Exposed!?
When…?
A flicker of panic, barely perceptible, flashed through Lilique’s eyes.
The problem was more serious than she had imagined.
Because under the influence of the Truth Spell, Luwei hadn’t merely noticed something odd about her and guessed she might be a vampire…
Instead—
She had directly stated Lilique’s true identity!
Looking at the young girl before her, as pliable as a puppet, a struggle surfaced in Lilique’s eyes.
She waved her hand, dispelling the Truth Spell…
Such a domineering magic had a significant impact on the subject.
As the magic’s influence faded, the other’s breathing gradually softened.
Her eyes fluttered shut, and she actually fell into a peaceful sleep.
Only the slight trembling of her eyelashes betrayed the hidden tension and unease in the girl’s heart.
“Did I mess up again?”
Not much surprise remained on Lilique’s face.
Perhaps last night, she had let something slip?
Or maybe the magic she used had allowed Luwei to see through her…
Regardless, it was an undeniable fact that Luwei had discovered her true identity.
“What should I do…?”
Lilique lowered her eyes, a sense of urgency rising in her heart.
The dark clouds overhead had yet to disperse; that mysterious powerhouse of unknown identity still hadn’t shown themselves.
If she were to completely reveal her identity to Luwei now, it was highly likely the news would leak… alerting that powerhouse, perhaps even prompting them to actively seek out Lilique’s location!
Thinking this, Lilique tried hard to mobilize her perception, wanting to see if the results would differ now that her mana had recovered.
Vast, yet concealed, mana poured forth from her body, instantly blanketing the entire Kares Territory—
But unfortunately, she still couldn’t perceive any useful information.
Neither Vera’s location, nor the curse on the mysterious powerhouse…
However, Lilique didn’t come away completely empty-handed.
She had found the reason her perception was being blocked.
The Kares Territory was suffused with a holy magical wave that resisted Lilique’s probing.
Holy mana…?
Could it be that the powerhouse… was from the Divine Lord Church?
Lilique’s eyes flickered uncertainly.
She didn’t know if this was good news or bad news.
During her time wandering the Kares Territory, she hadn’t seen any large churches in the city, nor any gatherings of clergy.
And the decor in Luwei’s home didn’t seem like that of a devout follower of the Church.
Perhaps that mysterious powerhouse was just passing through and happened to deal with the unlucky Vera…
Luwei most likely had no connection to that powerhouse.
If that were the case…
Lilique’s tightly furrowed brow finally relaxed a little.
It seemed now that the conflict between her and Luwei wasn’t irreconcilable.
As for why Luwei had acted so afraid after learning her identity…
Lilique could guess the general reason—
The Kares Territory was already at the extreme north of the Human Federation.
Most people living here probably never had a chance to see a vampire in their entire lives.
Their understanding of vampires was still at a superficial level like “humans are vampire food.”
But in reality—vampires weren’t some kind of monstrous beasts.
The Mythical Races, the Deep-Sea Descendants… their relations with the Evernight Kingdom weren’t bad.
And of course, vampires drank the blood of Elves and Dragons.
But that was always under mutual consent…
Vampires didn’t harm people indiscriminately.
Their main sustenance could be the blood of magical beasts or slaves.
The kind of behavior from the stereotype—lurking in cities of other races, secretly sucking blood and harming people—was considered a crime under the laws of the Evernight Kingdom.
But in the Human Federation, due to the influence of the Divine Lord Church… that group of clergy had a very poor attitude towards vampires, even viewing them as filth that needed purification.
Therefore, relations between the Human Federation and the Evernight Kingdom were shallow, and friction often occurred at the territorial borders.
But if you looked at the races themselves…
The relationship between vampires and humans should be much closer than that between vampires and Dragons or Elves.
Because humans could become vampires through The Embrace.
It wouldn’t be wrong to call them of the same origin.
So, the reason for Luwei’s unease was obvious—
Due to the Church’s influence, vampires had a very bad reputation…
Additionally, Lilique had deliberately disguised her identity.
This guilty appearance could easily be seen as having ill intentions.
“Should I… should I come clean with her?”
Looking at the sleeping girl beside her, Lilique gently touched her head, a trace of conflict appearing on her small face.
After Luwei woke up, she wouldn’t remember what happened during the Truth Spell.
So, if Lilique wanted, she could completely pretend nothing had happened and continue pretending to be the harmless Li Ke.
And Luwei would be nervous for a while, having learned her identity as the Vampire Princess.
Out of selfishness…
Lilique didn’t want Luwei to know she had used a magic like the Truth Spell on her…
If she knew, she would definitely be very scared and sad.
So, she had to pretend nothing happened.
Finally, there was this—
No matter how Lilique pretended, Luwei already knew the truth.
“Will she… still like me?”
A strange emotion flashed through Lilique’s eyes.
She suddenly desperately wanted to know how Luwei would act next…
Would her feelings change?
Would she be afraid of her?
Would she secretly bring people from the Divine Lord Church to deal with her?
Would Luwei…
Would she also… be affected by her title?
A slight sense of estrangement rose in Lilique’s heart.
She quietly watched the girl sleeping by the bedside…
This was their first meeting, but perhaps it would also be their farewell.
When Lilique was in her deepest predicament, she was the one who pulled her out of the icy water.
Carefully cleaned her body, and provided shelter and food.
Lilique didn’t dislike such things…
But would Luwei dislike the real her?
“Eh? You’re awake?”
Lilique smiled as she looked at the silver-haired girl on the bed.
The latter, upon opening her eyes and seeing her, clearly flashed a hint of discomfort.
Lilique could only pretend not to see it…
She had already made up her mind.
If Luwei showed fear of her, even afraid to communicate too much with her…
She wouldn’t cling to her benefactor, but would choose to quietly leave…
If the other party tacitly understood, showing even the slightest acceptance…
Lilique would also be willing to stay with her, hoping Luwei would realize she meant her no harm.
But what Lilique never expected was—
The silver-haired girl before her fell silent for a moment, then let out a deep sigh.
“Stop acting. Your name isn’t Li Ke, is it?”
***
The moment she opened her eyes, Luwei heard the familiar beep sound by her ear.
[Beep~]
[The girl’s heart is pounding because of you! “Lilique” is very curious about what will happen next!]
[1. Confess the bad things you’ve done, then lie on the ground, expose your belly, and apologize, saying you accept any punishment. (Excited State; Affection Level)]
[2. Remind her to get dressed. (Obedience Level)]
[3. Expose her disguise. Tell her you already know everything. (Confused State; Obedience Level)]
As her consciousness gradually cleared, the three option boxes were already laid out before Luwei…
Huh?
Had she done something to shock Li Ke?
But looking at the black-haired girl’s smiling face, Luwei really couldn’t remember…
She vaguely felt she had dozed off just now.
Could it be… magic??
The current situation became even more confusing.
Had Lilique learned some truth through magic…?
Luwei was already tangled between running away and hiding, and now the Relationship Options, as if enjoying the spectacle, pointed out three “clear paths” for her—
The Relationship Options never lied; the marked rewards were absolutely real…
But what would actually develop if she followed them had nothing to do with the options.
For example, Option One, sincerely apologizing.
Affection Level would indeed increase.
But what about afterwards?
What if Lilique didn’t want her identity exposed?
As the sole person in the know, having her limbs broken and being locked in a basement would be a pretty good outcome for Luwei.
Even more terrifying was Lilique killing in a frenzy, saying “I’ll love you no matter what you become” while cutting Luwei into pieces, pickling her, storing her in the fridge, unable to be pieced back together…
And given Lilique’s personality in the plot, she really could do such a thing!
So, just increasing Affection Level was useless.
Obedience Level was the truly overpowered attribute!
It directly determined whether the cries of “stop” during… forceful situations would speed up the other party or make them obediently halt…
Luwei pondered in her heart—
Option Three looked better and better.
Not only did it offer an Obedience Level reward,
It could also point out Lilique’s identity as the Vampire Princess, catching the other party off guard with a preemptive strike!
Seizing the moral high ground early.
Even if Lilique eventually discovered that the one who killed her familiar was Luwei…
with Luwei having been at fault first…
she might spare her.
But…
Li Ke’s eyes…
“…I know. Your name is Lilique. You’re the princess of the Evernight Kingdom.”
[Beep~]
[The girl’s heart is pounding because of you! “Lilique” is very curious about what will happen next!]
Three option boxes popped up before Luwei’s eyes again.