Her heart pounded loudly, the sound still ringing in her ears.
“Are you alright?”
Su Ling’s face was inches away, her clear, sharp eyes fixed intently on her, looking somewhat worried.
Sista Anderson coughed, biting her lower lip.
“Get up,” she ordered without any emotion.
“Bullying”
Only then did Su Ling climb up from the Blood Princess’s arms, standing awkwardly to the side while Moon Xin observed her reaction carefully.
“I was just startled by you, that’s why I reacted like that. It’s all your fault,” Sista deliberately lowered her voice as if sulking.
“You just rushed out of your room without warning. What were you doing just now? No rules at all!”
“I was just wiping the door,” Su Ling tried hard to explain, feeling a bit wronged. She looked up at the rectangular wooden door behind her, still marked with water stains on the frame.
“I’m not tall enough to reach the top of the door frame, so I moved a chair from the storage room to stand on. But that chair wasn’t sturdy enough. When you opened the door just now, I happened to fall off the chair…”
“Don’t make excuses,” Sista had no intention of listening to her explanation. She stood up from the floor and brushed her long hair off her chest to behind her ears. “This happened because you didn’t properly check your tools before working.”
In the narrow corridor, the two stood facing each other.
While reprimanding coldly and without any warmth, Sista quietly observed Su Ling’s reaction from the corner of her eye, her heart still uneasy.
Had Su Ling not noticed her own odd behavior just now?
The silver-haired girl simply kept her head down, obediently accepting the scolding, without further questioning the fact that she had just hugged her.
That’s right, just like that. After a few more reprimands, Su Ling definitely wouldn’t discover what she was truly thinking, she thought.
“I did check, but…”
“I don’t want to hear your excuses. Don’t try to avoid responsibility. As a servant who harmed a member of the Royal Family, I will punish you according to the Palace rules.”
Sista’s voice cut off Su Ling coldly. She turned her back and pushed the door open, walking into the room without wanting Su Ling to see the slight panic and restlessness on her face.
“I understand,” Su Ling replied softly.
“How long are you going to stand there by the door? Go do your work and don’t disturb me.”
After saying that, Sista slammed the door shut heavily, the sound echoing as she left Su Ling outside.
Outside the door came a soft sigh. After a while, the familiar footsteps gradually faded until there was no sound at all.
She’s finally gone—the troublesome maid.
Sista Anderson let out a sigh of relief, leaning against the door frame as her heart slowly calmed.
Looking up, the room’s blankets had been replaced with fresh ones, and new curtains with floral patterns hung in place. Her bed and bedding were tidied without a single crease. The air was still filled with the scent of her usual – Flower of the other shore, perfume.
She stood silently for a moment, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.
Had she spoken too harshly just now?
Actually, Su Ling hadn’t told the truth. Sista had known from the start.
The accident wasn’t caused by the chair, but because she had carelessly pushed open the door, knocking over the chair Su Ling had been standing on.
At that moment, Su Ling must have been working behind the door and hadn’t noticed her approach, which was understandable. Su Ling’s response was likely out of concern for her lowly status.
As a servant, if an accident happened even if it wasn’t their fault they couldn’t blame the Royal Family, or they’d suffer even harsher punishment.
Thinking of this, Sista suddenly regretted her earlier words.
She only wanted to deliberately distance herself from Su Ling. But if Su Ling became afraid of her, kept her at arm’s length, or even applied to Seban to resign as her personal maid…
Sista felt suddenly restless.
She flung open the door and poked her head out, hoping to see Su Ling’s figure.
The narrow corridor stretched all the way to the archway in the distance. Her field of vision was empty—no one there. The maid had long since left. Of course, after all, it was her order to send her away.
“No, I can’t let her leave me…” she muttered under her breath.
She was used to treating servants with an arrogant tone, and even with relatively close nobles, she only switched to polite but distant language.
It was because of this that Sista Anderson became the feared vampire villainess princess in the Castle, respected by all and looked down on by none.
Down the winding spiral staircase, Su Ling walked quickly with small steps.
Sista’s actions had indeed startled her, leaving her still somewhat shaken.
Whether it was the sudden harsh words or the proud, rigid attitude, Su Ling was used to it by now. But the Blood Princess… why did she hug her when she fell?
Sista was taller than her by a head, and when she caught her, Su Ling’s head rested right against Sista’s soft chest, her nose pressed against the skin just above Sista’s collarbone, cool and comfortable.
Su Ling’s first instinct was to get up immediately, but a pair of hands held her tightly against the back, refusing to let go.
One second, two seconds… That was definitely not something someone who hated another would do. Sista seemed very absorbed in the intimate contact, showing no sign of releasing her grip.
Su Ling’s nerves grew tighter and tighter until she finally couldn’t keep silent any longer, breaking the silence and prompting Sista’s sharp scolding.
“That Blood Princess is really strange…”
She hurried down the stairs, passing the storage room’s entrance, and finally arrived in the bustling kitchen just before lunch started.
Inside the kitchen, steam swirled, and rich soup bubbled in copper pots with a gentle gurgling sound.
“Su Ling! You’re finally here!”
By her ear came a delighted voice.
Today, she’d tied her red hair into playful twin ponytails and stood by the stove, holding a long-handled ladle gently stirring the soup.
Seeing Su Ling, Tii’s lips curved into an elegant smile, her bright eyes shining with light.
“Ah, Tii.”
“I’ve been waiting for you for so long,” Tii’s voice was crisp and pleasant, carrying a barely noticeable hint of joy. “Su Ling, where have you been just now? It feels like you’ve been working with us less and less lately.”
“I… Sista Anderson had something to ask me. Lately, the cleaning work in the room has increased.”
“Cleaning? That often? I don’t remember there being this much work when I was by the princess’s side,” Tii tilted her head in surprise. She glanced Su Ling over and noticed her wrinkled clothes. “Also, what’s with your hair? It’s all messy, and your clothes are in disarray.”
“Ah, well… I just accidentally tripped and fell.”
“You’re such a clumsy little Su Ling,” Tii giggled, putting down the ladle and turning around to gently smooth Su Ling’s messy hair. “But it’s okay, I’m here to help you!”
“Thank you, Tii,” Su Ling said with a little embarrassment, glancing around. “By the way, it seems like there are more people in the kitchen today than usual. Is something going on?”