Yiyi watched her with reddened ears and couldn’t help but curve her lips slightly.
Her little paws gently patted Lilia’s back, her voice soft:“Then Lilia, you go find your mother to eat first. Eating is the most important thing—you’ll feel uncomfortable if you’re hungry.”
“All right!”
Lilia’s eyes lit up, and she grabbed Yiyi’s hand again, this time not squeezing hard, just lightly holding her fingertips.
“Yiyi, you come with me! I want my mother to meet my first good friend. She’s very kind.”
“I-I think I won’t.”
Yiyi pinched the corner of her clothes and spoke softly, but her fingertips secretly clenched.
Inside her heart was like a restless little beast pounding around.
The fake face of Xiamir suddenly popped up in her mind, and the more she thought about it, the more panicked she became.
What if that bastard really sold me to the Blood Queen as a slave, and I never get revenge?
What then?
Just as the words left her mouth, she forced down her anxiety, lifted her head, blinked, and pretended to be curious: “By the way, who is your mother?”
Lilia let go of her hand, puffed out her small chest a little, her tone mixed with pride and a hint of grievance: “My mother is the Blood Queen—Lilith! But today she’s meeting an old friend and said there’s something ‘I’m not allowed to see,’ so she left me here to play alone.”
“What?”
Yiyi’s voice instantly sharpened, her small body recoiled suddenly, her back hitting the corridor pillar heavily.
This is it.
It’s all over!
Her head buzzed; Xiamir’s face and the words “Blood Queen” intertwined in her mind, and a terrifying thought leapt out: Maybe that bastard just wants to sell me to Lilith to be Lilia’s blood bag!
No, absolutely not!
She clenched her little fists so tightly her nails nearly dug into her palms, her eyes darted to the end of the long corridor, and her only thought was: I have to get out of here quickly—any later and it’ll be too late!
“Yiyi, what’s wrong?”
Lilia was startled by her sudden reaction and stepped forward half a step.
Her eyes were full of worry, her silver-white hair swaying as well.
“N-Nothing, I just remembered I should go find Xiamir. I-I’ll go first!”
Yiyi hurriedly waved her hand, her voice trembling, and turned to run toward the other end of the corridor, not even noticing that the corner of her pajamas was caught by some vines.
“Hey, Yiyi…”
Lilia wanted to call out again and reached to tug at her clothes, but only touched a breath of air scented faintly with blood cherry blossoms.
Yiyi had only taken a few steps before a voice so familiar it tightened her heart came from behind, carrying a faintly teasing and gentle tone: “Yibao, where are you going?”
Yiyi’s footsteps froze instantly, as if nailed to the stone slab, and the little tail behind her stiffened sharply.
That voice was Xiamir’s!
It’s over!
She mechanically turned around, her heart pounding so hard she felt it might burst from her chest.
The sight before her sent chills down her spine.
Xiamir wore a dark-ink patterned robe, the cuffs embroidered with delicate silver threads, no longer the casual look from before.
Standing beside her was a woman with silver-white hair flowing like moonlight and scarlet eyes like shattered stars.
A faint pressure surrounded her; no need to guess, this was Lilia’s mother—the Blood Queen Lilith, the honorable mother of Lilia.
Lilith’s gaze landed on Yiyi, scrutinizing but without hostility.
She gently patted Lilia’s head beside her, her voice warm: “Lilia, what are you and Yiyi doing here?”
Lilia’s eyes brightened and hurried over to Lilith’s side, then turned back to wave at Yiyi: “Mother! Yiyi is my good friend. We were just planning to come find you. Isn’t that right, Yiyi?”
“Y-Yeah. You two chat slowly. I’ll—I’ll be going now. Goodbye!”
Yiyi took the chance while Xiamir wasn’t paying attention to turn and run, but her short legs couldn’t run fast.
Xiamir took two strides forward, reached out, and grabbed her by the back collar like picking up a kitten, pulling her back.
“Yibao, where do you think you’re running?”
Xiamir looked down at her tense little body, her tone teasing: “Are you afraid Aunt Lilith will eat you up? Hm? You silly little thing.”
“Let go of me!”
Yiyi twisted her body hard, her little paws flapping at Xiamir’s hand, her cheeks flushed red, voice sharp and angry: “I’m not silly! You just want to sell me to that old witch Lilith, don’t you?! Hmph💢 I’ll never submit to you, Xiamir!”
The corridor fell instantly silent.
Lilia was stunned for a moment, then quickly tugged Lilith’s dress, whispering:“Mother, Yiyi didn’t mean it…”
But Lilith wasn’t angry.
Instead, she curved her lips slightly, a hint of amusement flickering in her scarlet eyes as she looked at Yiyi with a teasing tone: “Oh? Yiyi actually called me an old witch? How rude.”
She leaned in, lowering her voice with a hint of menace: “A soft little cub like you? I could suck you dry in one bite and finish you off. Want to try it, little Yibao~?”
“Ah—ah—ahh! Help! Help, the vampire is biting me—waahhh!”
Yiyi trembled all over, tears splashing onto her pajamas, her little paws flailing wildly.
But after a couple of sobs, she suddenly stiffened, a cold jolt hitting her heart.
No, wait!
I’m the glorious Captain of the Holy Spirit Corps—Noel Hardis.
How could I cry just because of a little scare?
That’s too embarrassing!
That wasn’t me just now.
I mean… well, it wasn’t real, not me!
A Paladin wouldn’t cry over this!
She quickly wiped her tears with the back of her hand, sniffed, straightened her neck to feign calm, though her voice still trembled with a hint of sob: “I-I’m not afraid of you! I… I just got some sand in my eyes! Hmph💢”
“Yibao, don’t you think you’re adorable like this?”
Xiamir couldn’t help but laugh, loosening the grip on her collar and instead cradling her arm, her tone full of amusement: “Such a cute tsundere.”
“I’m not!”
Yiyi struggled hard, and once she steadied herself, she took a half step back, watching Xiamir warily, her little paws still clutching her clothes.
“W-Where did you go just now? If you wanted to sell me, why did you bring me to the Blood Clan?!”
The more she spoke, the more justified she sounded, even her voice a little louder than before.
Only the little tail drooping at her side betrayed her nervousness.
“Well, hehe, that’s something I can’t tell you.”
Xiamir deliberately kept the secret, tapping her chin lightly, her eyes sparkling with mischief.
Seeing Yiyi frown as if about to explode, she finally added slowly: “What I can tell you is that I brought you here because—actually, it’s to prove to that old bat that I really have a cub.”
At those words, Yiyi froze, forgetting to clutch her clothes, her eyes wide as saucers: “A c-cub? Me?”
She pointed at herself, then quickly looked at Xiamir, full of doubt: “You’re lying! You don’t—uh-uh—Xiamir—uh!”
Before she could finish, Xiamir pulled a warm pacifier from somewhere and suddenly stuffed it into her mouth.
Yiyi instinctively wanted to spit it out, but Xiamir pressed her finger against it, stopping her from moving.
“All right, Yibao, it’s time to go back. Mother, I’m a little tired, I should sleep. We played late today.”
“Why go back to sleep? Stay here, we still haven’t talked enough.”
Lilith stepped forward, her tone laced with invitation, her scarlet eyes scanning Yiyi, then Xiamir.
Xiamir rolled her eyes helplessly, rubbing her forehead, a small smile playing on her lips: “You’re such an old hag. Fine, I’ll agree to your ‘request’ just this once.”
She looked down at the still dazed Yiyi in her arms and added: “But now I have to take Yi Yi to wash up. When she ran off earlier, her pajama sleeve got all dirty.”
Lilith raised an eyebrow and gently patted Lilia’s small head.
Lilia immediately lifted her little face expectantly, and Lilith smiled, turning to Xiamir: “I’m taking Lilia too. Let’s go together. The bathhouse is at the end of the corridor ahead, and I even put your favorite incense there.”
Xiamir glanced down at Yiyi, who still had the pacifier in her mouth, and before Yiyi could agree, she smiled and replied, “Sure~”.
Yiyi sucked on the pacifier, quietly clutching Xiamir’s clothes, still suspicious in her heart.
A bath?
Together with them?
Could it be dangerous?
And this pacifier… who prepared it…
She sneaked a glance at Lilith and Lilia walking beside them, saw Lilia smiling at her, and quickly looked down, her ear tips quietly reddening.