, a wry smile tugging at her lips.
Why does this feel like one of those scenes where someone pulls up their pants and pretends nothing happened?
“Don’t you dare sneak into my room!”
Lin Luo’s head popped out from her doorway, her small fist raised in warning.
Claire pressed her lips together, barely stifling a laugh, and nodded solemnly.
With a final “Hmph!”
Lin Luo slammed the door shut, locking it for good measure.
She even wove a few magical arrays around the room—not to keep Claire out, but to alert her if the vampire tried anything sneaky.
Night raids?
Not on my watch.
“Little Claire, thinking you can outwit a legendary mage like me?”
Lin Luo smirked, puffing out her chest in the spacious, brightly lit room.
“Calling you ‘Mother dearest’ was just to humor you!”
Unbeknownst to her, every word carried clearly to Claire’s ears.
A legendary mage, was it?
Landing on her turf?
Claire’s lips curved into a sly smile, a soft “Heh…” escaping her.
The laugh lingered in the quiet air, laced with an enigmatic edge.
Her gaze deepened, lost in thought, as if plotting something only she could fathom.