Rosalia observed Liliya—or rather, the person who was once Lyle—for a long time.
From the moment he was first chosen by the Holy See, all the way until he became the Sword Saint of the Holy See,
She watched for a full twenty years.
In those twenty years, Lyle transformed from a spirited young man into a puppet with barely any emotional fluctuations, devoted solely to carrying out the Holy See’s will.
During the Southern Orc Uprising, when the Orcs tried to rebel against the rule of the Holy See, he led the Holy See’s knights to the Orc tribes.
The silver blade of his sword flashed, and the Orc Chief’s head tumbled down like a pumpkin, lifted expressionlessly in his hand to warn all the Orcs still thinking of resisting about the fate that awaited them.
Throughout it all, Lyle never held any particular opinion on the matter. Even if he might have died on that mission, he displayed no emotional reaction.
The so-called Sword Saint of the Holy See was merely a blade to maintain their dominion, not needing much thought, simply following orders was enough.
He didn’t need to know how many rebels were in the Orc tribes, nor how strong those rebels might be—his only task was to accept the Holy See’s mission, and then accomplish it.
Just like this time, he didn’t need to consider whether Rosalia was truly as weakened as the Holy See claimed, nor make any prior investigation.
What he needed… was simply to lead the other Death Warriors to carry out their orders.
That kind of Sword Saint of the Holy See was now half-kneeling on the ground, dazedly licking her own fingers, just like a docile little puppy.
Just looking at this Liliya, no one could imagine that this person was once the terrifying Sword Saint of the Holy See, whose name alone made people tremble.
How wonderful.
Like this, with nothing to think about, hadn’t you already grown accustomed to being controlled? In that case, staying by my side, becoming my little pet forever, isn’t such a bad thing, is it?
And at that moment, the half-kneeling Liliya finally regained her awareness.
The enticing metallic sweetness still lingered in her mind; though she could only taste a little now—just a single drop of blood seeping from the wound each time—it was like nectar in the desert, making her sink ever deeper.
She told herself she couldn’t keep tasting such a flavor, she couldn’t go on like this. But her body disobeyed, still licking the blood, showing no sign of stopping.
If she kept this up, her body would become unable to leave Rosalia’s side even before her will gave out.
After a dozen seconds or so, Liliya’s will finally resisted the temptation. She lowered her head and no longer looked at that jade-like finger.
“That’s enough?”
“Mm.”
With her head bowed, Liliya couldn’t see Rosalia’s expression. She simply gave a soft reply, saying no more.
In truth, it wasn’t enough—she wanted to keep savoring that metallic sweetness, even wishing to taste it at every moment. But something hidden within her body warned her she couldn’t go on like this.
“If that’s the case, then stand up.”
Rosalia’s voice was somewhat languid, almost listless. She casually healed the wound on her finger. By the time Liliya looked up, she could no longer see the fresh blood that had so bewitched her moments before.
All that remained was Rosalia’s still-unhealed wound, the blood having already congealed into a scab.
Liliya felt her heart tremble again at the sight.
She looked down at her own finger, where Rosalia’s wound had also formed a scab.
The Bloodkin’s regenerative abilities were said to be the best among all races. In theory, Rosalia’s wound should have healed completely by now, yet it remained, like a mark, telling Liliya…
This is all your fault.
You hurt your own master and made her bleed.
Liliya fell into another daze, her body trembling faintly.
She didn’t know what Rosalia was thinking. She only felt that part of her soul that Rosalia had filled constantly telling her: she’d done wrong—she mustn’t harm her master.
Trembling, fear, and the anxiety of having done something wrong.
All these emotions, almost nonexistent in the former Sword Saint of the Holy See, burst forth at this moment.
Her breath quickened, her palm clenched into a fist, and her head hung even lower than before, not daring to look at Rosalia.
How wonderful.
Rosalia could tell what Liliya was thinking just by looking at her face.
Everything was even better than she’d imagined.
She watched Liliya trembling, then glanced at her own arm where the wound still lingered. The smile in her eyes deepened, growing more playful.
She had deliberately suppressed the healing of her wound, all for this moment.
Now, it was time for her little pet to hand over her “weapon.”
Xin Yi.
“Liliya, lift your head.”
She spoke to Liliya like this.
Hearing Rosalia’s voice, Liliya finally raised her head and looked into her eyes, though she still dared not glance at Rosalia’s hand.
She didn’t dare face the mistake she’d made.
That part of her mind kept telling her she’d done something wrong, that a little pet must never harm its master.
“Are you afraid? Afraid you’ve hurt me?”
Liliya’s gaze darted away, her eyes flashing with guilt.
“In that case, why not trim your nails? Once they’re cut, you won’t hurt me anymore.”
“Trim my nails?”
Liliya looked at her rosy fingernails, which had indeed grown quite a bit. If she cut them… it wouldn’t be a big deal. That way, she wouldn’t harm Lady Rosalia anymore.
But for some reason, it just didn’t feel right.
It wasn’t that trimming her nails was a big deal, but something else—it didn’t feel right to simply obey Rosalia.
Unfortunately, before the pain could arrive, that sweet metallic taste drowned out everything, making her give up thinking.
Just obey Lady Rosalia—she is your master.
That voice echoed in her mind.
***
In the end, she still nodded.
“Good.”
Rosalia smiled, pulling out a nail clipper, and carefully trimmed Liliya’s overgrown nails until they were at a proper length—close to the fingertip, but not so close as to cause pain.
During the whole process, Rosalia was exceedingly careful. For a moment, Liliya felt as though she wasn’t merely her pet, but something even more important.
Rosalia held her finger gently, the cold touch of her nails soft against Liliya’s skin, occasionally rubbing it lightly, making Liliya feel ticklish.
Very soon, all ten nails were neatly trimmed. Looking at her now shorter, perfectly rounded fingernails, Liliya fell into another daze.
So pretty.
So pretty she wanted to keep looking at them.
But before she could enjoy them for long, Rosalia had already grasped her hand, placing it against her own arm, and softly rubbed her smooth skin against Liliya’s fingers.
Liliya’s body became unnaturally stiff.
It was too intimate.
They had shared moments of closeness before, but with Rosalia now guiding her hand, letting her rub that smooth skin, it felt… different.
She wanted to pull away, but didn’t manage it in time, and instead was controlled by Rosalia, her hand continuing to rub, feeling the delicate texture of her skin.
“How about it? Now you won’t hurt me, right?”
Rosalia still spoke with a smile, her gaze meeting Liliya’s once more, catching the panic in her eyes and letting that playfulness she tried to hide show through.
“Why is my little pet so flustered, I wonder… Could it be…”
She leaned in close to Liliya’s ear again, her words soft and clinging with a hint of seduction.
“Has my little pet started having some improper thoughts about her master?”